In the Pocket

James Taylor

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
• Original Release Date: June 1976
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Warner Bros / Wea
• ASIN: B000002KG8
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #101,227 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

2008 WEA Flashback reissue of the 1976 album, In the Pocket which was the seventh album for singer-songwriter James Taylor. It contains the hit "Shower the People", one of Taylor's classic compositions, which climbed to number 22 on the Billboard charts on September 18, 1976. The song "Shower the People" was later covered by country music band 4 Runner on their 2003 album Getaway Car. 12 tracks. --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A masterwork, September 26, 2002

By	"kachooney" (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews

James Taylor's career had various commercial peaks: one was early, with the success of Sweet Baby James; another came the year after In The Pocket with the release of JT on Columbia. In my opinion, however, his creative and musical peaks are not in alignment with his commercial ones. In The Pocket is a case in point.

This album is a treasure trove. "Shower the People," In The Pocket's representative on Taylor's Greatest Hits (appearing on In The Pocket in its unedited form), is, as other reviewers have noted, a lot less cornball than one might imagine from a tune with such sappy lyrics. If your only knowledge of JT comes from his greatest hits, though, the rest of the album is a delightful surprise.

With "Junkie's Lament," James layers beautiful autobiographical lyrics with a very interesting II-V cycle exercise (and a final 60 seconds that gives me goosebumps every time), which results in one of the true unrecognized acheivements of his career. "Money Machine" is a witty funk tune with disco-style string arrangements--and, surprise surprise, it is actually tastefully done! "Slow Burning Love" manages to accomplish a relatively rare feat: The feel of the music conjures up precisely the mood of the lyrics ("It was a hot and a sultry day, somewhen in early September..."). It's languid and sticky enough to make you really understand where JT's coming from.

The only low point of this album is the next track, "Everybody Has The Blues". Perhaps I'm biased, because I love Lee Sklar's bass playing so much (and this tune replaces him with a tuba!), but it seems like a throwaway that gets in the way of the rest of the album. If anything, I suppose, it is a brief reprieve from the solidness exhibited to that point, and a nice breath of fresh air before the genius gets rolling again.

I won't parse the rest of the album track by track, but suffice it to say that on In The Pocket, JT manages to continue a trend that began with One Man Dog and exists today on October Road--mainly, the second half of this album is far better than the first. By the time you get around to the final three transcendental tracks, you'll be wishing this album would never end.

While In The Pocket never recaptures the raw emotion caputured on One Man Dog, Pocket shows a glimse of what will become JT's trademark--master craftsmanship. This is his best album, and represents a feat of musicianship that he doesn't really even come close to reproducing until 2002's October Road.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Deep Pocket, December 21, 1999

By	Steve M (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews

As is typical of James Taylor's albums, there is a consistency from beginning to end. To really appreciate JT's work, however, stray off the beaten path, and discover the less played songs from special albums like this one. Captain Jim's Drunken Dream and Junkie's Lament are excellent examples of James Taylor's introspective brilliance and poignance. If you really want to know JT - and why wouldn't you, this is a must-have.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars In The Pocket should be in In Your Music Collection!, October 28, 1999

By	Dan Blackard (Susanville, California) - See all my reviews

If I had to describe to someone what classic James Taylor music sounded like, all I would have to do is play this album. This was the perfect follow up to Gorrilla, another classic. The production is flawless and at times just beautiful. I originally bought a cassette of this album in the 70's, I wore it out. Thank goodness for c.d.'s. While some references in some of the lyrics seem dated, the messages are still relevant today. All in all as good as music gets.