Sean Callaghan
Bio
Neurodivergent, Writer, Drummer, Singer, Percussionist, Rock Music Star Wars and Disney Devotee.
Stories (113)
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'Dad Loves His Work'
Following the lukewarm reception to his 1979 album Flag, James Taylor went into Record One in Los Angeles to record his 10th album, once again produced by longtime manager Peter Asher. This time around, Taylor did not lean on covers, having a hand in writing every song on an album for the first time in his career (noting that even his Apple debut included a traditional folk tune). The album, recorded and released at a troubled time in Taylor's personal life, was released in March 1981.
By Sean Callaghan5 years ago in Beat
'Flag'
James Taylor's ninth album, Flag, was once again produced by Peter Asher at the Sound Factory in Hollywood but the results were not as successful as sessions two years earlier for the previous album, the classic JT. Despite any credit points for the clever cover concept--the flag signal flag depicted is the universal symbol for "man overboard"--Flag was released to lukewarm reviews at best on May 1, 1979.
By Sean Callaghan5 years ago in Beat
'JT'
For James Taylor's eighth album, titled simply JT, the label was new (Columbia Records) but the producer was an old friend, Peter Asher. Although Asher was James's manager through out the period, JT marked his return as producer after an absence of three albums. The album was recorded in March and April, 1977, at The Sound Factory in Hollywood, California, and was released shortly thereafter, on June 22.
By Sean Callaghan5 years ago in Beat
'In The Pocket'
After the considerable success of his Gorilla album in 1975, James Taylor turned once again to the team of Lenny Waronker and Russ Titelman to produce his seventh album, 1976's In The Pocket, recorded once again in California and released in June 1976. The stakes were arguably even higher for this album than the last time out, with Taylor out to prove that Gorilla was no fluke. The success of In the Pocket was expected to greatly affect future artist negotiations with it being the last new album due on his recording contract with Warner Brothers Records.
By Sean Callaghan5 years ago in Beat
'Gorilla'
Coming off the disappointing public reception to the Walking Man album, James Taylor's sixth studio album was hugely important to his continued career success. So once again, he changed producers, returning not to his manager and original producer Peter Asher, but instead to the famed Warner Brothers production team of Lenny Waronker and Russ Titelman, the men who together and alone were behind such Warner megahits as Randy Newman's Sail Away, Gordon Lightfoot's Sundown, and Ry Cooder's Paradise and Lunch.
By Sean Callaghan5 years ago in Beat
'Walking Man'
Walking Man, James Taylor's 5th album, came at a difficult juncture in his career. His previous album, One Man Dog, was generally successful and did have its critical supporters, with many still seeing "Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight" as an enduring success. Some of the short songs around it seemed somewhat unfinished, however, and while the album did reward repeated listening, many never got that far. Sales did not match the gigantic numbers reached by the previous two Taylor albums (Sweet Baby James and Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon) and some spoke as though Taylor's musical dominance was all in the past tense.
By Sean Callaghan5 years ago in Beat
'One Man Dog'
It is perhaps understandable and in retrospect inevitable that after releasing two albums as strong as Sweet Baby James and Mud Slide Slim And The Blue Horizon that the quality would taper off with James Taylor's fourth album. Entering A&R Recording Studio in New York and Clover Recorders in Summer 1972, Taylor and producer Peter Asher certainly had a lot to live up to.
By Sean Callaghan5 years ago in Beat
'Mud Slide Slim And The Blue Horizon'
In April 1971, Just six months after his hit song "Fire and Rain" hit the No. 3 spot on the Billboard charts on Halloween 1970 and propelled the album Sweet Baby James to classic status, James Taylor released his third LP, the more cumbersomely titled Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon. For the first time, Taylor would release an album to a public very aware of him and had to face all the attendant expectations involved in following up an absolute hit.
By Sean Callaghan5 years ago in Beat
'James Taylor'
Boston-born and North Carolina-raised Singer-Songwriter James Taylor made his debut on the Beatles' Apple Records almost by accident. James's close friend Danny Kortchmar, his partner in a band known as the Flying Machine (later to be immortalized in Taylor's first big hit "Fire and Rain") had recently toured with Peter Asher, formerly of the duo Peter and Gordon and brother of Jane Asher, Paul McCartney's first wife. At the time, Asher was the newly appointed head of Artists & Repertoire for the Beatles' Apple Corps, charged with finding artists for Apple Records.
By Sean Callaghan5 years ago in Beat
'Wonderful Crazy Night'
In the mid-2010s, Elton John's life was in a good place. He had a loving family with his husband David Furnish, and two sons, Zachary and Elijah. So his approach coming into the studio for the work that would become Wonderful Crazy Night was that he wanted to make an upbeat album with a live feel.
By Sean Callaghan5 years ago in Beat
'The Diving Board'
For his next album following his very successful collaboration with Leon Russell The Union, Elton John once again turned to producer T-Bone Burnett, who suggested that Elton return to the piano-bass-drums lineup that had served him well in his early career. Accordingly, the majority of this album is anchored by Elton on piano, Raphael Saadiq on bass , Jay Bellerose on drums (lyricist Bernie Taupin considers Bellerose one of his favorite drummers according to his memoir, "Scattershot".) and Keefus Ciancia on keyboards, with Davey Johnstone and the touring band left on the sidelines. Bernie Taupin wrote all the lyrics for the album in just a few days time. Elton described it as his most exciting solo record in a long time. The album was originally to be released in the Fall of 2012 but numerous delays pushed its release to the Fall of 2013.
By Sean Callaghan5 years ago in Beat
