Chuck Findley, Danny Kortchmar, David Sanborn, James Taylor, Leland Sklar, Russ Kunkel, Victor Feldman
Gorilla is the sixth studio album by American singer-songwriter James Taylor. Released on May 1, 1975, it was more successful than Walking Man, his previous release, with two hits: “Mexico” and “How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)”, which rose to the top five on the Billboard charts. This would be his second-to-last release 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.
Tracks
1 Mexico (James Taylor) 2:59
2 Music (James Taylor) 3:47
3 How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You) (Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier, Edwqrd Holland) 3:36
4 Wandering (Traditional, James Taylor) 2:41
5 Gorilla (James Taylor) 3:12
6 You Make It Easy (James Taylor) 4:09
7 I Was A Fool To Care (James Taylor) 3:21
8 Lighthouse (James Taylor) 3:16
9 Angry Blues (James Taylor) 3:26
10 Love Songs (James Taylor) 5:46
11 Sarah Maria (James Taylor) 2:44
Musicians
1 Mexico
Bass | Leland Sklar |
Drums | Russ Kunkel |
Guitar | James Taylor |
Guitar | Danny Kortchmar |
Acoustic Guitar | James Taylor |
Harp | Gayle Levant |
Percussion | Milt Holland |
Background Vocals | David Crosby |
Background Vocals | Graham Nash |
Vocals | James Taylor |
2 Music
Bass | Willie Weeks |
Drums | Andy Newmark |
Acoustic Guitar | James Taylor |
Pedal Steel Guitar | Al Perkins |
Fender Rhodes | Clarence McDonald |
Harp | Gayle Levant |
Percussion | Milt Holland |
Vocals | James Taylor |
3 How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)
Bass | Leland Sklar |
Drums | Jim Keltner |
Drums | Russ Kunkel |
Guitar | Danny Kortchmar |
Fender Rhodes | Clarence McDonald |
Piano | Clarence McDonald |
Sax | David Sanborn |
Vocals | James Taylor |
4 Wandering
Acoustic Guitar | James Taylor |
Accordion | Nick DeCaro |
Vocals | James Taylor |
5 Gorilla
Bass | Willie Weeks |
Drums | Andy Newmark |
Acoustic Guitar | James Taylor |
Ukelele | James Taylor |
Mandolin | David Grisman |
Clarinet | Jules Jacob |
Vocals | James Taylor |
6 You Make It Easy
Bass | Willie Weeks |
Drums | Andy Newmark |
Guitar | Danny Kortchmar |
Fender Rhodes | Clarence McDonald |
Piano | Clarence McDonald |
Sax | David Sanborn |
Vocals | James Taylor |
7 I Was A Fool To Care
Bass | Leland Sklar |
Drums | Russ Kunkel |
Guitar | Arthur Adams |
Acoustic Guitar | James Taylor |
Fender Rhodes | Clarence McDonald |
Accordion | Nick DeCaro |
Sax | George Bohanon |
Trumpet | Chuck Findley |
Vocals | James Taylor |
8 Lighthouse
Bass | Leland Sklar |
Drums | Russ Kunkel |
Acoustic Guitar | James Taylor |
Organ | Randy Newman |
Background Vocals | David Crosby |
Background Vocals | Graham Nash |
Vocals | James Taylor |
9 Angry Blues
Bass | Willie Weeks |
Drums | Andy Newmark |
Guitar | Lowell George |
Acoustic Guitar | James Taylor |
Percussion | Milt Holland |
Percussion | Victor Feldman |
Background Vocals | Lowell George |
Background Vocals | Valerie Carter |
Vocals | James Taylor |
10 Love Songs
Bass | Leland Sklar |
Drums | Russ Kunkel |
Guitar | James Taylor |
Acoustic Guitar | James Taylor |
Pedal Steel Guitar | Al Perkins |
Harp | Gayle Levant |
Clarinet | Jules Jacob |
Oboe | Jules Jacob |
Percussion | Victor Feldman |
Percussion | Milt Holland |
Vocals | James Taylor |
11 Sarah Maria
Acoustic Guitar | James Taylor |
Mandolin | David Grisman |
Accordion | Nick DeCaro |
Percussion | Victor Feldman |
Vocals | James Taylor |
Liner Notes
Producer – Lenny Waronker, Russ Titelman
Producer (Assistant) – Noel Newbolt, Trudy Portch
Arranged By (Strings) – Nick DeCaro
Engineer – Lee Herschberg
Engineer (Additional) – Donn Landee
Engineer (Assistant) – Loyd Clifft
Mixed By – Lee Herschberg
Art Direction – Ed Thrasher
Design – Mike Salisbury
Photography – Norman Seeff
Mastered At Warner Bros Recording Studios
Mixed At Warner Bros Recording Studios
Recorded At Warner Bros Recording Studios
Recorded At The Burbank Studios
Phonographic Copyright Warner Bros Records Inc