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The Best of James Taylor

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The Best of James Taylor
Greatest hits album by
James Taylor
ReleasedApril 8, 2003
Recorded1968–2003
GenreFolk rock, rock
Length70:43
LabelWarner Bros.
ProducerPeter Asher, David Spinozza, Lenny Waronker, Russ Titelman, James Taylor, Frank Filipetti, Danny Kortchmar[1]
CompilerDavid McLees[1]
James Taylor chronology
October Road
(2002) 		The Best of James Taylor
(2003) 		A Christmas Album
(2004)
Singles from The Best of James Taylor
  1. "Bittersweet"
    Released: 2003
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[3]

The Best of James Taylor is the fourth compilation album by American singer-songwriter James Taylor released by Warner Bros. Records in 2003. The same album was released in Europe as You've Got a Friend: The Best of James Taylor.[4]

The album emphasizes Taylor's recordings for the label; fourteen of the twenty tracks on the album are from his time with Warner Bros. It contains one previously unreleased track, "Bittersweet", recorded for this release. It entered the Billboard 200 album chart on April 26, 2003, at number 11, with sales of approximately 73,500 copies.[5] It remained on the chart for 42 weeks. It was awarded a certified gold record on December 17, 2003, and a platinum record on April 15, 2005, by the RIAA.[6]

Track listing

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All songs were written by James Taylor, except where noted.

  1. "Something in the Way She Moves" – 2:27
  2. "Sweet Baby James" – 2:53
  3. "Fire and Rain" – 3:25
  4. "Country Road" – 3:30
    • Single version, previously unreleased on any James Taylor album.
  5. "You've Got a Friend" (Carole King) – 4:30
  6. "You Can Close Your Eyes" – 2:32
  7. "Long Ago and Far Away" – 2:22
  8. "Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight" – 2:37
  9. "Walking Man" – 3:35
  10. "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)" (Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier, Eddie Holland) – 3:37
  11. "Mexico" – 3:00
  12. "Shower the People" – 4:33
  13. "Golden Moments" – 3:32
  14. "Steamroller" – 5:06
    • 1975 live version.
  15. "Carolina in My Mind" – 4:00
    • 1976 version.
  16. "Handy Man" (Otis Blackwell, Jimmy Jones) – 3:20
  17. "Your Smiling Face" – 2:48
  18. "Up on the Roof" (Gerry Goffin, King) – 4:22
  19. "Only a Dream in Rio" – 5:03
  20. "Bittersweet" (John Sheldon) – 3:44
    • A previously unreleased song, recorded specifically for this album in early 2003.

Personnel

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Musicians

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Technical

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Charts

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[15] Platinum 70,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[16] Gold 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[17] Platinum 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ a b The Best of James Taylor (Media notes). James Taylor. Warner Bros. Records. 2003. R2 73837.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  2. ^ The Best of James Taylor at AllMusic
  3. ^ "James Taylor: Album Guide". rollingstone.com. Archived from the original on January 5, 2013. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
  4. ^ "The Best of James Taylor (images)". Discogs. Retrieved November 19, 2013.
  5. ^ "Chart Search | Billboard". www.billboard.com. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
  6. ^ "JAMES TAYLOR – THE BEST OF JAMES TAYLOR". RIAA. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
  7. ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 275.
  8. ^ "Irish-charts.com – Discography James Taylor". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
  9. ^ "Charts.nz – James Taylor – You've Got A Friend - The Best Of". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
  10. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
  11. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
  12. ^ "James Taylor Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
  13. ^ "The Official UK Albums Chart 2003" (PDF). UKChartsPlus. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
  14. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2003". Billboard. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
  15. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2010 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
  16. ^ "British album certifications – James Taylor – The Best Of James Taylor - You've Got A Friend". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved September 11, 2022.
  17. ^ "American album certifications – James Taylor – The Best of James Taylor". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved September 11, 2022.
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