some kind of wonderful
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Artist:
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Album:Troubador May 1971
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Track:So Far Away/Will You Love Me Tomorrow/Some Kind of Wonderful/Up On The Roof
You can sprint through "Girls Like Us," the new book about Joni Mitchell, Carly Simon and Carole King, in a few sessions; even though it's long, it's juicily anecdotal, and once author Sheila Weller has disposed of the early-'70s period when each of these artists peaked commercially, it becomes a standard rundown of albums and lovers, methodically recited without much critical insight or lively writing. I found the early King chapters the most interesting, when she was writing all those great songs with Gerry Goffin at Aldon Music, although I'm sure that some people will get a kick out of the creative exploits and overlapping couplings of Joni and Carly.
The biggest album by far to come out of Weller's trio was King's "Tapestry," and how you feel about it may depend on how you feel about what it represented: the apex of the singer-songwriter boom, the gentle, soft-focus era that filled the lull, I'm going to say, between Woodstock/Altamont and the dawn of punk. I wasn't listening to a lot of rock at the time; I didn't care for prog-rock at all, or post-Zep metal, or stuff like The Doobie Brothers. I loved The Allman Brothers Band, and liked Steely Dan, but before Springsteen and The New York Dolls came along, rock took a back seat. I went back and found a lot of jazz I'd missed, and stuck with some of my '60s favorites, and rediscovered Sinatra, Nat 'King' Cole and Billie Holiday. Oh, and I started listening to a lot more country music (especially Merle Haggard and George Jones). It was also a GREAT time for R&B: Philly Int'l, Al Green, Curtis Mayfield, Marvin and Stevie, Sly...But like pretty much everyone else in the U.S.A., I had a soft spot for "Tapestry." I'd always loved Carole's songs for The Drifters, The Shirelles, The Cookies, even Bobby Vee, and if she wanted to sing her own material, that was fine with me. "Tapestry" didn't seem wimpy: it was Brooklyn-Jewish soul music transposed to Los Angeles, anchored by Carole's confident piano playing (I'd always thought she'd played the thrilling break on The Chiffons' "One Fine Day," and now I was convinced of it), and even the drippier songs, such as the title track, had a cracked-voice sincerity.There's a deluxe version of "Tapestry" coming out soon (if it isn't out already) from my old friends at Sony Legacy, and it's supposed to have some rare, live solo-piano takes of the album's songs, in sequence. I haven't gotten it yet, but its release, and the Weller book, seemed like an excuse to go into the bootleg files and find a May 1971 Carole King set at the Troubador in LA. May '71 was when the album was in the midst of its remarkable ascent (it was everywhere all summer long), but there's a relaxed, hometown feel to the performance. I'm going to try and post (if it isn't too long an MP3) "So Far Away" followed by a medley of "Will You Love Me Tomorrow," "Some Kind of Wonderful," and "Up On The Roof."
The biggest album by far to come out of Weller's trio was King's "Tapestry," and how you feel about it may depend on how you feel about what it represented: the apex of the singer-songwriter boom, the gentle, soft-focus era that filled the lull, I'm going to say, between Woodstock/Altamont and the dawn of punk. I wasn't listening to a lot of rock at the time; I didn't care for prog-rock at all, or post-Zep metal, or stuff like The Doobie Brothers. I loved The Allman Brothers Band, and liked Steely Dan, but before Springsteen and The New York Dolls came along, rock took a back seat. I went back and found a lot of jazz I'd missed, and stuck with some of my '60s favorites, and rediscovered Sinatra, Nat 'King' Cole and Billie Holiday. Oh, and I started listening to a lot more country music (especially Merle Haggard and George Jones). It was also a GREAT time for R&B: Philly Int'l, Al Green, Curtis Mayfield, Marvin and Stevie, Sly...But like pretty much everyone else in the U.S.A., I had a soft spot for "Tapestry." I'd always loved Carole's songs for The Drifters, The Shirelles, The Cookies, even Bobby Vee, and if she wanted to sing her own material, that was fine with me. "Tapestry" didn't seem wimpy: it was Brooklyn-Jewish soul music transposed to Los Angeles, anchored by Carole's confident piano playing (I'd always thought she'd played the thrilling break on The Chiffons' "One Fine Day," and now I was convinced of it), and even the drippier songs, such as the title track, had a cracked-voice sincerity.There's a deluxe version of "Tapestry" coming out soon (if it isn't out already) from my old friends at Sony Legacy, and it's supposed to have some rare, live solo-piano takes of the album's songs, in sequence. I haven't gotten it yet, but its release, and the Weller book, seemed like an excuse to go into the bootleg files and find a May 1971 Carole King set at the Troubador in LA. May '71 was when the album was in the midst of its remarkable ascent (it was everywhere all summer long), but there's a relaxed, hometown feel to the performance. I'm going to try and post (if it isn't too long an MP3) "So Far Away" followed by a medley of "Will You Love Me Tomorrow," "Some Kind of Wonderful," and "Up On The Roof."
Comments (7)
I enjoyed this so much. Did you happen to notice my post about Connie Converse? Her sound reminds me of Joni Mitchell.