Sweet Baby James
| Sweet Baby James | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
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| Studio album by James Taylor | ||||
| Released | February 1970 | |||
| Recorded | December 1969 at Sunset Sound, Los Angeles | |||
| Genre | Rock, folk, country, blues | |||
| Length | 31:51 | |||
| Label | Warner Bros. | |||
| Producer | Peter Asher | |||
| James Taylor chronology | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |  |
| Robert Christgau | B− |
| MusicHound | 4/5 |
| Rolling Stone | (favorable) |
| Rolling Stone Album Guide | |
Sweet Baby James is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter James Taylor, and his first release on Warner Bros. Records. Released in February 1970, it showcased Taylor's talents and showed the direction he would take in the early 1970s with the expansion of his career. The album featured one of Taylor's earliest single successes: "Fire and Rain", which reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album itself also managed to reach #3 on the Billboard Album Charts. Sweet Baby James made Taylor one of the main forces of the ascendent singer-songwriter movement. The album was nominated to a Grammy Award for Album of the Year, in 1971. The album was listed at #103 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
The album, produced by Peter Asher, was recorded between 8 and 17 December 1969 at a cost of only $7,600 out of a budget of $20,000. Taylor was "essentially homeless" at the time the album was recorded, either staying in Asher's home or crashing on a couch at the house of guitarist Danny Kortchmar or anyone else who would have him.
The song "Suite for 20 G" was so named because Taylor was promised $20,000 once the album was delivered. With one more song needed, he strung together three unfinished songs into a "suite", and completed the album.
All songs by James Taylor unless otherwise noted.
The horn players are uncredited.
^shipments figures based on certification alone
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Wikipedia