- Paperback: 288 pages
- Publisher: Citadel - Kensington; Rev Upd edition (Mar 1 2003)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0806523484
- ISBN-13: 978-0806523484
- Product Dimensions: 2.4 x 1.5 x 0.2 cm
- Shipping Weight: 413 g
- Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (88 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #1,021,947 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Library Journal
Considering the drama in folksinger Taylor's life, this biography is curiously dull. Taylor was born into an affluent but dysfunctional family and spent his teen years on drugs, suicidal, and in and out of psychiatric hospitals. The only connection he could seem to make was with his music. But he made it big at the age of 22Awhen he was on the cover of TimeAand went on to become the hottest singer-songwriter of the 1970s. After falling into and out of love with Joni Mitchell, he married Carly Simon (also a complex and driven personality). The marriage was marred by Taylor's drug use and the infidelities of both spouses, and they eventually divorced. Though there are some interesting revelations here, Halperin's (Who Killed Kurt Cobain?) writing style is not engaging; the book reads like a compilation of old magazine articles. Interviews and quotes are used too liberally, giving the text a tabloid quality. Buy where demand warrants.ARosellen Brewer, Monterey Bay Area Cooperative Lib. Syst., Pacific Grove, CA
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Kirkus Reviews
The turbulent life, loves, and career of pop star James Taylor. With such classic hits as ``You've Got a Friend,'' ``Carolina on my Mind,'' ``Handyman,'' ``Mexico,'' and ``Fire and Rain,'' the venerable Taylor has been one of popular music's biggest stars since the late '60s, when he went to England to begin his recording career. As Halperin shows repeatedly, Taylor, who battled an addiction to heroin and other drugs for years, has not had an easy time of it. His story, however, hardly starts out as the saga of a tortured artist. He was born to Isaac and Trudy Taylor, a happy, loving couple who lived in an upper-middle-class region of Massachusetts, waiting to occupy a great deal of the biographers time. Halperin contends that the younger Taylor's self-destructive habits were inherited by the men in his family (James's older brother, Alex, also suffered from a heroin addiction, which eventually killed him). Halperin, glossing over Jamess normal teenage angst and his isolation from other young people, also makes a case, a much stronger one, that James began his descent into addiction when Isaac began to withdraw from his family. Whatever their cause, Jamess feelings of alienation would lead him into a mental hospital during his late teens. Even after Taylor's first taste of success, with 1970's Sweet Baby James, which landed him on the cover of Time in 1971, he would slip back into battles with drugs and alcohol. According to Halperin, those consistent transgressions into his old ways, together with their mutual jealousies, eventually destroyed his marriage to fellow pop star Carly Simon. Despite the amount of time Halperin spends on Taylor's considerable difficulties, the affection he has for Taylor's music, best exhibited by the interviews with fans that are scattered throughout the book, shines throughout. -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most helpful customer reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
James Taylor Rules,
By Kira (Maine) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Fire And Rain (Hardcover)
The best tribute that can be paid to any artist is a tribute - that's what this bio is. My only concern was that the author went too out of his way to praise Taylor. I would have like to know more about some of his demons. The book reads more like a tribute. Otherwise, there are many interesting facts about the life and times of one of the greatest artists to emerge from the late sixties and early seventies.
5.0 out of 5 stars
I enjoyed it!,
By Randy T. (Orlando, Fla) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Fire And Rain (Hardcover)
Perhaps more of the seventies and eighties should have been featured. But the early part of JT's life is well written. I was referred by a friend to read Fire and Rain. It did not disappoint. I used to live in North Carolina. Thoughts of my childhood sprung to my mind by reading this book. Great memories - great music. This book proves how valuable an icon JT is to the music industry. And, convincingly, the author portrays his life how he overcame lots of demons to become one of music's most notable stars - ever!
1.0 out of 5 stars
The worst piece of journalism I've ever read!,
By Diane C. Shearer (Lilburn, GA United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Fire And Rain (Hardcover)
As a long-time JT fan, I was excited about reading more of his life in "Fire and Rain," and was sorely disappointed by Halperin's poor writing style. Regardless of the information he presents, the numerous typos, grammatical errors, unexplained quotes, quotes from the National Enquirer of all things, misspelled words, words left out of sentences, run-on sentences, and overly repeated phrases, made me want to call James Taylor myself and ask him if he knew his quality character was being described in such a non-quality way! How does a publisher let this happen? I was appalled to read quotes from Paul McCartney (in quotations) without one reference to how he knew McCartney said what he said. The words didn't even sound like something anyone would say in conversation. He also quotes fans who speculated on Taylor's personal love relationships. What would a fan know about that? The whole thing was so bad, that I finally just skimmed through the last chapters because I was so incredibly distracted by the poor writing and ridiculous quotes. Don't waste your time on this one!
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