Customer Reviews

One Man Band [CD + DVD]

5 star:		(90)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

James Taylor is that rarest of creatures -- an unpretentious superstar. The 59-year-old iconic singer and songwriter, originally from North Carolina, presented his so-called "One Man Band" show at the Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield, MA during July 2007 with such effortless charm that it was as if he were sitting around the fireside at home, talking with a bunch of old friends. But the ease with which he put it all across belied the rigorous attention to detail and sheer craft that went into the making of this delightful show.
Larry Goldings, who accompanies Taylor on piano, organ, synth, harmonium and melodica, is a one-man band. He has developed a following in the jazz world for his own compositions and recordings, as well as his live performance.
James Taylor sang some of his most beloved recordings, interspersing them with his insightful and humorous anecdotes on the inspiration for the songs.
He and Larry together serve up a full menu of Taylor's work over the past 40 years, from "Something in the Way She Moves" (the song which won him his first contract with the Beatles' Apple Records in 1968) right up to "Mean Old Man" and "My Travelling Star" from his most-recent release October Road.
An illustrated voyage around Taylor's life and times, the show begins with him alone, singing the gentle melody and picking out the lilting chord sequence of "Something in the Way She Moves", one of the first songs that he wrote.
Joined on stage (and on the record) by the piano player Larry Goldings, he moves on to another of his early songs, "Never Die Young".
.."That's always good advice", he told the audience. "But far too late for me, of course"...
On this 19-song set -- which marks a return to an earlier, simpler style of performance for the perennial, quintessential singer-songwriter -- Taylor sings with a touch that is nothing short of perfection.
You will enjoy some of his biggest hits "Sweet Baby James", "Carolina in my Mind" and "Fire and Rain" and the gentle, life-affirming mood of the album will continue to resonate long after your listening.
This isn't an album for fans of shoot-outs and car chases, as you might expect from a man who sings: "The secret of life is enjoying the passage of time".
The album's highlights : "Carolina On My mind", "Chili Dog", "Something in The Way She Moves" and "You've Got a Friend".
All in all, this is an extraordinary, one-of-a-kind portrait of an artist, his renowned repertoire and the personal stories behind the songs.
Enjoy!
One Man Dog
The Best of James Taylor
James Taylor - Greatest Hits, Vol. 2
James Taylor (Live)

I was a little doubtful of the "One Man Band" concept, having previously found various "unplugged" albums to be fairly boring, even by artists whose music I normally love. Fortunately, this concert was not truly "one man," with Taylor being accompanied throughout by pianist Larry Goldings, the Tanglewood Festival Chorus, and even a drum machine on occasion! But the main focus is on James and his guitar, and these many wonderful songs he has written. The description of One Man Band by another customer as merely a greatest hits CD is not entirely accurate. There are several lesser known works in the set, and the complete song list spans his entire career, not just the "glory days." The man's singing is superb here - his expressiveness, emotion and tone are all really good. In fact, he sings better here than when I saw him in concert. A couple of the real highlights for me were "Shower the People," which uses the backing chorus to full effect, and "You Can Close Your Eyes," the final encore number. The album almost never lets the listener down; a sluggish "Fire and Rain" being a notable exception.

The DVD is much better than the CD in terms of entertainment value, not just for the obvious reason (visuals!), but also because of the added JT narration and dialogue. I do understand this particular CD/DVD packaging idea - "one for the car," which is in fact where I first listened to it. The concept has been used several other times before with live albums (ex., Fleetwood Mac). I just wish it wasn't the same exact concert both places - all the same songs, no more or less. Couldn't they have gotten a different concert from the same tour for the CD?

Kudos for Starbucks / Hear Music, though. They seem to have become THE Baby Boomer record label lately!

As James has explained, this cd/dvd set is a "primer" of his music -- by stripping it down and going back to the basics: his amazing, soulful voice, the unique sound he creates on his custom Olson guitars and the accompaniment of the incomparable Larry Goldings on piano. I cannot emphasize enough how beautiful it is, a compilation/distillation of many of his very best songs -- some faves, but some lesser known. They span his entire career, from "Something in the Way She Moves," written when JT was only a teenager, to "Traveling Star," which was on his most recent album "October Road." Plus, it's 19 tracks and 2 hours of music! What more could you ask for?

This is not just another "greatest hits" album. I have all of his albums and none of the songs on this one are recorded the same way as on the original album where they appeared, or anywhere else. Notable examples are the use of the Tanglewood choir via videotape as backup on "Shower the People" and "Traveling Star" -- which is such a brilliant idea, by the way. Why hasn't that been used more often? Or the gigantic, wooden drum machine that accompanies a couple of tracks.

I was lucky enough to be in the front row of his "One Man Band" show in Los Angeles, so I was very familiar with what is on the dvd. It's such an intimate, special show in that he explains the inspiration for many of his songs and shows personal, family photos and video footage. You feel like you get to know the real person, what makes him tick, and you are also exposed to his great sense of deadpan humor.

If you are already a fan, then your collection is NOT complete without this set. But if you are not that familiar with this brilliant artist, this true American treasure, and are interested in getting to know him, then this is the set to buy.

In fact, I plan to buy several copies and give them to friends and family during the holidays.

I picked up the "One Man Band" CD/DVD today. Having seen this show in Atlanta last year, I was looking forward to reliving the experience, and I was not disappointed. The DVD presents a wonderfully warm and intimate evening, with great stories and even greater songs. It's very much like having an old friend over, trading stories and memories.

And wait 'til you check out the first entry in the Outtakes on the DVD. It's priceless, and I was laughing out loud!

Oh, and James...I forgive you for the "Yankees suck" comment!

Thanks for all the years and all the great songs.

I thought it was a new cd with newly written songs, but it was all the good old ones that I have already. But by all means: great songs if You do not have them in your collection:)

I've seen James Taylor several times over the past years and I've always been impressed. Taylor's One Man Band (both the CD and the DVD Concert) is a gift for long time fans.

Shot in the quaint Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield, Massachusetts the concert features 19 classics performed in a simple, stripped down acoustic style with Larry Goldings joining Taylor on keyboards.

The concert features both old and new material but the real joy of this show was the warm storytelling that went with the music. Taylor took the time to talk to his audience and to explain the history behind the songs. Highlights include Shower the People, Sweet Baby James, You've Got a Friend, Traveling Star, Carolina In My Mind, and Copperline.

This is an excellent package for newcomers and fans alike. Get comfortable, pour a glass of wine and be captivated.

Now before you huddled masses condemn this all up to another JT "best of"
special. Think again.I have followed James since he was in the Original Flying Machine with Danny Kooch. Have every CD he recorded ,including the imports. But this one is truely different. Yes it has the best of James tunes. But lets think on a different plane for a minute. This was recorded in James's original birthplace town. When you hear the audience listening and applauding for those favorite songs,its like they are tilting their heads saying "wow,he turned out to be a fine young man". You will notice also these are not like the heckling audience that are on his regular Cds. So let us get to the music. Yes he plays mostly with only guitar,but this is quite refreshing.He has a piano player with him also.You can hear through his voice,the years he has been playing,the struggles of his life and he does it all with a One Man Band. Buy the Cd,
it will make you see this man in a different light. His DVD that is included is just as wonderful. Don't worry he will record a new CD,with new tunes. What a musician.............

To begin with I must say that I am an old fan of James Taylor. I own all his previous albums.
When JT came up with this new release, I almost did not buy it, simply because I wanted new material and not a live unplugged concert. I finally bought it simply to keep the collection complete.
Now that I have it, I must say the following about this album:
1. James Taylor sounds the same 30 years ago if not better.
2. Although the songs are not new, the arrangement in every song is very beautiful, making every track sound as fresh as it can be.
3. If you are new to James Taylor and you begin your collection with this album; it sure is a good start.
4. The DVD concert in this release is surely a big plus; beautifully filmed and the sound is simply perfect.
Bottom line you can't go wrong buying this album; between the musical CD and DVD, surely you will find the money well worth spent.
My other recommended 3 great albums for James Taylor are
1. One Man Dog
2. In the Pocket
3. Walking Man

Of course it's hard to give any James Taylor music less than 5 stars but this CD only gets 2 from me. James Taylor talks too much on this disc. I just want to hear his music not his talking.

Great CD/DVD buy it. Turn off the lights and open some wine light a candle and you will feel like your there.