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"…Of Rich And Royal Hue…"
I can vividly remember a
girlfriend I had in the early Seventies in her faded jeans, cheesecloth smock
and fabulous crimped long hair. She was far too pretty for me to be with -
looking like one of those dream babes in Cameron Crowe's Seventies homage movie
"Almost Famous" - the ones that inspire songs and poetry and a
serious amount of effort in the 'trying-to-impress-with-how-witty-I-am'
department. But I also remember her baggage as she walked towards me that sunny
summer afternoon - clutching not a satchel full of hairbrushes and makeup - nor
a copy of Tolkien's "Lord Of The Rings" (how odd) - but her used
vinyl copy of Carole King's "Tapestry" album on A&M/Ode Records.
She was clutching it tightly under her right arm so that it didn't fall from
her grasp onto the unforgiving Dublin pavement below - protecting the LP like
it was girly life itself. And smiling as she got closer - I kind of knew that
its presence under her arm had a purpose - this nice but slightly dim
guitar-mad Irish boy would need to be educated on something other than Deep
Purple and Black Sabbath...
15 weeks at Number 1 when it
was released in 1971, Rolling Stone's coveted album of the year award, four Grammy
nominations, selected by the American Library of Congress for placing in The
National Recording Registry and 20 gazillion sales ever since. And that's not
to mention in the 11's an entire Broadway Musical based around it that
regularly brings audiences to their feet with tears streaming down their cheeks
(the Tony winning show "Beautiful") - it doesn't get much more iconic
than Carole King's mighty "Tapestry" album. And I'm thrilled to say
that this 2008 2CD "Legacy Edition" does that singer-songwriter
milestone an audio solid. Here are the bare feet and the cat in the windowsill
details...
Released June 2008 - "Tapestry" by CAROLE KING on
Ode/Epic/Legacy 88697 11455 2 (Barcode 886971145526) is a 2CD 'Legacy Edition' Reissue and Remaster that breaks down as
follows:
Disc 1 (44:37 minutes):
1. I Feel The Earth Move [Side 1]
2. So far Away
3. It's Too Late
4. Home Again
5. Beautiful
6. Way Over Yonder [Side 2]
7. You've Got A Friend
8. Where You Lead
9. Will You Love Me
Tomorrow?
10. Smackwater Jack
11. Tapestry
12. (You Make Me Feel Like)
A Natural Woman
Tracks 1 to 12 are the album
"Tapestry" - released February 1971 in the USA on Ode/A&M Records
SP-77009 and in the UK on Ode/A&M Records AMLS 2025
Disc 2 (38:19 minutes):
1. I Feel The Earth Move
2. So Far Away
3. It's Too Late
4. Home Again
5. Beautiful
6. Way Over Yonder
7. You've Got A Friend
8. Will You Love Me
Tomorrow?
9. Smackwater jack
10. Tapestry
11. (You Make Me Feel Like)
A Natural Woman
Tracks 1 to 11 are all
PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED live versions featuring Carole just on a piano - they
were recorded in Boston, Massachusetts in 1973, Columbia Maryland, Central Park
in New York and in the San Francisco Opera House in 1976 (no dates nor other
details given).
In a rather nigglesome but
understandable move - the Side 1 and Side 2 LP labels repro'd under the
see-through plastic CD trays on either side of the digipak are for Epic PE
34946 - the 1977 Epic/Ode Records reissue version (when Columbia took over its
distribution). They should be for the 1971 Ode/A&M SP-77009 original. The
22-page colour booklet is pretty, reproducing the text and lyrics to every song
in the same typography as the album artwork. There's a repro of "The
Hollywood Reporter" from 15 March 1972 when she swept the Grammy boards
(along with a snap of her clutching the same), period photos of Carole with
Engineer HANK CICALO and Producer LOU ADLER, backing musicians JONI MITCHELL
and JAMES TAYLOR - as well as her band - DANNY "Kootch" KOTCHMAR
(Guitars), RUSS KUNKEL (Drums), CHARLES LARKEY (Bass) and RALPH SCHUKETT
(Keyboards). There's short but informative liner notes on the album and its
legacy by HARVEY KUBERNIK - a well known contributor to Rolling Stone and
author of two books on Rock Music.
But the big news is a new
BOB IRWIN and VIC ANESINI remaster which to my ears has given the notoriously
low-fi album a beautiful fulsome polish - her voice and the instruments are
lovely - warm and clear. Not to be outdone - my heart sank when I saw that Disc
2 was filled with 'live' versions - but as they're just her and a piano -
they're beautifully intimate ("Way Over Yonder" in particular is
gorgeous and features a storming vocal). Her voice cracks on a few and she hits
a few bum notes here and there (probably why they've been in the can up until
now) but most are well worthy of inclusion.
Even as the opening keys of
"I Feel The Earth Moves" hit you - you're tingling. Once into
"So Far Away" and "It's Too Late" - resistance is pretty
much futile. James Taylor's acoustic guitar on the gorgeous "Home
Again" is so subtle yet underlies the whole song as it aches its way into
your heart. And those Sixties classics done by someone else now get their
owner's touch - "Will You Love Me Tomorrow?" and the sublime
"(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman". And the title track never
ceases to move me (lyrics above).
Uplifting, life affirming,
nourishment for the soul - its all on "Tapestry". And now that
touchstone in all our lives is better....
