Welcome Home - a mix of this and that - all pleasant
L. Huff | Washington, DC | 12/31/2007
(4 out of 5 stars)
"The first thing I should mention is that this CD is advertised as having a bonus track, which it does not. That was very disappointing considering the price of the CD. I think it is false advertising and should be corrected by Amazon. Although Welcome Home was not a "hit" when it first came out in 1978, it does have some of very good songs. The best songs on the CD are Everybody's got the Spirit, Ride the Music, Venusian Diamond, Morning Sun and Main Street Saturday Night. Lyrically and musically, these songs are optimistic and upbeat, which may be too sugar coated for some people. The expectation when looking at the album cover might be that it is an album of Mountain Songs. It really isn't (although the title track was written about her Idaho ranch). It is quite a mix of styles, including disco, folk/country, pop and rock."
3 Standouts and Some Filler
M. Mendenhall | Phoenix AZ Rocky Ford CO | 12/16/2007
(3 out of 5 stars)
"Carole King wasn't selling a lot of records when she released Welcome Home. Much of the collection is not unpleasant typical Carole King introspective piano ballads.
Three songs make the CD worth owning. Main Street Saturday Night has a great FM 70s groove with some nice guitar and atmosphere. Morning Sun builds enough emotionally to the chorus that it rises above standard fare. And Venusian Diamond stands out as one of King's most interesting recordings. It is Beatlesque from the word go and its moody atmosphere is top notch (like the Beatlesque Speeding Time a few years later).
Main Street Saturday Night and Venusian Diamond both let King's band take center stage. It is a little surprising - and kind of cool - to associate these rock grooves to King. Here you have two rock gems and one pop gem to add to King's catalog.
Very rare and unknown Carole King LP. Shortly after the recording of this LP, King's husband and musical partner died, sort of taking the wind out of the sails (and sales) of the LP's release."
Thunder Rope
Lee Armstrong | Winterville, NC United States | 01/26/2008
(4 out of 5 stars)
"It's wonderful to have Carole King's "Welcome Home" album on CD, thanks to this Japanese pressing. The cardboard sleeve is a little larger than the standard CD shape and makes this release unique. Most regard this album as a failure because it did not generate hits and had poor sales. The set was recorded in January 1978. Rick Evers who was Carole's husband died of a drug overdose on March 21 of that year, which clouded the album's release in May. For Carole King fans, there are reasons to cheer. "Venusian Diamond" may have been a homage to the Beatles, but is a strong song with one of Carole's dreamiest melodies, "Then there appeared a serpent hanging like a thunder rope. He said, "Pull me." I did & fell into the wrong end of a telescope." "Morning Sun" is a lovely track with Richard Hardy's flute giving a sunny cheerful feel to the arrangement and Carole in fine voice, "In the morning the sun comes shining through my window & it's good to be alive." "Ride the Music" is also a delightful track that sounds like a carnival ride with Hardy's clarinet solo. I'm sorry this album is so overlooked because it still sounds great to my ears. Enjoy!"
Track Listings (10) - Disc #1