Original Album Classics Slipcase

As much as I love all of these CDs and as a listener of Carole King's work for the last 40 years, I'd have to say Thoroughbred is more important and a better album than Writer. Also, I don't understand why we can't have the superior sound that the Japanese imports offer. Still, this is a great price for the most of King's Ode albums...just wish there were one more.

Great Cd's

The breadth and depth of Carole king’s talents are amply displayed by these five albums. Although none equal tapestry, the cumulative songwriting and performing/arranging talents she showcases in these five albums is something few others have approached. And at this sets price, a fine bargain to boot!

Loved Carole King eversince listening to Tapestry. Grew curious of her other material, and this product was just the thing that satesfied the thirst. 5 albums in a nice compact box, with each paper case like little mini LPs, you can't go wrong other than there are no booklets with the cd but hey, i'm in it for the music. All in all, a great deal that saves you money and gives you what you want all at once. Perfect.

if you like carole king, this is definitely the best and the cheapest way to get her music on cd, they sound great. i thought it made since to include another album instead of tapestry, as everyone in the world has it already (pretty sure it's a requirement at birth).mixed up tracklist of the outside cover for wrap around joy, btw

This would be better if it had Tapestry in it - so many hits are on that album, and not included here.

Great CD set, great price, great music! Beautiful songs, more than worth the inexpensive price.

Once there was a time a hundred years ago where love and peace abounded. Everything then was shared, and everyone was nice to one another. This collection brings back the feeling of how it was, so enjoy!

Tapestry is Carole King's masterwork, no doubt. But that doesn't mean her other work is of no account, and this set of five early albums is a real gem, especially at this price. At her worst she is at least listenable-to, but these albums contain a great mixture of some of her best work as well as the not-so-great. Stand out tracks include "Child of Mine" and "Up On The Roof" (Writer, 1970), "It's Going to Take Some Time" (which was a hit for The Carpenters) and "Sweet Seasons" (Music,, 1971), "Peace in the Valley" and "Been to Canaan" (Rhymes & Reasons, 1972), "Corazón", "Believe in Humanity" and "You Light Up My Life" (Fantasy, 1973) and finally "Jazzman" and "Nightingale" (Wrap Around Joy, 1974). So, here are the first five out of six of her early albums (the missing element being, of course, no. 2: Tapestry, 1971). They are the work of a consummate artist and professional who was already an established songwriter before her first solo album. The packaging is OK for the price - you get a cardboard sleeve for each album with the original artwork front and back - a bit small to be sure, but nice to see. I would have wished for clearer printing so the tiny writing is more legible, especially on Music. The five albums are housed in an outer cardboard box as shown on the item's listing page - a bit unimaginative, but OK. Overall I would thoroughly recommend this to anyone wanting to dig deeper than just the Tapestry album.

I don't typically write reviews, but after buying this 5 CD set of Carole King's early work, I felt the need to share my opinion. I am an avid music fan and prolific songwriter, and this is honestly one of the most exciting musical purchases I've made in years. I've only listened to the first two albums so far - "Writer" and "Music" - and have been enjoying exploring their layers for the past couple of months, deciding to wait before listening to the other three. I recently finished reading GIRLS LIKE US, a biography on Carole King, Carly Simon and Joni Mitchell. The author describes in detail how Carole King suffered the misfortune of having all of her successive work fall in the shadow of her enormously successful solo debut - "Tapestry." It seems that critics and fans alike consistently belittled her post-Tapestry albums, claiming that they couldn't quite live up to the genius of Tapestry. This is complete hogwash. Both "Writer" and "Music" are perfectly crafted albums from start to finish, with every song reaching out to caress the listener's heart and soul just as the songs of Tapestry had before. It's wonderful to hear Carole sing her own versions of the songs that helped bring fame and fortune to so many others, including "Some Kind of Wonderful" (The Drifters) and "No Easy Way Down" (Dusty Springfield). I strongly suspect the reason why her other albums failed to garner the respect of Tapestry is because Tapestry received massive radio play and infiltration into the culture of the time. Therefore, everybody and their brother had at least one if not several dozen experiences associated with the album's songs, which created an almost universal nostalgic affection for the album. As someone who grew up listening to her father's Oldies but Goodies, I fortunately already have an established nostalgic affection for many of the songs on these albums, as I've heard them sung by other artists. As for the songs which are new to me, Carole's impeccable phrasing and heartfelt lyrics, coupled with her soulful arrangements and honest voice, make for a sheer delightful (and often stirring) listening experience. She is undoubtedly one of the greatest singer-songwriters of all time, and I think she deserves credit for her consistent dedication to her craft, as well as her ability to speak from the heart. I'm sure I will be listening to her songs for decades to come, as they will never be out of style.

I've given this 5 stars, purely on value for money. I paid eight pounds and got 5 Carol King albums, in a nice boxed set. What is there to quibble about! No, none of these albums are quite as good as Tapestry, but there are certainly some classy songs amongst the 61 here that could quite happily have been on Tapestry. "No Easy Way Down", "Been to Canaan", "Up on the Roof" and "Jazzman" to name but 4. Of course Jazzman doesn't fit stylistically, but its a great track, with some stand-out Sax playing from Tom Scott.Like a lot of people people I know Tapestry inside out, but I don't know these albums very well, so a few more listens will be required to fully appreciate them. But I can already say from one listen to each that they are all good albums and worth having in your collection. Carol King was or is a talented singer-songwriter and this is a great (and cheap) way to grab a large proportion of her best work. Highly recommended.

either brilliant or quirky but always damn interesting, what a spectacular list of successful songs this lady has. also how many odd bands have covered her work ?if you are a budding songwriter start here, listen to her use of words , music and any instrument she feels like tweaking, this is music from the soul buy and take the time to listen properly

It's classical Carol King, what's to dislike? A larger selection of CDs would have been appreciated.