Husband said, this morning, something about "sailing away," and James Taylor started singing "Riding on a Railroad" in my head. From there I went on, in my head, to other James Taylor songs from my youth. Now I'm stuck in an early '70s James Taylor mood. Dangerous mood, this: I was not a happy young woman. So I'll focus on the videos.
Good lord, was there ever a better-looking man than James Taylor? Maybe my father . . . the proportions of their faces are very similar.
Look at that Sweet Baby James album cover. Those sensitive lips, those deep-set penetrating eyes. The eyelashes! Even the unibrow... 
He's grooming out those between-the-brows extra hairs now, or maybe that's been a benefit of his general hair loss.
I read a J.T. biography and the author kept referring to his "nasal voice." He doesn't sound nasal to me. He sounds mellow and velvet.
'Ceptin' when he sing blues. Then he soun' dif'rent, mm-hmm...
I don't think there's anything he could sing that wouldn't mesmerize me.
I saw him perform, years ago, in a local historic theater. One of the first comments he made was that it was nice to be playing in a place that was built for the playing of music. As he spoke, he glanced here and there, up to the ceiling. He didn't move his head much, moved not much more than his lips and his eyebrows. With that prominent occipital ridge and nose, and the controlled movement, he has a hawkish look.
Look at those cheek and lip muscles when he sings, "Oh, Mexico..."
As the music grew more lively during the concert, he began to tap his foot and bounce at his knees. His loose trousers hanging and flowing from his butt to his heels...
I would like to see him again in concert, but I'm not sure I can do the concert thing anymore. On the other hand . . . something small and private...
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15 comments:
Hi June, We saw James Taylor at Red Rocks last year - a perfect outdoor venue for his music. He performed a great concert. His music does take me back to my youth - which in my case isn't necessarily a bad thing.
love James Taylor, he can sing to me anyday.....
Ahh James. Some of my favourite music was his. Just today, someone suggested I listen to his and Carole King's performance of Up on the Roof, recorded at the Troubadour. Lovely.
A friend went to the third night of Carole King/James Taylor at Tanglewood. Poor Carole's voice was just about gone, she said, but James . . . ah, James always sounds wonderful.
I agree, he's wonderful. Wouldn't you love to have him bring his guitar to a backyard BBQ...we could all sing along.
What's not to love about James Taylor? Seeing him perform in the historic theater must've been fabulous. I love that you remember so much of the detail from the performance.
James Taylor was THE voice of our generation. We all new that we had a friend when he sang. His brother, Livingston Taylor, was also very talented and performed in much the same vein.
As for that particular album cover, well, I always thought he looked kinda constipated. Good looking guy but not an endearing photograph.
LW: Oh man, if he looks constipated in that picture, I'd like to see what he looked like with a full blockage!
Those were the days!
James Taylor is a favorite of my wifes. I've always been a Simon & Garfunkel kind of guy. You know "I am a rock" and all that LOL
Such a treat to find another JT fan - he performs regularly at Tanglewood, a concert venue near me. Even at this age, he's mesmerizing, I agree!
James Taylor is amazing. I actually had the chance to see him and Carole King perform in Denver this summer. Both were amazing. All there was to love about him when we were younger is still there. He has gotten better with age, or maybe, I appreciate how he has aged so well because I am trying to do the same.
I loved, loved, loved James Taylor, but I never saw him in person. "Fire and Rain" was my favorite and still is one of my favorites. And yes, he was/is gorgeous!
James Taylor is one of my favorite artist. He really had great songs indeed.=)
Ahh James. Some of my favourite music was his. Just today, someone suggested I listen to his and Carole King's performance of Up on the Roof, recorded at the Troubadour. Excellent post Lovely.
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