Greatest Hits (James Taylor album)

Greatest Hits
Greatest hits album by James Taylor
Released November 1, 1976 (LP)
January 1, 1987 (CD)
Recorded December 1969 (1969-12)–October 1976 (1976-10)
Genre
Length 43:42
Label Warner Bros.
Producer
James Taylor chronology
In the Pocket
(1976)		 Greatest Hits
(1976)		 JT
(1977)

Greatest Hits is the first compilation album by American singer-songwriter James Taylor. Released on November 1, 1976. To this day, it is the best-selling album of his career.

The album took place in the context of Taylor's end of his recording contract with Warner Brothers. It features redone versions of "Carolina in My Mind" and "Something in the Way She Moves", both of which had been previously included on Taylor's self-titled debut album in 1968. It also includes previously unavailable live version of "Steamroller".[1]

The album did not rise higher than #23 on the Billboard albums chart on its original release. However it became a steady seller for many years, and Greatest Hits has sold over 11,000,000 copies certifying it as a Platinum album eleven times over, and a diamond album once (for 10 million copies).

In August 2012, the album re-entered the Billboard albums chart at #15, which gave the album a new peak.

Track listing

All songs were written by James Taylor except where noted.

Side 1:

  1. "Something in the Way She Moves" (1976 Version) – 3:14
  2. "Carolina in My Mind" (1976 Version) – 4:00
  3. "Fire and Rain" – 3:26
  4. "Sweet Baby James" – 2:55
  5. "Country Road" – 3:26
  6. "You've Got a Friend" (Carole King) – 4:33

Side 2:

  1. "Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight" – 2:39
  2. "Walking Man" – 3:36
  3. "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)" (Holland-Dozier-Holland) – 3:39
  4. "Mexico" – 3:01
  5. "Shower the People" – 4:01
  6. "Steamroller" (Live) – 5:19

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Christgau's Record GuideC[2]
MusicHound Rock3.5/5[3]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[4]

Music critic William Ruhlmann gave the album a positive review, writing for Allmusic that it constitutes a "reasonable collection for an artist who wasn't particularly well-defined by his singles. While cautioning that the release didn't quite show the "evolution" of Taylor's songwriting, he stated that it remains "a good sampler" of the artist's early work.[1]

Personnel

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 https://www.allmusic.com/album/r19702
  2. ↑ Christgau, Robert (1981). "James Taylor: Greatest Hits". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the '70s. Da Capo Press. ISBN 0306804093. Retrieved February 27, 2018.
  3. ↑ Graff, Gary; Durchholz, Daniel (eds) (1999). MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Farmington Hills, MI: Visible Ink Press. p. 1124. ISBN 1-57859-061-2.
  4. ↑ "James Taylor: Album Guide". rollingstone.com. Archived from the original on January 5, 2013. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
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