Gorilla (James Taylor album)
| Gorilla | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by James Taylor | ||||
| Released | May 1, 1975 | |||
| Recorded | March 17 – April 24, 1975 at Warner Bros. Studios, North Hollywood and The Burbank Studios, Burbank | |||
| Genre | Rock, folk, easy listening | |||
| Length | 38:46 | |||
| Label | Warner Bros. | |||
| Producer | Russ Titelman, Lenny Waronker | |||
| James Taylor chronology | ||||
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Gorilla is singer-songwriter James Taylor's sixth studio album. Released in 1975, it was more successful than Walking Man, his previous release, with two hits: "Mexico" and "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)", which rose to the top five on the Billboard charts. This would be his second-to-last release of new material for Warner Bros. Records, his last being In the Pocket. In many ways, Gorilla showcased Taylor's electric, lighter side that became evident on Walking Man. The song "Sarah Maria" is about his daughter Sally (born Sarah Maria Taylor on January 7, 1974). His wife Carly Simon is featured on "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)" originally recorded by Marvin Gaye. Jimmy Buffett covered "Mexico" on his 1995 album Barometer Soup and performed "Lighthouse" during his Salty Piece of Land tour of 2005.[1]
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [2] |
| Robert Christgau | C+[4] |
| MusicHound | 3.5/5[5] |
| Rolling Stone | (not rated)[3] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [6] |
Track listing
All songs by James Taylor unless otherwise noted.
Side One
- "Mexico" – 2:57
- "Music" – 3:46
- "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)" (Holland/Dozier/Holland) – 3:33
- "Wandering" (Traditional; arrangement and additional lyrics: Taylor) – 2:40
- "Gorilla" – 3:10
- "You Make It Easy" – 4:10
Side Two
- "I Was a Fool to Care" – 3:19
- "Lighthouse" – 3:15
- "Angry Blues" – 3:25
- "Love Songs" – 5:45
- "Sarah Maria" – 2:46
Personnel
- James Taylor - acoustic guitar, vocals, electric guitar, high-string acoustic guitar, ukulele
- Arthur Adams - electric guitar
- George Bohannon - trombone
- David Crosby - vocals
- Nick DeCaro - organ, strings, accordion
- Victor Feldman - percussion
- Chuck Findley - trumpet
- Lowell George - slide guitar, vocals
- Valerie Carter - vocals
- David Grisman - mandolin
- Milt Holland - percussion, wind chimes
- Jules Jacob - clarinet, oboe
- Jim Keltner - drums
- Danny Kortchmar - electric guitar
- Russ Kunkel - drums, percussion, shaker, tambourine, congas
- Gayle Levant - harp
- Clarence McDonald - piano, ARP String Ensemble synthesizer, Fender Rhodes electric piano
- Graham Nash - vocals
- Randy Newman - hornorgan
- Andy Newmark - drums
- Al Perkins - pedal steel guitar
- David Sanborn - saxophone
- Carly Simon - vocals
- Lee Sklar - bass
- Willie Weeks - bass
