The Best of Carly Simon

Import pressing features 'Why' as an additional bonus track over the US version. The first and still the best of the many Carly Simon compilations available, 1975's THE BEST OF CARLY SIMON is an all-meat, no-filler collection of most of the folk-pop singer/songwriter's best and biggest songs. Looking over the track listing, one is reminded of just how many classic songs Simon was responsible for in the early '70s. "That's the Way I've Always Heard it Should Be", "The Right Thing to Do", "Haven't Got Time For the Pain", "Anticipation", and of course "You're So Vain" still sound remarkably solid. This is particularly impressive considering the amount of radio time they've all gotten in the intervening decades. Simon's husky voice and smart, piano-based arrangements don't sound nearly as dated as those of many of her contemporaries, and while THE BEST OF CARLY SIMON may qualify as a guilty pleasure in some minds, it's a pleasure nonetheless. 11 tracks. Warner.

Almost any way you look at it, the Carly Simon of the '70s was pretty cool. Her acerbic wit and nasally expressive voice had people comparing her to Carole King, but there was also a weary androgyny to her that wouldn't be seen again until the arrival of Chrissy Hynde. Her songs rocked without quite being rock songs, and were folk-evocative without falling into the singer-songwriter bins. She scored multiple singles hits yet pulled off albums with the best of her contemporaries. This is an early collection, so it misses "Nobody Does It Better" and other later hits. Regardless, nearly all the songs here are worth having. Flavorful and nourishing--and a good package, besides. --Gavin McNett