Album Reviews

Dad did love his work, more than his family and marriage to Carly Simon, or more accurately put,  forced to choose between the two by Simon, he chose the road and his career.

Yet this, his tenth album, was hardly an album filled with surface pain and suffering, despite the end of marriage and ongoing substance abuse problems.

Dad did love his work, more than his family and marriage to Carly Simon, or more accurately put,  forced to choose between the two by Simon, he chose the road and his career.

Yet this, his tenth album, was hardly an album filled with surface pain and suffering, despite the end of marriage and ongoing substance abuse problems.

Whateve the sentiments—and they run the gamut from despair to renewal—they are wrapped in early 1980's slick studio gloss that at the time seemed offputting to "purist" ears desirous of more "earthy" and honest sonics. 

In retrospect, the sound here, despite the ubiquitous Aphex Aural Exciter so popular at that time, is absolutely glorious, particularly compared to how far production today has mostly sunk. The Exciter is used tastefully as you'd expect from the  team of producer Peter Asher and engineer Val Garay. 

Still, a song like "London Town," where Taylor, on his road to renewal, looks back at his time in London when he first signed with Apple Records as a young man, doesn't hit as effectively as it might because of the studio bombast. And the opener "Hard Times" has a formulaic L.A. soul/ funk feel that sounded tired then and does even more now.

"Sugar Trade," written with Jimmy Buffett and Timothy Mayer is an unlikely protest song about slavery and the sugar trade that shifted the album's focus from Taylor's personal problems.

Perhaps Taylor was holding back his emotions while feeling a need to express them so he chose a somewhat shallow road. On the other hand, what you'll hear  epitomizes what was considered the era's sonic "gold standard."

"Her Town Too," written by Taylor with J.D. Souther and Waddy Wachtel has that Eagles feel, not surprisingly, but between the songwriting and production it sounds  derivative given Taylor's long recording career. So two songs in, who can blame long time fans for feeling let down?  

Even less than peak Taylor has its rewards lyrically and vocally, but even if you're a committed fan, maybe especially if you're a committed fan, the banality of much of this, considering the backdrop, has the feel of a cop-out.

Side one's closers, "I Will Follow" and "Believe it Or not" are meant to be deep, but may leave you thinking of Lieber and Stoller's brilliant "Is That All Their Is?" 

If she even bothered to listen, Carly Simon must have been both disappointed and relieved to be finished with someone who comes across as somewhat lacking in depth.

Mobile Fidelity's mastering hits the sonic nail on the head tonally, dynamically and spatially so if this is one of your Taylor faves—and it has its fans—you will be happy with this reissue. On the other hand, if you have a clean original mastered by Doug Sax and Mike Reese at The Mastering Lab in Los Angeles when the tape was fresh, mostly you'll hear a less upfront "in your face" tonal balance that will either sound more lively or too bright depending on your system.