JT
His first album for Columbia, with Handy Man, a Grammy nomination for Album of the Year and Christgau's verdict that it was his best since Sweet Baby James.
James Taylor, 1977
- Released
- 22 June 1977
- Recorded
- 15 March to 24 April 1977
- Studio
- The Sound Factory, Los Angeles
- Label
- Columbia
- Producer
- Peter Asher
Taylor recorded it between 15 March and 24 April 1977 at The Sound Factory in Los Angeles, with Peter Asher producing and Val Garay. It reached number four, sold more than three million copies in the US and was nominated for Album of the Year, losing to Rumours. In the Village Voice's Pazz and Jop poll it placed 23rd, the only time a Taylor album reached the top 30 there.
Handy Man reached number four and was his last top ten hit, and Your Smiling Face reached 20. Danny Kortchmar wrote Honey Don't Leave L.A., and Terra Nova is by Carly Simon, who sings harmony on it. Robert Christgau called it his "best since Sweet Baby James." Peter Herbst of Rolling Stone found it "the least stiff and by far the most various album Taylor has done."
Track listing
- Your Smiling Face2:55
- There We Are2:58
- Honey Don't Leave L.A.3:03
- Another Grey Morning2:44
- Bartender's Blues4:10
- Secret O' Life3:32
- Handy Man3:15
- I Was Only Telling a Lie3:24
- Looking for Love on Broadway2:20
- Terra Nova4:08
- Traffic Jam1:56
- If I Keep My Heart Out of Sight2:56
Personnel
- James Taylor vocals, acoustic guitar
- Clarence McDonald keyboards
- Danny Kortchmar guitar
- Dan Dugmore steel guitar
- Leland Sklar bass
- Russ Kunkel drums
- Peter Asher cowbell, cabasa, tambourine
- David Sanborn saxophone (Honey Don't Leave L.A.)
- Red Callender tuba (Terra Nova)
- David Campbell string arrangements
- Linda Ronstadt harmony vocals (Bartender's Blues)
- Leah Kunkel backing vocals
- Carly Simon harmony vocals (Terra Nova)
- Val Garay recording, mixing
More from James Taylor
James Taylor (1968), Sweet Baby James (1970), Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon (1971), One Man Dog (1972), Walking Man (1974), Gorilla (1975), Greatest Hits (1976), Dad Loves His Work (1981), Hourglass (1997), Before This World (2015)
Sources
- JT, Wikipedia