Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon Songs Ranked

Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter James Taylor, recorded and released in 1971. Released in April 1971, the album contains Taylor’s biggest hit single in the US, a cover version of the Carole King standard “You’ve Got a Friend”, which hit #1 on the Billboard charts on July 31, 1971, his only song to do so. The week before, the album itself reached its peak position of #2 in the Billboard album charts. It was held off the top spot by King, then ruling the charts with the blockbuster Tapestry album, which contained her version of “You’ve Got a Friend”. The song earned Grammy Awards both for Taylor (Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male) and King (Song of the Year). Mud Slide Slim managed to generate another Top 40 hit, “Long Ago and Far Away”, which reached #31 on the Billboard Hot 100. Other songs became standards in concert, particularly “You Can Close Your Eyes”. Here are all of Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon songs ranked.

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10. Isn’t It Nice to Be Home Again

“The album closes with the short but sweet Isn’t It Nice To Be Home Again which features JT alone with his acoustic guitar. In my humble opinion, this was James Taylor’s best effort ever, though I would rank Sweet Baby James up there pretty high, as well.”

9. Let Me Ride

“I can’t imagine anyone being unfamiliar with James Taylor, but if you a very young and don’t know anything about him, just listen to some of the samples available here. He is a great artist, tells great stories in his songs.”

8 Machine Gun Kelly

“It’s pretty hard to pick a favourite James Taylor album as I’ve discovered that he hasn’t really ever made a “bad” album although one could perhaps say this or that album is “bad” compared to his other albums but even a “bad” JT album would be considered a good one for most other musicians.”

See more: James Taylor Albums Ranked

7. Hey Mister, That’s Me Up on the Jukebox

“James grabs his guitar and sings the sad and atmospheric Hey Mister, That’s Me Up On The Jukebox, and you feel like you’re sitting there with him. This one is one of the finest albums I’ve ever heard by anyone. “

6. Soldiers

One of my favorite albums of all times. One of the best albums that JT ever made. It’s strong. He speaks from the soul. I’ve listened to it so many times I have it completely memorized. I tend to like his older music much better than his newer tunes. I can’t recommend this album strongly enough. Enjoy.

5, Places in My Past

“”Places In My Past” that show just how durable and prolific an artist he had become. His performance on this third album is brilliant proof of just how incredibly talented an interpretive artist Taylor really is, suggesting the long, fabled ride in popularity he has enjoyed ever since. It is certainly a terrific showcase for how well Taylor can deliver on a variety of original works and covers of other contemporary folk s”

See more: James Taylor Songs Ranked

4. Love Has Brought Me Around

“James Taylor’s Mud Slide Slim And The Blue Horizon (1971) will melt your troubles away, relax the muscles around your eyes, and take you to a place where you belong. Yes, these mellow acoustic guitar based songs are relaxing, but they’re also also uplifting in a peaceful way and will have a calming effect on anyone who listens with an open mind. JT soothes the soul with a warm, smooth and friendly voice.”

3. Riding on a Railroad

“Other highlights include the Banjo of John Hartford and Fiddle of Richard Green on “Riding On A Railroad” – much clearer now – as is the lovely accordion playing of Kevin Kelly on “Places In My Past”.”

2. Mud Slide Slim

“What is perhaps not stated enough is her overall contribution to James Taylor’s “Mud Slide Slim” in that she played piano on 7 of its 13 tracks (harmonizing on others too) – and always with that beautiful melody she seemed to effortlessly get.”

1. You Can Close Your Eyes

“This was an album, that really showed the start of one unbelievable artist. This was a very early JT album. It only showed us some of the greatness to come from JT. What a fantastic album.”