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Title: Carole King – The Carnegie Hall Concert: June 18, 1971 (1996) [MFSL 2011]
Genre: Pop
Format: SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

Archive live album from the songstress, an unmissable Tapestry-era performance recorded live at Carnagie Hall. With her album Tapestry on it’s way to selling millions upon millions of copies, Carole sounds relaxed, joyful and in total control of her audience. During this set, King performs 17 of her most well-known songs including, “I Feel The Earth Move”, “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman”, “It’s Too Late” and “You’ve Got A Friend” (performed with James Taylor, who joins her for her encore). Anyone who took the gray-striped kitty on the cover of Tapestry as a totem, from your hip junior-high English teacher to Ben Folds, will recognize the import of Carnegie Hall, recorded the week “It’s Too Late” went to No. 1. Mostly solo at the piano, King brought home 10 of that already emblematic album’s tunes with a smattering of other numbers. Some of the latter are more callow than absolutely necessary, with “Carry Your Load” way too bouncy and “Snow Queen” too glib. But when she digs out “No Easy Way Down” (immortalized by Dusty Springfield on Dusty in Memphis) and “A Natural Woman,” it’s a little bit of heaven, even when her voice starts cracking. Actually, her nervousness is charming, though some of her between-song wisecracks fail to wow the very partisan crowd, much less the CD listener a quarter-century later. Guess that’s only natural for someone just coming into her own in public after a decade or so behind the curtain, and no one seems to mind much anyway. As the history books tell us, this was a pretty polite rock moment; to further prove it, James Taylor shows up for the encores. Though Tapestry remains the essential item, this one gets by on the grace of King’s heart.
Carnegie Hall Concert: June 18, 1971 is 17-song set recorded just as Tapestry was topping the charts and making Carole King a superstar. Featuring most of Tapestry and a few songs from Writer and Music this is, in a sense, Carole King unplugged (although that terminology was not yet in use). King performs the first half-dozen songs alone at the piano; bassist Charles Larkey, guitarist Danny “Kootch” Kortchmar, and a string quartet back her (in varying combinations) throughout the rest of the program. Tapestry wasn’t exactly a high-wattage affair to begin with, so these rearrangements aren’t radical, but they’re different enough from the studio versions to merit attention by serious King fans. James Taylor, then at the peak of his own popularity, joins King on vocals for a medley of some of her old Brill Building hits, “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow”/”Some Kind of Wonderful”/”Up on the Roof”.

hraudio | allmusic | discogs

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Title: Carole King – Tapestry (1971) [Remaster 1999]
Genre: Pop
Format: MCH SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

Carole King was famous as a writer of girl-group hits in the ’60s. In 1971, she became more famous. That’s the year Tapestry became one of the biggest-selling LPs of all time. It’s easy to hear why–the music is loose, earthy, L.A. session-pop. King is casual, intimate, and tough; she covers all the emotional ground of the post-liberated woman with ease. She brings adult nuance to “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?” and comes up with hits (“It’s Too Late,” “I Feel the Earth Move”) whose white-soul realism and maturity put pop hits to shame.

Carole King brought the fledgling singer/songwriter phenomenon to the masses with Tapestry, one of the most successful albums in pop music history. A remarkably expressive and intimate record, it’s a work of consummate craftsmanship. Always a superior pop composer, King reaches even greater heights as a performer; new songs like the hits “It’s Too Late” and “I Feel the Earth Move” rank solidly with past glories, while songs like “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow,” and “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” take on added resonance when delivered in her own warm, compelling voice. With its reliance on pianos and gentle drumming, Tapestry is a light and airy work on its surface, occasionally skirting the boundaries of jazz, but it’s also an intensely emotional record, the songs confessional and direct; in its time it connected with listeners like few records before it, and it remains an illuminating experience decades later.

hraudio | allmusic | discogs

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Title: Carole King – Tapestry (1971) [Reissue 2017]
Genre: Pop
Format: MCH SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

Carole King brought the fledgling singer/songwriter phenomenon to the masses with Tapestry, one of the most successful albums in pop music history. A remarkably expressive and intimate record, it’s a work of consummate craftsmanship. Always a superior pop composer, King reaches even greater heights as a performer; new songs like the hits “It’s Too Late” and “I Feel the Earth Move” rank solidly with past glories, while songs like “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow,” and “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” take on added resonance when delivered in her own warm, compelling voice. With its reliance on pianos and gentle drumming, Tapestry is a light and airy work on its surface, occasionally skirting the boundaries of jazz, but it’s also an intensely emotional record, the songs confessional and direct; in its time it connected with listeners like few records before it, and it remains an illuminating experience decades later.

hraudio | allmusic | discogs

(more…)

Title: Carole King – Tapestry (1971) [MFSL 2013]
Genre: Pop
Format: SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

Carole King brought the fledgling singer/songwriter phenomenon to the masses with Tapestry, one of the most successful albums in pop music history. A remarkably expressive and intimate record, it’s a work of consummate craftsmanship. Always a superior pop composer, King reaches even greater heights as a performer; new songs like the hits “It’s Too Late” and “I Feel the Earth Move” rank solidly with past glories, while songs like “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow,” and “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” take on added resonance when delivered in her own warm, compelling voice. With its reliance on pianos and gentle drumming, Tapestry is a light and airy work on its surface, occasionally skirting the boundaries of jazz, but it’s also an intensely emotional record, the songs confessional and direct; in its time it connected with listeners like few records before it, and it remains an illuminating experience decades later.

hraudio | allmusic | discogs

(more…)

Title: Carole King – Music (1971) [MFSL 2011]
Genre: Pop
Format: SACD ISO + DSF DSD64 + Hi-Res FLAC

Music, official name Carole King: Music, is the third album by American singer-songwriter Carole King. The album was released in December 1971 and quickly rose to the top of the charts. It features songs such as “It’s Going to Take Some Time” (US No. 12 by The Carpenters), “Sweet Seasons,” a No. 9 hit for Carole King, and “Brother, Brother”. Carole King: Music experienced immediate success and was certified gold on December 9, 1971, days after release. It was certified platinum on July 17, 1995.

After years as one of the most prolific and successful songwriters in pop music, Carole King emerged in the ’70s with Tapestry, an album that catapulted her to the forefront of the singer/songwriter movement. While she had mined her back catalog for that album, she relied more heavily on songs written with new collaborator Toni Stern for Music. Coming out on the heels of the classic Tapestry, it’s hard not to feel like this album was a bit of a letdown. However, time has shown this album to be one of her finest. While these songs lyrically lack the simplistic beauty of Gerry Goffin-penned tunes, the melodies are very strong and Carole King adds some nice texture to her piano-based tunes with the tasteful percussion of Bobbye Hall. When King goes for grand statements, however, it doesn’t always work. Her call for peace and brotherhood works on songs like the opening track, “Brother, Brother,” but her voice is not strong enough and does not convey enough emotion to prevent uplifting tunes like “Carry Your Load” from sounding a bit hollow and preachy. But her songwriting is still in peak form, and there are many highlights including “It’s Gonna Take Some Time” (also made into a hit by the Carpenters) and “Song of Long Ago” (with backing vocals by James Taylor).

hraudio | allmusic | discogs

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