As a long time music collector, it is always impossible for me to come up with one of those "Twenty-Five Best Albums of All Time," type lists that magazines, blogs and other media outlets are so fond of creating. While I could never put my favorite albums of all time in any sort of numeric order, there are half a dozen that always pop into my mind, no matter the time or place; Are You Experienced by The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Pet Sounds by The Beach Boys, Kind of Blue by Miles Davis, Sticky Fingers by The Rolling Stones, Songs in the Key of Life by Stevie Wonder and Tapestry by Carole King. While those six choices run the gamut from rock to jazz to soul and musical genres in-between, they all have one thing in common: no matter how many times you listen to each album, the music seems fresh and you always hear something new.
Tapestry was released a couple of years before I was born, but the album was in the record stack at my house and "I Feel the Earth Move" was still a regular staple on AM radio when I was a little girl. I can still remember hearing the opening piano chords of "I Feel the Earth Move" and wanting to take piano lessons. Unfortunately for me, by the time I was nine years old, it was clear I had no talent for the piano.
Carole King, born Carole Klein, was not short on musical talent. She wrote her first number one song, "Take Good Care of My Baby," with partner Gerry Goffin in 1961 when she was only 19 years old. The song writing team followed that up with "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow" sung by the Shirelles, "Pleasant Valley Sunday" sung by The Monkees and ""(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" sung by Aretha Franklin to name a few. All of these songs have subsequently been covered by other artists.
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