# In the Pocket (James Taylor album)
**In the Pocket** is the seventh studio album by the American singer-songwriter [James Taylor](https://www.edgepedia.org/james-taylor), released in June 1976 on Warner Bros. Records. It was his last new recording for the label before he moved to [Columbia Records](https://www.edgepedia.org/columbia-records), and it produced "Shower the People", which AllMusic's reviewer calls his biggest self-written hit single in four years.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/album/r19700) • [2](https://www.jamestaylor.com/discography/in-the-pocket)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Released | June 1, 1976 (US, Warner Bros. Records, catalog BS 2912)[3](https://music.apple.com/us/album/in-the-pocket-remastered/1485665248) • [4](https://www.45cat.com/vinyl/album/bs2912) |
| Position in career | Seventh studio album overall; sixth and last new recording under his Warner Bros. contract[1](https://www.allmusic.com/album/r19700) • [5](https://wmg.jp/james-taylor/discography/6651) |
| Length and genre | 12 tracks, 44:28; Pop/Rock, Soft Rock[6](https://www.allmusic.com/album/in-the-pocket-mw0000199229) |
| Recording site | Warner Bros. Recording Studios, North Hollywood, California[6](https://www.allmusic.com/album/in-the-pocket-mw0000199229) |
| Producers | Lenny Waronker and Russ Titelman; engineer, mixer and masterer Lee Herschberg[7](https://sessiondays.com/2018/03/01/1976-james-taylor-pocket/) |
| Lead single | "Shower the People": number 22 on the pop chart, number one on the easy listening chart[1](https://www.allmusic.com/album/r19700) |
| Only cover version | "Woman's Gotta Have It", written by Bobby Womack (with Darryl Carter and Linda Cooke Womack)[1](https://www.allmusic.com/album/r19700) • [8](https://www.qobuz.com/nz-en/album/in-the-pocket-james-taylor/0075992730167) |
## Background and recording
In the Pocket closed a six-year run at Warner Bros. that began with *Sweet Baby James* (1970) and continued through *Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon* (1971), *[One Man Dog](https://www.edgepedia.org/one-man-dog)* (1972), *Walking Man* (1974), and *[Gorilla](https://www.edgepedia.org/gorilla-james-taylor-album)* (1975).[9](https://www.qobuz.com/nz-en/album/the-warner-bros-albums-1970-1976-james-taylor/o3nmpy7bxjdea) It was also his third consecutive annual warm-weather release, appearing in June 1976 in the pattern of the two summers before.[10](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/james-taylor-mn0000204386)
The album was recorded at Warner Bros. Recording Studios in North Hollywood and produced by Lenny Waronker and Russ Titelman, with Lee Herschberg handling engineering, mixing and mastering.[7](https://sessiondays.com/2018/03/01/1976-james-taylor-pocket/) Nick DeCaro provided string arrangements, and Taylor himself arranged the horns.[7](https://sessiondays.com/2018/03/01/1976-james-taylor-pocket/) The session roster drew on Taylor's regular backing circle, including drummer [Russ Kunkel](https://www.edgepedia.org/russ-kunkel), bassist [Leland Sklar](https://www.edgepedia.org/leland-sklar), guitarist [Danny Kortchmar](https://www.edgepedia.org/danny-kortchmar), keyboardist Clarence McDonald, and percussionist Victor Feldman, along with horn players Michael Brecker and Steve Madaio.[8](https://www.qobuz.com/nz-en/album/in-the-pocket-james-taylor/0075992730167)
## Songs and guest musicians
The record opens with Shower the People, a richly harmonized song that AllMusic's reviewer William Ruhlmann identifies as Taylor's biggest self-written hit in four years, reaching number 22 on the pop chart and number one on the easy listening chart.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/album/r19700) His wife [Carly Simon](https://www.edgepedia.org/carly-simon) sings harmony vocals on it.[7](https://sessiondays.com/2018/03/01/1976-james-taylor-pocket/)
Elsewhere the album takes on, in Ruhlmann's words, a surprisingly rough set of issues in Taylor's typically gentle style: "A Junkie's Lament" addresses drug addiction and "Money Machine" takes on money, while "Family Man" and "Daddy's All Gone" reflect on family life from the road of a peripatetic touring musician.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/album/r19700) The album's only cover is [Bobby Womack](https://www.edgepedia.org/bobby-womack)'s "Woman's Gotta Have It"; the remaining ten songs are Taylor's own compositions.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/album/r19700)
**Guest appearances.** [Art Garfunkel](https://www.edgepedia.org/art-garfunkel) sings vocals on "A Junkie's Lament" and harmonizes on "Captain Jim's Drunken Dream".[1](https://www.allmusic.com/album/r19700) • [7](https://sessiondays.com/2018/03/01/1976-james-taylor-pocket/) [Stevie Wonder](https://www.edgepedia.org/stevie-wonder) co-wrote "Don't Be Sad 'Cause Your Sun Is Down" with Taylor and plays harmonica on it.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/album/r19700) Background and harmony vocals throughout come from [David Crosby](https://www.edgepedia.org/david-crosby) and Graham Nash (on "Nothing Like a Hundred Miles"), Bonnie Raitt and Valerie Carter (on "Family Man"), and Taylor's brother Alex Taylor, with Linda Ronstadt also among the credited guests.[8](https://www.qobuz.com/nz-en/album/in-the-pocket-james-taylor/0075992730167) • [7](https://sessiondays.com/2018/03/01/1976-james-taylor-pocket/)
## Release and reception
Taylor left Warner Brothers for Columbia Records in December 1976, months after the album's release, making In the Pocket the final album of that partnership.[11](https://www.james-taylor.com/text/JamesTaylorEncyclopedia.pdf) A Greatest Hits compilation followed in November of the same year, and it includes "Shower the People".[12](https://www.james-taylor.com/albums/)
AllMusic characterizes the album as sounding like a continuation of Gorilla, its predecessor, and describes it as a respectable effort from an artist evolving into more of a craftsman than a virtuoso.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/album/r19700) The site's mood and theme tags place it among relaxed, bittersweet and reflective records dealing with introspection, reminiscing and loss.[6](https://www.allmusic.com/album/in-the-pocket-mw0000199229)
## Later releases
The album has remained in print through multiple formats: cassette and CD editions on Warner Bros. in 1990, a 2007 WEA CD, a 2008 Flashback Records edition, and a 2010 Japanese SHM-CD on WEA Japan (catalog WPCR-13824).[6](https://www.allmusic.com/album/in-the-pocket-mw0000199229) Rhino remastered it for a 2019 digital release, also available in 24-bit/192 kHz hi-resolution audio, and included it in The Warner Bros. Albums: 1970-1976 remastered box set.[3](https://music.apple.com/us/album/in-the-pocket-remastered/1485665248) • [13](https://www.qobuz.com/us-en/interpreter/james-taylor/39414)
## References
1. [In the Pocket – Review by William Ruhlmann, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/album/r19700)
2. [In The Pocket, JamesTaylor.com discography](https://www.jamestaylor.com/discography/in-the-pocket)
3. [In the Pocket (Remastered), Apple Music](https://music.apple.com/us/album/in-the-pocket-remastered/1485665248)
4. [James Taylor – In The Pocket – Warner Bros. BS 2912, 45cat](https://www.45cat.com/vinyl/album/bs2912)
5. [ジェイムス・テイラー「イン・ザ・ポケット」(WB通算6作目), Warner Music Japan](https://wmg.jp/james-taylor/discography/6651)
6. [James Taylor: In the Pocket Tracks & Reviews | AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/album/in-the-pocket-mw0000199229)
7. [1976 James Taylor – In The Pocket, Sessiondays](https://sessiondays.com/2018/03/01/1976-james-taylor-pocket/)
8. [In the Pocket, James Taylor – track credits, Qobuz](https://www.qobuz.com/nz-en/album/in-the-pocket-james-taylor/0075992730167)
9. [The Warner Bros. Albums: 1970-1976 (2019 Remaster), Qobuz](https://www.qobuz.com/nz-en/album/the-warner-bros-albums-1970-1976-james-taylor/o3nmpy7bxjdea)
10. [James Taylor biography, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/james-taylor-mn0000204386)
11. [James Taylor Encyclopedia timeline, james-taylor.com](https://www.james-taylor.com/text/JamesTaylorEncyclopedia.pdf)
12. [Albums & Songs, James Taylor Online](https://www.james-taylor.com/albums/)
13. [James Taylor discography in hi-res, Qobuz](https://www.qobuz.com/us-en/interpreter/james-taylor/39414)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musical works and recordings › Albums and recorded releases › Studio albums › Country and folk albums › Folk and singer-songwriter albums*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license