CD1

1. Sweet Baby James
2. Fire And Rain
3. Long Ago And Far Away
4. You’ve Got A Friend
5. Don’t Let Me Be Lonely Tonight” (Remastered LP Version)
6. One Man Parade
7. Walking Man
8. Hello Old Friend
9. How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)
10. Mexico
11. Gorilla
12. Shower The People
13. Nothing Like A Hundred Miles
14. Don’t Be Sad ’Cause Your Sun Is Down
15. Steamroller” (Remastered Live Version)
16. Something In The Way She Moves
17. Carolina In My Mind
18. Honey Don’t Leave L.A.
19. Handy Man

CD2

1. Your Smiling Face
2. Millworker
3. Her Town Too
4. Everyday
5. Only One
6. That’s Why I'm Here
7. Never Die Young
8. Copperline
9. The Water is Wide
10. Country Road (Live)
11. Secret O’ Life (Live)
12. Line ’Em Up
13. Little More Time With You
14. Another Day
15. Hard Times Come Again No More (feat. James Taylor)
16. Caroline, I See You
17. My Traveling Star (Live)
18. You Can Close Your Eyes (Live)

Over the course of a 45-year career, James Taylor has cultivated a profound, intimate friendship, not just with the characters who populate his songs, but with his legions of fans. As immediately accessible as those songs are, there is always more going on in them than meets the ear on first listen. The Essential James Taylor is a collection of recordings that define a generation.’ (Adapted from the liner notes by Anthony DeCurtis)

James Taylor is the quintessential singer-songwriter. A hugely influential recording and touring artist, he has sold more than 100 million records (and counting) during a career that began in 1969 when he signed to the Beatles’ Apple Records.

Rhino has assembled a double-disc collection that features his biggest hits and best-loved songs from every stage of his illustrious career, which includes 10 platinum records and five Grammy awards. THE ESSENTIAL JAMES TAYLOR will be available on September 11.

The 37-track compilation spans Taylor’s studio and live recordings from 1970-2002 and spotlights such instantly recognizable hits as: “Fire and Rain,” “Carolina In My Mind,” “Sweet Baby James,” “Shower The People” and his only #1 hit, “You’ve Got A Friend,” which also earned the singer his first Grammy award.  

The first disc is dedicated exclusively to songs that Taylor recorded during the 1970s, like the Top Five hits “How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)” and “Handy Man,” plus the title tracks from Walking Man (1974) and Gorilla (1975), as well a live version of the concert staple “Steamroller.”

Fan favorites appear throughout, like “Long Ago And Far Away” from 1971’s Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon, “Something In The Way She Moves,” and “Don’t Be Sad ’Cause Your Sun Is Down,” which features Stevie Wonder.

The second disc includes music from the 1970s — with the Top 20 hit “Your Smiling Face” from JT and “Millworker” from Flag — but most of the songs come from the six albums Taylor recorded between 1980 and 2002. Among the many highlights are: “Her Town Too” (which peaked at #11), the unforgettable “Everyday” from That’s Why I’m Here, the title track from 1988’s Never Die Young, “Copperline” from New Moon Shine, and “Caroline, I See You” from October Road, plus two songs from 1997’s Hourglass

“Little More Time With You” and “Line ’Em Up.”

In addition to Taylor’s studio recordings, this new collection also boasts several live performances, “Country Road,” “Secret O’ Life” and “My Traveling Star.”