Gorilla
The record that brought him back after Walking Man, opening with Mexico.
James Taylor, 1975
- Released
- 1975
- Studio
- The Burbank Studios, Burbank, and Warner Bros. Recording Studios, North Hollywood
- Label
- Warner Bros.
- Producer
- Russ Titelman and Lenny Waronker
- Length
- 38:46
After the low sales of Walking Man, Gorilla went gold and reached number six in the US. Its cover of the Holland-Dozier-Holland song How Sweet It Is reached number five, and Mexico was a hit on the adult contemporary chart. Lee Herschberg engineered it, and the guests included David Crosby and Graham Nash, Carly Simon, Lowell George, Randy Newman, David Grisman, David Sanborn and Valerie Carter. William Ruhlmann of AllMusic found the songs pleasant but light, close to generic, while The Second Disc heard a happier, more settled Taylor.
Track listing
- Mexico2:57
- Music3:46
- How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)3:33
- Wandering2:40
- Gorilla3:10
- You Make It Easy4:10
- I Was a Fool to Care3:19
- Lighthouse3:15
- Angry Blues3:25
- Love Songs5:45
- Sarah Maria2:46
Personnel
- James Taylor vocals, guitar
- Danny Kortchmar electric guitar
- Leland Sklar bass
- Russ Kunkel drums
- David Crosby harmony vocals (Mexico, Lighthouse)
- Graham Nash harmony vocals (Mexico, Lighthouse)
- Carly Simon How Sweet It Is
- Lowell George Angry Blues
- Randy Newman hornorgan (Lighthouse)
- Lee Herschberg engineer
More from James Taylor
James Taylor (1968), Sweet Baby James (1970), Greatest Hits (1976), Dad Loves His Work (1981)
Sources
- Gorilla (James Taylor album), Wikipedia
- Gorilla review, AllMusic
- Review: James Taylor, The Warner Bros. Albums 1970-1976, The Second Disc (2019-10-15)