The 1980 Listening Post - Carole King - Pearls Songs of Goffin and King

 Reviewed by Thom Gridley

Released: 1980 Carole King Pearls Songs Of Goffin And King Genre: Pop, Soft-Rock, Soul Rating: 3.85 out of 5 Highlights: One Fine Day Oh No Not My Baby Wasn’t Born to Follow Going Back Hi De Ho Fast Facts: + This is her #11 album of 22 between 1970 and 2012 + 22 different musicians are listed on this album + 10 songs, 33:22 Album Length + Tapestry was the all-time best-selling record of all time until Thriller + She released an album every year from 1970 to 1980 + Only 4 Grammy Wins and 9 Nominations (Hard to believe) Undoubtedly, Carole King is in the Pantheon of Women’s Singer/Songwriters for all time. This Buffet Style collection pulls from the archive of songs she wrote for other iconic artists like the Shirelles, Bobby Vee, Little Eva, Beatles, Drifters, and many others. Some forensics on this recording reveal that the marketing investment for this release was underwhelming and that its promotion was limited in scale. This album only reached #44 on the Billboard 100, and stayed on the charts for a short time. There is certainly some magic to this album, but there is barely a mention of it in web queries of CK’s top 5 or 10 albums of all time. When you get to the mountain top, like Tapestry, it can be a bit of a challenge to summit Everest twice. Some of the songs are worth stowing in your weekender bag, but I implore traveling light on this one. With that in mind, I suggest you throw a few of these in your duffle: “One Fine Day” - has this uplifting piano catchiness bundled with some fun but predictable drum fills. This was probably one of my favorites. “Oh No Not My Baby” - has that classic Carole King “You’ve Got A friend” vibe, but invokes a bit of Pop-bluesy sparkle. “Wasn’t Born to Follow” - has some exquisite banjo. I'm always surprised how much I enjoy the banjo with selected moments. “Going Back” - has an easy, atmospheric, soft-county pop-ish tone with Carole’s folky-drift tenor voice and some flowing harmonica. Sort of an open road, place it on the dash as you cross state-lines sort of sound. I’m ok keeping the album's promotional single “Dancin with Tears in My Eyes” and the infectious bubble -gum hit “Locomotion” back in the garage. All in all, this barely blipped in 1980, but Carole is a legend and deserves the respect that many women artist don’t often get when compared to their male counterparts.