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31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
James Taylor's Third Outing As "Mudslide Slim"!, September 4, 2000
I was lucky enough to first see James Taylor live in a small outdoor venue called Avaloch in rural Lenox, Massachusetts in the summer of 1970, after this first album recorded by the Beatles in London had been released and just before the release of the fabulously successful "Sweet Baby James" album by Warner Brothers. He appeared alone on-stage with a full head of long, long hair in a simple denim shirt and cut-up jeans with his four or five acoustic guitars, and for two and a half hours proceeded to absolutely enchant the sprawling lawn-full of hundreds of audience members with a spellbinding performance of all of the work from his first two albums. Although virtually unknown at the time, word of mouth had spread so quickly in the Berkshires area (who still considers him one of their own) that many of us went out to get this album to play before he appeared. The rest, as they say, is history. This is his third time at bat, and this particular album showcases his truly amazing talents with a number of unforgettable songs like "You've Got A Friend', written by Carol King, "Mudslide Slim", and "Love Has Brought Me Around". It also shows a different aspect of his talents in that he has a wider selection of different types of songs, ranging all the way from a somber, reflective, and overtly political song like "Soldiers' to reflections about his newfound fame in "Hey Mister, That's Me Up On The Jukebox" to a lovely love song , "You Can Close Your Eyes". He has a number of short, sweet, and reflective songs like "Long Ago And Far Away", "Isn't It Nice to Be Home Again?", and "Places In My Past" that show just how durable and prolific an artist he had become. His performance on this third album is brilliant proof of just how incredibly talented an interpretive artist Taylor really is, suggesting the long, fabled ride in popularity he has enjoyed ever since. It is certainly a terrific showcase for how well Taylor can deliver on a variety of original works and covers of other contemporary folk songs. Enjoy
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