VA - Fire and Rain ( A Butterboy Compilation) CD1+CD2+CD3

FIRE & RAIN

VA - Fire and Rain ( A Butterboy Compilation) CD1+CD2+CD3

"Fire and Rain" is a folk rock song written and performed by James Taylor and released on Warner Bros. Records as a single from his second album, Sweet Baby James, in August 1970. The song follows Taylor's reaction to the suicide of Suzanne Schnerr, a childhood friend, and his experiences with drug addiction and fame. After its release, "Fire and Rain" peaked at number two on RPM's Canada Top Singles chart and at number three on the Billboard Hot 100.

On the VH1 series Storytellers, James Taylor said the song was about several incidents during his early recording career. The second line "Suzanne, the plans they made put an end to you" refers to Suzanne Schnerr, a childhood friend of his who died by suicide while he was in London, England, recording his first album. In that same account, Taylor said he had been in a deep depression after the failure of his new band the Flying Machine to coalesce (the lyric "Sweet dreams and Flying Machines in pieces on the ground"; the reference is to the name of the band rather than a fatal plane crash, as was long rumored). Taylor completed writing the song while in rehab.

In 2005, during an interview on NPR, Taylor explained to host Scott Simon that the song was written in three parts:  The first part was about Taylor's friend Suzanne, who died while Taylor was in London working on his first album after being signed to Apple Records. Friends at home, concerned that it might distract Taylor from his big break, kept the tragic news from him, and he found out six months later.

The second part details Taylor's struggle to overcome drug addiction and depression.

The third part deals with coming to grips with fame and fortune, looking back at the road that got him there. It includes a reference to James Taylor and The Flying Machine, a band he briefly worked with before his big break with Paul McCartney, Peter Asher, and Apple Records.

Carole King played piano on the song. Drummer Russ Kunkel used brushes rather than sticks on his drum kit,and Bobby West played double bass in place of a bass guitar to "underscore the melancholy on the song".

Broadcast Music, Inc. ranked "Fire and Rain" at number 82 on its "Top 100 Songs of the Century" list,while voters for the National Endowment for the Arts and Recording Industry Association of America's Songs of the Century list, which comprises 365 songs of "historical significance" recorded from 1900 to 2000, placed "Fire and Rain" at number 85. In April 2011, the song was named at number 227 on Rolling Stone's list of 500 greatest songs of all time. (Wikipedia)

There are have been several hundred versions of Fire & Rain over the years, Here are 73 Versions, I always get goosebumps when I hear the version by Marcia Hines. Enjoy!

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Pt.1     Pt.2 

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Track lists

CD1

01 James Taylor Fire and Rain 3:14

02 Badlands Fire and Rain 3:40

03 Bobby Gosh Fire and Rain 4:02

04 Bobby Womack Fire and Rain 4:27

05 Richie Havens Fire and Rain 6:23

06 Marcia Hines Fire and Rain 4:50

07 Meg Birch Fire and Rain 3:48

08 Blossoms Fire and Rain 5:04

09 Al Jarreau Fire and Rain 4:45

10 Isley Brothers Fire and Rain 5:29

11 Square Set Fire and Rain 6:53

12 Maxine Weldon Fire and Rain 3:37

13 Cher Fire and Rain 3:01

14 Skeeter Davis Fire and Rain 2:44

15 Blood, Sweat & Tears Fire and Rain 4:01

16 California Honeydrops Fire and Rain 3:47

17 McKendree Spring Fire and Rain 3:52

18 Hubert Laws Fire and Rain 7:56

19 John Wesley Ryles Fire and Rain 3:32

20 6680 Lexington Fire and Rain 3:47

21 Boots Randolph Fire and Rain 2:35

22 Ann Burton Fire and Rain 2:51

23 Richard Last Group Fire and Rain 3:24

24 Rankin File Fire and Rain 4:46

25 Joni Mitchell, James Taylor, Phil Ochs Fire and Rain 3:54

CD2

26 Aliotta Haynes Fire and Rain 7:07

27 Billie Jo Spears Fire and Rain 3:45

28 Bob Morley Fire and Rain 3:09

29 Hookfoot Fire and Rain 3:38

30 Dido Fire and Rain 3:18

10 Colin Lillie Fire and Rain 5:23

32 Dorothy Morrison Fire and Rain 3:14

33 Gladys Knight and the Pips Fire and Rain 4:02

34 R. Dean Taylor Fire and Rain 2:58

35 Kenny 'babyface' Edmonds Fire and Rain 5:05

36 Phil Upchurch Fire and Rain 7:41

37 Nana Mouskouri Fire and Rain 3:21

38 New Birth Fire and Rain 4:23

39 John Denver Fire and Rain 3:48

40 Enoch Light Fire and Rain 3:29

41 R.B. Greaves Fire and Rain 3:25

42 Eydie Gorme Fire and Rain 3:00

43 Mina Fire and Rain 5:01

44 Jack Hudson Fire and Rain 3:37

45 Roger Whittaker Fire and Rain 2:54

46 Larry Morris Fire and Rain 3:46

47 Rune Gustafsson Fire and Rain 5:09

48 Johnny Rivers Fire and Rain 3:54

49 Salena Jones Fire and Rain 3:18

50 Bobby Darin Fire and Rain (Live) 6:10

CD3

51 Marc Seales Fire and Rain 9:09

52 Andy Williams Fire and Rain 3:33

53 Tim Hardin Fire and Rain 4:31

54 James Burton Fire and Rain 3:30

55 Floyd Cramer Fire and Rain 2:28

56 Tom Lum Forest Fire and Rain 3:51

57 Tony Orlando Fire and Rain 4:06

58 Tribute to Geoffrey Stoner Fire & Rain 3:17

59 Willie Nelson Fire and Rain 2:57

60 Maynard Ferguson Fire and Rain 3:35

61 Chris Connor Fire and Rain 3:14

62 Phillip Manual Fire and Rain 6:03

63 Birdy Fire and Rain 3:07

64 Rick Wakeman Fire and Rain 3:24

65 Anne Murray Fire and Rain 2:22

66 Sammi Smith Fire and Rain 3:38

67 Matrix Fire and Rain 3:28

68 Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass Fire and Rain 2:40

69 Sammy Kershaw Fire and Rain 4:48

70 Cliff Richard Fire and Rain 4:03

71 Carole King & James Taylor Fire and Rain 5:44

72 Square Set Fire and Rain 6:53

72 Rezidudes Fire & Rain (Bonus) 1:52

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