Gorilla by James Taylor - DeepRiffs

ALBUM

Gorilla served notice to anyone expecting James Taylor to continue on in the personal, confessional vein of his first few albums that he did not intend to do so. Recording in Burbank with Warners staff producers Lenny Waronker and Russ Titelman, Taylor used a stellar backup band augmented by such guests as Graham Nash and David Crosby (who harmonized on the chart single "Mexico"), his wife Carly Simon, mandolinist David Grisman, saxophone player David Sanborn, Randy Newman on "hornorgan," and Little Feat slide guitarist Lowell George. This team worked on a set of light, pleasant songs that bordered on the generic -- one was called "Music," another "Love Songs" -- but were performed and sung with taste and care. Taylor was relentlessly upbeat; even "Angry Blues," which confessed, "I can't help it if I don't feel so good," didn't sound like things were that bad. But then, these songs didn't seem to be about Taylor, or if they were, as in the extended metaphor of the title track, the connection was so oblique that it was hard to say what the point was. Still, one could glide on Taylor's easy vocals and the band's competence, and Gorilla was an enjoyable listening experience. "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)," the first of a series of bleached R&B covers, became a Top Ten hit, and the album restored Taylor's commercial fortunes, setting him on the steady path he would follow for decades after. But who would have thought only a few years before that the king of the confessional song poets would turn into such a lightweight? ~ William Ruhlmann

1. Mexico

by James Taylor

Acoustic Guitar: James Taylor; Performer
Primary Artist: James Taylor; Main Performer
Bass: Lee Sklar; Performer
Drums: Russ Kunkel; Performer
Electric Guitar: Danny Kortchmar; Performer
Harmony: David Crosby
Graham Nash; Performer
Harp: Gayle Levant; Performer
Percussion: Milt Holland; Performer
Shaker: Russ Kunkel; Performer
Vocals: James Taylor; Performer
Composer: James Taylor; Composer
Lyricist: James Taylor; Composer
Engineer: Lee Herschberg; Production
Producer: Lenny Waronker
Russ Titelman; Production

2. Music

by James Taylor

Acoustic Guitar: James Taylor; Performer
Primary Artist: James Taylor; Main Performer
Bass: Willie Weeks; Performer
Drums: Andy Newmark; Performer
Harp: Gayle Levant; Performer
Pedal Steel Guitar: Al Perkins; Performer
Percussion: Milt Holland; Performer
Vocals: James Taylor; Performer
Composer: James Taylor; Composer
Engineer: Lee Herschberg; Production
Producer: Lenny Waronker
Russ Titelman; Production

3. How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)

by James Taylor

Primary Artist: James Taylor; Main Performer
Bass: Lee Sklar; Performer
Drums: Jim Keltner
Russ Kunkel; Performer
Electric Guitar: Danny Kortchmar
James Taylor; Performer
Electric Piano: Clarence Mcdonald; Performer
Harmony: Carly Simon; Performer
Saxophone: David Sanborn; Performer
Tambourine: Russ Kunkel; Performer
Vocals: James Taylor; Performer
Composer: Eddie Holland
Lamont Dozier
Brian Holland; Composer
Engineer: Lee Herschberg; Production
Producer: Russ Titelman
Lenny Waronker; Production

4. Wandering

by James Taylor

Primary Artist: James Taylor; Main Performer
Composer: James Taylor; Composer

5. Gorilla

by James Taylor

Primary Artist: James Taylor; Main Performer
Acoustic Guitar: James Taylor; Performer
Bass: Willie Weeks; Performer
Clarinet: Jules Jacob; Performer
Drums: Andy Newmark; Performer
Mandolin: David Grisman; Performer
Ukulele: James Taylor; Performer
Vocals: James Taylor; Performer
Composer: James Taylor; Composer
Engineer: Lee Herschberg; Production
Producer: Lenny Waronker
Russ Titelman; Production

6. You Make It Easy

by James Taylor

Primary Artist: James Taylor; Main Performer
Bass: Willie Weeks; Performer
Drums: Andy Newmark; Performer
Electric Guitar: Danny Kortchmar; Performer
Electric Piano: Clarence Mcdonald; Performer
Saxophone: David Sanborn; Performer
Vocals: James Taylor; Performer
Composer: James Taylor; Composer
Lyricist: James Taylor; Composer
Engineer: Lee Herschberg; Production
Producer: Lenny Waronker
Russ Titelman; Production

7. I Was a Fool to Care

by James Taylor

Primary Artist: James Taylor; Main Performer
Accordion: Nick Decaro; Performer
Acoustic Guitar: James Taylor; Performer
Bass: Lee Sklar; Performer
Drums: Russ Kunkel; Performer
Electric Guitar: Arthur Adams; Performer
Electric Piano: Clarence Mcdonald; Performer
Horn: George Bohanon
Chuck Findley; Performer
Vocals: James Taylor; Performer
Composer: James Taylor; Composer
Engineer: Lee Herschberg; Production
Producer: Lenny Waronker
Russ Titelman; Production

8. Lighthouse

by James Taylor

Acoustic Guitar: James Taylor; Performer
Primary Artist: James Taylor; Main Performer
Bass: Lee Sklar; Performer
Drums: Russ Kunkel; Performer
Harmony: Graham Nash; Performer
Horn: Randy Newman; Performer
Vocals: James Taylor; Performer
Composer: James Taylor; Composer
Engineer: Lee Herschberg; Production
Producer: Lenny Waronker
Russ Titelman; Production

9. Angry Blues

by James Taylor

Acoustic Guitar: James Taylor; Performer
Primary Artist: James Taylor; Main Performer
Bass: Willie Weeks; Performer
Drums: Andy Newmark; Performer
Electric Guitar: Lowell George; Performer
Harmony: Lowell George
Valerie Carter; Performer
Percussion: Milt Holland
Victor Feldman; Performer
Vocals: James Taylor; Performer
Composer: James Taylor; Composer
Engineer: Lee Herschberg; Production
Producer: Lenny Waronker
Russ Titelman; Production

10. Love Songs

by James Taylor

Acoustic Guitar: James Taylor; Performer
Bass: Lee Sklar; Performer
Chimes: Milt Holland; Performer
Clarinet: Jules Jacob; Performer
Congas: Russ Kunkel; Performer
Drums: Russ Kunkel; Performer
Engineer: Lee Herschberg; Production
Harp: Gayle Levant; Performer
Oboe: Jules Jacob; Performer
Pedal Steel Guitar: Al Perkins; Performer
Percussion: Victor Feldman; Performer
Vocals: James Taylor; Performer
Composer: James Taylor; Composer
Primary Artist: James Taylor; Main Performer
Producer: Lenny Waronker
Russ Titelman; Production

11. Sarah Maria

by James Taylor

Primary Artist: James Taylor; Main Performer
Accordion: Nick Decaro; Performer
Acoustic Guitar: James Taylor; Performer
Mandolin: David Grisman; Performer
Marimba: Victor Feldman; Performer
Vocals: James Taylor; Performer
Composer: James Taylor; Composer
Engineer: Lee Herschberg; Production
Producer: Lenny Waronker
Russ Titelman; Production

Technical Specifications

Volume

1 volume only

Tracks

11 tracks available

Type

ALBUM

Format

Digital Media

Duration

38 minutes and 42 seconds

Explicit

None

Coverart

Available and up to 1000x1000 px

Booklet

Not available

Max Quality

CD Quality (Lossless)

16bit / 44.1 kHz

Stereo

Audio Extension

Lossless: FLAC, M4A, WAV, WV, AIFF

Lossy: AAC, MP3, M4A, MP4, OGA, OGG, OPUS, WMA

Archive Format

Available in these formats: ZIP, TAR, RAR

Lyrics

All tracks have lyrics

Synchronized Lyrics

2/11 tracks have synced lyrics

Genres

Pop/Rock, Singer-Songwriter

Label

Rhino - Warner Records

Music Distribution Service

WMG Mora

Country

United States

Language

English (United States)

Popularity

Release Date

Apr 30, 1975

Track Preview

Available

Delivery Charge

Free

Delivery Method

Digital download link via Email or Personal Dashboard on this site

UPC

603497960934