Remember When James Taylor Found a New Label and New Freedom for a Masterpiece Album in 1970?

You don’t often see a positive change of fortune from one album to the next of the magnitude of the one enjoyed by James Taylor at the start of his career. His debut album sank without a trace, despite having the stamp of approval of the biggest band on the planet.

For his next album, Taylor rolled the dice and stepped away from that aforementioned band. And he delivered perhaps the finest album of the year.

A Fab Four Find

On James Taylor’s 1968 self-titled debut album, you’ll find his first version of the song “Carolina In My Mind”. (It would become a big hit in a re-recorded version many years later when Taylor was a star.) That song contains mention of a “holy host of others standing ‘round me.”

Taylor was referring to The Beatles, a few of whom were playing backup on the recording of the song. The group had made Taylor the initial signing of their Apple record label. You might think that the hype surrounding that deal should have given Taylor a leg up on the competition.

But as record label owners, the Fab Four made great musicians. And Taylor hadn’t quite honed in on his signature sound just yet, although there are a couple of standout songs on the record. He thought he’d follow it up with another album for Apple. But big changes came in a hurry, affecting the trajectory of his career.

A New Start

In 1969, Allan Klein took over as the overseer of The Beatles’ affairs, which included Apple. And he quickly started making decisions about not only the band’s future but also the future of the acts at the label. Taylor sensed that he was in trouble of being let go.

The final straw for him came when Peter Asher, who had produced his debut record, also left the label. Taylor followed Asher out the door, hiring him as both his producer and his manager. And Asher found a pretty good landing spot for Taylor at Warner Bros. Records.

Taylor was battling addiction issues all through this time period. And he went into the making of his sophomore record without much of a backlog of songs. Add to that the seeming fallout from the departure from Apple, and it seemed like he could be headed for a flop. But Sweet Baby James, as the album was titled upon its 1970 release, was ready for his breakthrough.

How ‘Sweet’ It Is

Asher put together a relatively small group for low-key album sessions in Los Angeles, with studio legends Danny Kortchmar and Russ Kunkel providing a supple sound for Taylor’s narratives. Meanwhile, Taylor rose to the occasion with a piercing set of songs.

That included “Fire And Rain”, a devastating song of loss that gave Taylor a runaway pop hit. Meanwhile, songs like the title track and “Steamroller” cultivated the laid-back vibes that Taylor would mine for the remainder of his wonderful career.

Maybe Taylor would have delivered something akin to Sweet Baby James if he’d stayed within The Beatles’ orbit. But there’s no doubt that Taylor, freed from the “holy host,” found his easy-going stride on that record.

Photo by Jack Robinson/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

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