Greatest Hits - Taylor, James (Popular) (CD 1987)

My children have all gone through stages of screaming for no apparent reason while in the car. Believing that music soothes the savage beast I tried the radio. Commercials seemed to counteract the calming effects of the music. Once we had a vehicle with a CD player I hunted through my CD collection and came up with Greatest Hits by James Taylor

JT - He's like Prozac for the Preschool Set
James Taylor's jazz infused folk melodies go a long way toward relaxing my monsters in the backseat, most of the time. And on the rare occasion it doesn't work, he chills me out enough so I don't care. His music conjures up thoughts of watching snow fall outside while curled up in front of a crackling fire drinking a nice glass of wine. It provides me with a little inner peace in the midst of chaos.

My children insist we play the CD in order, they are however under the mistaken impression that How Sweet it is is the first song. It is my personal favorite on the album and one of the more upbeat and jazzy songs. It actually is a good place for us to start. The kids love to sing along to the chorus and the semi-dramatic pause before the rousing percussion section gets their attention and their minds off whatever is causing the tears.

Next up is the song that seems to have made the biggest impression on my daughters, Mexico. It seems to be a popular number to on grocery store loudspeakers and they have been known to belt out the chorus at the top of their lungs in the dairy aisle. But when in the car from Mexico peace is usually only moments away. It is a notch down from How Sweet it is in tempo, sort of our cool down song after a good workout of fit throwing.

Sappy and sometimes moving ballads are what really bring everyone way down. And there are plenty on this album. They are what James Taylor seems to be best known for. The next 6 songs I play are almost guaranteed to get someone to take nap; in particular one my favorites Sweet Baby James. When my children were still of rocking chair age, I used to hold them and sing this song as a lullaby:

Goodnight you moonlight ladies
Rock-a-bye Sweet Baby James
Deep greens and blues are the colors I choose
Won't you let me go down in my dreams?
And rock-a-bye Sweet Baby James

None of them have memories of us sharing this song together when they were infants, but I do. Sometimes, when I'm feeling especially fed up, Sweet Baby James is the song I need to hear to remember that special time with each of them. It also reminds me that children grow up so fast and it is important to make memories to share when we can. Yep, the sappiness form the music itself is contagious, but that isn't a bad thing once in a while.

JT's first commercial success, Fire and Rain is on this album as well. Many incorrectly interpret the lyrics to be the story of how his girlfriend died in a plane accident on her way to surprise him at a concert. The song is actually about Taylor's struggles and hospitalizations for drug addiction and depression. The woman, Suzanne, mentioned in the song was indeed a friend of Taylor's who took her own life. No matter what meaning people place on the lyrics, Fire and Rain is a mournful song, but one I love nonetheless.

Pressing that Skip Button
There are a few songs that I skip. I could happily go through the rest of my life without ever hearing the overplayed, ultimate call-in dedication song You've Got a Friend. I don't even like to think about this song so that's enough about that.

Sadly, make that doubly sadly, the only live song on the album is Steamroller. Why doubly sad? JT is incredible live, and although an album of a live performance is no where as good as being there in person, I'd rather hear one of his great live performances to a studio version anytime. Steamroller being a huge exception. I've never liked the song and when performed live it is no long a song with strong jazz undertones, it crosses the line and becomes a never ending drawn out jazz performance. Some people have been known to take issue with the inclusion of an expletive in this version of the song. It has never bothered me, but then again, I skip it!

Final Thoughts
Yes, James Taylor has flooded the world with more than his share of schmaltzy ballads. Few people volunteer that they are JT fans, and yet Greatest Hits by James Taylor has sold over 11 million copies. It's okay to come out of the closet and admit you've listened to and indeed even own a James Taylor CD.