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Los Angeles, CA— Craft Recordings proudly announces the vinyl debut of Carole King and James Taylor’s bestselling album Live at the Troubadour. Originally released in 2010, the historic recording captures a rare and intimate 2007 performances by the legendary songwriters and includes such iconic, collective hits as “You’ve Got A Friend,” “Fire and Rain,” “Blossom” and “I Feel the Earth Move.”
Set for release on October 22nd, Live at the Troubadour will be available on 180-gram vinyl as a 2-LP set pressed at QRP, with lacquers cut by renowned mastering engineer Bernie Grundman. Additionally, the 15-track album will be reissued for the very first time in HiRes audio (24bit/96kHz) and Apple Masters, while fans can also find Live at the Troubadour (previously sold as a CD/DVD bundle) as a standalone CD. Also available is a Target exclusive metallic gold vinyl with commemorative concert poster, and a Barnes & Noble exclusive translucent orange vinyl.
All formats are available for pre-order today, with an exclusive numbered commemorative poster signed by poster artist DKNG, as well as a very limited amount also signed by Carole King and James Taylor, available only at the Craft Recordings webstore. In an effort to help support the Troubadour’s Los Angeles reopening after the devasting effects of the pandemic, Concord (Craft’s parent company) has partnered with Carole King and James Taylor to cover sales fees, allowing all poster proceeds to be donated directly to the iconic venue.
When James Taylor and Carole King announced a three-night run at the Troubadour in 2007, it was to celebrate the hallowed venue’s 50th anniversary. The West Hollywood club, which was synonymous with the ’70s singer-songwriter movement, had played a central role in both artists’ early solo careers. Yet, as they returned to the Troubadour stage for the first time together in nearly 40 years, they were also celebrating one of the industry’s most enduring friendships.
In 1969, James Taylor was a rising singer-songwriter who had just released his self-titled debut and relocated to Los Angeles. It was there that the 21-year-old met songwriter Carole King, a recent New York transplant. At 27, King had already penned a decade-long string of chart-busting hits, including “Will You Love Me Tomorrow” (as recorded by the Shirelles), “The Loco-Motion” (Little Eva), “Up on the Roof” (the Drifters) and “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” (Aretha Franklin).
When Taylor booked a six-night residency at the Troubadour, he invited King to play piano in his band. While King was much more comfortable in her role behind the scenes, Taylor urged her to perform her own material in between his sets. Thanks to the encouragement, King stepped into the spotlight a year later, releasing her solo debut, Writer. Taylor, meanwhile, found his commercial breakthrough with Sweet Baby James. In November 1970, they co-headlined the Troubadour. Not long after that show, the two artists would separately rise to unimaginable heights—yet their friendship never waned.
Reuniting at the Troubadour 37 years later, Taylor and King were joined by the same musicians who supported them during that original show—guitarist Danny Kortchmar, bassist Leland Sklar and drummer Russ Kunkel. This time, however, both artists had a vast canon of collective hits to choose from, including Taylor’s “Fire and Rain” (off 1970’s Sweet Baby James) and King’s breakthrough singles “It’s Too Late” and “I Feel the Earth Move” (both off 1971’s GRAMMY®-winning Tapestry).
The pair also emphasized their intertwined careers, with selections like “You’ve Got a Friend.” The song, written by King in 1971 and featured on Tapestry, was also recorded by Taylor that same year for Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon. The tune became Taylor’s first No. 1 hit and earned both artists GRAMMY® Awards in 1972. In a 2010 interview on NPR’s All Things Considered, Taylor spoke about the song: “I’ve played [“You've Got a Friend”] for audiences over and over again, and it never grows tired for me…I always make a connection with the tune, and I’m brought back to that moment at the Troubadour when I stood outside the dressing room...and looked down at Carole playing her set on the stage below. As soon as I heard the tune...it was so compelling, musically. I just had to play it. I was desperate to get to my guitar and wander through those changes and sing that song.”
King and Taylor’s captivating performance was released as Live at the Troubadour in 2010. The widely acclaimed, gold-certified title debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard 200, earning King her first Top Ten album since 1976 and helping Taylor achieve the incredible feat of a Top Ten album every decade since the ’70s. The performance also spawned the pair’s record-breaking Troubadour Reunion Tour in 2010, which found King and Taylor selling out arenas in North America, Australia, New Zealand and Japan.
Click here to pre-order Live at The Troubadour.
Live at the Troubadour tracklist (digital/CD)
1. Blossom
2. So Far Away
3. Machine Gun Kelly
4. Carolina In My Mind
5. It’s Too Late
6. Smackwater Jack
7. Something In The Way She Moves
8. Will You Love Me Tomorrow
9. Country Road
10. Fire And Rain
11. Sweet Baby James
12. I Feel The Earth Move
13. You’ve Got A Friend
14. Up On The Roof
15. You Can Close Your Eyes
Live at the Troubadour tracklist (vinyl)
Side A
1. Blossom
2. So Far Away
3. Machine Gun Kelly
4. Carolina In My Mind
Side B
1. It’s Too Late
2. Smackwater Jack
3. Something In The Way She Moves
4. Will You Love Me Tomorrow
Side C
1. Country Road
2. Fire And Rain
3. Sweet Baby James
4. I Feel The Earth Move
Side D
1. You’ve Got A Friend
2. Up On The Roof
3. You Can Close Your Eyes
About Carole King:
Since writing her first number one hit (“Will You Love Me Tomorrow”) at the tender age of 17, Carole King has arguably become the most celebrated singer-songwriter of all time. As the most successful female pop songwriter of the 20th century, King scored an astonishing 118 charting hits, while her compositions have been recorded by more than 1,000 artists.
King spent the first decade of her career writing dozens of enduring hits with her then-husband, Gerry Goffin, before embarking on a solo career in 1970. Just one year later, Tapestry rocketed King to incredible new heights: earning four GRAMMYS® (including Song of the Year, making King the first woman to receive the award) and selling more than 25 million units worldwide. For 25 years, Tapestry remained the best-selling album by a female artist.
In addition to breaking records and glass ceilings, King went on to release more than 20 albums, amassing three more platinum records and eight gold certifications. She also became a New York Times bestselling author with her 2012 memoir, A Natural Woman. In 2014, the Tony-award-winning Beautiful: The Carole King Musical opened on Broadway and quickly became one of the top-grossing musicals of all time. The show has since been staged in London’s West End, as well as in Japan and Australia.
In addition to multiple GRAMMY® Awards, King has received the BMI Icon Award and The Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, among many others. She has also been inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and was a Kennedy Center Honoree in 2015. In 2021, King became the first person to be inducted twice into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame—both as a songwriter (1990) and a performing artist (2021). Most recently, King co-wrote “Here I Am (Singing My Way Home)” for Jennifer Hudson’s star turn as Aretha Franklin in the biopic Respect. The film also includes Hudson’s bravura performance of Goffin/King’s “(You Make Me Feel Like ) ANatural Woman,” the 1967 hit credited as cementing Franklin’s status as a superstar.
About James Taylor:
One of the best-selling recording artists of all time, James Taylor began his career as a defining figure in the ’70s singer-songwriter movement. More than five decades later, his warm baritone, introspective lyrics, and unique guitar stylings still blaze a path to which young musicians aspire. His songs have had a profound influence on songwriters and music lovers from all walks of life, including “Fire and Rain,” “Country Road,” “Something in the Way She Moves,” “Carolina In My Mind,” “Don’t Let Me Be Lonely Tonight,” and “Shower the People,” among countless others.
Taylor has sold more than 100 million albums since the release of his self-titled debut in 1968. He has won multiple GRAMMY® Awards and has been inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Halls of Fame. Taylor was awarded the National Medal of Arts by President Barack Obama in 2011 and was presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom four years later. In 2016, he received the Kennedy Center Honors. Most recently, Taylor released his 19th studio album, American Standard, which earned him a GRAMMY® Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album.
About Craft Recordings
Craft Recordings is home to one of the largest and most prestigious collections of master recordings and compositions in the world. Its rich and storied repertoire includes legendary artists such as Joan Baez, Ray Charles, John Coltrane, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Miles Davis, Bill Evans, Vince Guaraldi, John Lee Hooker, Little Richard, Nine Inch Nails, Thelonious Monk, Otis Redding, R.E.M. and Traveling Wilburys, to name just a few. Renowned imprints with catalogs issued under the Craft banner include Concord, Fania, Fantasy, Fearless, Milestone, Musart, Nitro, Prestige, Riverside, Rounder, Specialty, Stax, Sugar Hill, Vanguard, Vee-Jay and Victory, among many others. Craft creates thoughtfully curated packages, with a meticulous devotion to quality and a commitment to preservation—ensuring that these recordings endure for new generations to discover. Craft Recordings is the catalog label team for Concord Recorded Music. For more info, visit CraftRecordings.com and follow on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Spotify.
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