I was lucky enough to first see James Taylor live in a small outdoor venue called Avaloch in rural Lenox, Massachusetts in the summer of 1970, after this first album recorded by the Beatles in London had been released and just before the release of the fabulously successful "Sweet Baby James" album by Warner Brothers. He appeared alone on-stage with a full head of long, long hair in a simple denim shirt and cut-up jeans with his four or five acoustic guitars, and for two and a half hours proceeded to absolutely enchant the sprawling lawn-full of hundreds of audience members with a spellbinding performance of all of the work from both of those albums. Although virtually unknown at the time, word of mouth had spread so quickly in the Berkshires area (who still considers him one of their own) that many of us went out to get this album to play before he appeared. The rest, as they say, is history.

This is a fantastic retrospective collection of his greatest hits recorded live, and as one would expect of the amazing Mr. Taylor, it is a terrific summary of that work. Many of my favorites are here, including "Something In The Way She Moves", "Carolina In My Mind", and "Rainy Day Man". Of course, so is "Fire And Rain", "You've Got A Friend", "Steamroller Blues", and a wonderful combination of "Millworker" and "Country Road", which are both among the best songs he has ever written. My all time favorite song from this album is "Sweet Baby James", which is sung about the Berkshire Hills of western Massachusetts where I grew up, so I have always considered this a special song. His performance on it is a brilliant illustration of just how incredibly talented an interpretive artist Taylor really is. He always pleases with songs like "Copperline", "Mexico", and "Walking Man", and this album is sure to please even the most cautious music fan. It is certainly a terrific showcase for how well Taylor can deliver on a variety of original works and covers of traditional folk songs. Enjoy

This album helped me to learn about newer songs that I had never heard before and fall in love again with the old. I love the way JT performs his songs in concert because of the way he adlibs. No matter what he does to his song, it never detracts, only enhances. "Country Road" is one of my favorites on this album because of the way it is performed. You can't help but to get caught up with the song, no matter what you are in the middle of. You feel that you are at the concert itself! "Sun on the Moon" was a great find to me. YOU MUST add this to your collection of JT albums! He demonstrates why he was selected for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

We (a married couple) saw James Taylor in Providence (Performing Arts Center) during this concert tour. As he has done for years, James tours with seasoned professional musicians and singers.

The musical arrangements on this album, his voice, the voices of the background singers, the (minimal) audience banter...make for an entertaining - perhaps even joyous - listening experience. We have worn out both cassettes (the double set) and are now purchasing the CDs.

Although the concert was in 93 and we bought the album in 94, we continue to listen to it right up until today. "Walking Man" is a perfect autumn song. "Shower the People" includes phenomenal singing by one of the male back-up singers. The arrangement for "How Sweet It Is" is better than the original Motown version. If you are in the car, you will probably pull the album out of the stack when you're in gridlock just to hear "Traffic Jam."

This album is as close to a live performance as you can get, yet the sound quality on it is superb. "Five stars" is not enough - it deserves ten!

I have heard him live and this CD brings back that magic that you experience in his audience. James Taylor's folksy warmth is felt in every sincere utterance, and this is as good or better than any of his studio projects.

Great deal at any price!

I bought this album eight years ago, and it still stays in my CD changer for weeks at a time. Every song you would expect is here, all engagingly performed. But what really sells the set for me is the selection of songs that a lot of casual listeners may not have heard much. "Secret O' Life" has me reaching for the repeat button. "Millworker" is a beautiful and touching song that will have you wondering about little matters like justice and fairness. "New Hymn" is a pure musical prayer. And Taylor's version of the George Jones howler "She Thinks I Still Care" will have you cranking up the volume and singing along at the top of your lungs. Oh yeah, and if you think JT can't rock, check out "Traffic Jam" or "Slap Leather." The production is superb, maybe the best live album you'll ever hear. I haven't been a huge Taylor fan, and in fact this is the only one of his recordings I own. But it's one of the best albums I've ever heard, and if you buy it, like me you'll probably love listening to it year after year.