My Amazon Reviews: James Taylor "James Taylor (Apple Re-Issue)"

Baby James  
3 Out of 5 Stars

After some success at getting recognized with other artists, James Taylor headed for England to try out his material as a solo artist. By a stroke of luck and connection, he fell in with Peter Asher, who had just been tapped by The Beatles to work for the fledgling Apple Label. Asher recognized the depth of Taylor's talent and convinced The Beatles to bring him on board.

After being pretty much a lost album, James' 1968 debut solo album has been released as one of Apple's ambitious library resurrection project. While you can glimpse the specter of James Taylor to come, this album is way over-produced. There's almost a sense that Asher and company were trying to Apple-fy Taylor with a myriad of Beatle-esque touches; there's harps and harpsichords, "Eleanor Rigby" styled strings, choir-type chirpy back-up vocals, etc. There's so much ornate production that, at times, you get the sense that James is fighting to keep his head above it all.

Nowhere is that more obvious than on the two songs that would become standards when re-recorded years later. "Carolina On My Mind" and "Something In The Way She Moves" are both presented as perky production numbers, with "Carolina" almost to the level of a skiffle number. The true magic of the song was brought forward years later when James stripped away the window dressing, and slowed the pace down enough so the emotion of the song came through. ("Rainy Day Man" would also eventually be tapped for a redo.) It's only at the end of the original album, when James sings "Blues is Just a Bad Dream," that you hear the James Taylor who would grow up to be the man who sings "Fire and Rain."

The demos that make up the bonus tracks are so-so. Both "Sunny Skies" and "Let Me Ride" would appear on his first two Warner albums, and the demo of "Sunshine Sunshine" and "Carolina In My Mind" are of modest interest as they are not as gussied up as the album's final versions. The disc includes an OK booklet with several good pictures and a pair of worthy essays from Peter Asher and Andy David. The remastering is excellent, and respectful of the masters (IE not compressed within an inch of its life). Overall, a terrific glimpse into the time machine from which a young James Taylor would soon rocket out from.