James Taylor - Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon
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Free Music Notes for Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon
Free Music Review: (4.5 stars) ISN'T IT NICE TO BE HOME AGAIN ! ( JT's third album takes you to where you belong)
Hit: 5 Stars
James Taylor's Mud Slide Slim And The Blue Horizon (1971) will melt your troubles away, relax the muscles around your eyes, and take you to a place where you belong. Yes, these mellow acoustic guitar based songs are relaxing, but they're also also uplifting in a peaceful way that has a calming effect on anyone who listens with an open mind. JT soothes the soul with a warm, smooth, and friendly voice.
Love Has Brought Me Around:
It's time for me to be stealing away
Let those rain clouds roll out on the sea
Let the sun shine down on me
You've Got A Friend:
Ain't it good to know
That you've got a friend
When people can be so cold
They'll hurt you and desert you
They'll take your soul if you let them
But don't you let them
Mud Slide Slim:
Cause there's nothing like the sound
of sweet soul music
To change a young lady's mind
And there's nothing like a walk
down by the bayou
To leave the world behind
The music is mostly based around JT's acoustic guitar, but he gets help here and there from Carole King on piano, John Hartford on banjo, Richard Greene on fiddle, The Memphis Horns, and Joni Mitchell on background vocals.
Mud Slide Slim is also reflective at times. JT gets behind the piano and sings in Places In My Past.
And I can't remember why
But I still love those good times gone by
James grabs his guitar and sings the sad and atmospheric Hey Mister, That's Me Up On The Jukebox, and you feel like you're sitting there with him. There are plenty of other great songs on the album, too, including Long Ago And Far Away, Highway Song, and the bluesy Machine Gun Kelly. The album closes with the short but sweet Isn't It Nice To Be Home Again which features JT alone with his acoustic guitar.
The album won two Grammy Awards including Best Pop Vocal Performance and Song Of The Year (You've Got A Friend). This is such a relaxing production that, even if for no other reason, you might want to keep Mud Slide Slim And The Blue Horizon in your collection for attitude adjustment purposes. One of James Taylor's very best albums.
Free Music Review: Mud Slide Metamorpho and the Seer Horizon...
Hit: 5 Stars
Well people, you'll be pleased to know that after my last review I have managed to stay out of trouble. Mostly, I have been giving Seer lessons to a gifted friend of mine known as T. He has turned out to be a good apprentice - but I must be careful. I have caught him trying on my Seers hat when I wasn't looking and, not only that, has started giving lectures in the mid-west using my name. My guides advised me not to sue. Guido suggested reasoning with him (HAH! like reasoning worked with him!). Marshy thought it wise for her to lull him with her collagen lips. And Chance? He wanted to use strong-arm tactics which goes against my beloved nature. So- again- I will have to figure this out for myself.
No nevermind all that. Your gifted Metamorpho made his way down to the dungeon (with de-humidifier) to check the archives for a worthy selection. I came up with a wonderful album to review. I am sure you will all agree.
Ahhhh..... we have James Taylor here (Yes! With lots of hair!), which goes to show you that there was a time when he wasn't the "constant" icon that we all know and love today. However, this album is testimony to his wonderful talent and ability which has been there from the start. And the songs? Lovely, lilting, uplifting, pensive, hopeful vignettes that convey a peace and serenity rarely found so early in one's career.
What matters so most here is the ensemble playing. So comfortable-so warm. James' acoustic guitar along with walking bass, electric guitar fills, tasty piano bits and understated but effective drums. We even have a banjo chiming in and horns on some selections. This "just right" combination really is a pleasure to hear now and a much needed mellow escape from current a go-go, hammering dischordant chordal offerings that frenzy all our fine nervous systems. No- in this proffering you have to imagine yourself on a sunny day by a lake. Hummingbirds flying around and the sky so blue and filled with cotton candy clouds. This album is easy-going. A fine example of soft acoustic composition. It has a little bit of country soul sprinkled with homegrown natural personality. Nothing pretentious here people. Meet you down at the swimming brook.
There really are no big statements here- which - in a way makes it more refreshing. From the start- James gives us an uplift with "Love Has Brought Me Around". Then, the deserved Carole King classic "You've Got a Friend". And you know, as well as I, that the friend here is not a human as we know it. We get some melancholy ("Places In My Past", "Hey Mister, That's Me Up On the Jukebox", "Long Ago and Far Away"), some breaking free groove ("Let Me Ride"), survival and moving on ("Highway Song"). Did I mention the saga of "Machine Gun Kelly"? A home grown boy gone astray. How could James forget that legend? This album also has lovely acoustic only tunes "You Can Close Your Eyes" and "Isn't It Nice to be Home Again". With these, James proves what a vital force he is by himself.
In closing, let me say that I am struck by how good and reinvigorating most of these tunes are. There are bleak moments yes- but there is always the sunshine and hope to move you past the negative. This album is a warm sweater on a cold winter's day and a glass of ice tea during a heatwave. Investigate what a true artist can do.
Now I must go. The guides have sounded the alarm that T is now taking his lectures into the Bible Belt and I have to stop him before the picketts and the protestors begin to swarm. Must protect my reputation you know!
Must go. More archival finds will be on their way soon!
Thru the eye of a needle-your own.........Metamorpho
Free Music Review: Southern Memories
Hit: 5 Stars
When I hear James Taylor I am transported to America's South. A wistful and tender feeling comes over me as I listen to the understated power of this man's voice and lyrics. Besides his album "Sweet Baby James"--"Mud Slide Slim", "One Man Dog", even "Walking Man" all capture and evoke the same gentle beauty and ,for me, cherished Southern memories.Free Music Review: Exceptional Album!
Hit: 5 Stars
With its stripped down austerity, this is one of the most masterful albums of the seventies. James was at his songwriting and arranging peak so early in his career, it is remarkable. "Love Has Brought Me Around" starts it off with a fine and gentle restraint. "You've Got A Friend" was anthemic.
"Riding On The Railroad" still haunts these many years later. "MudSlide Slim and the Blue Horizon" and "You Can Close Your Eyes" are amazing in their playfulness and hopefulness. This was James Taylor at the pinnacle of his creative muse...
Free Music Review: JAMES TAYLOR THE MAN!
Hit: 5 Stars
Mud Slide Slim is the best album of james Taylor. 2nd is Sweet baby james. My favorite tracts in this album are PLACES IN MY PAST,RIDING ON A RAILROAD, YOU'VE GOT A FRIEND,& LONG AGO & FAR AWAY among others. All the songs in this album are beautiful. I never tire of listening to it. Its always in my car stereo & a perfect companion wherever I go. To me, JT's peak as singer/songwriter is evident in this 1971 album. That's only my opinion. Of course I have all of JT's album in my collection. But MUD stands out. I respectfully recommend this album to you,the reviewer, wherever you are in the world. Thank you.