The Best of James Taylor
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (December 2009) |
| The Best of James Taylor | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Warner Bros. | ||||
| Producer | Peter Asher, David Spinozza, Lenny Waronker, Russ Titelman, James Taylor, Frank Filipetti, Danny Kortchmar[1] | |||
| Compiler | David McLees[1] | |||
| James Taylor chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from The Best of James Taylor | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |  [2] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide |  [3] |
The Best of James Taylor is the fourth compilation album by American singer-songwriter
Warner Bros. Records in 2003. The same album was released in Europe as You've Got a Friend: The Best of James Taylor.[4]
The album emphasizes Taylor's recordings for the label; fourteen of the twenty tracks on the album are from his time with Warner Bros. It contains one previously unreleased track, "Bittersweet", recorded for this release. It entered the
RIAA.[6]
Track listing
All songs were written by James Taylor, except where noted.
- "Something in the Way She Moves" – 2:27
- "Sweet Baby James" – 2:53
- "Fire and Rain" – 3:25
- "Country Road" – 3:30
- Single version, previously unreleased on any James Taylor album.
- "You've Got a Friend" (Carole King) – 4:30
- "You Can Close Your Eyes" – 2:32
- "Long Ago and Far Away" – 2:22
- "Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight" – 2:37
- "Walking Man" – 3:35
- "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)" (Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier, Eddie Holland) – 3:37
- "Mexico" – 3:00
- "Shower the People" – 4:33
- "Golden Moments" – 3:32
- "Steamroller" – 5:06
- 1975 live version.
- "Carolina in My Mind" – 4:00
- 1976 version.
- "Handy Man" (Otis Blackwell, Jimmy Jones) – 3:20
- "Your Smiling Face" – 2:48
- "Up on the Roof" (Gerry Goffin, King) – 4:22
- "Only a Dream in Rio" – 5:03
- "Bittersweet" (John Sheldon) – 3:44
- A previously unreleased song, recorded specifically for this album in early 2003.
Personnel
Musicians
- James Taylor – vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar
- Carole King – piano
- Red Rhodes – steel guitar (on "Sweet Baby James")
- John London – bass (on "Sweet Baby James")
- Bobby West – double bass (on "Fire and Rain")
- Russ Kunkel – drums, percussion
- Danny Kortchmar – electric and acoustic guitars, congas
- Leland Sklar – bass
- Joni Mitchell – background vocals
- Craig Doerge – piano (on "Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight")
- Michael Brecker – tenor saxophone (on "Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight")
- David Spinozza – electric and acoustic guitars (on "Walking Man")
- Kenneth Ascher – electric piano (on "Walking Man")
- Andy Muson – bass (on "Walking Man")
- Rick Marotta – drums (on "Walking Man")
- Ralph MacDonald – percussion (on "Walking Man")
- Carly Simon – harmony vocals
- Clarence McDonald – piano, Fender Rhodes, hornorgan
- Jim Keltner – drums (on "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)")
- David Sanborn – saxophone (on "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)")
- Nick DeCaro – hornorgan, voiceorgan
- David Crosby – harmony vocals (on "Mexico")
- Graham Nash – harmony vocals (on "Mexico")
- Milt Holland – percussion (on "Mexico")
- Gayle Levant – harp
- Victor Feldman – vibes, orchestra bells (on "Shower the People")
- Bobbye Hall – triangle (on "Golden Moments")
- Andrew Gold – background vocals, harmonium (on "Carolina in My Mind")
- Dan Dugmore – steel guitar (on "Carolina in My Mind")
- Byron Berline – fiddle (on "Carolina in My Mind")
- Leah Kunkel – background vocals (on "Handy Man")
- Waddy Wachtel – electric guitar (on "Up on the Roof")
- Randy Brecker – vocals (on "Only a Dream in Rio")
- Eliane Elias – vocals (on "Only a Dream in Rio")
- Kenia Gould – vocals (on "Only a Dream in Rio")
- Zbeto – vocals (on "Only a Dream in Rio")
- Bill Payne – keyboards (on "Only a Dream in Rio")
- Tony Levin – bass (on "Only a Dream in Rio")
- Airto Moreira – percussion (on "Only a Dream in Rio")
- Curtis King – vocals (on "Bittersweet")
- John Sheldon – guitar (on "Bittersweet")
- Clifford Carter – keyboards (on "Bittersweet")
- Willie Weeks – bass (on "Bittersweet")
- Steve Jordan– drums (on "Bittersweet")
Technical
- James Taylor – Record producer (on "Only a Dream in Rio"), liner notes
- Peter Asher – production
- David Spinozza – production (on "Walking Man")
- Lenny Waronker – production
- Russ Titelman – production
- Frank Filipetti – production (on "Only a Dream in Rio")
- Danny Kortchmar – production (on "Bittersweet")
- David McLees – compiler
- remastering, except "Bittersweet"
- Dan Hersch – remastering, except "Bittersweet"
- Ted Jensen – remastering (on "Bittersweet")
Charts
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
|
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[15] | Platinum | 70,000^ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[16] | Gold | 100,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[17] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
- ^ Warner Bros. Records. 2003. R2 73837.)
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link - AllMusic
- ^ "James Taylor: Album Guide". rollingstone.com. Archived from the original on January 5, 2013. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
- ^ "The Best of James Taylor (images)". Discogs. Retrieved November 19, 2013.
- ^ "Chart Search | Billboard". www.billboard.com. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
- ^ "JAMES TAYLOR – THE BEST OF JAMES TAYLOR". RIAA. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
- ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 275.
- ^ "Irish-charts.com – Discography James Taylor". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
- ^ "Charts.nz – James Taylor – You've Got A Friend - The Best Of". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
- ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
- ^ "James Taylor Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
- ^ "The Official UK Albums Chart 2003" (PDF). UKChartsPlus. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
- ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2003". Billboard. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
- ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2010 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
- ^ "British album certifications – James Taylor – The Best Of James Taylor - You've Got A Friend". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved September 11, 2022.
- ^ "American album certifications – James Taylor – The Best of James Taylor". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved September 11, 2022.
