CAN'T FIT IT ALL IN ONE SHOW.

JAMES TAYLOR WAS HERE EARLIER THIS WEEK, AND WE WEREN'T ABLE

TO AIR ALL OF IT.

SO WE HAVE A SPECIAL TREAT FOR YOU TONIGHT, MORE SWEET BABY

JAMES!

WHEN WHEN DID YOUR FIRST ALBUM COME OUT?

>> THAT CAME OUT IN THIS COUNTRY IN '69, IN ENGLAND, IN LATE '68.

>> Stephen: WHEN WAS "SWEET BABY JAMES?"

WHAT WAS IT LIKE TO BE BREAKING ON THE SCENE AT THAT TIME?

>> TO BE IN LONDON IN 1968 AND TO BE SIGNED TO AND RECORDING

WITH THE BEATLES, SEEING THEM EVERY DAY IN THE STUDIO --

>> Stephen: THIS IS THE PART THAT PEOPLE MAY NOT KNOW IS THAT

YOU WERE THE FIRST NON-ENGLISH ACT, OR NON-BRITISH ACT--

>> NON-BEATLES.

>> Stephen: FIRST NON-BEATLES--

>> FIRST ACT -- >> Stephen: OTHER THAN THE

BEATLES SIGNED TO APPLE.

>> YEAH.

>> Stephen: HOW DID THAT COME ABOUT?

>> YOU KNOW, IT WAS JUST GOOD LUCK.

BUT, OF COURSE, IT FOLLOWED A NUMBER OF YEARS OF BAD LUCK.

SO, BUT-- ( LAUGHTER ).

>> Stephen: I GUESS THAT'S HOW THAT WORKS.

>> YEAH.

I WAS INTRODUCED TO PETER ASHER, WHO, OF COURSE, HAD BEEN PART OF

THE BRITISH INVASION OF -- >> Stephen: PETER AND GORDON.

>> PETER AND GORDON, YEAH.

PETER REALLY, HE'S THE ONE WHO GAVE ME MY BIG BREAK.

>> Stephen: AND WHAT WAS HE AT APPLE?

>> HE HAD JUST SIGNED ON AS HEAD OF A& R, WHICH IS TERRIBLY A

TALENT SCOUT.

AND, YEAH, HE WAS LOOKING FOR PEOPLE TO SIGN.

IT COULDN'T HAVE BEEN BETTER-- BETTER TIMED.

AND I WENT OVER TO VISIT PETER, AND I PLAYED HIM MY LITTLE DEMO.

IT WAS ON A REEL-TO-REEL TAPE, YOU KNOW.

AND HE LIKED IT, AND I-- HE GAVE ME A GUITAR, AND I PLAYED A FEW

OTHER THINGS.

AND ULTIMATELY, HE SAID, "YEAH, THAT SOUNDS GOOD.

LET'S GO TO APPLE AND SEE IF WE CAN INTEREST A BEATLE IN IT."

SO... THAT'S WHAT WE DID.

WE WENT OVER THERE.

AND THE WAY PETER RECALLS IT, I-- I HAVE VERY LITTLE MEMORY OF

THE DAY, BECAUSE I'M-- I'M NERVOUS NOW, BUT AT THAT POINT,

I WAS, LIKE VIBRATING AT ABOUT 440HERTZ.

>> Stephen: AN "A."

>> YAN "A."

I WAS REALLY-- I WAS REALLY NERVOUS.

AND I BARELY REMEMBER IT.

I FELT AS THOUGH I WAS UNDERWATER FOR THE ENTIRE DAY.

>> Stephen: SO WHO WAS THERE WHEN YOU GET THERE?

WERE THERE ANY BEATLES AVAILABLE?

DID.

>> THERE WERE.

>> Stephen: DID YOU GET ONE OUT OF THEIR CRATE.

>> THAT'S RIGHT.

THEY BUSTED A SEAL ON A CAN OF BEATLES.

PAUL McCARTNEY AND GEORGE HARRISON WERE THERE.

AND THE WAY PETER REMEMBERS IT IS THAT HE JUST-- WE WENT INTO A

ROOM AT-- IN BAKER, BAKER STREET, WHICH IS WHERE THE APPLE

OFFICES WERE AT THAT POINT.

AND HE JUST-- PETER LEANED OUT OF THE DOOR INTO THE HALLWAY AND

SAID, "IS THERE A BEATLE IN THE HOUSE?"

( LAUGHTER ) AND-- AND, IT-- IT TURNED OUT

THERE WERE TWO BEATLES?

( LAUGHTER ).

>> Stephen: SURE, THAT'S ENOUGH.

>> BUT PETER SAID, "LISTEN, I'VE GOT THIS GUY HERE.

I'D LIKE TO SIGN HIM TO THE LABEL, BUT-- SO LET'S TAKE A

LISTEN."

AND I PLAYED "SOMETHING IN THE WAY SHE MOVES," TO GEORGE AND

PAUL.

AND I-- I DON'T ACTUALLY REMEMBER THE-- THE-- ANYTHING

ABOUT IT.

( LAUGHTER ) I MEAN --

>> Stephen: DOES PAUL REMEMBER THE MOMENT?

>> YEAH, PAUL DOES REMEMBER TVAGUELY, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE, YOU

KNOW, IT WAS -- >> Stephen: THEY HAD A LOT

GOING ON.

>> YEAH, THEY HAD A LOT GOING ON, THAT'S RIGHT.

>> Stephen: THEY WERE RECORDING THE "THE WHITE ALBUM

AT THE TIME."

DID YOU REALLY RECORD YOUR FIRST ALBUM WITH THEM-- WAS THAT

"SWEET BABY JAMES" OR "JAMES TAYLOR."

>> "JAMES TAYLOR."

>> Stephen: DID YOU DO THAT WHILE THEY WERE RECORDING THE

WHITE ALBUM AT THE TIME.

>> YES.

THEY USED TO RECORD AT ABBY ROAD, BUT ABBY ROAD DIDN'T HAVE

AN 8-TRACK MACHINE, AND THERE WAS ONLY ONE 8-TRACK MACHINE IN

BRITAIN AT THE TIME.

AND THAT WAS AT A STUDIO CALLED TRIDENT, WHICH WAS IN LEICESTER

SQUARE.

SO THE BEATLES JUST BOOKED IT SOLID FOR A COUPLE MONTHS, AND

WE TOOK THE TIME THEY WEREN'T USING.

>> Stephen: DID YOU WATCH THE RECORD OF "THE WHITE ALBUM?"

>> YES.

>> Stephen: HAVE YOU EVER COVERED ANY OF THE SONGS FROM

THE WHITE ALBUM.

YOU WOULD KILL ROCKY RACCOON.

>> I HEARD THE FIRST PLAYBACK OF ROCKY RACCOON AT THE END OF THAT

SESSION DAY.

IT WAS GREAT.

>> Stephen: DID THEY ASK YOUR OPINION OF ANY OF THEIR MUSIC

"WHAT DID YOU THINK ABOUT THAT, JAMES?"

>> NO.

>> Stephen: DID YOU HEAR ANYTHING AND G, I DON'T GET

'REVOLUTION NUMBER NINE'."

>> Stephen: I-- I DIDN'T REALLY GET "REVOLUTION NUMBER

NINE, EITHER."

>> Stephen: BACKWARDS IT MAKES ALL THE SENSE IN THE WORLD.

YES.

>> Stephen: HEY, LET ME ASK YOU A QUESTION.

DID YOU REALLY WRITE "CLOSE YOUR EYES" FOR JONI MITCHELL WHILE

SHE WAS ASLEEP IN THE BACK SEAT OF A CAR THAT YOU WERE DRIVING

ON THE PACIFIC COAST HIGHWAY?

>> NO.

( LAUGHTER ) BUT-- BUT --

>> Stephen: NO, NO, NO!

>> IT'S CLOSE.

>> Stephen: MAYBE THAT'S THE END OF THE STORY.

NO, GO AHEAD.

IT'S CLOSE.

>> IT'S CLOSE.

JOANNIE-- I WAS MAKING A MOVIE.

THE ONLY MOVIE OF MY LIFE CALLED "TWO LANE BLACKTOP."

>> >> Stephen: SURE.

>> AND JONI WAS TRAVELING WITH ME AT THE TIME JUST FOR COMPANY,

AND SHE WAS KNITTING ME A SWEATER, A BLACK-TOP SWEATER.

ONE OF THE ARMS WAS THIS LONG AND THE OTHER WAS HERE.

BUT IT WAS REALLY-- IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL THING.

AND I WISH I KNEW WHERE IT WAS.

BUT I-- ( LAUGHTER )

BUT SO JONI WAS TRAVELING WITH ME.

WE WERE STAYING IN A HOTEL, MOTEL, OUTSIDE OF SANTA FE, AND

SHE WAS ASLEEP IN THE-- IN THED ABOUT, AND I WAS SITTING ON THE

SIDE PLAYING THE GUITAR.

AND I WROTE THAT SONG, YEAH.

>> Stephen: AND-- AND-- AND YOU-- YOU PLAYED IT FOR HER WHEN

SHE WOKE UP?

>> YEAH, AND SHE-- YOU KNOW, SHE-- SHE SEEMED TO LIKE IT.

( LAUGHTER ) >> Stephen: IT'S AN OKAY SONG.

IT'S AN OKAY SONG.

>> IT'S NICE.

>> Stephen: IF YOU EVER WANT TO WRITE ME A SONG...

( LAUGHTER ) YOU'VE GOT A NEW ALBUM COMING

OUT.

IT'S CALLED "AMERICAN STANDARD."

YOU'LL BE BACK HERE NEXT MONTH TO DO SOME SONGS.

( APPLAUSE ) FROM THAT.

WHAT MAKES THE CUT FOR JAMES TAYLOR AS AN AMERICAN STANDARD?

>> MOSTLY SHOW TUNES.

THE GREAT ROGERS AND HAMMERSTEIN SHOWS-- "OKLAHOMA," "PACIFIC"

"KISS ME KATE" BY COLE PORTER "PORGY AND BESS."

ALL THOSE GREAT SHOWS OF THE 40s AND 50s.

AND ACTUALLY, MY MOM USED TO TAKE US UP TO EXPOSE US TO

CULTURE IN NEW YORK A LITTLE BIT.

AND WE'D GET ON THE TRAIN AND COME UP IN LITTLE GROUPS OF TWO

OR THREE.

AND SHE'D-- SHE'D TAKE US TO A MUSEUM OR TO A BROADWAY PLAY,

YOU KNOW.

SO, BUT-- HOW DID WE GET THERE?

OH, YEAH.

SO THE FAMILY RECORD COLLECTION WAS A LOT OF THESE SONGS, AND I

LEARNED TO PLAY THEM ON THE GUITAR.

AND THOSE SONGS THAT I'VE HAD ARRANGEMENTS OF ON THE GUITAR

FOR LO THESE MANY YEARS, THOSE ARE THE ONES THAT WENT INTO THIS

ALBUM.

IT'S BASICALLY A GUITAR-- WORK ON GUITAR.

THERE'S NO PIANO.

THERE'S NO STRINGS.

IT'S BASICALLY TWO GUITARS, AND VOCALS.

( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) >> Stephen: JAMES' NEW ALBUM

"AMERICAN STANDARD" IS AVAILABLE ON FEBRUARY 28.