Maps of Music

Dad Loves His Work (1981)

Where the lyrics of Dad Loves His Work take you, and where it was really made.

The title was Taylor's reply to Carly Simon's ultimatum about his touring, and the couple separated shortly before the album came out.

Key places

Recorded at Record One in Los Angeles (1981)

Recording site Motown Recording Studios — The album was recorded at Record One in Los Angeles, California. The map point sits at city-center level, not at the studio building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Dad Loves His Work is the tenth studio album by James Taylor, released in 1981
• Includes the duet "Her Town Too" with JD Souther
• Certified platinum in the United States
• His first album without any cover versions
• Eleven tracks in total, all by Taylor unless otherwise noted

Background

• The title was a response by Taylor to then-wife Carly Simon
• Simon had issued an ultimatum about his constant touring and left home with their two children, Benjamin and Sally
• In 1980 Simon told Taylor she would divorce him unless he cut back his schedule to be home more with his family
• The pair separated shortly before the album's release, and their 11-year marriage was officially dissolved in 1983
• Taylor was still struggling with a long history of drug abuse at the time
• Taylor later admitted he was ill-equipped to be a family man in that period and put his career before his family

Recording

• Recorded at Record One in Los Angeles, California
• Producer Peter Asher, engineer Val Garay, assistant engineer Niko Bolas
• Mastered by Doug Sax and Mike Reese at The Mastering Lab in Hollywood, California
• Session players include Don Grolnick, Leland Sklar, Rick Marotta, Waddy Wachtel and Dan Dugmore

Cover

• Photography by Aaron Rapoport
• Art direction and design by John Kosh

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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

• Rolling Stone wrote that the tunes are simple and memorable, and that most of them can be sung along to after two listens
• Released in 1981 as the tenth studio album by James Taylor
• The album was his first with no cover versions, a clear break from his earlier records
• Includes the duet "Her Town Too" with JD Souther, which later drew the album's main chart attention
• The album was recorded with a large session lineup, with Don Grolnick, Leland Sklar, Rick Marotta and Waddy Wachtel among the main players

Records

• "Her Town Too" peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100
• The same song peaked at number 5 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart
• The album was certified platinum in the United States

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The album's title was a response by Taylor to then-wife Carly Simon, who had issued an ultimatum about his constant touring.
• Simon told Taylor in 1980 that she would divorce him unless he cut back his schedule to be home more.
• The couple separated shortly before the album came out, and their 11-year marriage was officially dissolved in 1983.
• Val Garay is credited as the recording engineer on the album.

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

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