Carly Simon (album)

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Carly Simon
Carly Simon - Carly Simon.jpg
Studio album by
Carly Simon
ReleasedFebruary 9, 1971
Recorded1970–1971
Studio Electric Lady Studios, New York City
Genre
Length38:26
Label Elektra
Producer Eddie Kramer
Carly Simon chronology
Carly Simon
(1971)		 Anticipation
(1971)
Singles from Carly Simon

Carly Simon is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Carly Simon, released by Elektra Records, on February 9, 1971.

Contents

The album was produced by Eddie Kramer, who had previously worked with Joe Cocker and Jimi Hendrix, and included Simon's first Top 10 hit, "That's the Way I've Always Heard It Should Be", which earned her a nomination for the Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance in 1972. [1] A somber ballad centered on a woman pondering marriage with a sense of both inevitability and entrapment; the song was written by Simon and frequent collaborator Jacob Brackman. [2] The album also earned Simon the Grammy Award for Best New Artist at the same ceremony. [1]

The album features material written by Simon, with additional writing by Brackman, Kramer, and Fred Gardner, as well as covers of songs by Mark Klingman and Buzzy Linhart.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [3]
Christgau's Record Guide C− [4]

The album was mostly well received by music critics upon release. Timothy Crouse, writing in Rolling Stone , stated "Carly's voice perfectly matches her material" and her "superbly controlled voice is complemented by deft arrangements." [5] Robert Christgau, writing for The Village Voice , was less impressed; "I suppose it makes sense not only for the privileged to inflict their sensibilities on us, but for many of us to dig it." [6] In more recent years, William Ruhlmann, writing for AllMusic, rated the album 31⁄2-stars-out-of-5, and listed the tracks "That's the Way I've Always Heard It Should Be" and "Dan, My Fling" as stand-outs. [3]

In a retrospective assessment, music scholar Kim Simpson deemed "That's the Way I've Always Heard It Should Be" an "early soft rock masterpiece." [7]

Simon stated in the Ask Carly section on her website that "Reunions" was her mother's—Andrea Simon—favorite song of hers.

Awards

YearAwardCategoryRecipient/WorkResultRef.
1972 Grammy Awards Best New Artist Carly Simon Won [1]
Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female "That's the Way I've Always Heard It Should Be"Nominated

Track listing

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes. [8]

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."That's the Way I've Always Heard It Should Be"
4:15
2."Alone"Simon3:36
3."One More Time"Simon3:32
4."The Best Thing"Simon4:14
5."Just a Sinner" Moogy Klingman 3:10
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Dan, My Fling"
  • Brackman
  • Fred Gardner
5:28
2."Another Door"Simon3:16
3."Reunions"
3:06
4."Rolling Down the Hills"Simon3:35
5."The Love's Still Growing" Buzzy Linhart 4:14
Total length:38:26

Personnel

Musicians

Production

Charts

Album – Billboard (United States) [9]

YearChartPosition
1971Billboard 20030

Album – International

YearCountryPosition
1971Australia [10] 55
Canada [11] 17

Singles – Billboard (United States) [9]

YearSingleChartPosition
1971"That's The Way I've Always Heard It Should Be"Adult Contemporary6
Hot 10010

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Carly Simon". The Recording Academy. Archived from the original on March 20, 2022. Retrieved October 19, 2018.
  2. ↑ "That's the Way I've Always Heard It Should Be lyrics". Carlysimon.com. Archived from the original on May 16, 2022. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
  3. 1 2 Ruhlmann, William. "Carly Simon". AllMusic. Archived from the original on October 21, 2022. Retrieved July 12, 2007.
  4. ↑ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: S". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies . Ticknor & Fields. ISBN   089919026X . Retrieved March 12, 2019– via robertchristgau.com.
  5. ↑ Crouse, Timothy (April 1, 1971). "Carly Simon review". Rolling Stone . Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved November 7, 2011.
  6. ↑ Christgau, Robert (August 19, 1971). "Consumer Guide: Carly Simon". The Village Voice . Retrieved November 7, 2011.
  7. ↑ Simpson, Kim (July 21, 2011). Early '70s Radio: The American Format Revolution. A&C Black. p. 89. ISBN   978-1-441-15758-4.
  8. ↑ Carly Simon (1971). Carly Simon (booklet). Elektra.
  9. 1 2 "Carly Simon – Chart history". Billboard . Archived from the original on October 21, 2022. Retrieved January 4, 2015.
  10. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Charts Book 1970—1992. Australian Chart Book Pty Ltd, Turramurra, N.S.W. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.
  11. ↑ "CAN Charts > Carly Simon". RPM . Archived from the original on January 4, 2015. Retrieved January 4, 2015.
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