Flag is the ninth studio album by American singer-songwriter James Taylor, released in May 1979, it included songs from Taylor’s music score to Studs Terkel and Stephen Schwartz’s Broadway musical, Working (“Millworker”, “Brother Trucker”).
The album was not particularly well received, but it did provide a hit in Taylor’s cover version of the Gerry Goffin–Carole King composition “Up on the Roof”.
The signal flag that makes up the cover of the album is “O (Oscar)”, standing for “man overboard”.
On the 12 May 1979 episode of Saturday Night Live, Taylor was the musical guest, and performed three songs from the album, “Up on the Roof”, “Millworker”, and “Johnnie Comes Back”.
Tracks
1 Company Man (James Taylor) 3:47
2 Johnnie Comes Back (James Taylor) 3:55
3 Day Tripper (John Lennon, Paul McCartney) 4:26
4 I Will Not Lie For You (James Taylor) 3:17
5 Brother Tucker (James Taylor) 4:02
6 Is That The Way You Look (James Taylor) 2:00
7 B.S.U.R. (James Taylor) 3:23
8 Rainy Day Man (James Taylor, Zach Wiesner) 3:02
9 Millworker (James Taylor) 3:52
10 Up On The Roof (Gerry Goffin, Carole King) 4:22
11 Chanson Francaise (James Taylor) 2:06
12 Sleep Come Free Me (James Taylor) 4:44
Musicians
1 Company Man
Bass | Leland Sklar |
Drums | Russ Kunkel |
Guitar | Danny Kortchmar |
Acoustic Guitar | James Taylor |
Clavinet | Don Grolnick |
Piano | Don Grolnick |
Background Vocals | Graham Nash |
Vocals | James Taylor |
2 Johnnie Comes Back
Bass | Leland Sklar |
Drums | Russ Kunkel |
Guitar | Waddy Wachtel |
Guitar | Danny Kortchmar |
Acoustic Guitar | James Taylor |
Clavinet | Don Grolnick |
Organ | Ralph Schuckett |
Percussion | Steve Forman |
Vocals | James Taylor |
3 Day Tripper
Bass | Leland Sklar |
Drums | Russ Kunkel |
Guitar | Danny Kortchmar |
Acoustic Guitar | James Taylor |
Clavinet | Don Grolnick |
Percussion | Russ Kunkel |
Vocals | James Taylor |
4 I Will Not Lie For You
Bass | Leland Sklar |
Drums | Russ Kunkel |
Guitar | Danny Kortchmar |
Acoustic Guitar | Waddy Wachtel |
Organ | Don Grolnick |
Sax | David Sanborn |
Percussion | Peter Asher |
Vocals | James Taylor |
5 Brother Tucker
Bass | Leland Sklar |
Drums | Russ Kunkel |
Guitar | Danny Kortchmar |
Pedal Steel Guitar | Dan Dugmore |
Acoustic Guitar | James Taylor |
Clavinet | Don Grolnick |
Piano | Don Grolnick |
Synthesizer | Don Grolnick |
Percussion | Steve Forman |
Percussion | Peter Asher |
Background Vocals | Alex Taylor |
Vocals | James Taylor |
6 Is That The Way You Look
Bass | Leland Sklar |
Drums | Russ Kunkel |
Guitar | Danny Kortchmar |
Vocals | James Taylor |
7 B.S.U.R.
Bass | Leland Sklar |
Drums | Russ Kunkel |
Guitar | Danny Kortchmar |
Acoustic Guitar | James Taylor |
Organ | Don Grolnick |
Piano | Don Grolnick |
Percussion | Steve Forman |
Background Vocals | Carly Simon |
Background Vocals | Peter Asher |
8 Rainy Day Man
Bass | Leland Sklar |
Drums | Russ Kunkel |
Guitar | Danny Kortchmar |
Acoustic Guitar | James Taylor |
Organ | Don Grolnick |
Piano | Don Grolnick |
Percussion | Steve Forman |
Background Vocals | Arnold McCuller |
Background Vocals | David Lasley |
Vocals | James Taylor |
9 Millworker
Guitar | Danny Kortchmar |
Acoustic Guitar | James Taylor |
Harmonium | Don Grolnick |
Piano | Don Grolnick |
Cello | Jesse Levy |
Viola | Louise Schulman |
Percussion | Don Grolnick |
Vocals | James Taylor |
10 Up On The Roof
Bass | Leland Sklar |
Drums | Russ Kunkel |
Guitar | Waddy Wachtel |
Guitar | Danny Kortchmar |
Acoustic Guitar | James Taylor |
11 Chanson Francaise
Bass | Leland Sklar |
Drums | Russ Kunkel |
Guitar | Danny Kortchmar |
Acoustic Guitar | James Taylor |
Piano | Don Grolnick |
Percussion | Russ Kunkel |
Vocals | James Taylor |
12 Sleep Come Free Me
Bass | Leland Sklar |
Drums | Russ Kunkel |
Guitar | Danny Kortchmar |
Acoustic Guitar | James Taylor |
Organ | Don Grolnick |
Piano | Don Grolnick |
Vocals | James Taylor |
Liner Notes
Producer – Peter Asher
Arranged By (Strings) – David Spinozza (Track 3)
Arranged By (Strings) – Arif Mardin (Track 9)
Conductor (Strings) – David Spinozza (Track 3)
Conductor (Strings) – Arif Mardin (Track 9)
Recorded By – Val Garay
Engineer (Assistant) – George Ybarra, Lincoln Clapp
Mastered By – Doug Sax
Mixed By – Val Garay
Cover (Concept) – James Taylor
Design, Art Direction – Kosh
Photography – Mark Hanauer
Mastered At The Mastering Lab
Mixed At The Sound Factory
Recorded At The Sound Factory
Phonographic Copyright CBS Inc
Copyright CBS Inc