Since Her Landmark 'tapestry,' Carole King Has

As A Performing Group, The Beatles Began By Playing Old Rock Favorites, For Dancing, To Tough Audiences In Liverpool And Hamburg. When They Began Writing Seriously, They Discovered That They Couldn't Compose In The Early American Rock Tradition.

It Didn't Matter That Charlie Chaplin May Not Have Been A Great Director Or A Great Anything Else. He Made Great Movies.

James Taylor Is The Kind Of Person I Always Thought The Word 'folksinger' Referred To. He Writes And Sings Songs That Are Reflections Of His Own Life, And Performs In Them In His Own Style. All Of His Performances Are Marked By An Eloquent Simplicity.

Elton John Can Be A Master Of The Sleight Of Hand. The Arrangements Make It Seem Like There Are Substantial Melodies Underneath The Tracks - But Almost Nothing Demands Repeated Listenings. Similarly, He Always Sounds Like He's Singing Up A Storm, But His Voice Glosses Over The Material, Reducing Most Things To An Uninteresting Sameness.

When The Beatles Cut Old Rock N' Roll, They Were Recording Music Still In Their Performing Repertoire, And Besides, They Never Thought Of The Music As Old.