James Taylor - Sweet Baby James (1969) [24 bit FLAC]

James Taylor - Sweet Baby James (1969) [24 bit FLAC]

Released: 1969
Genres: Pop/Rock, Folk
Style: Singer/Songwriter
Source: vinyl, HD tracks
Codec: FLAC
Bitrate: ~ 2,900 - 5,600 kbps
Bit Depth: 24
Sampling Rates: 96,000 Hz, 192,000 Hz

Two Versions

Warner Music Group HD Tracks (24.192)

and

WB/Rhino 274300 180g vinyl (Ripped by Dr. Robert, 24.96)

Vinyl Rip Info:

Nitty Gritty RCM 1.5
Technics SL-1200MK2 Turntable
KAB Fluid Damping and KAB record grip
Ortofon 2M Black cartridge
Pro-Ject Tube Box SE II Preamp
Tascam US-144 external USB 2.0 Audiointerface
Bias Peak LE 6 recording software
iZotope RX Advanced 1.21 for Redbook conversion
xACT 1.71 for Redbook SBE correction

RCM - TT - Ortofon 2M Blk - Tube Box preamp -
ADC - Mac Pro Dual Xeon - Peak LE @ 24/96 - analyze
(no clipping, no DC Bias offset, each side maximized to -0.3 dB)
Split into individual Tracks -
Click Repair 3.02 used in Manual Mode,
30 Rev, Pitch Protection, X2 -
FLAC encoded Level 5 with XLD Version 20100518 (120.3)

The heart of James Taylor's appeal is that you can take him two ways. On the one hand, his music, including that warm voice, is soothing; its minor key melodies and restrained playing draw in the listener. On the other hand, his world view, especially on such songs as "Fire and Rain," reflects the pessimism and desperation of the 1960s hangover that was the early '70s. That may not be intentional: "Fire and Rain" was about the suicide of a fellow inmate of Taylor's at a mental institution, not the national malaise. But Taylor's sense of wounded hopelessness -- "I'm all in pieces, you can have your own choice," he sings in "Country Road" -- struck a chord with music fans, especially because of its attractive mixture of folk, country, gospel, and blues elements, all of them carefully understated and distanced. Taylor didn't break your heart; he understood that it was already broken, as was his own, and he offered comfort. As a result, Sweet Baby James sold millions of copies, spawned a Top Ten hit in "Fire and Rain" and a Top 40 hit in "Country Road," and launched not only Taylor's career as a pop superstar but also the entire singer/songwriter movement of the early '70s that included Joni Mitchell, Carole King, Jackson Browne, Cat Stevens, and others. A second legacy became clear two decades later, when country stars like Garth Brooks began to cite Taylor, with his use of steel guitar, references to Jesus, and rural and Western imagery on Sweet Baby James, as a major influence.