Published on Mar 22, 2006
Whoa, where the hell did this come from?
The other day I was skimming through a book at Barnes
& Noble which contained a list of the top 100 selling albums of
the 70s. After finding great pleasure in the fact I have nine out
of the top ten (the one holdout is the soundtrack to Saturday
Night Fever), I started flipping to see what else made the
list. Somewhere around 30 I think, Carole King’s Tapestry
turned up, and I shuffled on over to the music section to grab a
copy.
Carole King is one of those artists whose name was
familiar to me, but I really had no experience with her work
whatsoever. After researching the matter further, it turns out that
a great deal of artists covered her songs in the 60’s, and it was
upon James Taylor’s insistence that she began to sing her own
songs. I wish when someone gave me advice it would turn out as well
as this.
The first aspect of Tapestry that slapped me
in the face was how many songs I ended up recognizing from the
radio. At least five tracks, either sung by King or someone else,
were major hits. “I Feel The Earth Move,” “It’s Too Late,” “You’ve
Got A Friend,” “So Far Away,” and “(You Make Me Feel Like) A
Natural Woman” are tracks I knew and liked. Even more impressive is
the quality of the album tracks. Every song on Tapestry
probably could have been a hit — there is no drop in quality.
Tapestry is not over-produced, which makes up
a big part of the album’s homespun charm. The sound consists
largely of drums and piano, with a few sonic flourishes and some
saxophone and guitar here and there. Instead of the music,
Tapestry is carried by the hooks and riveting vocals from
King — when she is singing, her voice carries the song to a whole
new level, as on “You’ve Got A Friend,” where you believe what she
is singing. The thing is, King isn’t the most technically gifted
nor most impressive female vocalist I’ve heard. However, her voice
fits the music better than others. These are personal,
introspective lyrics, and King doesn’t lose sight of that.
As I mentioned before, the hits are famous, so there
is not too much I have to say on them. Suffice it to say, they are
worthy of their status. So allow me to highlight what else
Tapestry has to offer. “Way Over Yonder” features a great
blend of pop and gospel; for my money, this is King’s best
performance on the album. While the lyrics for “Smackwater Jack”
sound like they are suited more for Cher than King, the Billy
Preston-ish keyboards save the day. Also, it’s not difficult to
detect a strain of feminism running through Tapestry, and
while it may sound dated today, I respect that King it doesn’t bash
the listener over the head with it. A song like Helen Reddy’s “I Am
Woman” annoys me to no end because it force-feeds a message. When
you can work political/social messages in while keeping the focus
on the music, it’s a win-win situation.
Listening to Tapestry was a pleasure. It did
not challenge the boundaries of what we consider music and it
wasn’t the most exploratory album I’ve heard. But it is a testament
to how good the singer/songwriter genre can sound and to pop
craftsmanship.