Gorilla
Studio album by
James Taylor
ReleasedMay 1975 (1975-05)
RecordedMarch 17 – April 24, 1975 (1975-03-17 – 1975-04-24)
StudioWarner Bros. Studios (North Hollywood)
The Burbank Studios (Burbank)
Genre
Length38:46
LabelWarner Bros.
Producer
James Taylor chronology
Walking Man
(1974) 		Gorilla
(1975) 		In the Pocket
(1976)
Singles from Gorilla
  1. "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)"
    Released: June 1975
  2. "Mexico"
    Released: September 1975

Gorilla is the sixth studio album by American singer-songwriter James Taylor. Released in May 1975, it was more successful than Walking Man, his previous release. Two album tracks released as singles, "Mexico" and "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)", rose to the top five on the Billboard charts. This would be Taylor's second-to-last album of new material for Warner Bros. Records, his last being In the Pocket. In many ways, Gorilla showcased Taylor's electric, lighter side that became evident on Walking Man. The song "Sarah Maria" is about his daughter Sally (born Sarah Maria Taylor on January 7, 1974). His then-wife Carly Simon was featured on "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)", originally recorded by Marvin Gaye. Jimmy Buffett recorded "Mexico" on his 1995 album Barometer Soup and performed "Lighthouse" during his Salty Piece of Land tour of 2005.[1]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music[3]
Rolling Stone(not rated)[4]
Christgau's Record GuideC+[5]
MusicHound3.5/5[6]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[7]

Track listing

All songs by James Taylor unless otherwise noted.

Side one
  1. "Mexico" – 2:57
  2. "Music" – 3:46
  3. "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)" (Holland-Dozier-Holland) – 3:33
  4. "Wandering" (Traditional; arrangement and additional lyrics: James Taylor) – 2:40
  5. "Gorilla" – 3:10
  6. "You Make It Easy" – 4:10
Side two
  1. ”I Was a Fool to Care" – 3:19
  2. "Lighthouse" – 3:15
  3. "Angry Blues" – 3:25
  4. "Love Songs" – 5:45
  5. "Sarah Maria" – 2:46

Personnel

Production

Charts

Chart (1975) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[8] 60

References

  1. ^ Song & Lyrics Database – BuffettNews.com
  2. ^ https://www.allmusic.com/album/r19687/review
  3. ^ Larkin, Colin (2007). Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0195313734.
  4. ^ Gorilla – Rolling Stone
  5. ^ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: T". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved March 15, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ "James Taylor: Album Guide". rollingstone.com. Archived from the original on January 5, 2013. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
  8. ^ 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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