Other Covers

When legendary singer/songwriter James Taylor went into the studio in 2008 to cut his Grammy nominated “Covers” album, he and his band had so much fun playing some of their all-time favorites that they ended up with far more material than they could possibly include on the record. Some of the stellar material includes versions of Tom Wait’s “Shiver Me Timbers,” Chuck Berry’s “Memphis,” The Silhouettes’ “Get A Job” and the Eddie Floyd/Steve Cropper Stax nugget “Knock On Wood.”

Taylor recorded over 20 tracks during the January 2008 recording sessions for “Covers” in his Massachusetts barn-turned-studio. The music was recorded live and improvised on the spot with his 12-piece Band of Legends during a 10-day recording session in the middle of winter. Taylor’s inspired take on American rock and folk classics debuted last fall at No. 4 on The Billboard 200, earning him critical attention and two Grammy nominations: Best Pop Vocal Album and Best Male Pop Vocal for the track “Wichita Lineman.”

“I had such a great time recording these songs,” said Taylor. “There was a real freedom to these sessions. You have these great musicians, these incredible songs— we improvised everything on the spot in a 10-day period and came away with close to 20 songs. It was difficult to pick the songs for Covers since we had so much material and I am thrilled at the opportunity to share these additional songs with my fans.”

Track Listing:
1. Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’ (Rogers – Hammerstein)
2. Get a Job (Earl Beal, Raymond Edwards, Richard Lewis, William Horton)
3. Memphis (Chuck Berry)
4. Shiver Me Timbers (Tom Waits)
5. Wasn’t That a Mighty Storm (Traditional arr. James Taylor)
6. In the Midnight Hour (Steve Cropper – Wilson Pickett)
7. Knock on Wood (Eddie Floyd-Steve Cropper)