Carol King

The Legendary Demos                               

Rockingale/Hear Music, 2012

Even if you’re personally unfamiliar with Carol King, you’d have to be cloistered for the past 40 years to not recognize the titles included here. King, either single handedly or collaborating with her writing partner (and one-time husband) Gerry Goffin is responsible for some of the most iconic songs of the 1960s and ‘70s.

‘Legendary Demos’ offers a window onto King’s original thoughts on these thirteen songs. Dating back to 1962 when she and Goffin worked together in New York’s Brill Building as staff songwriters , through to 1971 when the recently divorced King moved west and settled into Laurel Canyon.  Never intended for release, these demos are more than simple outlines; these are fully crafted and well developed masterpieces and show some of Kings most beautifully relaxed performances.

Opening with a full band performance of ‘Pleasant Valley Sunday,’ best known as a hit for the Monkees, King delivers something inherently more personal than mere observations on suburban living.  Other tracks are more spartan demos allowing the focal point to be Kings vocals and show off her exquisite wordplay. The CD wraps up with “You’ve got a Friend,” Originally released on her Tapestry LP, but a seminal hit for James Taylor.  There’s a dry, quality to the recording, an intimacy of sussing this song and these emotions out for herself,  not yet ready to share it with an audience.

“Tapestry,” “Take Good Care of My Baby,” and “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman,” are among the tracks we are suddenly privy to; a chance to hear them once again, for the first time.