Dad Loves His Work

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Dad Loves His Work
Studio album by
ReleasedMarch 1981 (March 1981)
RecordedSeptember 5, 1980 – January 18, 1981 (1980-09-05 – 1981-01-18)
StudioRecord One, Los Angeles
GenreSoft rock
Length38:49
LabelColumbia/Legacy
ProducerPeter Asher
James Taylor chronology
Flag
(1979)
Dad Loves His Work
(1981)
That's Why I'm Here
(1985)
Singles from Dad Loves His Work
  1. "Her Town Too"
    Released: February 1981
  2. "Hard Times"
    Released: May 1981

Dad Loves His Work is the tenth studio album by James Taylor, released in 1981. The album includes the duet with J. D. Souther titled "Her Town Too", which peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 5 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. The album was certified Platinum in the United States. It was his first album without any covers.

Background[edit]

The album's title was a response by Taylor to then-wife Carly Simon, who had issued an ultimatum to Taylor regarding his constant touring, leaving her home with their two children, Benjamin and Sally. Simon informed Taylor in 1980 that unless he curtailed his schedule to be home more with his family, that she would divorce him. Shortly before the album's release, the pair separated, officially dissolving their 11-year marriage in 1983. Taylor, who was still struggling with a lengthy history of drug abuse, later admitted that he was ill-equipped to be a family man at that time in his life and put his career before his family.

Critical reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[2]
MusicHound[3]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[4]

Rolling Stone wrote that "the tunes are simple and memorable—you can sing along with most of them after two listens."[5]

Track listing[edit]

All songs by James Taylor unless otherwise noted.

Side one
  1. "Hard Times" – 3:13
  2. "Her Town Too" (Duet with J.D. Souther) (Taylor, J. D. Souther, Waddy Wachtel) – 4:34
  3. "Hour That the Morning Comes" – 2:56
  4. "I Will Follow" – 4:19
  5. "Believe It or Not" – 3:53
Side two
  1. "Stand and Fight" (Taylor, Jacob Brackman) – 3:10
  2. "Only for Me" – 4:55
  3. "Summer's Here" – 2:43
  4. "Sugar Trade" (Taylor, Jimmy Buffett, Timothy Mayer) – 2:48
  5. "London Town" – 3:56
  6. "That Lonesome Road" (Taylor, Don Grolnick) – 2:22

Personnel[edit]

Choir on "That Lonesome Road"

Production[edit]

  • Producer – Peter Asher
  • Engineer – Val Garay
  • Assistant Engineer – Niko Bolas
  • Recorded at Record One (Los Angeles, CA).
  • Piano and Keyboard Technician – Edd Kolakowski
  • Mastered by Doug Sax and Mike Reese at The Mastering Lab (Hollywood, CA).
  • Photography – Aaron Rapoport
  • Art Direction and Design – John Kosh

Charts[edit]

Chart (1981) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[6] 23

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ link
  2. ^ Larkin, Colin (2007). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0195313734.
  3. ^ Graff, Gary; Durchholz, Daniel, eds. (1999). MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Farmington Hills, MI: Visible Ink Press. p. 1125. ISBN 1-57859-061-2.
  4. ^ "James Taylor: Album Guide". rollingstone.com. Archived from the original on January 5, 2013. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
  5. ^ Shewey, Don (May 28, 1981). "Dad Loves His Work". Rolling Stone.
  6. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 305. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.