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If you were growing up in the 1970's you would surely have been humming along to one James Taylor or Carole King's tunes. Undoubtedly. The amount of hits they've had is extra-ordinary. Taylor achieved his first hit in 1970 with the single "Fire and Rain" and had his first #1 hit the following year with "You've Got a Friend", His 1976 Greatest Hits album sold 12 million copies.
Carole King meanwhile has been steadily writing hits for other artists (some for herself) for the best part of 50 years. In 2000 Billboard Magazine named her the most successful female songwriter of 1955-99 because she wrote or co-wrote 118 pop hits on the Billboard Hot 100.
Not only this but they have both worked with almost every iconic musician of that decade. From Paul McCartney, The Beatles, Simon and Garfunkel, Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Taylor even married one - in Carly Simon.
Then there is the tens of classic bands that King wrote for over the decade or the 1970 concert that they played at that launched Greenpeace.
No wonder they both have a garden sheds full of Grammy awards and are now iconic performers themselves. This new album is a distillation of their classics, performed at the height of their fame in the 1970's. If, like me, their names are familiar but have never been on your Ipod shuffle, or even in your CD tower, taking a dip into their music hasn't been easier than with this album. You might just discover a hidden gem that's been right under your nose for years!
Have a look see. And decide, once you've listened to Carole King whether you will "still love her tomorrow"?*
*yes, that's one of her famous long titles I got into that last line there. I thank you.
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