James Taylor, Carole King Revisit 1970 in L.A.
The beginning of the '70s was a milestone time for both Carole King and James Taylor. With King's 'Tapestry' collection and Taylor's 'Sweet Baby James,' both created their inroads into mainstream success and subsequently long-running careers. To that end, and to celebrate the 50th anniversary of L.A.'s venerable Troubadour, the two friends are revisiting their early days as solo artists with a series of very intimate performances at the venue.
The three-night, six-show (with an early and late show every night) kicked off Wednesday night with a magnificent late performance before a crowd that included fellow Troub alum Jackson Browne. With Taylor on guitar and King seated at the piano, the duo started with a one-two combo of Taylor's 'Blossom' and King's 'So Far Away.' To maintain the authenticity of the recreation, Taylor said the two were trying to keep it to songs from 'Sweet Baby James' and 'Tapestry,' and earlier. In fact, they were so steadfast in maintaining the feeling of the early '70s. "It's almost deja vu," Taylor quipped, "except I can't remember it that well."
Age came up again when Taylor introduced King's gorgeous rendition of 'Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow,' a hit for the Shirelles. When he commented, "This is a song you wrote in 1960," it prompted a couple of ooh's from the audience. King proudly responded, "This is what 65 looks like," and stood up from the bench to the delight of the audience.
Meanwhile, Taylor's stunning 'Fire and Rain' drew tears from a few in the audience, while King's 'It's Too Late' prompted an elated sing-along. Among the numerous other highlights were Taylor's rollicking 'Steamroller,' which featured him cranking up the electric guitar, King's equally upbeat 'I Feel the Earth Move,' the lilting 'Cowboy Lullaby' and and the pair's moving 'Up on the Roof,' where they alternated versions, with King singing her parts in the soft, piano style and Taylor doing his in the upbeat original version.
"This is such a different thing and I think we've missed it," King said of being back together in the tiny club after their years of individually touring bigger venues. "It dosn't get any more real than this."Posted by Steve Baltin on Nov 29th 2007 2:00PM
Filed under: Concerts and Tours, Exclusive



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Reader Comments(1 of 1)
Anthonyat 11-29-2007
I love both these performers but just hope they don't spend the whole concert talking between songs like they did when I saw them separately two years ago. That onstage banter was very annoying -- I just wanted them to play music.
Barryat 11-29-2007
The onstage banter of almost ANY artist is more interesting to me than the performances at most concerts. I disagree with Anthony's comment above!
Elannaat 11-29-2007
I hope Taylor and King come to Virginia. I would love to see them in concert.
Ms. Lotusat 11-29-2007
I like James Taylor, but I LOVE Carole King. She is a truly gifted songwriter, singer and instrumentalist. My childhood was decorated by her music as my brother owned "Tapestry," and I adored it. It wasn't the greatest childhood but such special music made it tolerable. Music saved my soul. Thank you, Carole.