Saturday, August 8, 2009

James Taylor - The Most Laid-Back James Taylor Album Covers of All-Time‏

by Brent Warnken

James Taylor is easy listening at its best, and his album covers have matched the intensity of his songs. Mr. Taylor has made quite a few albums with laid-back cover art, and these are the top three albums with cover art images that display easygoingness. If you enjoy relaxed artists with a low-pressure style, you ought to see James Taylor in concert with James Taylor tickets, purchased online.

James Taylor the Album - James' self-titled debut is a good example of the artist putting a relaxed feeling into his music, and it hit the public with James' trademark mellowness right off the bat. If you had heard James Taylor on the radio before purchasing his first album, you probably heard the singles "Something in the Way She Moves," "Carolina in My Mind" or "Rainy Day Man." The songs are slow, sweet and sentimental, and they are perfectly reflected in the cover art for James Taylor the album.

The cover art is a photograph of James laying on his back (so it's literally and figuratively laid-back), with his left elbow on the ground propping up his shoulders so that he can look out at the horizon. James looks like he just snuck out of his senior high school formal, as he's wearing a tan suit with a flower in his pocket and a funky tie. His long, shaggy hair belies his formal dress, and the overgrown weeds in the foreground give the feeling of unkempt laziness. It's a good, sleepy start for James Taylor's relaxed album cover art.

Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon - James' third studio album came with the single "You've Got a Friend," which became one of his most recognizable hits. You can also recognize the moony, low-pressure album cover art that's typical of James Taylor's career.

In the Mud Slide album cover James is pictured with his fingers gripping his overalls. His hair his shoulder length and his mustache is nearly out to his ears. James is wearing a tattered blue shirt with a button undone and the collar carelessly stretched to one side. The album's photo is cropped to the left and looks as though it is taped to an album page with masking tape. The ambience screams disinterest.

One Man Dog - In 1972 James Taylor released One Man Dog, an experimental album that contained only one major single, "Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight." But James Taylor sure wasn't lonely in his cover art for the album, as he's pictured with a trusty companion - a small, brown dog. James is standing straight up in a tiny boat in the middle of a lake or river. He's wearing a tie and stress slacks and standing fairly tall.

What's so laid-back about this cover album, you ask? The boat is about to sink, but James is still standing stoically, with an oar in the water, posing with his mutt. It's clear he needs to move to the middle of the boat because the craft teetering dangerously close to the surface of the water. And yet James Taylor is so relaxed and easy-going that he doesn't appear to notice the present danger of the situation. James Taylor doesn't get more subdued than this.

http://www.stubhub.com/ has sponsored this article, which was written by Brent Warnken. StubHub is one of the leaders in the business of selling http://www.stubhub.com/james-taylor-tickets/, sports tickets, concert tickets, theatre tickets, or even special events tickets.

No comments:

Post a Comment