did James Taylor ever rock out? is there a lost or "weird period" album of his with synths or swamp rock style guitar?
― omar little, Tuesday, 6 February 2018 19:46 (six years ago) link
wait that song is actually called "shower the people"?!ugh
sweaters + booze otmat the far end: matching outfits for photo shoots on the beach
― weird woman in a bar (La Lechera), Tuesday, 6 February 2018 19:48 (six years ago) link
All this stuff is so exotic to me as a northeast lifer jew with nerdy parents. I think JT might be the most goyish non-Nashville music.
― Fedora Dostoyevsky (man alive), Tuesday, 6 February 2018 19:50 (six years ago) link
it's not familiar to me either, aside from pictures i see of other people's vacations
― weird woman in a bar (La Lechera), Tuesday, 6 February 2018 19:50 (six years ago) link
fairly or unfairly i file him along w/Harry Chapin and other sincerecore folk types which remind me of my childhood, raised on such music all the damn time.
― omar little, Tuesday, 6 February 2018 19:52 (six years ago) link
i mentally filed him in the same folder as jimmy buffett
― weird woman in a bar (La Lechera), Tuesday, 6 February 2018 19:53 (six years ago) link
> did James Taylor ever rock out?
Doesn't he belt "motherfucker" Blueshammer style at the end of a bluesy number. It it called Steamroller? I do not want to check.
― Mungolian Jerryset (bendy), Tuesday, 6 February 2018 19:53 (six years ago) link
I've never listened to any James Taylor other than what I've heard on the radio but he was apparently _the_ nice guitar-playing sensitive man of my mom's peer group and she definitely had a crush on him
― mh, Tuesday, 6 February 2018 19:54 (six years ago) link
I'm sure if he ever "rocked out" it'd still be appropriate as background music for any typical dentist's office waiting room
― Evan, Tuesday, 6 February 2018 19:54 (six years ago) link
xp I never looked it up to correlate, but apparently his breakthrough album came out around the time she was graduating high school
I should have known
― mh, Tuesday, 6 February 2018 19:56 (six years ago) link
jimmy buffett only + emo, +family
one time in early hs i went to a church youth group weekend with my friends. i was not a member of the group, i just wanted to meet new people, spend the weekend away from home. we were asked to sing "you've got a friend" at the beginning and end of the weekend. i found it extremely embarrassing since i only knew my 2 friends i had gone to the retreat with and had a hard time singing "you've got a friend" to a bunch of total strangers, or feeling any feelings that they were singing it to me. i had exactly 2 friends there, singing wasn't going to change anything. that wasn't even the dumbest part of the retreat, and i tried to get over my dislike of the experience but it did not fade!
― weird woman in a bar (La Lechera), Tuesday, 6 February 2018 19:57 (six years ago) link
I didn't want to but it did look it up
http://www.infinitelooper.com/?v=kfzMLRzH2yw&p=n#/312;323
― Mungolian Jerryset (bendy), Tuesday, 6 February 2018 20:02 (six years ago) link
at the far end: matching outfits for photo shoots on the beach
― weird woman in a bar (La Lechera), Tuesday, February 6, 2018 2:48 PM (eleven minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
^ I also have an irrational hatred for these.
I drive by Maclean Hospital pretty often and every time I do he pops into my head and I get angry. Ugh.
― Benson and the Jets (ENBB), Tuesday, 6 February 2018 20:02 (six years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEBgECxtQjQ
― ...some of y'all too woke to function (C. Grisso/McCain), Tuesday, 6 February 2018 20:05 (six years ago) link
Oh no the semi-colon in that link subjects you to the whole five minutes, let's try this again
― Mungolian Jerryset (bendy), Tuesday, 6 February 2018 20:05 (six years ago) link
James taylor looks like a slightly miffed Richard Jenkins when he's rocking out
― omar little, Tuesday, 6 February 2018 20:07 (six years ago) link
i am not moved by that rendition of road runnerit's nice that he is having fun -- i just have a hard time thinking that "james taylor is having a good time" is reason enough to get over how much i can't stand his music
― weird woman in a bar (La Lechera), Tuesday, 6 February 2018 20:26 (six years ago) link
he looks a little like ian mackaye there
― Fedora Dostoyevsky (man alive), Tuesday, 6 February 2018 20:29 (six years ago) link
At the bar last weekend there was some 70s playlist going and JT’s “mexico” played along side Steely Dan’s “night by night.” Same planet, different worlds.
― calstars, Tuesday, 6 February 2018 20:34 (six years ago) link
I hate "Mexico" fwiw
― Fedora Dostoyevsky (man alive), Tuesday, 6 February 2018 20:38 (six years ago) link
I officially despise this song!
― morning wood truancy (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 7 February 2018 02:17 (six years ago) link
I still only know that one from National Lampoon's Vacation.
― iCloudius (cryptosicko), Wednesday, 7 February 2018 02:19 (six years ago) link
You're in for a treat.
― morning wood truancy (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 7 February 2018 02:21 (six years ago) link
TBF "You've Got a Friend" is a Carole King song, not JT. Having grown up with a family who played a lot of JT I have to admit I have a liking for quite a few of his songs - "Carolina In My Mind" (quite a dark song as mentioned upthread), "Sweet Baby James", "Millworker" et al. When he's anodyne he grates, but there's something more there.
― startled macropod (MatthewK), Wednesday, 7 February 2018 02:35 (six years ago) link
as was noted somewhere upthread, he's a first-rate guitarist
― morning wood truancy (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 7 February 2018 02:48 (six years ago) link
he's seen rain
― trife's rich padgett (rip van wanko), Wednesday, 7 February 2018 02:55 (six years ago) link
what is that "something more"? i feel like he is that guy who is given the benefit of the doubt for being smarter and better and more skilled than he really is when he doesn't do anything I can directly identify to show he deserves this generosity.
if it's nostalgia motivating most people's affection for him, that's valid and ok -- but it's subjective and personal and not related to his actual musical output (which has yet to distinguish itself to me)
apols about "you've got a friend" -- the version we had to sing along with was the JT version
― weird woman in a bar (La Lechera), Wednesday, 7 February 2018 04:59 (six years ago) link
I never knew James Taylor was the Outer Banks Jimmy Buffett! my family only ever went vacationing in east central Florida when I was growing up & I don't think they fuck w/Sweet Baby James as much down there
I don't know much of his music aside from the biggest hits; I can't even remember how "You've Got A Friend" goes. His version of "How Sweet It Is" is p decent imo
― vicious almond beliefs (crüt), Wednesday, 7 February 2018 05:12 (six years ago) link
xp the "something more" is a darkness I perceive in his otherwise-sweet music. I'm occasionally moved by his songs in a way that, say, Billy Joel never does for me, an artist with whom I have the same or even greater familial nostalgia connection.
― startled macropod (MatthewK), Wednesday, 7 February 2018 06:05 (six years ago) link
Adding to what I said five years ago: "Fire and Rain," by itself, is worth more to me than Billy Joel's entire recorded output (it's that perfect, and he's that mediocre).
― clemenza, Wednesday, 7 February 2018 06:12 (six years ago) link
Yeah I'll never change my mind about Billy Joel. All his attempts at dark just read as butthurt.
― Fedora Dostoyevsky (man alive), Wednesday, 7 February 2018 15:26 (six years ago) link
I guess I'm also a sucker for that sort of "beneath the surface" stuff, where a song that ostensibly sounds like vanilla lovemaking by the fireplace has some demons lurking in it.
― Fedora Dostoyevsky (man alive), Wednesday, 7 February 2018 15:28 (six years ago) link
Fire and Rain is the only James Taylor song I know. I think I've mentioned that to people before, and their response was usually something like "surely you know ..." And then they play a song and maybe I recognize it and maybe I don't, but months later, regardless, Fire and Remain remains the only James Taylor song I know. And I only know the chorus, come to think of it! If it came on the radio I don't think I would even recognize it as Fire and Rain. I have a similar problem retaining Jackson Browne, but even with him I know (and can recall) several songs.
I know lots of Billy Joel, I guess. Probably not a single cut not on the hits collection, though. I only know (the) one Jimmy Buffett song. I had a friend back when I was maybe in my very early '20s who was into Buffett, and I asked him, if you're listening to Jimmy Buffett now, what are you going to listen to when you're 50? His answer (duh) was Jimmy Buffett.
― Josh in Chicago, Wednesday, 7 February 2018 15:33 (six years ago) link
Jackson Browne is someone whose voice I can never remember but I know a few of his songs due to Nico and others covering them
― Fedora Dostoyevsky (man alive), Wednesday, 7 February 2018 16:09 (six years ago) link
― morning wood truancy (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, February 6, 2018 9:48 PM (yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
that's him on joni's "california" and he really makes the song
― hoooyaaargh it's me satan (voodoo chili), Wednesday, 7 February 2018 16:35 (six years ago) link
― startled macropod (MatthewK), Thursday, 8 February 2018 02:40 (six years ago) link
yeah I've listened to that song a million times and not really noticed his partsHis banjo parts on "Old Man" by Neil Young are pretty iconic
― It's not delivery, it's Adorno! (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Thursday, 8 February 2018 02:55 (six years ago) link
xp obv Joni is the the most important thing about the song, lyrics, vocal, etc. When I say he "makes the song," I don't mean to say "he's the reason the song is good," but just he helps the song stand out among the dulcimer-only songs like "a case of you" or "all I want." He adds a little California sunshine, with the little counter melodies between the verses
― hoooyaaargh it's me satan (voodoo chili), Thursday, 8 February 2018 03:34 (six years ago) link
No need for sass, matt k
hadn't really paid attention before but I'm listening now and it's cool how they have the dulcimer panned right and hard left and they kind of duel with each other
― Fedora Dostoyevsky (man alive), Thursday, 8 February 2018 03:39 (six years ago) link
dulcimer panned right and guitar panned left
apologies for sass, I just have an intense love for that song and specifically the vocal melody
― startled macropod (MatthewK), Thursday, 8 February 2018 04:57 (six years ago) link
me too! i love everything about the song and i think Taylor's playing adds a lot.
― hoooyaaargh it's me satan (voodoo chili), Thursday, 8 February 2018 05:23 (six years ago) link
The whole sweet baby James is solid
― brimstead, Thursday, 8 February 2018 06:14 (six years ago) link
sweet baby James album, I mean
2 things1) if he was such an amazing instrumentalist (I believe those of you who say he is), I guess what I don't like about him are a) his songs and b) his voice. I applaud his instrumental prowess and can only wish he had quietly gone about his musical business wordlessly
2) last night i was watching some of those "what's in your bag" amoeba videos and one of the guys from red kross had a james taylor album. the clip they played didn't sound as repulsive as i expected, kind of like heavily produced sunshine pop. so much more palatable than his usual sack of singles. i will admit that i did not hate it. i didn't like it, but i didn't recoil in disgust.
this was the song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oAInzTXu_Y
― weird woman in a bar (La Lechera), Thursday, 8 February 2018 14:26 (six years ago) link
Ha - I watched TWO-LANE BLACKTOP for the first time last night and nearly fell over when I saw the lead actor. He's pretty affectless and not much of a presence, but the disc includes his screen test with what I'm fairly sure is Joaquin Phoenix pretending to be James, performing the newly-written Riding on a Railroad which is bittersweet brilliant, fuiudhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jgg0ym7O6Rc#t=4m32s
― startled macropod (MatthewK), Monday, 12 February 2018 05:10 (six years ago) link
Oh - time link failed to work, jump to 4:32 for the song.
― startled macropod (MatthewK), Monday, 12 February 2018 05:14 (six years ago) link
just watched Two-Lane Blacktop for the first time. it was OK, but I liked James Taylor a lot in it. my man's pupils were pinned throughout
― flappy bird, Monday, 12 February 2018 05:38 (six years ago) link
James Taylor will win over the grouches eventually. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2uQa4dvrg1E
― Leaghaidh am brón an t-anam bochd (dowd), Monday, 12 February 2018 05:44 (six years ago) link