Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon - Definition and Overview

Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon is James Taylor's third album. Released in 1971, it contains one of Taylor's biggest successes, a version of "You've Got a Friend", written by Carole King.

His version of "You've Got a Friend" hit number 1 on the Billboard charts on July 31, 1971, and won Grammy Awards both for Taylor (Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male) and King (Song of the Year).

"Long Ago and Far Away" rose to number 31 on the Billboard charts.

Track listing

1. "Love Has Brought Me Around" (J. Taylor) - 2:41
2. "You've Got a Friend" (C. King) - 4:29
3. "Places in My Past" (J. Taylor) - 2:01
4. "Riding on a Railroad" (J. Taylor) - 2:41
5. "Soldiers" (J. Taylor) - 1:13
6. "Mud Slide Slim" (J. Taylor) - 5:20
7. "Hey Mister, That's Me up on the Jukebox" (J. Taylor) - 3:46
8. "You Can Close Your Eyes" (J. Taylor) - 2:31
9. "Machine Gun Kelly" (D. Kortchmar) - 2:37
10. "Long Ago and Far Away" (J. Taylor) - 2:20
11. "Let Me Ride" (J. Taylor) - 2:42
12. "Highway Song" (J. Taylor) - 3:51
13. "Isn't It Nice to Be Home Again" (J. Taylor) - 0:55

Personnel

• James Taylor - guitar, piano, vocals
• Peter Asher - tambourine, backing vocals
• Richard Greene - fiddle
• Gail Haness - backing vocals
• John Hartford - banjo
• Wayne Jackson - trumpet
• Kevin Kelly - piano, accordion
• Carole King - piano, backing vocals
• Danny Kortchmar - guitar, conga
• Russ Kunkel - drums, percussion
• Andrew Love - tenor saxophone
• Leland Sklar - bass
• Joni Mitchell - backing vocals
• Kate Taylor - backing vocals