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REFLECTING BACK, MOVING FORWARD: CAROLE FINDS FREEDOM ON "THOROUGHBRED"
Bob DiCorcia
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On the album cover of her 1976 release Thoroughbred, Carole King is pictured galloping uphill riding a horse; her trademark curls blown back in the wind. Smiling, looking confident, victorious, could she be returning from some “little war?” Riding into new personal and romantic territory? The 12 songs on the album were written shortly after the break-up of her second marriage and all explore, with optimism ultimately prevailing, the vicissitudes of love.
There is a deeper, darker, more probing resonance in the lyrics to most of the songs this time out. Some express very tentative hopes that better days lie ahead. The best songs have lyrics written by King, and while there is some bittersweet looking back to times gone by (“Only Love is Real,” “There’s a Space Between Us”) ultimately, Carole King’s trademark faith in the powers of love, is what you’ll remember after repeated listenings.
From the album’s opening track, the somber, hymnal-sounding affirmation of a bond between two people, Carole is not necessarily exploring new subject matter, but, this time out, she’s sounding wiser, singing from that place deeper in one’s soul, that comes only with experience. The lyrics to “So Many Ways” may be Hallmark simple, but, the melody, and her vocals, push this song to a new level of passion, not often found in some of her solo love songs. The fact that is sounds like a hymn portends the more spiritual reflections on the nature of romantic love that follow in other songs on the album.
The power of love to transcend time and distance which inevitably tends to cause friendships and relationships to deteriorate, is at the core of Gerry Goffin’s beautiful lyric to “High Out of Time.” I always thought of this as a more serious, meditative take-off of the then popular “The Way We Were.” Carole even begins the song humming in a similar manner to the way Streisand hums the opening bar of her ’73 hit. Carole’s melody is just as fresh and captivating as Goffin’s lyrics. Lou Adler’s production shines on this song as you can actually hear how the percussion is made to sound like a ticking, droning clock. To this day, I can’t understand how this song hasn’t become a hit. Not schmaltz like “The Way We Were,” perhaps this song was just to sophisticated to capture the same mass audience.
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Overcoming the restrictions on friendships imposed by a possessive, jealous significant other finds, Carole and James Taylor doing one of their best duets on “There’s a Space Between Us.”
“You love your lady and I know just what you’re thinking
Was a time I used to be just where you are
But, I’ve since found my freedom
And I’ve finally let it sink in,
The distance really isn’t very far…”
Emancipation indeed!
Continuing in her quest to explore the new freedom her marriage’s break-up afforded her, the first song on side 2, “I’d Like to Know You Better,” bright, bouncy, brimming with joy, but, also so much caution. People Magazine filed a report that King had been smitten with the legendary lothario Ryan O’Neal. The relationship was brief, but, the melody lingers, the article concluded.
“We All Have to Be Alone” is the most adventurous melody and lyric on the album: while Goffin often penned dark lyrics, King usually didn’t sing them. The melody meanders, perhaps, a bit too freely after awhile, but, it’s new territory and interesting to hear experimentation.
“Ambrosia” written by David Palmer is pastoral and sounds like it would fit on any of her later Capitol albums perfectly. Like “Only Love is Real,” Carole is searching in this song. Seeking higher truths. A new dimension.
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The album’s coda, “It’s Gonna Work Out Fine” ends the collection on an up note with a tip of the hat to Ike & Tina Turner’s similarly named classic.
With the exception of master of percussion Ralph McDonald flown out to LA from his native New York, Carole and Lou Adler used top notch LA session men this time out. Danny Kortchmar, Lee Sklar, Russ Kunkel, Waddy Wachtel, and Tom Scott add more earthy rock rhythms to the tracks this time as compared to the more pop sounding prior studio release, Wrap Around Joy. The playing is tight – few solos—meant to keep the proceedings more intimate. Only an occasional Tom Scott horn solo, adds much in the way of pop seasoning, which is as it should be, since the lyrics on this album are much more probing than those on other outings.
Visit Bob's page of Carole King
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NOW AND FOREVER - HOMENAJE A CAROLE KING |
@ 2005/ 2010FAN DE CAROLE KING |
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