Given that since 1970 James Taylor had sold millions of albums (two of which were lauded by the critics) and taken alluring songstress Carly Simon for a bride, to the outside world in 1975 it appeared the world was his oyster – the early years of the new decade, tailor-made, so to speak for the wistful folk-pop balladry that had become his trademark.
Seen by many as a counterpoint to the late-60s hard rock onslaught – although in terms of hard living, Taylor in pre-marital days was rock and roll to the core, reputedly closer to ‘laid out’ rather than ‘laid back’ – the latter a label that had become attached to his music.
Across ‘Sweet Baby James‘ (1970) and ‘Mud Slide Slim & The Blue Horizon‘ (1971) were to be found several engrossing acoustic guitar-based lyrical dramas, the former in particular rich with songs of remarkable maturity when bearing in mind Boston-born Taylor was only twenty-one at the time.
That said, his recording debut had been a self-titled effort recorded in London and issued on The Beatles Apple label in 1968. Released to little fanfare while Taylor recovered from heroin addiction, by the mid-70s it was long out of print but held in great esteem by those who had actually heard it, gaining mystique as a ‘lost’ masterpiece (confirmation of ‘James Taylor‘ being an admirable record arrived in the late-80s when it emerged on CD).
If anything its reputation had only been enhanced as ‘One Man Dog‘ (1972) and ‘Walking Man‘ (1974), despite containing a smattering of decent tracks both lacked the cohesion of the two albums, also recorded for Warner Brothers, that proceed them – Taylor joining their roster on returning from England in 1969.
So despite his superstar wife and preeminent standing among the singer-songwriter movement he had done much to establish, in 1975 James Taylor needed an album of sufficient merit to restore critical favour and re-affirm his position as a heavyweight song-smith – the bar for excellence raised higher again in 1974 with outstanding work from Jackson Browne, Joni Mitchell and Neil Young.
On his subsequent release he may not have quite reached those exalted standards – but ‘GORILLA‘ (1975) dispelled any notion of a career in decline, Taylor making a welcome return to form on this strong 11-song collection that amounted to his most agreeable album in four years.
Any listeners intrigued to hear what Taylor had to say on contemporary issues such as Watergate, political uncertainty, environmentalism or end of the Vietnam war – in the way Browne, Young and Mitchell had their say on such matters the previous year – would have been disappointed.
For the most part James keeps his focus firmly on personal matters, their range stretching from everyday frustrations to fatherhood, temptations outside marriage, a tongue-in-cheek title track, lamentations on love past and present.
Indeed, the cover of ‘How Sweet It Is‘ (To Be Loved By You) – a 1964 Motown hit for Marvin Gaye – performed virtually as a duet with Simon, bolsters the upbeat element of the record, serving to offset less buoyant material such as ‘You Make it Easy,’ ‘I Was A Fool to Care‘ and a plaintive take on ‘Wandering‘, a traditional folk song for which Taylor wrote additional verses.
Despite conjuring images of romantic estrangement and political oppression, not to mention use of oblique drug references, opening cut ‘Mexico‘ is a sure-footed start – Warner Bros house producers Lenny Waronker and Russ Titleman, working with Taylor for the first time, at once initiating a clear, uncluttered space for the artist to operate. The acoustic and electric guitars played by Taylor and his long-time cohort, LA session stalwart Danny Kortchmar, ring clear and true, as do the soaring harmonies of David Crosby and Graham Nash, Gayle Levant providing atmospheric flourishes on the harp.
As good an example of sophisticated mid-70s soft rock it is possible to find, Taylor even manages a moment of self-deprecating humour early on inserting the line:
‘Lose your load leave your mind Baby James.‘
On ‘Music‘ Taylor comes across less reluctant troubadour and more conscientious outsider, (‘Now don’t I dig the big-time rock and roll, to sit in the darkness be somebody else,’) imploring people to find love in each other and hope in music – his words served by a gentle country-rock tune to which Levant and Al Perkins (pedal steel) contribute their customary excellence.
While in 1975 there would have been no likelihood of Browne or Young including a Motown cover on albums they were making, in fairness neither was married to a distinctive female rock vocalist, the harmony singing of Simon adds to a sassy performance of ‘How Sweet It Is‘ (To Be Loved By You) – the ebullient mood further enhanced by a jaunty David Sanborn sax solo.
In comparing the differing approaches of three stellar artists, if nothing else this engaging track reinforces the belief of Taylor being a superior singer to Young and at a push Browne.
Taylor produces another fine vocal for ‘Wandering.’ Stripped back to its folk origins, the sad journey through life of the narrator is delivered to the accompaniment of acoustic guitar and accordion. In truth this lament would not have sounded out of place on his last two or three albums, but here benefits no end from crisp production and affecting arrangement.
For the title-track Taylor takes his world perspective from that of a gorilla in the local zoo, ‘He comes from the heart of darkness, a thousand miles from here,’ the background mandolins and clarinet making the song something of a novelty. But in giving the creature his freedom ‘He rides my El Dorado, when he comes to town,‘ there is a sense of Taylor paving the way for the caustically funny ‘Gorilla You’re A Desperado‘ Warren Zevon song of five years later.
If there is a throwaway element to that track the one that follows, ‘You Make It Easy,’ is truly resonant. The sultry saxophone adds to a late-night ambience infused with carnal intrigue and wanton risk, Taylor attracted by his companion at the bar who has aroused in him feelings of drunken desire:
‘Heaven knows I love my woman, we’re just bound to fuss and fight/And I wind up on this barroom stool, buying drinks and keeping tight/But you know I’ve never done what’s come in to my mind tonight.’
At times the sax breaks are reminiscent of those that decorate ‘Don’t Let Me Be Lonely Tonight‘ – an equally fine song written for the ‘One Man Dog‘ album. The two compositions (‘You Make It Easy‘ arguably his best since), are similar in theme, but in 1972 a dalliance did not come with possible consequences connected to a wife and children. In the end his plea is not based on lust but letting the moment go, ‘So baby won’t you turn me down and point me out the door/I’ll head home and sleep it off, just like every time before.’
In creating this steamy masterpiece, Taylor has added a luscious R&B string to his bow, sounding less Joni Mitchell and more Jimmy Ruffin – former paramour Ms Mitchell rumoured to be the subject of ‘I Was A Fool To Care.’
Despite returning to more familiar soft-rock territory, this is a cut above the lovelorn ballads being purveyed by most L.A. based acts of the time (in this respect the Eagles would up their game considerably with ‘Wasted Time‘ on ‘Hotel California‘ the following year), Taylor displaying his skill as a lyricist in adding a note of clear-eyed detachment when reflecting on an affair now consigned to history.
‘I wish I was an old man and love was through with me, I wish I was a baby on my mama’s knee/I wish I was a freight train moving down the line/Just keeping track of time, without all these memories.’
If at times it is hard to grasp the full gist of ‘Lighthouse‘ – in the opening lines Taylor compares himself to a structure on the rocks around whom ships sail, but by the end sounds enthused to have moved back in land (to the point of asking the lost and lonely to join in singing of the song). Once more those who actually add their voices are Crosby and Nash, their glorious singing aids a breezy, imaginative arrangement to which Randy Newman contributes keyboards.
With session grandees Russ Kunkel (drums) and Leland Sklar (bass) also along for the ride, ‘Lighthouse‘ is a high-class period piece, a nigh-on perfect embodiment of the sound he and Carole King had been instrumental in establishing.
The mood darkens with ‘Angry Blues‘ James on this particular day fed up with his lot and wanting a place to hide. There is acceptance his angry feelings will not last ‘The next time that you see me, I should be shining like the fourth of July‘ the funky inflections of the tune down to slide-maestro Lowell George, whose guitar lines are pertinent, if more restrained than those he would inject into a Little Feat track of the time.
By way, surely, of unintended irony, on the album inner sleeve a mustachioed Taylor is pictured in knees-bent, clenched-fist pose bearing a passing resemblance to fictional English hotelier Basil Fawlty – a man with angry blues if ever there was one.
The closing two tracks, ‘Love Songs‘ and ‘Sarah Maria‘ find Taylor displaying far more positivity – each an ode to the two females in his life. In stating love for Carly on the former (‘I guess it’s got something to do with you, never was I so in love before,’), he also admits to a degree of uncertainty in the way he is feeling, ‘Never did I feel like this before, never was I so confused/I don’t know if I’m up or down, I guess I’ve got nothing to lose.’
But the overriding notion is that love has found him and he’s pretty pleased about it – at nearly six minutes the longest song on the album, from the clarinet introduction through the moments he sounds like a one man Crosby, Stills and Nash, Taylor steers a course leading to the poignant conclusion: ‘The world is like a collage/And the only thing I can see clearly/Is the slow steady glow of love in her eyes.’
There is not the slightest ambiguity to ‘Sarah Maria‘ – a lilting lullaby about his young daughter with whom he is clearly smitten, ‘Well the moon is in the ocean and the stars in the sky/And all that I can see is my sweet Maria’s eyes.’ It is a touching way to end an album containing many delights, Taylor showing a pleasing willingness to not just to update but vary his craft both as songwriter and singer, also showing a nice flair for interpretation on ‘How Sweet It Is.’
Released in late spring 1975 ‘Gorilla‘ returned healthy sales figures, climbed to the upper reaches of the US album charts and with one exception met with positive reviews. Not for the first time it was esteemed New York critic Robert Christgau who swam against the tide, awarding it a miserly C+ in his renowned A-D rating system – although in a review of the albums Taylor recorded for Warner Bros (1970-1976), your genial host here at SAMTIMONIOUS.com bestowed an A-; the mark based on some very accomplished music rather than aversion to L.A. based artists of the era Christgau made no secret of hiding.
‘Gorilla‘, however, did turn out to be his last substantive album for Warner Bros, as ‘In The Pocket‘ (1976) proved disappointing, Taylor signing to Columbia shortly afterwards for whom he made the much-improved ‘JT‘ (1977). But even then ‘Flag‘ (1979) proved another below par offering, leaving ‘Gorilla‘ to reign as his most assured album in the second half of the decade.
Which is not to say ‘In The Pocket,’ ‘JT‘ and ‘Flag‘ do not contain notable material, they just lack the overall consistency of ‘Gorilla‘ – Taylor inadvertently summing up the situation on the sublime ‘Lighthouse‘ when he sings:
‘I’m rolling all my golden moments into one.’
JAMES TAYLOR – ‘GORILLA‘ (Released May 1975):
Mexico/Music/How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)/Wandering/Gorilla/You Make It Easy/I Was A Fool To Care/Lighthouse/Angry Blues/Love Songs/Sarah Maria;
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NEIL SAMBROOK is the author of ‘MONTY’S DOUBLE‘ – an acclaimed thriller now available in paperback and as an Amazon Kindle book.
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