Notes & Personnel Info |  | Personnel includes: Carole King (vocals, keyboards); David T. Walker (guitar); George Bohannon (euphonium, trombone); Tom Scott, Ernie Watts, Curtis Amy, Mike Altschul (saxophone); Ollie Mitchell, Chuck Findley, Albert Aarons (trumpet, flugelhorn); Charlie Loper, Dick "Slide" Hyde (trombone); Charles Larkey (bass); Harvey Mason, Bobbye Hall (percussion). | | Japanese remastered version utilizes DSD digital technology. | | Although 1973's FANTASY did not have the commercial success of 1972's RHYMES AND REASONS, much less the huge sales of 1971's TAPESTRY, it's still one of Carole King's finest albums. It's certainly her most complex effort; a 13-song suite where all of the songs segue into one another seamlessly, FANTASY was written, arranged and produced by King. The orchestral arrangements are particularly impressive, managing to add a new and complex dimension to King's previously sparse music without overpowering the sturdy piano-based melodies. It sounds as if she listened to a lot of mid '60s Beach Boys records before making this album. Lyrically, FANTASY deliberately moves away from the autobiographical introspection of her earlier albums, returning to the kind of in-character writing of her '60s hits with ex-husband Gerry Goffin. Highlights include the Marvin Gaye-like "Welfare Symphony" and the surprisingly funky pregnancy tale "That's How Things Go Down." Although not as well-known as its two immediate predecessors, FANTASY is every bit their equal. |
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