James Taylor - (Live) Disc 1
Audio CD (August 10, 1993)
Original Release Date: August 10, 1993
Number of Discs: 2
Format: Live
Label: Sony
Bitrate: 320 kbps

"Although he is a seasoned and well-loved live performer, James Taylor had never made a live record before 1993, when he released this two-CD set. Culled from a series of 14 concerts, these 30 songs capture the genial Taylor digging into an impressively rich bag of songs, with crowd-pleasing results. It's an extremely faithful recording--no overdubs--and the band is top-notch, with a standout backup vocal section. Taylor proves he doesn't mind serving up old chestnuts even after performing them for decades, and delivers the goods with such staples as "You've Got a Friend" and "Fire and Rain."

A sweeping, 30-track career retrospective that leaves almost nothing out, Live is a much more filling meal than the two-part Best Live series, each of which contains 12 tracks. Fans will want one or the other of these packag
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James Taylor - (Live) Disc 1
Audio CD (August 10, 1993)
Original Release Date: August 10, 1993
Number of Discs: 2
Format: Live
Label: Sony
Bitrate: 320 kbps

"Although he is a seasoned and well-loved live performer, James Taylor had never made a live record before 1993, when he released this two-CD set. Culled from a series of 14 concerts, these 30 songs capture the genial Taylor digging into an impressively rich bag of songs, with crowd-pleasing results. It's an extremely faithful recording--no overdubs--and the band is top-notch, with a standout backup vocal section. Taylor proves he doesn't mind serving up old chestnuts even after performing them for decades, and delivers the goods with such staples as "You've Got a Friend" and "Fire and Rain."

A sweeping, 30-track career retrospective that leaves almost nothing out, Live is a much more filling meal than the two-part Best Live series, each of which contains 12 tracks. Fans will want one or the other of these packages, and will need no further elaboration on their merits. But those who just want a sampler of Taylor's hit songs might want to check this out as well. The best greatest hits package, Classic Songs, is an import, and costs a premium. The domestic Greatest Hits was compiled in 1976, and misses later tracks. It also features rerecorded versions of some of its songs. This is a better value than the import and offers a better selection than the domestic sampler. ~ Gavin McNett

I was lucky enough to first see James Taylor live in a small outdoor venue called Avaloch in rural Lenox, Massachusetts in the summer of 1970, after this first album recorded by the Beatles in London had been released and just before the release of the fabulously successful "Sweet Baby James" album by Warner Brothers. He appeared alone on-stage with a full head of long, long hair in a simple denim shirt and cut-up jeans with his four or five acoustic guitars, and for two and a half hours proceeded to absolutely enchant the sprawling lawn-full of hundreds of audience members with a spellbinding performance of all of the work from both of those albums. Although virtually unknown at the time, word of mouth had spread so quickly in the Berkshires area (who still considers him one of their own) that many of us went out to get this album to play before he appeared. The rest, as they say, is history.
This is a fantastic retrospective collection of his greatest hits recorded live, and as one would expect of the amazing Mr. Taylor, it is a terrific summary of that work. Many of my favorites are here, including "Something In The Way She Moves", "Carolina In My Mind", and "Rainy Day Man". Of course, so is "Fire And Rain", "You've Got A Friend", "Steamroller Blues", and a wonderful combination of "Millworker" and "Country Road", which are both among the best songs he has ever written. My all time favorite song from this album is "Sweet Baby James", which is sung about the Berkshire Hills of western Massachusetts where I grew up, so I have always considered this a special song. His performance on it is a brilliant illustration of just how incredibly talented an interpretive artist Taylor really is. He always pleases with songs like "Copperline", "Mexico", and "Walking Man", and this album is sure to please even the most cautious music fan. It is certainly a terrific showcase for how well Taylor can deliver on a variety of original works and covers of traditional folk songs. Enjoy ~ Barron Laycock

There are those who are naturals for live albums and ones who aren't. James Taylor has to be one of the naturals.
Of course, if you want perfection, you probably want to stick with the studio recordings. But if you want to hear a truly electric performance, go with this live album.

From the first cut, "Sweet Baby James", you can sense the perfect rapport with the audience. The live version of "Mexico" is quite enhanced by the life atmosphere, and by the time you get to "Fire and Rain", you can sense a flow between the singer and his audience. The energy reaches its zenith on "Shower The People" and "How Sweet It Is".

Cut after cut is notable here. The pure country sound of "She Thinks I Still Care" is a highlight. "You've Got A Friend" and "That Lonesome Road" close a truly exciting experience. If you prefer the best in the spontanaity of a live performance to the cool and perfect studio recording, or even if the two are equal in your mind, then you deserve to have this in your collection. ~ Neal Clark Reynolds

Personnel James Taylor - vocals, guitar
Jimmy Johnson - bass
Michael Landau - guitar
Carlos Vega - drums
Arnold McCuller - background vocals
Don Grolnick - piano
Valerie Carter
David Lasley
Clifford Carter - keyboards
Kate Markowitz

James Taylor - (Live) Disc 1 Tracks:
01 Sweet Baby James
02 Traffic Jam
03 Handy Man
04 Your Smiling Face
05 Secret O' Life
06 Shed a Little Light
07 Everybody Has the Blues
08 Steamroller Blues
09 Mexico
10 Millworker
11 Country Road
12 Fire and Rain
13 Shower the People
14 How Sweet It Is
15 New Hymn