Record basics

• Album name: The Best of Carly Simon
• Artist name: Carly Simon
• Year: 1975
• Number of discs: one
• Label: Elektra Records
• Collection: Selman
• Distinguishing characteristics:
  • Sticker on front of album: PROMOTIONAL COPY NOT FOR SALE
  • Printed on both sides of LP: RADIO STATION COPY
  • Scratched into side one of LP: 7E 1048 ARE 2CP
  • Scratched into side two of LP: 7E 1048 BRE 1CP
• Buy it on Amazon: $9.98

My review

Level of familiarity before listening

I previously reviewed No Secrets (1972), but did not like it very much; several of the songs on this compilation appear to come from that record.

What I expected

More easy listening with a slight country sound.

What it was actually like

When I reviewed No Secrets, I wrote:

You’re So Vain was catchy, and had maybe a bit more of a country sound than I remembered it having, but I think it was probably too clever by half.

And also:

Night Owl, a bluesy cover of a James Taylor song, was about ten thousand times better than his version, which was awful.

All of that was still true today, though I might add that Night Owl had a terrible saxophone solo.

The record’s most interesting song was Mockingbird, a cover of this Inez and Charlie Foxx song, that’s based on the lullaby Hush, Little Baby. This version had a country and blues sound and was a duet with James Taylor^[1], and it was decent until its saxophone solo.

Attitude Dancing, a disco song, was the worst on the record.

Grade

2/5: bad, but I was able to listen to the whole thing