In The Hand Of The Inevitable (30th Anniversary Edition) The James Taylor Quartet

• 1 Love Will Keep Us Together 06:16
• 2 3 Mile Island 05:38
• 3 Free Your Mind 04:53
• 4 Haitian Breakdown 04:00
• 5 Good Thing 03:38
• 6 Let's Get Together 04:28
• 7 Segue No.1 00:57
• 8 Stepping Into My Life 04:35
• 9 Whole Lotta Love 04:37
• 10 Journey 05:55
• 11 Sounds Of Freedom 05:13
• 12 Keep on Moving 05:34
• 13 In the Hand of the Inevitable 05:08
• 14 Astral Plane 04:13
• 15 Love Ballad 03:47
• Total Runtime 01:08:52

Info for In The Hand Of The Inevitable (30th Anniversary Edition)

The James Taylor Quarter were the original group on the Acid Jazz scene, and 'In The Hand Of The Inevitable' was their 1995 triumphant Top 40 return to the Acid Jazz label.

Recorded over a year, produced by James Taylor and Acid Jazz Records founder Eddie Piller, it was a thrilling compendium of everyone’s favourite musical influences, from Hammond grooves, funk rock, and Mizell Brothers inspired fusion. It became James’ best-selling album, and in retrospect his most popular album amongst his fans.

The original vinyl issue was missing two tracks that were on the CD and this 30th Anniversary Edition is released on double vinyl with those two tracks now included. The release includes picture sleeve inner sleeves with in-depth sleeve notes by Acid Jazz’s Dean Rudland and new pictures from the album sessions, housed in a wide-spine sleeve.

The CD and digital releases include two tracks from the album sessions – ‘Love Ballad’ and ‘Astral Plane’ - which only appeared on single releases. The former is a cover of the LTD / George Benson classic and the latter a great slice of ‘80s influenced electro-funk.

James Taylor is one of the great British Hammond organ players of his generation and JTQ are a great live outfit celebrating 30 joyous years on the road, but this concert offers a chance to hear something brand new. Audio Network commissioned James to record a beautifully cinematic album with orchestra at Abbey Road, and Soundtrack from Electric Black is the result. Combining the influences of Lalo Schifrin and Oliver Nelson in his own very distinctive way, it is beautifully cinematic and dramatic, with a great mix of Hammond-driven funk and glorious strings – and we are delighted to be premiering this new album at the EFG London Jazz Festival.

The James Taylor Quartet

Digitally remastered

The James Taylor Quartet
(or JTQ) are a British four-piece jazz funk band, who have become renowned for their live performances. They were formed in 1987 by Hammond organ player James Taylor following the break-up of his former band The Prisoners in the wake of Stiff Records’ bankruptcy. The current line-up is James Taylor (Keyboards and Orchestration), Mark Cox (guitar), Andrew McKinney (bass) and Pat Illingworth (drums), although recordings and live performances usually feature vocalist Yvonne Yanney.

The James Taylor Quartet’s first single, “Blow-Up” (a funked-up version of Herbie Hancock’s main theme from the seminal 1960s film of the same name), was released in 1987 on the Re Elect The President label, which would later become the Acid Jazz label. The track was championed by the NME and John Peel, appearing in Peel’s Festive Fifty chart for 1987. The band’s debut 7 track mini album, Mission Impossible (1987) followed and predominantly comprised covers of 1960s film themes such as “Alfie”, “Mrs. Robinson” and “Goldfinger” in a rough, up-tempo, almost punk-like style, that was primarily focussed on Taylor’s Hammond organ playing. Their second album, The Money Spyder (1987), was the soundtrack to an imaginary spy film, applying the band’s distinctive style to Taylor’s own compositions.

While promoting these albums The James Taylor Quartet developed a strong reputation as a live band, that remains to this day. The live set focuses on accessible rhythm driven music, that some classify as having elements of modern dance music, despite including a lot of improvised solos. During this period a contract with a major record led to them playing to ever increasing audiences. The band recorded their signature tune “The Theme From Starsky and Hutch” featuring Fred Wesley and Pee Wee Ellis of The JBs in 1988 and this was included on their next album “Wait A Minute” (1988). Their popularity as a live act led to the release of the live album Absolute – JTQ Live in 1991, which attempted to capture the experience of the band in concert (even though it was recorded ‘live’ in the studio, the audience cheering being overdubbed later).

This album contains no booklet.