James Taylor – JT (Ultra Analog, Half-speed Mastering)
ORDER LIMITED TO ONE ITEM PER CUSTOMER
James Taylor – lead and backing vocals, acoustic guitar [click here to see more vinyl featuring James Taylor]
Linda Ronstadt – harmony vocals (A5) [click here to see more vinyl featuring Linda Rondstadt]
Carly Simon – harmony vocals (B4) [click here to see more vinyl featuring Carly Simon]
Leah Kunkel – backing vocals (B1)
Danny Kortchmar – guitars
Dan Dugmore – steel guitar (A2, A5)
Dr. Clarence McDonald – keyboards
Leland Sklar – bass guitar
Russ Kunkel – drums, castanets (B1), wood block (B3), tambourine and handclaps (B4)
Peter Asher – cowbell (A3), castanets (B1), cabasa (B1, B3), wood block (B3), tambourine and handclaps (B4)
David Sanborn – saxophone (A3)
Red Callender – tuba (B4)
David Campbell – string arrangements and conductor (A1, A5), viola (A2)
Written by James Taylor (A1-2, A3-6, B2-6), Danny Kortchmar (A2), Otis Blackwell (B1), Jimmy Jones (B1), Carly Simon (B4)
1 LP, gatefold jacket
Limited numbered edition
Original analog Master tape : YES
Half-speed Mastering
Gain 2™ Ultra Analog
Heavy Press : 180g
Record color : black
Speed : 33 RPM
Size : 12'’
Stereo
Studio
Record Press : RTI
Label : MOFI
Original Label : Columbia
Recorded March 15 – April 24, 1977 at Sound Factory (Hollywood)
Recorded and mixed by Val Garay
Produced by Peter Asher
Mastered by Krieg Wunderlich and Rob LoVerde at Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab, Sebastopol, CA
Originally released in June 1977
Reissued in August 2011
Tracks:
Side A:
- Your Smiling Face
- There We Are
- Honey Don't Leave L.A.
- Another Grey Morning
- Bartender's Blues
- Secret O' Life
Side B:
- Handy Man
- I Was Only Telling A Lie
- Looking For Love On Broadway
- Terra Nova
- Traffic Jam
- If I Keep My Heart Out Of Sight
Reviews :
“On his last couple of Warner Bros albums, Gorilla and In the Pocket, James Taylor seemed to be converting himself from the shrinking violet, too-sensitive-to-live "rainy day man" of his early records into a mainstream, easy listening crooner with a sunny outlook. JT, his debut album for Columbia, was something of a defense of this conversion. Returning to the autobiographical, Taylor declared his love for Carly Simon ("There We Are"), but expressed some surprise at his domestic bliss. "Isn't it amazing a man like me can feel this way?" he sang in the opening song, "Your Smiling Face" (a Top 40 hit). At the same time, domesticity could have its temporary depressions ("Another Grey Morning"). The key track was "Secret O' Life," which Taylor revealed as "enjoying the passage of time." Working with his long-time backup band of Danny Kortchmar, Leland Sklar, and Russell Kunkel, and with Peter Asher back in the producer's chair, Taylor also enjoyed mixing his patented acoustic guitar-based folk sound with elements of rock, blues, and country. He even made the country charts briefly with "Bartender's Blues," a genre exercise complete with steel guitar and references to "honky tonk angels" that he would later re-record with George Jones. The album's Top Ten hit was Taylor's winning remake of Jimmy Jones' "Handy Man," which replaced the grit of the original with his characteristic warmth. JT was James Taylor's best album since Mud Slide Slim & the Blue Horizon because it acknowledged the darkness of his earlier work while explaining the deliberate lightness of his current viewpoint, and because it was his most consistent collection in years. Fans responded: JT sold better than any Taylor album since Sweet Baby James.” AllMusic Review by William Ruhlmann
"While the production may sound a bit slick, it's such sweet ear candy, you won't care. Val Garay gets the instruments remarkably well separated in space and give you a kick drum and electric bass you can latch onto and ride. All of the instruments receive the same clean, unprocessed treatment and as good as the original Columbia pressing was, Mobile Fidelity does it even better, striking the perfect balance between warmth and clarity. The original's dynamics can't match this edition. There's plenty worth listening in on within these mixes and the mastering and pressing open a transparent, revealing window onto the action." - Michael Fremer, musicangle
Ultra Analog™ : The GAIN 2 Ultra Analog™ Series stems from the use of the Gain 2 system, mastered at half speed from the original master tapes where possible, capturing and uncovering as before undiscovered sonic information.
Half-speed mastering. In half-speed mastering, the whole process is slowed down to half of the original speed. A typical 33 1/3 rpm record is cut at 16 2/3 rpm. The source material is also slowed down (reducing the pitch in the process) meaning the final record will still sound normal when played back. Slowing the whole process down allows more time, which means the end result sounds better and is more efficient — allowing engineering to minimize the effects of inherent limitations within the vinyl format. The result is a more accurate and more open high-frequency response in the half speed vinyl when compared with a normal speed recording.
Ratings :
AllMusic : 4 / 5 ; Discogs : 4.32 / 5 ; Michael Fremer : 9/11 Music, 9/11 Sonic