James Taylor
was the first artist to be signed to record on
the Beatles
' short-lived vanity
Apple
label. In late 1968,
Taylor
's sophisticated self-titled disc foreshadowed the introspective
singer/songwriter
genre that dominated
pop
music in the early and mid-'70s. Although often touted as his debut, this release is chronologically
's second studio outing.
James Taylor and the Original Flying Machine
-- an EP recorded a year earlier -- contains rudimentary versions of much of the same original material found here. The album is presented with two distinct sides. The first, in essence, presents a unified multi-song suite incorporating several distinctly
Baroque
-flavored links connecting the larger compositions. The second is a more traditional collection of individual tunes. This unique juxtaposition highlights
's highly personal and worldly lyrics within a multidimensional layer of surreal and otherwise ethereal instrumentation. According to
, much of the album's subject matter draws upon personal experience. This is a doubled-edged blessing because the emphasis placed on the pseudo-
blues
"Knocking 'Round the Zoo"
and the numerous other references made to
's brief sojourn in a mental institution actually do a disservice to the absolutely breathtaking beauty inherent in every composition. Several pieces debuted on this release would eventually be reworked by
several years later. Among the notable inclusions are
"Rainy Day Man,"
"Night Owl,"
"Something in the Way She Moves,"
and
"Carolina in My Mind."
Musically,
's decidedly acoustic-based tunes are augmented by several familiar names. Among them are former
King Bees
member
Joel "Bishop" O'Brien
(drums) -- who had joined
Danny "Kootch" Kortchmar
in the
Original Flying Machine
-- as well as
Paul McCartney
(bass), who lends support to the seminal version of
The album's complex production efforts fell to
Peter Asher
-- formerly of
Peter and Gordon
and concurrent head of
Apple Records
A&R department. The absolute conviction that runs throughout this music takes the listener into its confidence and with equal measures of wit, candor, and sophistication,
created a minor masterpiece that is sadly eclipsed by his later more popular works. ~ Lindsay Planer