Walking Man
Walking Man is the fifth studio album by singer-songwriter James Taylor. Released in June 1974, it was not as successful as his previous efforts, only reaching #13 on the Billboard Album Chart and only selling 300,000 copies in the United States. Until 2008's Covers, it was the only studio album he released that never received a certification as a gold or platinum record from the RIAA.
| Walking Man | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | June 1974 | |||
| Recorded | January 1974–April 1974 | |||
| Studio | The Hit Factory, New York City | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 33:34 | |||
| Label | Warner Bros. | |||
| Producer | David Spinozza | |||
| James Taylor chronology | ||||
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The title track, released as the album's first single, failed to place on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 at all, but nevertheless, stands today as an often reprised fan favorite. "Walking Man" did, however, reach #26 on the Easy Listening chart in October 1974.[1]
"Hello Old Friend" was used in the intro for ABC's Game 3 coverage of the 1989 World Series, just before the pre-game broadcast was interrupted by a 6.9 magnitude earthquake.
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [2] |
| Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [3] |
| MusicHound | 2/5[4] |
| Rolling Stone | (not rated)[5] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [6] |
Track listing
All songs were written and composed by James Taylor where not otherwise noted.
- Side one
- "Walking Man" – 3:30
- "Rock 'n' Roll Is Music Now" – 3:25
- "Let It All Fall Down" – 3:30
- "Me and My Guitar" – 3:30
- "Daddy's Baby" – 2:37
- Side two
- "Ain't No Song" (Joey Levine, David Spinozza) – 3:28
- "Hello Old Friend" – 2:45
- "Migration" – 3:14
- "The Promised Land" (Chuck Berry) – 4:03
- "Fading Away" – 3:32
Personnel
- James Taylor – lead vocals, backing vocals (1-4, 6), acoustic guitar (1-8, 10), arrangements
- David Spinozza – electric guitar (1, 4, 6, 7, 9, 10), acoustic electric guitar (1), electric piano (2), acoustic guitar (4), organ (8), arrangements
- Hugh McCracken – electric guitar (2, 3, 6, 9, 10), harmonica (4), acoustic guitar (8)
- Kenny Ascher – electric piano (1, 3, 6), acoustic piano (2, 7, 8, 10), organ (9)
- Don Grolnick – acoustic piano (4, 9), organ (4, 10), Vox humana (5, 8)
- Ralph Schuckett – clavinet (6), electric piano (7)
- Andy Muson– bass guitar (1-4, 6-10)
- Rick Marotta – drums (1-4, 6-10), backing vocals (2)
- Ralph MacDonald – percussion (1, 3, 4, 6, 8)
- Gene Orloff – strings (1, 4, 7), concertmaster (1, 4, 7)
- George Young – alto saxophone (2, 6, 7, 9)
- Kenny Berger – baritone saxophone (2, 6, 9)
- Michael Brecker – tenor saxophone (2, 6, 9)
- Barry Rogers – trombone (2, 6, 9)
- Randy Brecker – trumpet (2, 7)
- Alan Rubin – trumpet (2, 4, 6, 7, 9)
- Howard Johnson – tuba (2, 6, 9)
- Peter Gordon – French horn (4, 7)
- George Marge – oboe (4, 7)
- Linda McCartney – backing vocals (2, 3)
- Paul McCartney – backing vocals (2, 3)
- Carly Simon – backing vocals (2-6)
- Peter Asher – backing vocals (4, 6)
Production
- Producer – David Spinozza
- Engineered and Mixed by Harry Maslin
- Assistant Engineers – Blaise Castellano and David Henson
- Design – Rod Dyer
- Photography – Richard Avedon
Charts
| Chart (1974) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[7] | 50 |
| US Billboard 200 | 13 |
References
- Whitburn, Joel (1993). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993. Record Research. p. 237.
- link
- Larkin, Colin (2007). Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0195313734.
- Graff, Gary; Durchholz, Daniel (eds) (1999). MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Farmington Hills, MI: Visible Ink Press. p. 1125. ISBN 1-57859-061-2.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
- link
- "James Taylor: Album Guide". rollingstone.com. Archived from the original on January 5, 2013. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
- Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 305. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
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