Hello again!
This is the first release of a new small series – Sunday Sessions!
From today, and for at least the next 6 Sundays (but hopefully more, we’ll see how long I can keep it up) – I will release a major pack every Sunday. I’ve been sitting on a lot of unreleased customs – time to share with the world. So hopefully that will give you something nice to look forward to đŸ™‚
And we kick it off with something really special. I am very proud to present today the complete, full-album pack for one of the greatest and most iconic records ever made: Tapestry by Carole King.
Tapestry needs no introduction. Released in 1971, it spent an astonishing 302 weeks on the Billboard charts and swept the Grammy Awards that year, winning Album of the Year, Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Pop Vocal Performance. It is one of the best-selling albums in history, and for good reason – it is an intimate, beautifully crafted record filled with amazing songs, most (if not all) of them became classics of musical history.
For years, King was mostly known for writing songs for others — she wrote many hits for other artists in the 60s, most of them alongside her then-husband Gerry Goffin. The list is staggering: “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow” for The Shirelles (1960, their first #1), “The Loco-Motion” for Little Eva (1962), “Up on the Roof” for The Drifters (1963), “One Fine Day” for The Chiffons, “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” for Aretha Franklin — and even “Chains,” which The Beatles covered on Please Please Me.
But here, King steps forward as a singer and performer, reclaims them in her own voice and piano – in a personal and intimate setting. The piano is the heart of everything, and King’s playing and singing on this record are some of the finest ever committed to tape. James Taylor and Joni Mitchell contributed harmonies to the sessions, and that warm, collaborative spirit runs through every track. At times it feels like you’re in their living room. Yet this intimacy lived together with this huge legacy as one of America’s legendary records.
This pack includes every single song on the album – it deserves it!
Click on the visualizers to download.
Opening with the legendary, explosive “I Feel the Earth Move” (previously released in the Holiday Bash), It flows straight into the achingly beautiful “So Far Away,” one of King’s most emotionally resonant songs. Then comes the mega-hit “It’s Too Late,” which won the Grammy for Record of the Year. It’s cool and effortless on the surface, but full of subtle interplay between piano, bass and guitar that you’ll love to play. “Home Again” is quieter and more reflective, followed by “Beautiful,” a warm, affirmative and heartwarming song.
“Way Over Yonder” is a track people tend to overlook, but it’s one of the album’s hidden gems – gospel-tinged, with King’s voice really opening up and soaring. Definitely a tricky vocals chart! Plus there’s a lot of cool guitar, even if kinda buried in the mix – I digged it all up for you! Then comes “You’ve Got a Friend,” one of the most beloved songs on the record. James Taylor famously covered it and hit #1 with it that same year, but King’s own performance here – accompanying herself on piano, quiet and direct -remains the definitive version for me.
“Where You Lead“ was of course previously released by AJFOne23 – so be sure to check out their work on it! After that, “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow” is one of the great emotional moments of the album – originally performed by the Shirelles a full decade earlier, here King reinterpreting her own youthful hit from a place of real maturity and gives it new life. Just if you got too comfortable, “Smackwater Jack” arrives to shake everything up. Probably the most fun chart in the pack: a swaggering, driving number full of great playing across all instruments. That organ definitely took some time to figure out!
Finally, the album ends with a devastating quiet duo: the title track “Tapestry” sees Carole almost entirely on her own on the piano, and might be my favorite song on this record. It’s so beautiful! And finally – “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman,” originally made famous by Aretha Franklin, but King’s own performance here is stunning – competing head to head with the great Aretha. This song is still as beautiful as ever.
And as per tradition – bonus tracks!
This time we have “Bitter With the Sweet” – a brilliant song from King’s 1972 follow-up Rhymes & Reasons. It has a killer bass groove and some brilliant lead guitar, and it’s overall a blast on every instrument – and a personal favorite of mine. Enjoy!
That’s it! As I said, this is the first of the Sunday Sessions series – so be sure to check in next Sunday for the next release!
This release is part of the Album Series. Previous entries include:
1. The Beach Boys – Pet Sounds
2. Silver Jews – Tanglewood Numbers
3. Joy Division – Unknown Pleasures
4. Summer Salt – Happy Camper
5. My Chemical Romance – The Black Parade
6. Beach Bunny – Honeymoon & Blame Game
7. Jimi Hendrix – Band Of Gypsys
8. Red Hot Chili Peppers – Unlimited Love
9. Father John Misty – I Love You, Honeybear
10. King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard – Infest the Rats’ Nest
11. The Magnetic Fields – 69 Love Songs
12. The Stone Roses – The Stone Roses
13. George Harrison – All Things Must Pass
14. Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci – Barafundle
15. Suede – Autofiction
16. Silver Jews – American Water
17. Blur – Modern Life is Rubbish
18. R.E.M. – Murmur
19. Coldplay – Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends
20. Cream – Disraeli Gears
21. Tanya Donelly – Love Songs for Underdogs
22. The Gaslight Anthem – The ’59 Sound
23/24. The Breeders – Pod/Last Splash
25/26. Big Star – 1# Record/Radio City
27. The Strokes – Room on Fire
28. Echo & the Bunnymen – Ocean Rain
29/30. Stephen Malkmus – Stephen Malkmus/Pig Lib
31. The Clash – The Clash
32. Screaming Females – Desire Pathaway
33/34. Pixies – Come On Pilgrim/Surfer Rosa
35/36. The Jam – All Mod Cons/Sound Affects
37/38. Blondie – Blondie/Parallel Lines
39. Young the Giant – Young the Giant
40. The Undertones – The Undertones
41. Elvis Costello – Armed Forces
42. Sir Chole – Party Favors
43. Neil Young – Tonight’s the Night
44. The Gaslight Anthem – Handwritten
45/46. Pulp – His ‘N’ Hers/Different Class
47-51. Ninja Sex Party – Strawberries and Cream/The Prophecy/Cool Patrol/Attitude City/NSFW
52-53. The Sundays – Reading Writing And Arithmetic/Static And Silence
54. PJ Harvey – Dry
55-57. Green Day – Nimrod/Insomniac/Warning
58. The Zombies – Odessey & Oracle
59/60. Gram Parsons – GP/Grievous Angel
The Album Series is an ongoing collaborative project. If you would like to get involved, be sure to reach out to Yaniv297 for more information on how to participate.
