The Best of James Taylor

The Best of James Taylor
Greatest hits album by James Taylor
Released	April 8, 2003
Recorded	1968–2003
Genre	Folk rock, rock
Length	70:43
Label	Warner Bros.
Producer	Peter Asher, David Spinozza, Lenny Waronker, Russ Titelman, James Taylor, Frank Filipetti, Danny Kortchmar[1]
Compiler	David McLees[1]
James Taylor chronology
October Road (2002) The Best of James Taylor (2003) James Taylor: A Christmas Album (2004)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[3]

The Best of James Taylor is the fourth compilation album by American singer-songwriter James Taylor. The album, a greatest hits collection, was released by Warner Bros. Records in April 2003. The same album was released in Europe as You've Got a Friend: The Best of James Taylor.^[4]

The record is a Warner Bros. release, and as such emphasizes Taylor's recordings for that label; fifteen of the twenty tracks on the album are from his time with Warner Bros. The album contains one previously unreleased track, "Bittersweet", recorded for this release.

The album entered the Billboard 200 album chart on April 26, 2003, at number 11, with sales of approximately 73,500 copies. It remained on the chart for 42 weeks. It was awarded a certified gold record on December 17, 2003, and a platinum record on April 15, 2005, by the RIAA.

Track listing

All songs were written by James Taylor, except where noted.

1. "Something in the Way She Moves" – 3:09
2. "Sweet Baby James" – 2:53
3. "Fire and Rain" – 3:25
4. "Country Road" – 3:30
   • Single version, previously unreleased on any James Taylor album.
5. "You've Got a Friend" (Carole King) – 4:30
6. "You Can Close Your Eyes" – 2:32
7. "Long Ago and Far Away" – 2:22
8. "Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight" – 2:37
9. "Walking Man" – 3:35
10. "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)" (Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier, Eddie Holland) – 3:37
11. "Mexico" – 3:00
12. "Shower the People" – 4:33
13. "Golden Moments" – 3:32
14. "Steamroller" – 5:06
    • 1975 live version.
15. "Carolina in My Mind" – 4:00
    • 1976 version.
16. "Handy Man" (Otis Blackwell, Jimmy Jones) – 3:20
17. "Your Smiling Face" – 2:48
18. "Up on the Roof" (Gerry Goffin, King) – 4:22
19. "Only a Dream in Rio" – 5:03
20. "Bittersweet" (John Sheldon) – 3:44
    • A previously unreleased song, recorded specifically for this album in early 2003.

Personnel

Musicians

Technical

• James Taylor – production (on "Only a Dream in Rio"), liner notes
• Peter Asher – production
• David Spinozza – production (on "Walking Man")
• Lenny Waronker – production
• Russ Titelman – production
• Frank Filipetti – production (on "Only a Dream in Rio")
• Danny Kortchmar – production (on "Bittersweet")
• David McLees – compiler
• Bill Inglot – remastering, except "Bittersweet"
• Dan Hersch – remastering, except "Bittersweet"
• Ted Jensen – remastering (on "Bittersweet")

Charts

References

1. 1 2 The Best of James Taylor (Media notes). James Taylor. Warner Bros. Records. 2003. R2 73837. 
2. ↑ The Best of James Taylor at AllMusic
3. ↑ "James Taylor: Album Guide". rollingstone.com. Archived from the original on January 5, 2013. Retrieved October 27, 2015. 
4. ↑ "The Best of James Taylor (images)". Discogs. Retrieved 19 November 2013. 
5. ↑ "Top 75 Artist Album, Week Ending September 11, 2003". GfK Chart-Track. Retrieved August 8, 2013. 
6. ↑ "James Taylor – You've Got a Friend – The Best Of". Charts.org.nz. Hung Medien. Retrieved August 8, 2013. 
7. ↑ "2003-09-13 Top 40 Official UK Albums Archive". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 8, 2013. 
8. ↑ "The Best of James Taylor: Awards". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved August 8, 2013.