Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon [Rhino Flashback] [2011]

by James Taylor

Overview

James Taylor's commercial breakthrough in 1970 was predicated on the relationship between the private concerns expressed in his songs and the larger philosophical mood of his audience. He was going through depression, heartbreak, and addiction; they were recovering from the political and cultural storms of the '60s. On his follow-up to the landmark Sweet Baby James, Taylor brought his listeners up to date, wisely trying to step beyond the cultural, if not the personal, markers he had established. Despite affirming romance in songs like "Love Has Brought Me Around" and the moving "You Can Close Your Eyes" as well as companionship in "You've Got a Friend," the record still came as a defense against the world, not an embrace of it; Taylor was unable to forget the past or trust the present. The songs were full of references to the road and the highway, and he was uncomfortable with his new role as spokesman. The confessional songwriter was now, necessarily, writing about what it was like to be a confessional songwriter: Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon served the valuable function of beginning to move James Taylor away from the genre he had defined, which ultimately would give him a more long-lasting appeal. ~ William Ruhlmann

Product Details

Release Date:	02/19/2013
Label:	Flashback Records / Rhino Flashback / Warner Bros.
UPC:	0081227976491

Tracks

1. Love Has Brought Me Around
2. You've Got a Friend
3. Places in My Past
4. Riding on a Railroad
5. Soldiers
6. Mud Slide Slim
7. Hey Mister, That's Me Up on That Jukebox
8. You Can Close Your Eyes
9. Machine Gun Kelly
10. Long Ago and Far Away
11. Let Me Ride
12. Highway Song
13. Isn't It Nice to Be Home Again

Album Credits

Performance Credits

James Taylor   Primary Artist,Piano,Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric),Vocals,Guitar,Vocals (Background)
Kate Taylor   Vocals (Background),Vocals,Vocals (Background)
Gale Harness   Vocals (Background)
Richard Greene   Fiddle,Violin
John Hartford   Banjo,Guest Artist
Kevin Kelly   Accordion,Piano
Joni Mitchell   Vocals (Background),Guest Artist,Vocals
Andrew Love   Saxophone,Horn
Wayne Jackson   Trumpet,Horn
Peter Asher   Vocals (Background),Tambourine,Guest Artist
Danny Kortchmar   Guitar (Electric),Congas,Guitar,Guitar (Acoustic)
The Memphis Horns   Guest Artist,Horn
Carole King   Piano,Vocals (Background),Guest Artist
Russ Kunkel   Drums,Bells,Cabasa,Congas,Cowbell,Cymbals,Percussion,Tambourine,Guitar (Bass),Vocals (Background)
Leland Sklar   Bass,Guitar (Bass)
Danny Kootch   Congas,Guitar,Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric)
Gail Haness   Vocals (Background)
Abigale Haness   Vocals (Background)

Technical Credits

Peter Asher   Audio Production,Producer
Richard Orshoff   Audio Engineer
Andrew Love   Arranger,Horn Arrangements
Carole King   Arranger,Composer
James Taylor   Composer,Lyricist
Wayne Jackson   Arranger,Horn Arrangements
Richard Sanford Orshoff   Engineer
The Memphis Horns   Arranger,Horn Arrangements
Danny Kortchmar   Composer