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Carole King - Writer 1970 [EAC - FLAC] (oan)
Review by Bruce Eder from allmusic.com
Writer is the most underrated of all of Carole King's original albums, in that it was
completely ignored when it came out in 1971 and didn't really start to sell until
Tapestry whetted everyone's appetite for her work. It's an album of its time, in both
King's life and career, and the music of its era -- singer/songwriters were still
something new, and in 1970, it was assumed that anyone in rock had to tend toward
the extrovert and flashy to attract attention. Thus, Writer has a somewhat louder
sound than the relatively lean, introspective strains of Tapestry which followed.
"Spaceship Races," which opens the record, features Danny Kootch Kortchmar
playing full-out electric guitar, chopping and crunching away with his amp turned way
up, and King belting out a number behind his bluesy licks that makes her sound like
Grace Slick and the song come off like a pounding (and good) Jefferson Airplane
number of the same era, with a great vocal hook at the end of the verses. "No Easy
Way Down," with its soulful instrumental and backing arrangement, calls to mind not
only her own "Natural Woman" as done by Aretha Franklin, but also (in terms of New
York white women belting out soul) Laura Nyro at her best, and it's also a great tune
with a killer performance by King, whose wailing voice is extraordinarily powerful
here. "Child of Mine" is the closest that the album gets to the voice that she found on
Tapestry, while "Goin' Back" gives a more personal and elegant take to a song that is
otherwise thoroughly identified with the Byrds; and "To Love" has King diving into
country music, which she pulls off with exceptional grace, the song's title referring to a
beguilingly innocent and free-spirited chorus that, once heard, stays with you. Even
the least interesting of the songs here, "What Have You Got to Lose," is unusual in
the context of King's overall work, with its heavy acoustic rhythm guitar, soaring
backing vocals, and King's bold near-falsetto on the choruses. And that's just Side
One of the original LP / Side Two opens a little more slackly with the beautiful,
reflective, but slightly too languid "Eventually," and the delightful "Raspberry Jam,"
which offers a soaring guitar showcase for Kortchmar (whose playing intersects the
sounds of Roger McGuinn and David Crosby off of the Byrds' "Eight Miles High"), and
a head-spinning, swirling organ from Ralph Schuckett weaving below and around
King's piano, plus one of King's most playful vocals on record. The album ends on a
special high note, King's singer/songwriter-styled reinterpretation of "Up on the Roof,"
which anticipates the sound she would perfect for Tapestry, emphasizing words and
their feeling and meaning as much as music, and expressing herself principally
through her voice and piano, moving the band out of the way. Ironically enough, if
Writer had been released by almost any other artist, it would command a near-top
rating and probably be a fondly remembered period cult item today; instead, for all of
its merits, it must stand in the shadow of King's more accomplished and distinctive
work that followed -- but even slightly "off-brand," under-developed Carole King music
from 1970 is still worth hearing today.
01. "Spaceship Races" – 3:09
02. "No Easy Way Down" – 4:36
03. "Child of Mine" – 4:05
04. "Goin' Back" – 3:20
05. "To Love" – 3:39
06. "What Have You Got to Lose" – 3:33
07. "Eventually" – 5:01
08. "Raspberry Jam" (King, Toni Stern) – 4:35
09. "Can't You Be Real" – 3:00
10. "I Can't Hear You No More" – 2:46
11. "Sweet Sweetheart" – 2:46
12. "Up on the Roof" – 3:37
Playing Time.........: 00:44:09
Total Size...........: 240.82 MB
Personnel
Carole King - Piano, Vocals, Backing Vocals, & Arrangements
Ralph Schuckett - Organ
John Fischbach - Moog Synthesizer
James Taylor - Acoustic Guitar & Backing Vocals
Daniel Kortchmar - Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Conga
Charles Larkey - Fender Bass
Joel O'Brien - Drums, Percussion, Vibes
Abigale Haness and Delores Hall - Backing Vocals
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