Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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36 of 39 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Sweet Introduction to Sweet Baby James!, July 9, 2000
With the launching of this album, a thirty-year career was sent into high orbit. Of course, it is still up there, spinning and lightening our loads as we make our way through the days and evenings of our lives. If the baby boomers have a long-play soundtrack to their lives, most of the songs on this album would be on it, beginning with "Sweet Baby James", a lullaby written for his nephew but detailing his voluntary `escape' from the Austin Riggs center in Stockbridge. Massachusetts, riding down the turnpike to Boston, and on to London, where he was `discovered' by the Beatles. Then there is "Fire and Rain", another autobiographical tune that was one of the biggest smash hits of all time, one covered by more solo artists than any other, and "Country Road", by now instantly identified by its opening chords by thousands of Taylor fans. It is all here, folks; the voice, the songs, and the guitar work that made James Taylor the superstar/singer/songwriter laureate of the seventies. Along with John Denver, Cat Stevens, Elton John, and Van Morrison, he virtually revolutionized popular music for a generation with his very personal, often intense, and always very approachable and melodic approach to music. There are hours and hours of wonderful experience in store for anyone with this album, whether you've come down in a space ship and are just introducing yourself to his work, or you are an old friend stopping by to sit on the front porch for a spell while Mudslide Slim plays and sings in his unforgettable voice for you. Enjoy!
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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
James Taylor writes down the great song, "Fire and Rain", January 22, 2005
Just yesterday morning they let me know you were gone
Susanne the plans they made put an end to you
I walked out this morning and I wrote down this song
I just can't remember who to send it to
It was rather ironic that James Taylor was considered such a sensitive and soothing singer-songwriter when you listen to his signature song, "Fire and Rain," which is about the suicide of a friend who had been an inmate at a mental institution where Taylor had been committed by his parents (it also gives his cover of Stephen Foster's "Oh, Susannah" a very personal meaning). The song was written in three parts: the first verse was written in a London flat about his reactions to the death of his friend; the second verse was written in a New York hospital about Taylor trying to kick his heroin habit; and the third verse was written at a Massachusetts psychiatric facility as he recuperated from his experience.
But while the subject matter was certainly depressing, "Fire and Rain" had a confessional quality that gave it a sense of intimacy that set it apart from what others were doing. In early 1971 he was on the cover of "Time" magazine, literarily the poster boy for the wave of singer-songwriters that were dominating the music scene, including most notably his good friend Carole King and his future wife Carly Simon. Taylor was perfectly suited for the early 1970s music scene: his lyrics were introspective and because he played acoustic guitar he could sing his songs in a rather quiet manner. After the turmoil of the 1960s, which was certainly reflected in the music of the times, Taylor was a breath of fresh air.
This album made it to #3 on the Billboard Albums chart while "Fire and Rain" made it to that same spot as a single. I was surprised to discover that the other single from the album was not the title song, but "Country Road" (#37), which is fine with me because that is the second best track on the album with some lyrical elements similar to "Fire and Rain." This is not to say that this is a depressing album, because certainly "Sunny Skies", "Blossom" and "Anywhere Like Heaven" are lighter songs. "Steamroller" is sort of funky and seems out of place on the album, but if you look at the overall mix of songs Taylor is covering a lot of ground musically. But "Fire and Rain" is definitely Taylor's best song and I am surprised "Rolling Stone" only ranked it #227 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
I've seen fire and I've seen rain
I've seen sunny days that I thought would never end
I've seen lonely times when I could not find a friend
But I always thought that I'd see you again
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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The classic MUST HAVE album for JT fans!, October 19, 1999
By A Customer
In addition to being the album with THE JT hits which one cannot get tired of listening, this album includes Taylor's rendition of "Oh Susannah" with the chord changes and guitar styling that cuts straight to your heart. The perfect segue to Fire And Rain, James takes the Stephen Foster standard and completely transforms the feel to create the type of melancholy overtone that stings behind the eyes.Hearing the hits in the context of the other songs is totally different than owning the Greatest Hits album. One gets in touch with more of the mood of a "pre-superstar" Taylor. A little less refinement in exchange for a lot more gut. As for the hits themselves, I have personally performed "Fire And Rain" for over ten years and still find myself aimlessly wandering around a supermarket until the end of the song whenever it comes on. This is the lasting power of truly classic art, which is severely lacking in today's music scene. Young, up and coming musicians can learn a lot from the texture of this early work.
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by James Taylor 
