Ten Albums "Everybody" Owned -- Including Me: Tapestry (#3)

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Midweek dawns, and the summer work schedule for me starts to wind down. In another month I'll be back at the old five-day-a-week grind (and some weeks six days), but it's been a nice summer. And, I do still have a month to go! I also have three albums to go on my list of big-selling classics that lots of people owned, including myself. Here's the next album on the list. #3: Tapestry - Carole King From the subject of classmate Neil Sedaka's song "Oh! Carol" to the subject of a Broadway play, Carole King's Hall of Fame (as a songwriter) career has been spectacular. She wrote a considerable amount of the soundtrack of the 60s, from "The Loco-Motion" (which is still being covered) to "Take Good Care of My Baby" to "Will You Love Me Tomorrow." Then came 1971. Fresh from her divorce with husband/songwriting partner Gerry Goffin, King released Tapestry. And wow. It spent nearly four months at #1 on the charts and spawned a #1 single, "It's Too Late." The album earned King four Grammy awards. To date, it's sold over 25 million copies. Even 45-plus years later, this album still receives accolades. Rolling Stone had it in the top 40 of "500 Greatest Albums of All Time," and it's been preserved in the Library of Congress. The majesty of this album -- from its anthem "You've Got a Friend" (famously covered by James Taylor) to the rock of "I Feel the Earth Move" and "Smackwater Jack" to the mournful title song -- is preserved in our collective memories as well. This was one of the albums that people my age knew start to finish. You've probably noticed that I've not been fond of a few of the albums I bought, but I think Tapestry deserved every positive word written about it. Oh, and the cat on the cover? That's Telemachus. Tapestry Recorded by Carole King Produced by Lou Adler Released in 1971 Interestingly enough, there's a song called "So Far Away" on the #5 album (Brothers in Arms), too. A good song, too, but much different than this gem: