Musical Mulligan No.2: Tapestry - Carole King (Released 10 February 1971)

    

       The concept for this sub-theme for this sub-series for the blog - my Musical Mulligans - is outlined here.
      
     One of the best-selling albums of all time, Carole King's Tapestry was released on February 10, 1971. Her second studio album, it remains an amazing accomplishment. Recorded the previous month, the album was released the day after her 29th birthday -- instant musical immortality.
     She wrote or co-wrote all of the songs on the album, two of the songs had already become hits performed by other artists: Aretha Franklin had had great success with "(You Make Me Feel) Like a Natural Woman", and way back in 1960 The Shirelles had recorded a version of "Will You Love Me Tomorrow?"
     Having heard King perform, it threw me that she had gone so long content to simply write and compose songs that others would use to build their fame, apparently not believing herself to be a performer. James Taylor, who would soon have a number one hit with his rendition of one of the cuts from this album "You've Got A Friend" encouraged King to perform and record her own songs. The James Taylor version is the one that I'm most familiar with. That one was released less than two months later. in April of this same year, and before that summer was over I must have heard it countless times, coming from speakers everywhere -- which was how I was hearing my music back in those years.

     As a first wave I just set the album up and let it play while I did my normal, scattershot mix of multitasks. It was mid-January, and so plenty of time to soak in the tracks.
     Tapestry has maintained its place as King's most successful album of the 25 I'm aware of. I'm sure there's more than one edge to that sword, as while it's an astounding achievement to have such lasting success at all, but to do it with one's second album... has to prove a little daunting. That nibbling fear that one's already done their best work. I hope that hasn't been a drag on her, and that, instead, it's provided her the lasting credit to not have to feel a need to prove anything to anyone ever again, and to remain free to create.