Carly Simon - Reflections: Carly Simon's Greatest Hits
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Free Music Notes for Reflections: Carly Simon's Greatest Hits
Free Music Review: strong that way
Hit: 5 Stars
Every once in a while an anthology covering the high points of an artist's career simply dazzles with the accumulated weight of one memorable musical statement following upon another. The danger of beginning a review of Carly Simon's REFLECTIONS with such an observation is that it may understate her achievement.
Upon a fifth or sixth listening to this greatest hits album, one is left wondering how she did it. There must have been very few years without a CS tune at the top of the charts thoughtfully probing what love means, why men are like are they are, and why women love them anyway.
It is bad math and sad psychology to size up an artist's soul by counting the themes she devotes on a greatest hits album to the distinct themes about which her music resolves. But it's hardly a worthless enterprise, so here we go:
On six tracks, Carly traces the tortured landscape of family and relatiional strife: Beginning with the ironic 'That's the Way it Should Be' and continuing on to her inimitable duet with Jagger 'You're So Vain', Simon shows herself well acquainted with all the reasons not to love, yet indicates in the end that none is decisive. 'Jesse' is in fact a humorous statement of just that injudicious element of the human condition.
The gorgeous, lilting 'Coming Around Again', the heart-rending (can one still use that word without melodrama?) 'Better Not Tell Her' and the poignant 'LIke a River' round out this introspective vein in Simon's collected works.
Just as there is loneliness in life, so one track exposes the loneliness of life in the spotlight: 'Legend in Your Own TImes'.
Finally, and in roughly equal measure to her contemplation of the pain of it all, Carly sings of the sheer delight of love and, of course, the anticipation of it: 'Anticipation', 'The Right Thing to Do', 'Mockingbird', the ineffably beautiful 'I Haven't Got Time for the Pain', 'Nobody Does it Better', 'The Stuff That Dreams Are Made Of', and 'Give Me All Night'. These are the tunes that work themselves into one's soul and rise, unbidden , to the lips.
Yet until one meets them in one collection, it is possible not to notice their cumulative force.
Carly Simon was one of the second half of the twentieth century's definitive vocal artists. Like this reviewer, you might not have recognized that, enthralled as we were by each facet of the gem. One at a time. But, put together, how they sparkle!
Free Music Review: Easily the best single disc Simon collection available
Hit: 5 Stars
Several collections already existed that encompass Carly's solo career, including the three-disc box set CLOUDS IN MY COFFEE (1995), and the double-disc, forty-track ANTHOLOGY (2002). For the amount of space available on both of them, the track selections are flawed. REFLECTIONS, meanwhile, truly represents the cream of Carly's catalog and is an extremely enjoyable listening experience from start to finish.The first nine tracks are comprised of Carly's '70s Elektra hits like "That's The Way I've Always Heard It Should Be, "Anticipation," "You're So Vain," and "You Belong To Me." I have my favorite album tracks from this period like "Tranquilo" and "We're So Close," but the recordings included here were the hits, so I can't find fault with the selection. Track 10, "Jesse," represents her early '80s tenure at Warner Brothers - a logical choice as it was her only top 20 hit there (I also liked her minor reggae-flavored hit "Why" from this period).
In 1987 - after an unsuccessful album SPOILED GIRL for Columbia - Carly moved to Arista and experienced a career resurgence, much like that experienced by other middle-aged Arista arrivals Dionne Warwick and Aretha Franklin. Her Arista highlights make up the final 10 tracks.
The first Arista album COMING AROUND AGAIN was one of Carly's strongest ever and it is well-represented here by its four singles, including the reflective title track and the enchanting "Stuff That Dreams Are Made Of." During her Arista years, Carly also got involved in film scoring - quite successfully - including her enclosed Oscar winner "Let The River Run" from WORKING GIRL and the theme for LOVE OF MY LIFE.
The 1994 biographical album LETTERS NEVER SENT resulted in some of her most intimate work and is well represented here by touching tributes to her mom ("Like A River") and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis ("Touched By The Sun"). This collection then concludes with "Amity," an acoustic duet with daughter Sally Taylor that was included in the 1999 film ANYWHERE BUT HERE.
While one disc cannot due full justice to Carly, REFLECTIONS manages to touch on all significant phases of her career. For those who don't own any of her music, it's a great first purchase.
Free Music Review: A Great First Carly Purchase
Hit: 5 Stars
Several collections already existed that encompass Carly's solo career, including the three-disc box set CLOUDS IN MY COFFEE (1995), and the double-disc, forty-track ANTHOLOGY (2002). For the amount of space available on both of them, the track selections are flawed. REFLECTIONS, meanwhile, truly represents the cream of Carly's catalog and is an extremely enjoyable listening experience from start to finish.
The first nine tracks are comprised of Carly's '70s Elektra hits like "That's The Way I've Always Heard It Should Be, "Anticipation," "You're So Vain," and "You Belong To Me." I have my favorite album tracks from this period like "Tranquilo" and "We're So Close," but the recordings included here were the hits, so I can't find fault with the selection. Track 10, "Jesse," represents her early '80s tenure at Warner Brothers - a logical choice as it was her only top 20 hit there (I also liked her minor reggae-flavored hit "Why" from this period).
In 1987 - after an unsuccessful album SPOILED GIRL for Columbia - Carly moved to Arista and experienced a career resurgence, much like that experienced by other middle-aged Arista arrivals Dionne Warwick and Aretha Franklin. Her Arista highlights make up the final 10 tracks.
The first Arista album COMING AROUND AGAIN was one of Carly's strongest ever and it is well-represented here by its four singles, including the reflective title track and the enchanting "Stuff That Dreams Are Made Of." During her Arista years, Carly also got involved in film scoring - quite successfully - including her enclosed Oscar winner "Let The River Run" from WORKING GIRL and the theme for LOVE OF MY LIFE.
The 1994 biographical album LETTERS NEVER SENT resulted in some of her most intimate work and is well represented here by touching tributes to her mom ("Like A River") and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis ("Touched By The Sun"). This collection then concludes with "Amity," an acoustic duet with daughter Sally Taylor that was included in the 1999 film ANYWHERE BUT HERE.
While one disc cannot due full justice to Carly, REFLECTIONS manages to touch on all significant phases of her career. For those who don't own any of her music, it's a great first purchase.
Free Music Review: WONDERFUL CD FOR EASY LISTENING!!!
Hit: 5 Stars
REFLECTIONS: CARLY SIMON'S GREATEST HITS1. That's the Way I've Always Heard it Should Be {From Carly Simon} (4:18)
GOOD SONG!!! 8/10
2. Legend in Your Own Time {From Anticipation} (3:46)
Not my favorite, but still good. 6/10
3. Anticipation {From Anticipation} (3:21)
GREAT TUNE!!! 9/10
4. The Right Thing to Do {From No Secrets} (2:58)
Good tune. 8/10
5. You're So Vain {From No Secrets} (4:18)
GOOD SONG!!! 9/10
6. Mockingbird [With James Taylor] {From Hotcakes} (3:48)
LOVE IT!!! 9/10
7. Haven't Got Time for the Pain {From Hotcakes} (3:55)
Good, too. 8/10
8. Nobody Does it Better {From The Spy Who Loved Me: Original Motion Picture Score} (3:44)
DOESN'T EVERYONE LOVE THIS SONG!!!??? 9/10
9. You Belong to Me {From Boys in the Trees} (3:12)
Okay song. 7/10
10. Jesse {From Come Upstairs} (4:19)
Just as good as it always was. 8/10
11. Coming Around Again {From Coming Around Again} (3:42)
MY FAVORITE CARLY SIMON SONG!!! 10/10=A+=100%
12. Give Me All Night {From Coming Around Again} (4:04)
Not my favorite. 4/10
13. The Stuff That Dreams Are Made Of {From Coming Around Again} (4:27)
GOOD SONG!!! 9/10
14. All I Want is You {From Coming Around Again} (3:59)
AN OKAY SONG. 7/10
15. Let the River Run {From Working Girl: Original Soundtrack Album} (3:41)
Nice song. 7/10
16. Better Not Tell Her {From Have You Seen Me Lately} (4:46)
Don't like this one as well. 5/10
17. Love of My Life {From This is My Life: Music from the Motion Picture} (3:33)
PRETTY GOOD SONG. 7/10
18. Like a River {From Letters Never Sent} (4:46)
Relaxing song. 8/10
19. Touched by the Sun {From Letters Never Sent} (5:28)
SOOTHING song. 8/10
20. Amity [With Sally Taylor] {From Anywhere But Here: Music from the Motion Picture} (3:02)
A FEEL-GOOD SONG!!! 8/10
Total Run Time: (79:33)
Free Music Review: A great introduction to Carly's music
Hit: 5 Stars
Carly has had long and distinguished career but this collection manages to include most of the essentials although there is a double CD (Anthology) that covers her career more comprehensively.
From my perspective, there were two peaks in Carly's career - her seventies hits and her late eighties album, Coming around again. Between them, they dominate this collection, although there are other great tracks here.
Carly began her successful period in the seventies via the American hits That's the way I've always heard it should be and Anticipation. Britain then discovered her music and subsequent hits charted in both the UK and USA, though Carly remained more popular in America. Her international hits from the seventies include You're so vain, The right thing to do, Mockingbird (a duet with James Taylor) and Nobody does it better (a James Bond theme). Carly's only big hit of the early eighties was Why (top ten in the UK but not included here - it is on the UK edition of this compilation), although she released some interesting albums during that time. In the late eighties came the album Coming around again, possibly her best ever. It is represented by The stuff that dreams are made of, All I want is you, Give me all night and the title track. A few later tracks are also included, most notably the Oscar-winning Let the river run (from Working girl).
The track listing here is similar but not identical to the old UK compilation Nobody does it better, so anybody who has that does not need this. It is also worth noting that this compilation has slightly different track listings in the UK and the USA although if you really want the tracks on one but not the other, the best solution may be to buy Anthology.
As an introduction to Carly's music, this is brilliant.