Fire and rain
That's what Sweet Baby James should have been called. Fire and Rain is the immortal song. Again, this is a crack production, with the very best session musicians. I was surprised to note that Carole King was on piano. James Taylor has a noncommital but serviceable voice; his guitar work is way more than competent; he has written some songs that still live. This is WB 1843.
4 Comments:
Yeah, you're right - Fire and Rain is the one that lasted. But when I try to play the old songs on the piano, it's Sweet Baby James that pleases me the most.
That probably says more about my playing than the songs themselves.
All these songs as recorded convey the impression that the music is being made just across the room, very intimately. In SWB, I love the line, "Good-night, you moonlight ladies." And I love the verse about the snow on the road from Stockbridge to Boston.
That was supposed to be SBJ, for Sweet Baby James.
I have never been to Boston, and that line passed me by - but "deep greens and blues are the colors I choose" is a good one to sing.
Okay, I found my "Great Songs of the Seventies Songbook", and we just rented the 1970 movie "Lovers and Other Strangers" - we're going on a nostalgia trip.
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