Carole King Tapestry Super-Audio CD

Master Sound releases are 24-karat gold CDs remastered from first-generation masters. This process utilizes 20-bit technology and Sony's revolutionary "Super Bit Mapping" system.

This is a Super Audio CD playable only on Super Audio CD players.

Originally released on Ode (PE 34946). Includes liner notes by James Taylor.

This is a multi-channel Super Audio CD playable only on Super Audio CD players.

One of the most popular albums of the 1970s and an early landmark of the singer-songwriter scene, TAPESTRY spawned numerous hit singles and is now rightly considered one of pop's finest albums. This two-disc Legacy Edition features the original album in pristine remastered form and a second disc comprising live solo piano renditions of all 12 songs, recorded between 1973 and 1976, as well as extensive liner notes and photographs.

TAPESTRY was one of the most popular albums of the 1970s, perfectly capturing the intimate, confessional mode of the singer/songwriter genre then in bloom, yet without the mawkishness or posing that later typified the style. Though Carole King had been successful in the '60s as a behind-the-scenes composer of Brill Building pop, her decision to perform her own material brought its craftsmanship and sincerity to the fore. In addition, everything about TAPESTRY, from its warm soft-rock arrangements to its cover art (which shows King lounging in her apartment in bare feet, a sweater and jeans), suggested something different. This was the casual, personal music of interiors, without any of the make-up of traditional pop.

Some of the songs King penned for others, including "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow" (a hit for the Shirelles' in 1961) and "(You Make Me Feel) Like a Natural Woman" (a hit for Aretha Franklin in 1968), are re-worked here to fit the album's introspective mood. Yet the newer material is what really shines. "I Feel the Earth Move" works a light, rocking groove, as does "It's Too Late" though with a more plaintive, resigned feel, while "You've Got a Friend" has an unassuming sincerity that gives it the edge over James Taylor's cover. The combination of TAPESTRY's superior songwriting, startling honesty, and jazzy, mellow, organic instrumentation makes it an appealing, moving listen even today.

Stereo/Multi-Channel

Personnel: Carole King (vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards); James Taylor (acoustic guitar, background vocals); Danny Kootch (guitar, congas); Barry Socher (violin); David Campbell (viola); Terry King (cello); Curtis Amy (soprano, tenor & baritone saxophones, flute); Ralph Schuckett (electric piano); Perry Steinberg (acoustic bass); Charles Larkey (electric & acoustic basses); Joel O'Brien, Russ Kunkel (drums); Joni Mitchell, Merry Clayton, Julia Tillman (background vocals).

Personnel: Carole King (vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards); James Taylor (acoustic guitar, background vocals); Danny "Kootch" Kortchmar (guitar, congas); Barry Socher (violin); David Campbell (viola); Terry King (cello); Curtis Amy (flute, soprano, tenor & baritone saxophones); Ralph Schuckett (electric piano); Charles Larkey (acoustic & electric basses); Perry Steinberg (acoustic bass); Joel O'Brien, Russ Kunkel (drums); Joni Mitchell, Merry Clayton, Julia Tillman (background vocals).

Producer: Lou Adler.

Reissue producer: Bob Irwin.Rolling Stone (10/31/02, p.136) - Ranked # 19 in Rolling Stone's "Women in Rock: The 50 Essential Albums"
Rolling Stone (4/29/71, pp.40-41) - "...Carole King's second album, TAPESTRY, has fulfilled the promise of her first album and confirmed the fact that she is one of the most creative figures in all of pop music..."
Spin (p.101) - "King looked into herself and became a brilliant romantic realist."
Q (9/99, p.130) - 5 stars (out of 5) - "...if the term singer-songwriter gained currency anywhere, it wouldn't be far from here....King's inward-looking songs spoke of a mature woman going it alone, wounded but hopeful....perhaps it's time to put aside the baggage that TAPESTRY brings with it and celebrate instead a classic rock record..."
Dirty Linen (12/99-1/00, p.67) - "...this is a terrific set of songs...more than a quarter century after they first came to light, they are still fresh..."
Q (Magazine) (p.119) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "[O]ne of TAPESTRY's greatest charms is its lack of histrionics, with King's unpolished, lived-in voice....There is a real pleasure in hearing the love song in an expert's hands..."
Mojo (Publisher) (p.118) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "It's hard to think of another album that hit the Zeitgeist quite as emphatically as TAPESTRY."
Paste (magazine) (p.65) - "It's an exquisite, timeless work....TAPESTRY remains Carole King's definitive testimony..."
Record Collector (magazine) (p.96) - 5 stars out of 5 -- "[A]s good as you remember: mellow, exultant, heartfelt and even surprisingly dark, especially with the sad verses of the otherwise upbeat 'Beautiful'..."