The Best of Carly Simon
Encyclopedia
The Best of Carly Simon is singer-songwriter
Carly Simon
's sixth album
, and her first greatest-hits
compilation of previously released songs. Covering the first five years of her career, 1971 to 1975, the compilation includes six top ten hit singles, two minor hits ("Legend In Your Own Time", "Attitude Dancing") and two album cuts that were never released as singles ("Night Owl", "We Have No Secrets").
For many years, this was Simon's only greatest hits collection, and, as a result, it became by far her best selling album. In the late 1990s, sales in the United States alone stood at over three million copies. However, in later years the collection could not be considered a complete or definitive representation of Simon's best or most popular work because it did not include her major hits from the mid-1970s onward, such as "Nobody Does It Better", "You Belong to Me", "Jesse" and "Coming Around Again". The fact that Simon had changed record labels several times (moving from Elektra to Warner Brothers to Epic to Arista) made a more a wide-ranging collection a difficult proposition. A live album, Greatest Hits Live (1988), went some way to rectifying this issue, but the original recorded versions were eventually collected on the three-disc boxed-set Clouds in My Coffee
(1995), the two-disc set Anthology (2003) and the single disc compilation Reflections: Carly Simon's Greatest Hits
(2004).
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
Carly Simon
Carly Simon
Carly Elisabeth Simon is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and children's author. She rose to fame in the 1970s with a string of hit records, and has since been the recipient of two Grammy Awards, an Academy Award, and a Golden Globe Award for her work...
's sixth album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
, and her first greatest-hits
Greatest hits
A greatest hits album is a music compilation album of successful, previously released songs by a particular artist or band...
compilation of previously released songs. Covering the first five years of her career, 1971 to 1975, the compilation includes six top ten hit singles, two minor hits ("Legend In Your Own Time", "Attitude Dancing") and two album cuts that were never released as singles ("Night Owl", "We Have No Secrets").
For many years, this was Simon's only greatest hits collection, and, as a result, it became by far her best selling album. In the late 1990s, sales in the United States alone stood at over three million copies. However, in later years the collection could not be considered a complete or definitive representation of Simon's best or most popular work because it did not include her major hits from the mid-1970s onward, such as "Nobody Does It Better", "You Belong to Me", "Jesse" and "Coming Around Again". The fact that Simon had changed record labels several times (moving from Elektra to Warner Brothers to Epic to Arista) made a more a wide-ranging collection a difficult proposition. A live album, Greatest Hits Live (1988), went some way to rectifying this issue, but the original recorded versions were eventually collected on the three-disc boxed-set Clouds in My Coffee
Clouds in My Coffee
Clouds In My Coffee is singer-songwriter Carly Simon's 21st album released in 1995. It is a three-disc, 58 song career retrospective box set that spans Carly's career from 1965 to 1995...
(1995), the two-disc set Anthology (2003) and the single disc compilation Reflections: Carly Simon's Greatest Hits
Reflections: Carly Simon's Greatest Hits
Reflections: Carly Simon's Greatest Hits is singer-songwriter Carly Simon's 28th album, and fourth greatest-hits album, released in 2004. Later that same year an International version of the album was released, mainly for the UK market. It consisted of a different mix of songs and included the 1982...
(2004).
Track listing
- "That's the Way I've Always Heard It Should Be" (C. Simon/J. BrackmanJacob BrackmanJacob Brackman is an American journalist, writer, and musical lyricist.After graduating from Harvard University in 1965, he went to work for Newsweek as a journalist. He remained there for six months and was then hired by The New Yorker...
) – 4:15 - "The Right Thing to Do" (C. Simon) – 2:57
- "Mockingbird" (C. FoxxInez and Charlie FoxxCharlie Foxx and his sister Inez Foxx were an African-American rhythm and blues and soul duo from Greensboro, North Carolina. Inez sang lead vocal, while Charlie sang back-up and played guitar.Their most successful record was with their novelty composition, "Mockingbird"...
/I. FoxxInez and Charlie FoxxCharlie Foxx and his sister Inez Foxx were an African-American rhythm and blues and soul duo from Greensboro, North Carolina. Inez sang lead vocal, while Charlie sang back-up and played guitar.Their most successful record was with their novelty composition, "Mockingbird"...
/additional lyrics by J. TaylorJames TaylorJames Vernon Taylor is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A five-time Grammy Award winner, Taylor was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2000....
) – 4:11 - "Legend in Your Own Time" (C. Simon) – 3:45
- "Haven't Got Time for the Pain" (C. Simon/J. Brackman) – 3:36
- "You're So VainYou're So Vain"You're So Vain" is a song written and performed by Carly Simon and released in December 1972. The song is a critical profile of a self-absorbed lover; Simon asserts "You're so vain, you probably think this song is about you." The subject's identity has been the matter of speculation, fueled by...
" (C. Simon) – 4:17 - "We Have No Secrets" (C. Simon) – 3:57
- "Night Owl" (J. Taylor) – 3:47
- "AnticipationAnticipation (song)"Anticipation" is a song by Carly Simon. It was the most famous track from her 1971 album of the same name, reaching #13 on the U.S. pop charts...
" (C. Simon) – 3:19 - "Attitude Dancing" (C. Simon/J. Brackman) – 4:00
Personnel
- Carly Simon — Acoustic guitar, guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, vocals, background vocals, arrangements - Eddie Bongo — Conductor, congaCongaThe conga, or more properly the tumbadora, is a tall, narrow, single-headed Cuban drum with African antecedents. It is thought to be derived from the Makuta drums or similar drums associated with Afro-Cubans of Central African descent. A person who plays conga is called a conguero...
- Bonnie BramlettBonnie BramlettBonnie Bramlett is an American singer and sometime actress known for her distinctive vocals in rock and pop music. This began in the mid 1960s as a backing singer, forming the husband-and-wife team of Delaney & Bonnie, and continuing to the present day as a solo artist.-Life and career:Bramlett...
— Vocals, background vocals - Michael BreckerMichael BreckerMichael Leonard Brecker was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Acknowledged as "a quiet, gentle musician widely regarded as the most influential tenor saxophonist since John Coltrane," he has been awarded 15 Grammy Awards as both performer and composer and was inducted into Down Beat Jazz...
— SaxophoneSaxophoneThe saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
, tenor saxophone - Vicki Brown — Vocals, background vocals
- Ray CooperRay CooperRay Cooper is an English musician. He is a session and road-tour percussionist, and occasional actor, who has worked with several musically diverse bands and artists including George Harrison, Billy Joel, Eric Clapton, and Elton John. Cooper is commonly regarded by music fans, critics and fellow...
— Percussion, conga - Dr. JohnDr. JohnMalcolm John "Mac" Rebennack, Jr. , better known by the stage name Dr. John , is an American singer-songwriter, pianist and guitarist, whose music combines blues, pop, jazz as well as Zydeco, boogie woogie and rock and roll.Active as a session musician since the late 1950s, he came to wider...
— Organ, guitar, piano, keyboards - Paul Glanz — Piano
- Andrew GoldAndrew GoldAndrew Maurice Gold was an American singer, musician and songwriter. His works include the Top 10 single "Lonely Boy" , as well as the singles "Thank You for Being a Friend" , and "Never Let Her Slip Away" ....
— Guitar, drums - Jim GordonJim Gordon (musician)James Beck "Jim" Gordon is an American recording artist, musician and songwriter. The Grammy Award winner was one of the most requested session drummers in the late 1960s and 1970s, recording albums with many well-known musicians of the time, and was the drummer in the blues-rock supergroup Derek...
— Drums - Paul GriffinPaul Griffin (musician)Paul Griffin was an American session musician and pianist, who recorded with hundreds of artists from the late 1950s to the 1990s...
— Piano - Lani Groves — Vocals, background vocals
- Carl Hall — Vocals, background vocals
- Abigale Haness — Vocals, background vocals
- Nicky HopkinsNicky HopkinsNicholas Christian "Nicky" Hopkins was an English pianist and organist.He recorded and performed on noted British and American popular music recordings of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s as a session musician....
— Piano - Mick JaggerMick JaggerSir Michael Philip "Mick" Jagger is an English musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist and a founding member of The Rolling Stones....
— Vocals - Jimmy Johnson, Jr. — Drums
- Jim KeltnerJim KeltnerJames Lee "Jim" Keltner is an American drummer known primarily for his session work. He has contributed to the work of many well-known artists...
— Drums - Paul Keough — acoustic guitar
- Bobby KeysBobby KeysBobby Keys is an American saxophone player, and has performed with other musicians as a member of one of the notable horn sections of the 1970s. He appears on albums by The Rolling Stones, The Who, Harry Nilsson, Delaney Bramlett, George Harrison's All Things Must Pass, Eric Clapton and Joe...
— Saxophone, Sax (Baritone), tenor saxophone - Carole KingCarole KingCarole King is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. King and her former husband Gerry Goffin wrote more than two dozen chart hits for numerous artists during the 1960s, many of which have become standards. As a singer, King had an album, Tapestry, top the U.S...
— Vocals, background vocals - Tony LevinTony LevinTony Levin is an American progressive rock musician, specializing in bass guitar, Chapman stick and upright bass ....
— Bass - Ralph MacDonaldRalph MacDonaldRalph MacDonald is an American percussionist and song-writer. He joined Harry Belafonte's band at age 17. He wrote the Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway song "Where is the Love" with songwriting partner William Salter. Probably his best-known composition is the Grover Washington, Jr...
— Percussion - Linda McCartneyLinda McCartneyLinda Louise McCartney, Lady McCartney was an American photographer, musician and animal rights activist. Her father and mother were Lee Eastman and Louise Sara Lindner Eastman....
— Vocals - Paul McCartneyPaul McCartneySir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
— Vocals - Ken Moore — Vocals, background vocals
- Andy NewmarkAndy NewmarkAndrew "Andy" Newmark is an American musician, best known as a popular session drummer, and for playing with the funk band Sly & the Family Stone from 1972 to 1973....
— Percussion, drums - Richard PerryRichard PerryRichard Perry is an American music producer. Perry began as a performer in his adolescence, but shifted gears after graduating college and rose through the late 1960s and early 1970s to become a highly successful and popular record producer with over a dozen gold records to his credit by 1982...
— Percussion - Robbie RobertsonRobbie RobertsonRobbie Robertson, OC; is a Canadian singer-songwriter, and guitarist. He is best known for his membership as the guitarist and primary songwriter within The Band. He was ranked 59th in Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time...
— Guitar, electric guitar - Jim Ryan — Acoustic guitar, Bass, guitar, electric guitar
- John Ryan — Bass
- Liza Strike — Background vocals
- James TaylorJames TaylorJames Vernon Taylor is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A five-time Grammy Award winner, Taylor was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2000....
— Acoustic guitar, guitar, vocals - Tasha Thomas — Vocals, background vocals
- Doris TroyDoris TroyDoris Troy was an American R&B singer, known to her many fans as "Mama Soul".She was born as Doris Higginson in The Bronx, the daughter of a Barbadian Pentecostal minister. Her parents disapproved of "subversive" forms of music like rhythm & blues, so she cut her teeth singing in her father's choir...
— Vocals, background vocals - Klaus VoormannKlaus VoormannKlaus Voormann is a German Grammy Award-winning artist, noted musician, and record producer. He designed artwork for many bands including The Beatles, The Bee Gees, Wet Wet Wet and Turbonegro. His most notable work as a producer was his work with the band Trio, including their worldwide hit "Da Da...
— Bass - Willie WeeksWillie WeeksWillie Weeks is an American bass guitarist. He has gained fame performing with famous musicians in a wide variety of genres. He has been one of the most in-demand session musicians throughout his career. Weeks has also gained notoriety touring with many of rock's heavyweights throughout his career...
— Bass
Charts
Album - Billboard (North America)| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | Pop Albums | 17 |