Tapestry (Carole King album)
| Tapestry | ||||
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 Cover by Jim McCrary |
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| Studio album by Carole King | ||||
| Released | February 10, 1971 | |||
| Recorded | January 1971 at A&M Recording Studios | |||
| Genre | Folk pop, folk rock | |||
| Length | 44:31 | |||
| Label | Ode | |||
| Producer | Lou Adler | |||
| Carole King chronology | ||||
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Tapestry is a pop album by singer-songwriter Carole King, released in 1971 on Ode Records. It is one of the best-selling albums of all-time, with over 25 million copies sold worldwide[1] In the U.S., it has been certified diamond by the RIAA with more than 10 million copies sold.[2] It received four Grammy Awards in 1972, including Album of the Year. The lead single from the album, "It's Too Late"/"I Feel The Earth Move" was number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for 5 weeks. In 2003, Tapestry was ranked number 36 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.[3]
Contents |
Production [edit]
King wrote or co-wrote all of the songs on the album, several of which had already been hits for other artists such as Aretha Franklin's "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" (in 1967) and The Shirelles' "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" (in 1960). Three songs were co-written with King's ex-husband Gerry Goffin. James Taylor, who encouraged King to sing her own songs, and who also played on Tapestry, would have a #1 hit with "You've Got a Friend." Two songs were co-written with Toni Stern: "It's Too Late" and "Where You Lead".
Sales and chart success [edit]
Tapestry was number 1 on the Billboard 200 for 15 consecutive weeks, and held the record for most weeks at number 1 by a female solo artist for over 40 years until surpassed by Adele's 21 in 2012.[4] It still holds the record for most consecutive weeks at number 1 by a female solo artist. The album has been listed on the Billboard 200 for over 300 weeks between 1971 and 2011, the longest by a female solo artist.[5][6] In terms of time on the charts, it ranks fifth overall, and in terms of length on the charts for solo musical acts it ranks second. It remains the longest charting album by a female solo artist. Of all the albums by female artists to be certified diamond, it was the first released.[7]
Reception [edit]
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |  [8] |
| Okayplayer | (96/100; 2008 Legacy Edition)[9] |
| Q Magazine | |
| Robert Christgau | A−[10] |
| Rolling Stone | (positive)[11] |
| Uncut |  [12] |
The album was well received by critics; Robert Christgau felt that her voice, raw and imperfect, free of "technical decorum", would liberate female singers[10] while Jon Landau in Rolling Stone felt that King was one of the most creative pop music figures and had created an album of "surpassing personal-intimacy and musical accomplishment".[11]
Along with being selected Album of the Year, it also received Grammys for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, Record of the Year ("It's Too Late"), and Song of the Year ("You've Got a Friend"), making King the first solo female artist to win the Grammy Award for Record of the Year, and the first female to win the Grammy Award for Song of the Year.
In 2003, the album was ranked number 36 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.[3] In 2001, the VH1 TV network named Tapestry the 39th greatest album ever. In 2003, it was one of 50 recordings chosen by the Library of Congress to be added to the National Recording Registry.[13]
Various artists combined to re-record all the original tracks for more than one tribute album; the first, released in 1995, entitled Tapestry Revisited: A Tribute to Carole King, which was certified gold, and the second, released in 2003, entitled A New Tapestry — Carole King Tribute.
Cover art [edit]
The cover photograph was taken by A&M staff photographer Jim McCrary at King's Laurel Canyon home.[14] It shows her sitting in a window frame, holding a tapestry she hand stitched herself, with her cat Telemachus at her feet.[15]
Track listing [edit]
All songs written by Carole King except where noted.
Side 1
- "I Feel the Earth Move" – 2:58
- "So Far Away" – 3:55
- "It's Too Late" (lyrics by Toni Stern) – 3:53
- "Home Again" – 2:29
- "Beautiful" – 3:08
- "Way Over Yonder" – 4:44
Side 2
- "You've Got a Friend" – 5:09
- "Where You Lead" (lyrics by Toni Stern) – 3:20
- "Will You Love Me Tomorrow?" (Gerry Goffin, King) – 4:12
- "Smackwater Jack" (Goffin, King) – 3:41
- "Tapestry" – 3:13
- "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" (Goffin, King, Jerry Wexler) – 3:49
- 1999 CD reissue
The album was reissued in 1999 on CD, with two previously unreleased bonus tracks.
- 13 "Out in the Cold" (bonus track) – 2:44
- 14 "Smackwater Jack" (Live) (bonus track) – 3:21
- 2008 "Legacy Edition"
In 2008, Sony/BMG, Epic, and Ode released a 2-disc "Legacy Edition". One disc is the original album remastered; the second disc is live performances of 11 of the 12 songs, recorded in 1973 at Boston, Columbia, Maryland, and Central Park, New York; and in 1976 at the San Francisco Opera House. "Where You Lead" is the song not included on the live disc.
| Live disc track listing |
|---|
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Personnel [edit]
- Carole King – piano, keyboards, vocals, background vocals
- Curtis Amy – flute, baritone saxophone, soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone, string quartet
- Steve Barzyk – drums
- David Campbell – cello, viola
- Merry Clayton – background vocals
- Terry King – cello, tenor saxophone, string quartet
- Danny "Kootch" Kortchmar – acoustic guitar, conga, electric guitar, vocals
- Russ Kunkel – drums
- Charles "Charlie" Larkey – electric bass, string bass, string quartet
- Joni Mitchell – background vocals
- Joel O'Brien – drums
- Michael Pultand
- Ralph Schuckett – electric piano
- Barry Socher – violin, tenor saxophone, viola, string quartet
- Perry Steinberg – bass, violin, tenor saxophone, string bass
- "The Mitchell/Taylor Boy and Girl Choir" (Joni Mitchell and James Taylor) – background vocals
- James Taylor – acoustic guitar, granfalloon
- Julia Tillman – background vocals
- Production
- Producer: Lou Adler
- Engineer: Hank Cicalo; 1971 LP was recorded in Studio B @ A&M Records
- Photography: Jim McCrary
- Liner notes: James Taylor
Charts [edit]
- Album charts
| Year | Country/Chart | Peak[16] position |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | US Pop albums | 1 |
| 1971 | Australia Goset | 1 |
| 1971 | United Kingdom | 3 |
| 1971 | Norway | 8 |
| 1971 | Japan | 29 |
| 1971 | New Zealand | 13 |
| 2000 | US Top Internet albums | 13 |
- Singles charts
| Singles – Billboard (U.S.) | |||
| Year | Single | Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | "I Feel the Earth Move" | Pop Singles | 1 |
| 1971 | "It's Too Late" | Adult Contemporary | 1 |
| 1971 | "It's Too Late" | Pop Singles | 1 |
| 1971 | "Smackwater Jack" | Pop Singles | 14 |
| 1971 | "So Far Away" | Adult Contemporary | 3 |
| 1971 | "So Far Away" | Pop Singles | 14 |
Hits from Tapestry [edit]
In total, eight of the twelve songs from Tapestry were or became hits, four of which became hits by Carole King.
| Year | Artist | Song | Chart Position | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | The Shirelles |
"Will You Love Me Tomorrow" |
1 | |
| 1967 | Aretha Franklin | "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" | 8 | |
| 1971 | Carole King | "It's Too Late" | 1 | |
| 1971 | Carole King | "I Feel the Earth Move" | 1 | With "It's Too Late" |
| 1971 | Carole King | "So Far Away" | 14 | |
| 1971 | Carole King | "Smackwater Jack" | 14 | With "So Far Away" |
| 1971 | James Taylor | "You've Got a Friend" | 1 | |
| 1971 | Barbra Streisand | "Where You Lead" | 40 | |
| 1972 | Barbra Streisand | "Where You Lead" | 37 | Barbra Streisand released a live version of the song in 1972 along with "Sweet Inspiration" |
Sales and certifications [edit]
| Region | Certification | Sales/shipments |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[17] | 10× Platinum | 10,000,000^ |
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*sales figures based on certification alone |
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Awards and honors [edit]
- Awards
| Grammy Awards | ||
| Year | Winner | Category |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | Tapestry | Album Of The Year |
| 1972 | "It's Too Late" | Record Of The Year |
| 1972 | "You've Got a Friend" | Song Of The Year |
| 1972 | Tapestry | Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female |
- Honors
In 2003 Tapestry was one of 50 recordings chosen to be added to the National Recording Registry. Recordings added to the National Recording Registry are picked to be preserved in the Library of Congress, the largest library in the world, as they are "culturally, historically, or aesthetically important."
| Rankings | ||
| Organization awarded by | List | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Rolling Stone Magazine | The RS 500 Greatest Albums of All Time | 36[3] |
| VH1 | 100 Greatest Albums | 39[18] |
See also [edit]
References [edit]
- ^ http://caroleking.com/media/13/CAROLE%20KING%20FACT%20SHEET%202005.pdf
- ^ RIAA Gold and Platinum Accessed 27-02-2010
- ^ a b c Levy, Joe; Steven Van Zandt (2006) [2005]. "36 | Tapestry – Carole King". Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time (3rd ed.). London: Turnaround. ISBN 1-932958-61-4. OCLC 70672814. Retrieved 16 Aug 2009.
- ^ Billboard Accessed 27-02-2010
- ^ USA Today. May 4, 2011 http://content.usatoday.com/communities/idolchatter/post/2011/05/adele-remains-at-no-1-idol-boosts-crystal-bowersox-carole-king/1
|url=missing title (help). - ^ "Music Albums, Top 200 Albums & Music Album Charts". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2011-12-26.
- ^ "Recording Industry Association of America". RIAA. Retrieved 2011-12-26.
- ^ Ankeny, Jason. Tapestry (Carole King album) at Allmusic
- ^ Book, John (05/06/2008). "Carole King Tapestry (Legacy Ed.) > Review". Okayplayer. Archived from the original on 7 Jun 2008.
- ^ a b Christgau, Robert. "Carole King: Tapestry > Consumer Guide Review". Robert Christgau. Retrieved 2011-02-06.
- ^ a b Landau, Jon (April 29, 1971). "Carole King Tapestry > Review". Rolling Stone (81). Archived from the original on 2008-04-18. Retrieved 2011-02-06.
- ^ David Cavanagh Uncut magazine, September 2008.
- ^ The National Recording Registry 2003 National Recording Board of the Library of Congress
- ^ Valerie J. Nelson (6 May 2012). "Jim McCrary obituary: Rock photographer dies at 72 - Los Angeles Times". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 18 March 2013.
- ^ Helen Brown (22 April 2009). "Carole King interview". The Daily Telegraph (London).
- ^ "Album artist 223 – Carole King". Tsort.info. Retrieved 2011-12-26.
- ^ "American album certifications – Carole King – Tapestry". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved October 16, 2012. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH
- ^ VH1: 100 Greatest Albums. MTV. 2003-09-01. ISBN 978-0743448765.
External links [edit]
- Tapestry (Adobe Flash) at Radio3Net (streamed copy where licensed)
| Preceded by Sticky Fingers by The Rolling Stones |
Billboard 200 number-one album June 19 – October 1, 1971 |
Succeeded by Every Picture Tells a Story by Rod Stewart |
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