Maps of Music

1967 (1970)

Where the lyrics of 1967 take you, and where it was really made.

The album was recorded in 1966 but first came out in 1971, and the band itself judged the tracks to be only demo quality.

Key places

Recording session at Select Sound Studios (1970)

Recording site Record Plant Studios — The songs were recorded in a late 1966 three-hour session at Select Sound Studios in New York City. The point is set at city-center level, not at the building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• 1967: archival release of 1966 recordings by The Flying Machine, the band of American singer-songwriter James Taylor
• Not the UK group The Flying Machine of "Smile a Little Smile for Me" (1969)
• First released in February 1971
• Released by Euphoria Records under the name "The Original Flying Machine"
• Re-released by Gadfly Records in 1996 with additional short intros and two remixes

Background

• Recorded in a late 1966 three-hour session at Select Sound Studios, New York City
• Produced by Chip Taylor, who had been involved in some recent pop hits, and Al Gorgoni
• Al Gorgoni also added harpsichord to the band's sound
• The group felt the resulting tracks were of only demo quality
• "Night Owl" was released as an unsuccessful single by Jay Gee Records, a subsidiary of Jubilee Records
• After that, no work towards an album release went forward
• Taylor later signed with Apple Records and again failed commercially
• Taylor then succeeded with Warner Bros. Records on Sweet Baby James (1970) and Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon (1971)
• Euphoria Records then released the sessions

Recording

• Recorded at Select Sound Studios in New York City
• Engineers: Wally Sheffey, Eddie Youngblood
• Lineup: James Taylor (guitar, vocals), Danny Kortchmar (guitar, vocals), Zachary Wiesner (bass), Joel O'Brien (drums)
• Al Gorgoni on harpsichord
• Discogs credits Jonathan Wyner for mastering, at M Works

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · www.discogs.com

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Early years

• Born March 12, 1948 in Boston, Massachusetts; raised in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
• Learned guitar in 1960, influenced by hymns, carols and Woody Guthrie.
• Spent time in a psychiatric hospital and struggled with heroin addiction in his youth.

Career

• Formed the Flying Machine in New York in 1966; the group broke up after a single.
• Signed to Apple Records in 1968 as the first non-British act on the label.
• Breakthrough with Sweet Baby James (1970) and the hit "Fire and Rain", both reaching No. 3.
• First No. 1 hit with "You've Got a Friend" (1971), written by Carole King.
• Greatest Hits (1976) is one of the best-selling albums in US history, certified Diamond.
• Won six Grammy Awards; inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000.
• Reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with Before This World (2015) after a 45-year wait.
• Continues to tour actively as of 2026.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Released by Euphoria Records under the name "The Original Flying Machine"
• The album had modest success by capitalizing on Taylor's fame
• Reached #74 on the U.S. pop albums chart
• The name was used to distinguish the group from the UK outfit The Flying Machine of 1969

Reappraisal

• Flying Machine member Danny Kortchmar was not pleased with the release
• Kortchmar said the people involved would not pay for a full album of James' songs in 1967, so it seemed terrible years later when they released the sessions
• The group had considered the tracks demo quality from the start

Records

• U.S. pop albums chart: #74
• "Night Owl" single on Jay Gee Records: unsuccessful
• Gadfly Records 1996 reissue with additional short intros and two remixes

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The UK group The Flying Machine, known for "Smile a Little Smile for Me" (1969), is a different band from this one
• Danny Kortchmar later complained that the people involved had not paid for an album of James' songs in 1967
• The single "Night Owl" (b/w "Brighten Your Night with My Day") failed on Jay Gee Records, a Jubilee Records subsidiary
• James Taylor signed with Apple Records after the sessions, failed commercially again, then succeeded with Warner Bros. Records
• Gadfly Records reissued the sessions in 1996 with additional short intros and two remixes

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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