Writer (album)

Writer
Studio album by
ReleasedMay 1970
RecordedMarch–April 1970
StudioCrystal Sound, Hollywood[1]
GenrePop
Length44:11
LabelOde / A&M (Original Issue)
Ode / Epic (Re-issue)
ProducerJohn Fischbach[2]
Carole King chronology
Writer
(1970)
Tapestry
(1971)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic [3]
Christgau's Record GuideB[4]

Writer is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Carole King, released in May 1970. King already had a successful career as a songwriter, and been a part of The City, a short-lived group she formed after moving to Los Angeles in 1968. Tracks on the album include "Up on the Roof" which was a number 4 hit for the Drifters in 1962, and "Child of Mine", which has been recorded by Billy Joe Royal,[5] among others. The album did not receive much attention upon its release, though it entered the chart following the success of King's next album, Tapestry, in 1971. It was produced by John Fischbach, the co-founder of Crystal Sound studio,[1] in Hollywood, California, where the album was recorded.

The album received positive reviews from critics, with AllMusic noting that it was the "most underrated of all [her] original albums".[3] In a review that also covered Tapestry in Rolling Stone, Jon Landau wrote, "Writer was a blessing despite its faults" and that though the "production was poor", King herself made the album "very worthwhile".[6]

  1. ^ a b "Crystal Sound | Discogs".
  2. ^ "John Fischbach | Discogs".
  3. ^ a b Eder, Bruce. Writer at AllMusic. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
  4. ^ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: K". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved February 28, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
  5. ^ Billy Joe Royal, The Very Best of Billy Joe Royal: The Columbia Years (1965-1972) Retrieved September 23, 2012.
  6. ^ Landau, Jon (April 29, 1971). "Carole King Writer & Tapestry > Music Review". Rolling Stone. No. 81. Archived from the original on 2 October 2007. Retrieved 26 July 2006.