Her Greatest Hits: Songs of Long Ago
Encyclopedia
Her Greatest Hits: Songs of Long Ago is the first official compilation album by Carole King
. It was released in 1978 and features twelve songs that had previously appeared on her six studio albums released between 1971 and 1976. The album was re-released on CD in 1999 with two additional tracks.
, Rhymes and Reasons, Fantasy
, Wrap Around Joy
and Thoroughbred
. Four of the songs had appeared on her second album Tapestry, one of the most successful albums in the history of popular music. "Brother, Brother", a song of her third album Music, is the only one chosen for the compilation LP that was never released as a single. The original release does not feature any songs of her debut album Writer
or of her two latest albums at the time of the initial release, Simple Things
and Welcome Home
.
The 1999 re-release of the album was digitally remastered and includes the live versions of two more songs as performed during her Carnegie Hall concert in 1971
: "Eventually" of her debut album Writer and "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman
", which was originally recorded by Aretha Franklin
in 1967 and was covered by King for Tapestry.
Carole King
Carole King is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. King and her former husband Gerry Goffin wrote more than two dozen chart hits for numerous artists during the 1960s, many of which have become standards. As a singer, King had an album, Tapestry, top the U.S...
. It was released in 1978 and features twelve songs that had previously appeared on her six studio albums released between 1971 and 1976. The album was re-released on CD in 1999 with two additional tracks.
Background
Her Greatest Hits: Songs of Long Ago is Carole King's first compilation album. The original release features twelve songs which had previously appeared on her studio albums Tapestry, MusicMusic (Carole King album)
Music, official name Carole King: Music, is the third album by American singer-songwriter Carole King. It is a continuation of the style laid down in Tapestry. The album was released in December 1971 and quickly rose to the top of the charts. It features songs such as "It's Going to Take Some Time"...
, Rhymes and Reasons, Fantasy
Fantasy (Carole King album)
Fantasy is an album by American singer-songwriter Carole King, released in 1973. This time King wrote all the songs herself. At the time of its release, it only reached #6 on the Billboard album chart, but has remained highly regarded by her fans over the ensuing decades...
, Wrap Around Joy
Wrap Around Joy
Wrap Around Joy is a 1974 album by American singer-songwriter Carole King. The album hit #1 on the Billboard album charts in the fall of 1974 and spun off successful singles with "Jazzman" and "Nightingale" .The album was certified Gold by the RIAA.-Track listing:All tracks composed by Carole...
and Thoroughbred
Thoroughbred (Carole King album)
Thoroughbred is an album by American singer-songwriter Carole King, released in 1976.-Track listing:#"So Many Ways" – 3:11#"Daughter of Light" – 3:11#"High Out of Time" – 3:15...
. Four of the songs had appeared on her second album Tapestry, one of the most successful albums in the history of popular music. "Brother, Brother", a song of her third album Music, is the only one chosen for the compilation LP that was never released as a single. The original release does not feature any songs of her debut album Writer
Writer (album)
Writer is the first solo album by Carole King and was released in 1970. Carole King had already started her career as a songwriter and been a part of The City. The top song was "Child of Mine", then "Up on the Roof" which was a number 4 hit for the Drifters in 1962 and later covered by James Taylor...
or of her two latest albums at the time of the initial release, Simple Things
Simple Things (Carole King album)
Simple Things is an album by American singer-songwriter Carole King, released in 1977. It is her first album on the Capitol label.-Track listing:#"Simple Things"...
and Welcome Home
Welcome Home (Carole King album)
Welcome Home is an album by American singer-songwriter Carole King, released in 1978.-Track listing:All songs by Carole King unless otherwise noted.#"Main Street Saturday Night"#"Sunbird"...
.
The 1999 re-release of the album was digitally remastered and includes the live versions of two more songs as performed during her Carnegie Hall concert in 1971
Carnegie Hall Concert: June 18, 1971
The Carnegie Hall Concert: June 18, 1971 was Carole King's first concert performance in front of an audience.Performed on June 18, 1971, it was released years later, in 1996, as an album. This album has seventeen live songs...
: "Eventually" of her debut album Writer and "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman
(You Make Me Feel like) a Natural Woman
" A Natural Woman" is a 1967 single released by American soul singer Aretha Franklin on the Atlantic label. The record was a big hit for Franklin, reaching number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100, and became a standard song for her...
", which was originally recorded by Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin
Aretha Louise Franklin is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Although known for her soul recordings and referred to as The Queen of Soul, Franklin is also adept at jazz, blues, R&B, gospel music, and rock. Rolling Stone magazine ranked her atop its list of The Greatest Singers of All...
in 1967 and was covered by King for Tapestry.
1978 release
1999 re-release
The 1999 re-release features the original album digitally remastered along with two additional live recordings.Sales and charts
The album was certified Gold in the United States on 4 April 1978 and Platinum 23 years later on 9 April 2001. It peaked at number 47 on the US albums chart.Personnel
- Carole King: Keyboards, Vocals, Backing Vocals, Arrangement, Conductor
- Ralph Schuckett: Organ, Electric Piano
- James TaylorJames TaylorJames Vernon Taylor is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A five-time Grammy Award winner, Taylor was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2000....
: Acoustic Guitar - Danny "Kootch" KortchmarDanny KortchmarDanny "Kootch" Kortchmar is a guitarist, session musician, and songwriter. Kortchmar's work with singer-songwriters such as David Crosby, Carole King, Graham Nash, Carly Simon and James Taylor helped define the signature sound of the singer-songwriter era of the 1970s...
: Electric Guitar, Congas - Dean ParksDean ParksDean Parks is an American session guitarist and record producer from Ft. Worth, TX.-Albums:Dean was member of The North Texas State One O'clock Lab Band before moving to Los Angeles to work with Sonny and Cher in 1970. Dean is best-known through his many contributions to albums by Steely Dan...
: Guitar - Waddy WachtelWaddy WachtelRobert "Waddy" Wachtel is an American musician, composer and record producer, most notable for his guitar work...
: Electric Guitar - David T. WalkerDavid T. WalkerDavid T. Walker is an American guitarist born in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In addition to numerous session musician duties since the early 1970s, Walker has issued over twelve albums in his own name.-Career:...
: Electric Guitar - Charles Larkey: Electric Bass
- Lee Sklar: Electric Bass
- Russ KunkelRuss KunkelRussell Kunkel , also known as Russ Kunkel, is an American drummer and producer who has worked as a session musician with a number of well-known artists.Kunkel was born in Pittsburgh, PA...
: Drums - Harvey MasonHarvey MasonHarvey William Mason is an American jazz drummer. He has worked with many jazz and fusion artists such as Bob James, The Brecker Brothers, Lee Ritenour, Herbie Hancock's Headhunters and almost all the Mizell Brothers productions with Donald Byrd, Johnny Hammond, Bobbi Humphrey and Gary Bartz...
: Drums - Andy NewmarkAndy NewmarkAndrew "Andy" Newmark is an American musician, best known as a popular session drummer, and for playing with the funk band Sly & the Family Stone from 1972 to 1973....
: Drums - Joel O'Brien: Drums
- Ms. Bobbye HallBobbye HallBobbye Jean Hall Porter is an American percussionist who has recorded with a variety of rock, soul, blues and jazz artists, and has appeared on 22 songs that reached the top ten in the Billboard Hot 100, six of those reaching #1.-Early career:...
: Percussion - Ralph MacDonald: Percussion
- Teresa Calderon: Congas
- Tom ScottTom Scott (musician)Tom Scott is an American saxophonist, composer, arranger, conductor and bandleader of the west coast jazz/jazz fusion ensemble The L.A. Express.-Biography:Scott was born in Los Angeles, California...
: Saxophone - Mike Altschul: Saxophone, Woodwinds
- Ernie WattsErnie WattsErnest James "Ernie" Watts is an American jazz and rhythm and blues musician. He plays saxophone and flute. He might be best known for his work with Charlie Haden's Quartet West and his Grammy Awards as an instrumentalist...
: Saxophone, Woodwinds
- Curtis AmyCurtis AmyCurtis Amy was an American West Coast jazz musician known for his work on tenor saxophone. He also explored many mediums, including soul jazz and hard bop.-Biography:...
: Tenor Sax, Soprano Sax, Baritone Sax, Flute - Oscar BrashearOscar BrashearOscar Brashear is an American jazz trumpeter and session musician.After studying at DuSable High School he worked briefly with Woody Herman before going on to join Count Basie '68-9, returning to freelance in Chicago with Sonny Stitt, Gene Ammons, Dexter Gordon and James Moody...
: Fluegelhorn - Charlie Loper: Trombone
- Dick "Slyde" Hyde: Trombone
- George Bohannon: Trombone, Euphonium
- Ollie Mitchell: Trumpet, Fluegelhorn
- Chuck FindleyChuck FindleyChuck Findley is an American session musician. Most widely-known as a trumpet player, he also plays other brass instruments such as flugelhorn and trombone...
: Trumpet, Fluegelhorn - Albert Aarons: Trumpet, Fluegelhorn
- William Green: Woodwinds
- William Collette: Woodwinds
- Plas JohnsonPlas JohnsonPlas John Johnson Jr. is an American soul-jazz and hard bop tenor saxophonist, probably most familiar as the lead on Henry Mancini’s "The Pink Panther Theme"....
: Woodwinds - Norman Kurban and David Campbell: String Conduction & Arrangement
- Merry ClaytonMerry ClaytonMerry Clayton is an American soul and gospel singer , and an actress...
: Backing Vocals - Louise GoffinLouise GoffinLouise Lynn Goffin is a singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Signed by record executive Lenny Waronker to Dreamworks in 1999, Louise released her critically acclaimed CD Sometimes a Circle on Dreamworks in 2002...
: Backing Vocals - Sherry Goffin: Backing Vocals
- Julia Tillman: Backing Vocals