Carole King And James Taylor Live At The Troubadour – DVD/CD Review And Giveaway

I can hardly fathom myself as judge of a CD or concert DVD by Carole King and James Taylor, but this is a thoroughly impressive release, and fans will be doing themselves a real favor by picking up this uniquely intimate concert DVD.

Both artists are in fine form, performing their best songs, and I doubt any other venue could facilitate this kind of concert video experience. Wonderfully produced, the DVD is about as close to being in the audience as you can get, and the set also comes with the CD, and an impressive, little booklet.

More than just a concert video, this is really an  historic event, and I recommend it highly.

Check the full press release below, which includes info on the tour, then have a listen and enter to win.

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P/C James OMara

In November of 1970 James Taylor and Carole King first performed together at the Troubadour on Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood, California.  Taylor had just released his debut album for the Beatles’ newly formed Apple Records and King was finding her way as a first time solo performer even though by then she was a famous songwriter with a string of hits for other artists.

When they returned to the club for a two-week co-headlining run in 1971 their lives were somewhat different. That summer Taylor’s “Fire and Rain” was topping the charts and King’s landmark Tapestry was on its way to making her a music superstar. Thirty-six years later, in November 2007, James Taylor, Carole King and members of their renowned original band “The Section” (featuring guitarist Danny Kortchmar, bassist Leland Sklar and drummer Russell Kunkel) returned to the Troubadour for a three-night, six-show run to celebrate the venue’s 50^th anniversary.

P/C James OMara

Those historic shows are documented in Live at the Troubadour, a special 2-disc CD/DVD available May 4th from Hear Music/Concord Music Group.  This remarkable recording, culled from these unforgettable shows, features 15 songs and 75 minutes of pristine video and audio including stunning performances of the pair’s most beloved hits such as Carole King’s “So Far Away,” “It’s Too Late,” and “Will You Love Me Tomorrow?” as well as James Taylor’s “Carolina in My Mind,” “Sweet Baby James,” and “Fire and Rain,” to name just a few.

The return to the intimate Troubadour--the fertile ground that served as the unofficial home to a some of the era’s defining musicians such as the Eagles, Elton John, Jackson Browne, Linda Ronstadt and Joni Mitchell--rekindled King’s and Taylor’s love for making music together.

Variety enthused at the time, “Taylor and King reminded us about the intensity of the song, that the artistically-rich and commercially-viable are not mutually exclusive and how one tiny club continues to be a birthing room for some of this city's most memorable music.” The experience was deeply felt by everyone, the musicians on stage, and the fans in attendance as well as the project’s technical crew: audio producer Peter Asher (an instrumental figure throughout Taylor’s career) and Emmy-winning video director, Martyn Atkins.

Live at the Troubadour is captured in sterling 5.1 stereo and state-of-the-art high definition video.
In the album’s liner notes, Taylor states: “The Troubadour in 1971 wasn’t the beginning, but it was a big step into the light for both of us. When we reunited for the Troubadour’s 50th Anniversary celebration in 2007, it felt like yesterday. It was, and still is, all about the music and the celebration of performing together.”

King adds, “What’s even more remarkable is that James’s and my musical connection and friendship continue to transcend time and place. Whenever we’re together, there we are. I feel a tremendous gratitude to be able to share this experience with James, with this fine band, and most of all, with the fans.”

This memorable event was also the inspiration for the recently announced 60-concert “Troubadour Reunion” world tour that will kick off in Melbourne, Australia on March 26^th and will travel to New Zealand and Japan before coming to North America starting in May.

For the Troubadour Reunion tour, King and Taylor will once again be joined on stage by Kortchmar, Sklar and Kunkel. The tour has so far generated an overwhelming response exemplified by numerous sold-out shows including multiple nights at The Hollywood Bowl May 13^th, 14^th and 15^th, New York’s Madison Square Garden June 15^th, 16^th and 30^th, and Tanglewood July 3^rd, 4^th and 5^th.

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Additionally, for all arena shows within the U.S., the unique stage design of the Troubadour Reunion tour will incorporate one-of-a-kind Stage Seats whose sale will benefit local and national charities throughout the U.S tour including the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Alliance for the Wild Rockies. These charities have been chosen specifically by Carole King and James Taylor and are available at www.ticketsforcharity.com. These unique Stage Seats, arranged in tables of two surrounding the stage, create an extraordinary “venue within a venue,” an intimate, club-like setting replicating the intimacy of the duo’s legendary night at the Troubadour four decades ago, amidst the excitement of an arena performance.

Live at the Troubadour track listing:

1.   Blossom (James Taylor)
2.   So Far Away (Carole King)
3.   Machine Gun Kelly (Danny Kortchmar)
4.   Carolina in My Mind (James Taylor)
5.   It’s Too Late (Carole King - Toni Stern)
6.   Smackwater Jack (Gerry Goffin - Carole King)
7.   Something in the Way She Moves (James Taylor)
8.   Will You Love Me Tomorrow? (Gerry Goffin - Carole King)
9.   Country Road (James Taylor)
10.  Fire and Rain (James Taylor)
11.  Sweet Baby James (James Taylor)
12.  I Feel the Earth Move (Carole King)
13.  You’ve Got a Friend (Carole King)
14.  Up on the Roof (Gerry Goffin - Carole King)
15.  You Can Close Your Eyes (James Taylor)

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About Marc Eastman

Marc Eastman is the owner and operator of Are You Screening? and has been writing film reviews for over a decade, and several branches of the internet's film review world have seen his name. His reviews have brought him personal praise from the director of a major motion picture, and have been used as required reading in a course at a major University. These priceless rewards, along with just bags of cash, keep him from straying from freelance writing. He is also a member of The Broadcast Film Critics Association and The Broadcast Television Journalists Association.

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