Writer (album)

1970 studio album by Carole King

Writer

Studio album by

Carole King

Released| May 1970
Recorded| March–April 1970
Studio| Crystal Sound, Hollywood[1]
Genre|

* Soft rock
* pop

Length| 44:11
Label| Ode / A&M (Original Issue)
Ode / Epic (Re-issue)
Producer| John Fischbach[2]
Carole King chronology
|  | Writer
(1970)  | Tapestry
(1971)

|
|

Professional ratingsReview scores

Source| Rating
AllMusic|  [3]
Christgau's Record Guide| B[4]
Music Week| [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.

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

[edit]

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

Side oneNo.| Title| Length

|
|

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 twoNo.| Title| Length

|
|

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

[edit]

* Carole King - piano, vocals, backing vocals, arrangements
* Ralph Schuckett - organ
* John Fischbach - Moog synthesizer
* James Taylor - acoustic guitar; backing vocals on "Goin' Back"
* Danny Kortchmar - acoustic guitar, electric guitar, conga
* Charles Larkey - Fender bass
* Joel O'Brien - drums, percussion, vibes
* Abigale Haness, Delores Hall - backing vocals

## Production

[edit]

* John Fischbach - producer
* Andrew Berliner - engineer
* Gerry Goffin - mixing
* Guy Webster - cover photograph
* Tom Neuwirth - liner photographs
* Rod Dyer, Paul Bruhwiler - layout, design

## Charts

[edit]

Chart (1971)  | Position

|

Canadian RPM Albums Chart[8] | 62
Japanese Oricon Albums Chart[9] | 67
US Billboard Top LPs[10] | 84

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b "Crystal Sound | Discogs".
2. ^ "John Fischbach | Discogs".
3. ^ a b 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 October 2, 2007. Retrieved July 26, 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

* v
* t
* e

Carole King

Studio albums|

* Writer
* Tapestry
* Carole King Music
* Rhymes & Reasons
* Fantasy
* Wrap Around Joy
* Really Rosie
* Thoroughbred
* Simple Things
* Welcome Home
* Touch the Sky
* Pearls: Songs of Goffin and King
* One to One
* Speeding Time
* City Streets
* Colour of Your Dreams
* Love Makes the World

Compilations|

* Her Greatest Hits: Songs of Long Ago
* The Legendary Demos

Live albums|

* In Concert
* The Carnegie Hall Concert: June 18, 1971
* The Living Room Tour
* Live at the Troubadour

Other albums|

* A Holiday Carole

Singles|

* "It Might as Well Rain Until September"
* "Up on the Roof"
* "It's Too Late"/"I Feel the Earth Move"
* "So Far Away"/"Smackwater Jack"
* "You've Got a Friend"/"Beautiful" (Scandinavia only)
* "Sweet Seasons"
* "Been to Canaan"
* "Jazzman"
* "Nightingale"
* "Only Love Is Real"
* "One Fine Day"
* "Now and Forever"

Other songs|

* "Wasn't Born to Follow"
* "Goin' Back
* "I Can't Hear You No More"
* "Where You Lead"
* "Will You Love Me Tomorrow"
* "It's Going to Take Some Time"
* "No Sad Song"
* "Some Kind of Wonderful"
* "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman"
* "Chains"

Related articles|

* Discography
* Troubadour Reunion Tour
* A Natural Woman: A Memoir
* Tapestry Revisited: A Tribute to Carole King
* Marcia Sings Tapestry
* Beautiful: The Carole King Musical

* Category

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz release group

|

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