In the age of ubiquitous vinyl reissues and on the heels of the CD reissue era, the music of Carly Simon has been available, but not given the fulsome and bespoke reissue editions it so rightly deserves.
The Clouds in My Coffee 3-CD box set from Arista in 1995 was a welcome, well-packaged overview of her career up until that time, but it in no way reflected the important place Simon’s music held on that 25th anniversary of her solo career. Simon recorded previously with her sister Lucy, as The Simon Sisters. There were also only four previously unreleased tracks on that set, which was disappointing. A good first step in placing Simon’s music in the proper context and in particular, in re-issuing her earliest music on vinyl, the way it should be heard, is this new two-LP set.
The music here is drawn from Simon’s first three albums: Carly Simon (1971), Anticipation (1971), and No Secrets (1972). She would record five more albums for Elektra, with these eight albums covering her entire 1970s output. These are defining albums of the 1970s singer-songwriter explosion. No Secrets stands alongside Tapestry by Carole King and Blue by Joni Mitchell as albums that were the cornerstone of that movement, but that also reflected the new voice of music from women at that time.
This two-LP set offers a selection of tracks from those first three albums, out of chronological order. There are only two tracks not from the albums: a demo of “Alone” and a cover of “Angel from Montgomery,” which did appear on the Clouds in My Coffee box. The set comes with a wonderful eight-page, album-sized booklet that includes photos, liner notes, and most notably an extensive conversation between Simon and Elektra Records founder Jac Holzman, moderated by Ted Olson. The inside of the gatefold also offers additional liner notes and photos, including some of Simon’s handwritten lyrics.
Acknowledging Holzman’s significant role is important. Along with people like Sam Phillips, John Hammond Sr., Ahmet Ertegun, Chris Blackwell and a handful of others, there are few record executives as important in the history of the folk and rock recording era as Holzman. During Holzman’s tenure running the label, Elektra Records was a groundbreaking folk label signing artists like Judy Collins and Phil Ochs, but would be a major player in rock, signing The Doors and Love, along with artists as diverse as Harry Chapin, the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, and even The Stooges. Holzman, with his Nonsuch subsidiary, was also instrumental in bringing world music to mainstream record buyers.
The album is bracketed by Simon’s two biggest hits—“Anticipation” and “You’re So Vain.” One of the greatest vocalists of all time, Simon is also a formidable songwriter, but also recorded some inspired covers at this time including “I’ve Got to Have You,” written by Kris Kristofferson and “The Love’s Still Growing” written by Buzzy Linhart. Listening to all of these songs affords one an opportunity to hear some of the best music of the singer-songwriter period. In fact, the music here still sounds fresh and new, is timeless, and in the case of the No Secrets album, is one of the best and most iconic albums of the 1970s.
The song sequencing on this reissue may reflect how a Simon concert would have played out in 1972. While this approach offers casual Simon fans and new listeners a chance to sample music from one of her best periods, it takes the songs out of their album context, which in the case of the No Secrets material is almost blasphemous. Simon deserved to have these albums reissued in their entirety, maybe with an additional album of rarities, B-sides, demos, live tracks or even the wonderful short instrumental theme she wrote and recorded exclusively for New York DJ Johnathan Shwartz’s radio show. A more extensive booklet and maybe even some memorabilia would also have been welcome.
Hopefully, this is just the beginning of many Simon vinyl reissues to come.
GRADED ON A CURVE:
B+
