Fifty Years of Music • Mudslide Slim and the Blue Horizon

My first thought after looking at James Taylor's third album, Mudslide Slim and the Blue Horizon was, is James wearing the same blue shirt as his second album, Sweet Baby James? After examination, they're two different shirts, but wait a minute, yes he's wearing another blue shirt on his fourth album, One Man Dog.

What's my point? I don't really have one. You've just got to love the simplicity that is James Taylor and maybe his fondness for the color blue. During this time in James' life, he was going with Joni Mitchell as she sings backup vocals on three Mudslide Slim songs. I've always loved their voices together. In June of 1971, Joni would release her now revered album, Blue, so maybe a theme was developing.

Here's a 1970 live version of You Can Close Your Eyes, a song James wrote for Joni, where they did a couple of shows together in Europe. Man, what I would have given to have been there. I've always loved this version as a duet with two of the best of all-time during this magical time of acoustic music.

Here's a great story by James about being with Joni Mitchell.

Here's a video by Peter Asher about the making of Mudslide Slim.

Enjoy my friends, stay well and mask-up. 

And, here is Mudslide Slim and the Blue Horizon, released in April, 1971.