Writer (album)

Last updated
Writer
Carole King - Writer.png
Studio album by
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]

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, [5] 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, [6] 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

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carole King</span> American singer-songwriter (born 1942)

Carole King Klein is an American singer-songwriter and musician. One of the most successful female songwriters in the US, she wrote or co-wrote 118 pop hits appearing on the Billboard Hot 100 over the latter half of the 20th century. She also wrote 61 hits that charted in the UK, making her the most successful female songwriter on the UK singles charts between 1962 and 2005.

<i>Tapestry</i> (Carole King album) 1971 studio album by Carole King

Tapestry is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Carole King, released on February 10, 1971, by Ode Records and produced by Lou Adler. The album's lead singles, "It's Too Late" and "I Feel the Earth Move", spent five weeks at number one on both the Billboard Hot 100 and Easy Listening charts.

<i>Flag</i> (James Taylor album) 1979 studio album by James Taylor

Flag is the ninth studio album by American singer-songwriter James Taylor released on May 1, 1979. The album included songs from Taylor's music score to Stephen Schwartz's Broadway musical, Working, based on the book by Studs Terkel.

<i>Storm Front</i> (album) 1989 studio album by Billy Joel

Storm Front is the eleventh studio album by American singer-songwriter Billy Joel, released on October 17, 1989. It was Joel's third album to reach No. 1 in the U.S. and features "We Didn't Start the Fire", a fast-paced song that cataloged a list of historical events, trends, and cultural icons from 1949 until 1989, which was Joel's third Billboard No. 1 hit.

<i>Christmas and the Beads of Sweat</i> 1970 studio album by Laura Nyro

Christmas and the Beads of Sweat is the fourth album by New York-born singer, songwriter, and pianist Laura Nyro. The album was released on the Columbia Records label in November 1970 after Nyro had recorded it in the early summer with producers Felix Cavaliere and Arif Mardin. Whilst Nyro had handed over production reins, she was still in control of the project and co-arranged her compositions.

<i>The Living Room Tour</i> 2005 live album by Carole King

The Living Room Tour is a live album by Carole King released in 2005. It consists of live recordings of most of the songs from Tapestry. Her daughters Louise and Sherry and background singer and guitarist Gary Burr joined her on several songs. This album debuted at #17 in the US, becoming King's highest-charting album since 1977. That was largely due to television advertisements and that it was available in Starbucks retailers.

<i>Music</i> (Carole King album) 1971 studio album by Carole King

Music is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter Carole King. The album was released in December 1971.

<i>Nils Lofgren</i> (album) 1975 studio album by Nils Lofgren

Nils Lofgren is a 1975 album by Nils Lofgren, also known as the "Fat Man Album". It was his first solo album, following the breakup of his group, Grin.

<i>Love Makes the World</i> 2001 studio album by Carole King

Love Makes the World is the 16th studio album by Carole King, released in 2001. Distributed by Koch Records, it was her first release on her Rockingale Records label. As of 2024, it is her most recent album of new material.

<i>In Concert</i> (Carole King album) 1994 live album by Carole King

In Concert is a 1994 concert album by singer-songwriter Carole King.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Will You Love Me Tomorrow</span> 1960 single by the Shirelles

"Will You Love Me Tomorrow", sometimes known as "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow", is a song written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King. It was first recorded in 1960 by the Shirelles; released as a single that November, it became the first song by an African-American girl group to top the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It has since been recorded by many other artists, including King on her 1971 album Tapestry.

<i>Blood, Sweat & Tears 3</i> Album by Blood, Sweat & Tears

Blood, Sweat & Tears 3 is the third album by the band Blood, Sweat & Tears. It was released in June 1970.

<i>Rhymes & Reasons</i> (Carole King album) 1972 studio album by Carole King

Rhymes & Reasons is the fourth album by American singer-songwriter Carole King. Released in 1972, the album features a single "Been to Canaan", which topped the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart and peaked at number 24 on the Pop chart. The album itself also became a hit, reaching number two on the Billboard 200 chart.

<i>Wrap Around Joy</i> 1974 studio album by Carole King

Wrap Around Joy is the sixth album by American singer and songwriter Carole King, released in 1974. The album peaked at number one on the Billboard 200 albums chart in late 1974 and spun off successful singles with "Jazzman", which reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and earned King a nomination for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female in the 17th Grammy Awards ; and "Nightingale", which reached number nine on the Hot 100 chart and number six on the Easy Listening chart.

"Some Kind of Wonderful" is a song by Gerry Goffin and Carole King that was first released by the Drifters in 1961. The lead vocalist on the recording is Rudy Lewis..

<i>Speeding Time</i> 1983 studio album by Carole King

Speeding Time is an album by American singer-songwriter Carole King, released in 1983. King's 13th album in 14 years, Speeding Time was poorly reviewed and was her first album not to chart. Following the album's release, King did not record again for six years.

<i>Thoroughbred</i> (album) 1975 studio album by Carole King

Thoroughbred is the seventh album by American singer-songwriter Carole King, released in 1975. Her final release on Ode Records, it was produced by Lou Adler, who had been her collaborator since Tapestry (1971). After Carole King self produced for a number of years on Capitol and Atlantic Records, Lou Adler later rejoined King to produce her 1984 album Speeding Time.

<i>Pearls: Songs of Goffin and King</i> 1980 studio album by Carole King

Pearls: Songs of Goffin and King is an album by the American singer-songwriter Carole King, released in June 1980. It produced her last hit to date, "One Fine Day", which reached No. 12 on the charts.

"Where You Lead" is a song written in 1970 by Carole King with lyricist Toni Stern, introduced on King's iconic 1971 album Tapestry. A Top 40 hit for Barbra Streisand in both a studio and a live version — the latter in a medley entitled "Sweet Inspiration/ Where You Lead'" — the song has also served as the main theme song for The WB dramedy series Gilmore Girls in a lyrically revised version recorded by King and Louise Goffin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Smackwater Jack (song)</span> 1971 single by Carole King

"Smackwater Jack" is a song written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King. It was first released on King's 1971 album Tapestry and then on the second single from that album, along with "So Far Away", charting at number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was subsequently covered by many artists, most famously by Quincy Jones as the title song of his 1971 album Smackwater Jack.

References

  1. https://www.discogs.com/label/273170-Crystal-Sound [ bare URL ]
  2. https://www.discogs.com/artist/269308-John-Fischbach [ bare URL ]
  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. Billy Joe Royal, The Very Best of Billy Joe Royal: The Columbia Years (1965-1972) Retrieved September 23, 2012.
  6. https://www.discogs.com/label/273170-Crystal-Sound [ bare URL ]
  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