Carole King - Her Greatest Hits: Songs of Long Ago

This album was always sort of a joke among Carole King's serious fans, containing 12 songs drawn from six albums, and liner notes that fail even to acknowledge the existence of Writer, her one pre-Tapestry solo LP. A Natural Woman supplanted it later, and the addition of two live cuts, "Eventually" and "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" from the Carnegie Hall concert on the 1999 reissue (Ode/Epic/Legacy 65846), doesn't extended the range or depth of the selection sufficiently. On the other hand, the 1999 remastering does improve the listening pleasure inherent in what is here -- the material off of Tapestry, Music, Rhymes & Reasons, and others is now very robust, with vivid instrumentation and a close, rich profile of King's voice. The selection of King's work is still only an inch deep, but it's a more rewarding inch. ~ Bruce Eder, All Music Guide

Name Credits Al Aarons Trumpet Andy Newmark Drums Bob Irwin Preparation for CD Mastering Bobbye Hall Percussion Buddy Collette Wind Carole King Piano, Synthesizer, Conductor, Guitar, Arranger, Keyboards, Vocals Charles Larkey Bass Charles Loper Trombone Chuck Beeson Original Design Concept Chuck Findley Trumpet Chuck Ren Illustrations Curtis Amy Wind Danny Kortchmar Guitar, Vocals David T. Walker Guitar Dean Parks Guitar Ernie Watts Wind George Bohannon Trombone Graham Nash Liner Notes Hank Cicalo Engineer Harvey Mason, Sr. Drums Howard Frank Project Director James Taylor Vocals, Guitar Joel O'Brien Drums Julia Tillman Waters Vocals Leland Sklar Bass Lou Adler Producer Louise Goffin Vocals, Vocals (Background) Maurice Sendak Liner Notes, Illustrations Merry Clayton Vocals Milt Calice Engineer, Assistant Engineer Norm Kinney Engineer Plas Johnson Wind Ralph MacDonald Percussion Ralph Schuckett Keyboards Richard Fegley Photography Richard Hyde Trombone Richard Wachtel Guitar Russ Kunkel Drums Sherry Goffin Vocals, Vocals (Background) Steve Mitchell Engineer Tessie Calderone Percussion Tom Scott Saxophone Tommy Vicari Engineer Vic Anesini Mastering William Green Wind