In the Pocket
Studio album by
James Taylor
ReleasedJune 1976
Recorded1975–76
StudioWarner Bros. Recording Studios (North Hollywood)
The Burbank Studios (Burbank)
GenreFolk, rock, soft rock, R&B
Length45:04
LabelWarner Bros, Rhino, Flashback
ProducerRuss Titelman, Lenny Waronker
James Taylor chronology
Gorilla
(1975) 		In the Pocket
(1976) 		Greatest Hits
(1976)
Singles from In the Pocket
  1. "Shower the People"
    Released: June 1976
  2. "Everybody Has the Blues"
    Released: August 1976 (UK)
  3. "Woman's Gotta Have It"
    Released: October 1976

In the Pocket is the seventh studio album by American singer-songwriter James Taylor and his last to be released under Warner Bros. Records before signing with Columbia. Released in June 1976, the album found Taylor recording in the studio with many colleagues and friends, mainly Art Garfunkel (who duetted with him on "A Junkie's Lament" and also contributed vocals on "Captain Jim's Drunken Dream"), Carly Simon (Taylor's wife, who harmonised with him on "Shower the People"), Stevie Wonder (who wrote with Taylor the song "Don't Be Sad 'Cause Your Sun Is Down", a song on which he also played the harmonica) and David Crosby, Linda Ronstadt, and Bonnie Raitt, among others.

The result of the sessions, which took place between late 1975 and early '76, was a very melodic album and one of his most diverse and polished[citation needed], highlighted with the single "Shower the People", which through the years became a Taylor standard and concert favorite. Released as a single, the track peaked at #22 on the Billboard charts on September 18, 1976, and reached the summit of the Adult Contemporary charts in the US. Despite its success, In the Pocket didn't match the success of Taylor's previous album Gorilla, reaching only #16 on the Billboard album charts (it was Taylor's lowest chart position during the 1970s and also the lowest since his debut album). Nevertheless, it managed to eventually get a Gold certification by the RIAA and became a fan favorite.

In 2008, the album was reissued on Rhino's budget Flashback label.

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music[2]
MusicHound2/5[3]
Rolling Stone(highly unfavorable)[4]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[5]

Track listing

All songs by James Taylor unless otherwise noted.

Side one
  1. "Shower the People" – 4:32
  2. "A Junkie's Lament" – 3:27
  3. "Money Machine" – 4:35
  4. "Slow Burning Love" – 3:43
  5. "Everybody Has the Blues" – 2:01
  6. "Daddy's All Gone" – 3:38
Side two
  1. "Woman's Gotta Have It" (Bobby Womack, Darryl Carter, Linda Cooke Womack) – 4:20
  2. "Captain Jim's Drunken Dream" – 4:00
  3. "Don't Be Sad 'Cause Your Sun Is Down" (Taylor, Stevie Wonder) – 3:28
  4. "Nothing Like a Hundred Miles" – 3:35
  5. "Family Man" – 3:34
  6. "Golden Moments" – 3:35

Personnel

Production

Charts

Chart (1976) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[6] 65

References

  1. ^ link
  2. ^ Larkin, Colin (2007). Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0195313734.
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ link
  5. ^ "James Taylor: Album Guide". rollingstone.com. Archived from the original on January 5, 2013. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
  6. ^ 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.
Categories