1001 Albums Summary

This is my first album as part of this journey. I'm no music critic, certainly not a talented writer, and have never been one for parsing deeper meanings and messages from art. This album is one I would never have selected to listen to on my own. While I don't dislike jazz, its also not something I play intentionally. To me, jazz has always been something on in the background in a bookstore, or something used to draw emotion during a movie scene. This album is only 33 minutes long, but I found my mind wandering during most songs as I listened. Listen, the instruments are beautifully played, the composition is interesting, but if there is a deeper meaning or theme, it has gone over my head. I suppose this is just an album that I'll enjoy at face value.

I've always been a fan of 70s folk rock, but I must admit the name Carole King didn't ring a bell until I started listening to this album. As this album opened with "I Feel the Earth Move" I instantly thought "Oh, thats who sings this!". By the time I finished "So Far Away" and started "It's Too Late", I stopped being surprised that I recognized the some and started wondering how the name Carole King never stuck in my head. I found this album to be wonderfully composed with themes flowing from song to song and a cozy performance that felt as if we were all sitting in somebody's living room. However, I was less of a fan of the b-side of this album. Songs like "Smackwater Jack" are forgettable when compared to the first half.

I've always had a soft spot for Brit pop, but I guess that doesn't extend to the whole genre because this album was not my favorite. I'm not British and I was too young when this came out to have any nostalgia associated with this album. I can definitely hear and appreciate the 60s and psychedelic rock influences here as well as some early Gorillaz sounds from Daman Albarn. I gave this album 2 listens thinking maybe I missed something but it just sounded monotone to me. I really struggled to make it through the whole thing. "Girls & Boys" was pretty catchy, but this album just missed the mark with me.

Obviously "Superstition" is the star of this album, but it contains a few other songs that I really enjoyed. "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" is a great smooth opener and "Tuesday Heartbreak" has a great baseline. A few songs had some good funky parts I associate with Stevie Wonder based on his bigger hits. Most of the album was forgettable on the whole in my opinion. The first time I listed through I was tuning out near the end of the album, but "I Belive (When I Fall in Love it Will Be Forever)" brought my attention right back. I'd never heard it before and it hit me like a truck. I don't know why, but when it got to the Chorus I had to sit down just to listen, process emotions, and think. I've never had a song do that to me before. It's pretty awesome that a song can affect me like that 50+ years after it was released.

When I was in college about 15 years ago, my roommate got a record player. He and I were both fans of classic rock so we went to the second hand record store and browsed through what they had. We bought every Beatles, Led Zeppelin, and Pink Floyd album we could along with some Journey and Eagles albums. Along with those we bought Deja Vu by Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young, and man was that a great choice. I wore this record out listening to it over and over while studying. It was the perfect mix of smooth and relaxing along with just enough energy to keep me going. I can still hear the hiss of the worn out needle as "Carry On" fades in, even if that detail is only in my mind. What I'm saying here is that my 5 star rating may be dripping in nostalgia, but I absolutely love this album.