Carole King – Tapestry

This original 1st monarch press has a phenomenal sound. Transparency and Richness! One quality I had no trouble recognizing on this press was transparency which made it possible to hear through the mix to Carole's piano, which is usually placed toward the back of the mix. There it serves to underpin the music, playing more of a supporting role than a leading one, very unlike the piano on a Joni Mitchell album, for example.
The better copies let you easily follow Carole's playing all the way through every song, from start to finish, no matter how quiet her part or how far back in the mix she may be placed.
If the pressing has a thinner sound obviously it becomes easier to pick up on the percussive nature of the instrument and "see" it more clearly. However, a thin piano tone on this album is the kiss of death. The better copies like this original monarch allow you to hear the full range of notes -- including those played with the left hand -- and for that, you need both richness and transparency.
This is a tricky balancing act; rarely in my experience do any two copies find precisely the same balance throughout an entire side. This one has it.

Vinyl front-end used for this review:
Rega P3:RB880 tonearm,Denon DL160
Phono Stage:Whest Audio TWO.2 phono stage.

I was going to comment on the other views here about this pressing but this would be unfair as I`m not present to judge for myself.
All my rega p3 this sounds Absolutely WONDERFUL don`t get this twisted it`s NOT perfect far from it as,there are some annoying minor pops & clicks but as are so minor it`s not "a thing" as such.
My copy is glass flat on both sides and very well centered on the spindle,the pressing itself is really good for the rrp sounds fairly analog to my ears(don`t know if it is or not).Some tracks DO sound MORE DYNAMIC than others but it`s not too distracting when they don`t but when they DO - WOW!
There`s not a bad track here and quite a few have been covered over the years so even if you`re not familiar with the album there`s a good chance you`ll know a track or two.
This is a "Classic" and a worthy edition to most VC enthusiasm collections,five stars*****
Thank you for reading please feel free to post any queries.

Music 5*
Sound quality 5*
Mastering/pressing 4.5*

MOFI controversy aside, this LP sounds excellent. Brings me back to my childhood in the best possible ways.

Hi I cant find my version. It is both Dutch and German, with brown labels made in Holland. Stamped "Made in Germany" with label code 85337 IT but no misprint on B6. Shall I submit a new variant?

Very impressed with this! Excellent sound quality, sturdy quiet and clean vinyl. Deep bass, great separation, detail and her vocals are just right in front without getting harsh when volume turned up high. I don't have any other pressing to compare with, but very happy to have this one!

Holy hell these first us presses sound incredible. Like it's my first time listening again good

This could be a very very hot stamper if Carole King was not singing on this album.

All the instruments are mixed very well clearly separated and sound very colorful. However, you can hear in Carole's voice that this one was cut too hot. Her voice is way too sharp and distorted.

A bummer, because otherwise this pressing brings a lot to the table and is relatively cheap. Not recommended

I have this pressing which contains "digital noise" in some tracks

My copy has side 1 labeled as side 2 and side 2 labeled as side 1. Really cool misprint.

Whoever doesn’t give this record 5 stars needs to go back and listen again to the genius of this record. So many gems. One of those records that captured time in a bottle with an all star cast of musicians. Pressing has a wonderful analog sound to it. Highest recommendation.