Fantasy is Carole King’s fifth studio album, originally released in June 1973 on Ode Records, with distribution through A&M. It followed Rhymes & Reasons and came between the monumental Tapestry and Wrap Around Joy.

The album is a somewhat more soulful, jazz-influenced and heavily arranged record than Tapestry. King moves away from the intimate singer-songwriter sound of her breakthrough albums and incorporates horns, strings, percussion and electric instrumentation. It has been described as soft rock, contemporary pop/rock and blue-eyed soul.

Track listing — 13 tracks, approximately 40 minutes:

Fantasy Beginning

You've Been Around Too Long

Being at War with Each Other

Directions

That's How Things Go Down

Weekdays

Haywood

A Quiet Place to Live

Welfare Symphony

You Light Up My Life

Corazón

Believe in Humanity

Fantasy End

A notable feature is that Fantasy is constructed almost as a continuous song cycle, beginning with Fantasy Beginning and ending with Fantasy End, with the music flowing between sections.

King wrote all the songs herself and was joined by an impressive group of Los Angeles session musicians, including David T. Walker, Danny Kortchmar, Harvey Mason, Bobbye Hall and Tom Scott. Lou Adler produced the album.

The album reached No. 6 on the US Billboard album chart and No. 24 in Australia, making it another substantial commercial success despite coming immediately after Tapestry.

Genre: Pop/Rock, Soft Rock, Singer-Songwriter, Blue-Eyed Soul

Released: 1973

Label: Ode / A&M

Length: ~40 minutes

Producer: Lou Adler

For a CD collection: Fantasy is an important Carole King album, particularly if you're collecting her early-1970s catalogue. It's less instantly accessible than Tapestry but has a richer, more sophisticated production and some excellent songwriting.