"Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon" is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter James Taylor, released in April 1971 by Warner Bros. Records. Recorded between early January and late February of that year, the album features Taylor's biggest hit, a cover of Carole King's "You've Got a Friend," which reached #1 on the Billboard charts on July 31, 1971. The album itself peaked at #2, just behind King's Tapestry, which also included her version of the song.
The track earned Grammy Awards for both Taylor (Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male) and King (Song of the Year). The album also produced another Top 40 hit, "Long Ago and Far Away," which reached #31 on the Billboard Hot 100. Several songs from the album, especially "You Can Close Your Eyes," became concert standards for Taylor.
