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The Second Disc is pleased to introduce our first contributor, Joe Marchese.  Joe is a NY/NJ-based writer, theatre director and music enthusiast, and is thrilled to be on board.

For many of her fans, Carole King’s career begins and ends with Tapestry. It’s not hard to see why; the seminal 1971 album spent fifteen weeks perched at No. 1 on Billboard’s album chart, remained on the chart for six years, spawned two chart-topping pop singles, and influenced an entire generation of introspective female singer/songwriters. It also launched Carole King to performing stardom. At the time of its release, though, the former Carole Klein was already a seasoned music industry veteran – one week shy of the age of 29! She had spent most of her twenties at an upright piano in the smoke-filled cubicles of 1650 Broadway writing some of the most famous songs of the ‘60s with then-husband Gerry Goffin: “The Loco-Motion,” “Up on the Roof,” “I’m Into Something Good” and “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman,” to name just a few. When she relocated to California’s Laurel Canyon as a newly-single mother at the dawn of a new decade, her 1960 hit “Will You Love Me Tomorrow” must have seemed a quaint, distant memory.

Yet, despite all of the Carole King retrospectives available over the years, no release had ever united both distinct eras of her career. Sony’s Legacy division rectifies that with the latest addition to their Essential series, The Essential Carole King. This looks to be an exciting addition to the library of any fan of great pop music. Disc One covers King’s solo career, beginning with her 1962 single “It Might As Well Rain Until September” but primarily focusing on her prime 1970s material recorded for Lou Adler’s Ode label. Rounding out the disc are more recent collaborations with Babyface and Celine Dion. Disc Two showcases the best of Carole King, songwriter, as performed by other artists.  The track listing for this disc has been in flux.  It was originally reported that the Beatles’ cover of “Chains” would be featured, but it now appears that the Cookies’ original has taken the Fabs’ place.  In addition, Steve Lawrence’s “Go Away Little Girl,” which hit Billboard’s pole position in 1962, looks to have given way to the Byrds’ country-flavored recording of “Wasn’t Born to Follow.”  Still, a Who’s Who of rock and soul is confirmed, including Dusty Springfield, Gene Pitney, The Everly Brothers, The Righteous Brothers, The Monkees, Aretha Franklin and even Billy Joel.

Sound enticing? The Essential Carole King streets on April 27 from Legacy.  Check out its Amazon listing here, and the full track listing can be found after the jump!

Disc One

1.       It Might As Well Rain Until September

2.       Child of Mine

3.       I Feel the Earth Move

4.       So Far Away

5.       It’s Too Late

6.       You’ve Got a Friend

7.       Sweet Seasons

8.       Been to Canaan

9.       Corazon

10.     Jazzman

11.     Nightingale

12.     Only Love is Real

13.     Will You Love Me Tomorrow/Some Kind of Wonderful/Up on the Roof (Live with James Taylor)

14.     Really Rosie

15.     Pierre

16.     You Can Do Anything (feat. Babyface)

17.     The Reason (feat. Celine Dion)

18.     Now and Forever

Track 1 from Companion/Dimension Single 2000 (1962)

Track 2 from Writer (Ode, 1970)

Tracks 3-6 from Tapestry (Ode, 1971)

Track 7 from Music (Ode, 1971)

Track 8 from Rhymes and Reasons (Ode, 1972)

Track 9 from Fantasy (Ode, 1973)

Tracks 10 & 11 from Wrap Around Joy (Ode, 1974)

Track 12 from Thoroughbred (Ode, 1976)

Track 13 from The Carnegie Hall Concert: June 18, 1971 (Ode/Epic/Legacy, 1996)

Tracks 14 & 15 from Really Rosie (Ode, 1975)

Tracks 16 & 17 from Love Makes the World (Rockingale, 2001)

Track 18 from A League of Their Own: Original Soundtrack (Sony, 1992)

Disc Two

1.       Will You Love Me Tomorrow – The Shirelles (Scepter 1211, 1960)

2.       Take Good Care of My Baby – Bobby Vee (Liberty 55354, 1961)

3.       Every Breath I Take – Gene Pitney (Musicor 1011, 1961)

4.       Crying in the Rain – The Everly Brothers (Warner Bros. 5250, 1961)

5.       The Loco-Motion – Little Eva (Dimension 1000, 1962)

6.       Up on the Roof – The Drifters (Atlantic 2162, 1962)

7.       Chains – The Cookies (Dimension 1002, 1962)

8.       One Fine Day – The Chiffons (Laurie 3179, 1963)

9.       Oh No, Not My Baby – Maxine Brown (Wand 162, 1964)

10.     Just Once in My Life – The Righteous Brothers (Philles 127, 1965)

11.     Pleasant Valley Sunday – The Monkees (Colgems 1007, 1967)

12.     (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman – Aretha Franklin (Atlantic 2441, 1967)

13.     No Easy Way Down – Dusty Springfield (from Dusty In Memphis, Atlantic 8214, 1969)

14.     Wasn’t Born to Follow – The Byrds (from The Notorious Byrd Brothers, Columbia CS9575/CL2775, 1968)

15.     Hey Girl – Billy Joel (from Greatest Hits Volume 3, Columbia CD, 1997)