One at a Time: "Tapestry" (1971) by Carole King

 #36 "Tapestry" (1971) by Carole King

I have to admit that I'm already very well acquainted with "Tapestry." I listen to it all the time. I have two vinyl copies of it (one for me, one for my mom). I even have all seven seasons of "Gilmore Girls" on DVD, a TV show for which the album's 8th track, "Where You Lead," is the theme song.

And, to me, there's a damn good reason I know this album so well, and that reason is that it's a damn good album. There's not a weak song on it. The songs vary without being jagged. They are bluesy, messy, intimate, raw, confident, and beautiful.

Here's something that I can't say about every album, but when I realized it about "Tapestry," I thought it must be a good thing: I can simply look at the song titles, and hear the first notes of each song in my head. That's something that could be said about something that you listen to a lot, but also something that sticks with you well, something with strong individual components.

So, where does it rank on my list so far? It's actually somewhat similar to "Honky Chateau" in a way, in that both have very confident, fully-formed songs whose sound is based around the piano at the center, but I think it has a stronger voice behind it and has a better run of songs despite a longer track listing. And maybe someday, "The Bends" will catch up to an album like "Tapestry" for me, (which, by the way, I reserve the right to come back and change things. You can't stop me.) but for now, it's "Tapestry" all the way.

1. "Tapestry" (1971) by Carole King
2. "The Bends" (1995) by Radiohead
3. "Honky Chateau" (1972) by Elton John