Writer (album)

Last updated
Writer
Carole King - Writer.png
Studio album by
Carole King
ReleasedMay 1970
RecordedMarch–April 1970
StudioCrystal Sound, Hollywood [1]
Genre Pop
Length44:11
Label Ode / A&M (Original Issue)
Ode / Epic (Re-issue)
Producer John Fischbach [2]
Carole King chronology
Writer
(1970)		 Tapestry
(1971)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [3]
Christgau's Record Guide B [4]
Music Week Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [5]

Writer is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Carole King, released in May 1970. King already had a successful career as a songwriter, and been a part of The City, a short-lived group she formed after moving to Los Angeles in 1968. Tracks on the album include "Up on the Roof" which was a number 4 hit for the Drifters in 1962, and "Child of Mine", which has been recorded by Billy Joe Royal, [6] among others. The album did not receive much attention upon its release, though it entered the chart following the success of King's next album, Tapestry , in 1971. It was produced by John Fischbach, the co-founder of Crystal Sound studio, [1] in Hollywood, California, where the album was recorded.

Contents

The album received positive reviews from critics, with AllMusic noting that it was the "most underrated of all [her] original albums". [3] In a review that also covered Tapestry in Rolling Stone , Jon Landau wrote, "Writer was a blessing despite its faults" and that though the "production was poor", King herself made the album "very worthwhile". [7]

Track listing

All songs written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King; lyrics for "Raspberry Jam" and "What Have You Got to Lose" by Toni Stern.

Side one
  1. "Spaceship Races" – 3:09
  2. "No Easy Way Down" – 4:36
  3. "Child of Mine" – 4:05
  4. "Goin' Back" – 3:20
  5. "To Love" – 3:39
  6. "What Have You Got to Lose" – 3:33
Side two
  1. "Eventually" – 5:01
  2. "Raspberry Jam" – 4:35
  3. "Can't You Be Real" – 3:00
  4. "I Can't Hear You No More" – 2:46
  5. "Sweet Sweetheart" – 2:46
  6. "Up on the Roof" – 3:37

Personnel

Production

Charts

Chart (1971)Position
Canadian RPM Albums Chart [8] 62
Japanese Oricon Albums Chart [9] 67
US Billboard Top LPs [10] 84

References

  1. 1 2 "Crystal Sound | Discogs".
  2. ↑ "John Fischbach | Discogs".
  3. 1 2 Eder, Bruce. Writer at AllMusic. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
  4. ↑ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: K". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies . Ticknor & Fields. ISBN   089919026X . Retrieved February 28, 2019– via robertchristgau.com.
  5. ↑ "Album Reviews: Carole King — Writer" (PDF). Music Week . Gwent: Pensord Press Ltd. March 10, 1979. p. 30. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 24, 2024. Retrieved March 28, 2025– via WorldRadioHistory.com.
  6. ↑ Billy Joe Royal, The Very Best of Billy Joe Royal: The Columbia Years (1965-1972) Retrieved September 23, 2012.
  7. ↑ Landau, Jon (April 29, 1971). "Carole King Writer & Tapestry > Music Review". Rolling Stone . No. 81. Archived from the original on 2 October 2007. Retrieved 26 July 2006.
  8. ↑ Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 2011-02-02
  9. ↑ Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970-2005 (in Japanese). Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN   4-87131-077-9.
  10. ↑ Allmusic - Carole King > Writer > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums
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