There was an old cowboy....

.....who lives on the range. And so it goes, a seventies song that harks back to a time when Gene Autrey was in the saddle and singing songs in that particularly cliched country music style where the cowpoke leads a romantic existence on the trail and plains of the west. But this is no Gene Autrey, it is the eponymous James Taylor, singing on stage at Glasgow's SECC, a barn of a place that does it's best to destroy even the best musicians and singers whose promoters decide to maximise revenues.

James Taylor and his legendary band are a different breed though. Quality oozes from their mouths and their instruments. The songs are all classics in their own right. Crafted so well and played so beautifully that they defeat the horrible acoustics of the venue. Coupled to all this quality was an appreciative crowd who understood when to be quiet, when to sing along and when to dance, yes dance.  Taylor himself deserves listening to when he speaks because he speaks gently with a wry line in self depreciating wit. His only attempt at flattery to the crowd in Glasgow was also deeply revealing, whether true or not. When a Glasgow voice called out he said that when he attended an AA meeting earlier that day he couldn't understand what they said either, except when they said "fook".

It is not hard to understand why Taylor is so successful and has a vast array of fans. He has worked and written with the best that America could produce. His songs, again self depreciatingly classified as all being based around a small number of themes such as redemption and recovery, are of such quality that they have become classics. Fire and Rain, Carolina In My Mind and Copperline where greeted with unrestrained enthusiasm.  But Taylor doesn't just do songs in minor keys, his opener Everyday, the Buddy Holly Classic set the pace, or his own Whenever I See Your Smiling Face, Mexico and the crowd pleaser How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By You demonstrated his ability to deal with pace and the upbeat with great aplomb.

For me his own personal favourite written by Carol King and Gerry Goffin, Up On The Roof, was one of three highlights of the whole night. There is something about that song that makes me smile and feel happy.  His most famous song of course was written with Carol King, You've Got A Friend, but that is not my favourite although I can delight to the perfect harmony of lyrics to music. Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight is a song that has great resonance with me and the meaning behind the lyrics play to the base fear of relationships. A simple song but one that is so clear and perfect.

Fire and Rain has always been my favourite since the day I first heard it on the record player at our family home. Although it was my sisters record, as a 10 year old in 1970, I was able to play singles that would influence my music tastes for ever and this record was to start a love for James Taylor's music that has now lasted over 40 years. It's true meaning I never really understood until much later in life and more recently, with the passing of my wife and my father, I have been able to revisit the song and really appreciate it's meaning. Life changes forever and only memories persist, beautiful as they may be, there is nothing more that can be developed - but I always thought that I would see you again.

I think next time I want to see Sweet Baby James in a much more intimate theatre. His music demands to be listened to carefully, even the driving Steamroller.  His distinctive guitar playing style sets up each song perfectly, his voice crafted by years of life frames the lyrics beautifully and his legendary band is just that, legendary.

Remember James, Don't let me be lonely tonight...