Carly Simon: Worst to Best

Carly Simon is one of my all time favorite singers and songwriters. Her wide range of music through the years has given me a huge landscape of sound to explore over the past few years of my life. Over time, I've noticed I gravitate much more to certain Carly Simon albums over others, like most people. I find reading others ranking lists so interesting, so I thought why not give it a go myself. Note: There are 17 albums on this list. I did not include Carly's holiday albums or her five albums of standards. I felt that including these in the ranking would be difficult considering she did not write the tracks herself. I also left out her Greatest Hits Live album. I like that album okay, but it isn't representative of Carly's music and wherever I placed it on the list, it would probably seem out of place. 

Check out the YouTube video version of this ranking (it's a mess)

#17: Never Been Gone

I hate to put Carly's most recent album so low in the ranking, but here we are. Released in 2009, Never Been Gone is Carly's reimagining of her songs throughout her career. I dislike this album simply because none of the rerecordings are better, or even as good as previous versions. It is an acoustic album (mostly), with lots of vocal layering, but I can't bare the autotune. Some of the versions are interesting, and will definitely be interesting to long time fans, but this isn't an album I enjoy. My favorite tracks: "Let the River Run," "The Right Thing To Do," "Boys In the Trees."

#16: Have You Seen Me Lately?

On this oddly weak release, Carly dives head first into the world of Adult Contemporary on this 1990 album. Being her first record of original material after 1987's Coming Around Again, Have You abandons all of the hope and dreams Carly promised years before. Instead, most of the songs are about getting older, the loss of love, and straight up cloudy weather. "Better Not Tell Her" is nice, but Frank Fillipetti's production does nothing to flatter Carly's vocals and the song is about a minute and a half too long. "Waiting At the Gate" and "Don't Wrap It Up" are highlights as well. 

#15: Letters Never Sent 

A clear leap in the right direction, Letters was the follow up to Have You and released in 1994. This record marks a fresh and even funky new start for Carly. At the same time, this album is a return back to the subject matter she wrote about in the 70's: Self-doubt, love and confessing. Unlike her last project, Carly doesn't dwell on getting older, she rather embraces what's ahead. Letters has a diverse cast of players, which certainly pays off in the bouncy, jazzy and loose feeling songs. The interludes that bookend many of the tracks are a bit strange, but "Catch It Like a Fever" is nice. My favorite tracks: "Letters Never Sent," "Like a River," "Born to Break My Heart."

#14: The Bedroom Tapes

The Bedroom Tapes (2000) is Simon's first album that is nearly completely self-produced. Carly has even said it's her best album and her favorite to record. As the name suggests, it was recorded entirely in her daughter, Sally's old bedroom. The Bedroom Tapes is a cohesive blend of different musical genres including Blues, Jazz, Folk and Pop-rock. The tracks are produced well and certainly are more listenable than other Carly Simon albums from this period; It feels like Carly took a "less is more" approach this time around, pairing down some of the weird, atonal interludes that plagued Letters. My favorite tracks: "Our Affair," "Actress," "Cross the River."

#13: Hello Big Man

Carly's 1983 record received warm reviews from critics and fans. Even if this wasn't reflected in album sales, many touted this album as her best release since No Secrets. From 1979 to Hello Big Man's release, Carly released a disco album, a new-age album and a standards record, so this return to normalcy was a relief to many. Mike Mainieri's production is more understated than on previous albums, and gives listeners a warm, familiar feel. Still, Carly manages to pack folk songs, synthesizers and Reggae music onto this somewhat forgettable release. My favorite tracks: "You Know What to Do," "Hello Big Man," "Is This Love."

#12: This Kind of Love

Released in 2008, this is Carly's final studio album of new material. It also surprisingly fresh and upbeat (and sensual). Simon worked with a large Brazilian band for this record, resulting in an enjoyable, latin-tinged sound. Although it definitely is not a Brazilian album, per se, it is good and is far too often overlooked. Carly explores atmospheres and textures she never has before, which is particularly rewarding on tracks like "So Many People To Love," "People Say a Lot," and "Hola Soleil."

#11: Coming Around Again

Widely regarded as her comeback album, Coming Around Again (1987) marked the first top 25 hit for Carly since 1978's Boys in the Trees. It falls relatively low on my list because frankly, I just don't like many of the songs and I find the production really distracting. Which comes to no surprise since there were nine producers this time around. The four singles are great, but the rest of the album, particularly the second side, is forgettable. My favorite tracks: "The Stuff That Dreams Are Made Of," "All I Want Is You," "Coming Around Again."

#10: Come Upstairs

Her 1980 release, Come Upstairs is the closest thing to a new-wave album Carly has ever done. Besides the single "Jesse," which was a moderate hit, this record was the first in Carly's string of much ignored 80's albums. Her songwriting is also noticeably different here. She's more forward, more direct and all around not afraid to say what she assumes everyone else is thinking. Same goes for her vocals; She isn't afraid to roar a little bit. My only complaint would that be she didn't lean into this new style far enough. There are times when it feels a bit performative, like the passing trend that it was. Still, some of my favorite Carly songs are on Come Upstairs, including "In Pain," "Take Me As I Am," and "The Three of Us in the Dark."

#9: Spoiled Girl

Despite being her least successful album to date, it comes to absolutely no surprise to me that Spoiled Girl has gained a cult following among Carly Simon fans over the years. By 1985, Carly was feeling pretty directionless in her career and was mostly focused on being a mother, so she left much of the heavy lifting of this album to its eight producers. This is by far her most indulgent, mainstream pop project. Similarly, many of the tracks are either co-written by Carly with others, or completely written by different people, which is rare for a Carly Simon album. This is reflected in the subject matter of the songs, which focus more on the experiences of others rather than Carly's own life. Still, something about this album just works, even if it took 30 years to breakthrough. Sometimes, a skin deep album is just deep enough. My favorite tracks: "My New Boyfriend," "Interview," "Can't Give It Up."

#8: Carly Simon

Carly Simon's first album debuted on February 9, 1971, and is truly a folk-rock album. The lead single quickly became a top 10 hit and the melancholia of it would set the tone for the rest of the album and much of Simon's career. This is an innocent album, but suffers due to Simon's lack of experience. While the songs themselves are great, Carly seems to sing in a very low register at times, which is strange and doesn't happen on any of her other albums. Similarly, this album was shelved halfway through, and after a falling out with producer Eddie Kramer, Carly was left to produce many of the songs on her own. As she admits, her production isn't very good, but gives the record a homemade feel, nonetheless. My favorite tracks: "That's the Way I've Always Heard It Should Be," "One More Time," "Just a Sinner."

#7: Anticipation

Released just eight month's after the aforementioned Carly Simon, Anticipation is an expansion of the ideas expressed before, but with better music and production. Paul Samwell-Smith's production is light and airy, giving the whole record a laid-back intimate feel, similar to the atmosphere she would explore in 2008's This Kind of Love. Anticipation is a great sophomore album and a favorite among many fans. My largest critique would be that some tracks are so empty that they end up feeling directionless, and the fact that "Anticipation" is such an overplayed song. My favorite songs: "Legend in Your Own Time," "The Girl You Think You See," "Julie Through the Glass."

#6: Playing Possum

1975's Playing Possum is Carly's third and final album produced by Richard Perry. By now, she already had two massively successful records and decided to release something a bit less hyper-autobiographical. As the cover suggests, Playing Possum is a playful album of mostly love songs written by Simon. "Attitude Dancing" was the first step into the world of disco for both Carly and Elektra at the time, but I find Carole King's backing vocals distracting and just so out of place, kind of like Carly Simon doing disco. Still, there's not one weak song on here. Perry's production is lush and tight as usual, and the string section is immaculate. My favorite tracks have to be "Love Out in the Streets," "Slave," and "Sons of Summer."

#5: Spy

After the immense success of Boys In the Trees, Simon collaborated again with producer Arif Mardin on 1979's Spy. Spy is a high gloss, disco-tinged project. It even has guitar and drum solos! Despite receiving warm reviews, many felt Carly missed the mark, and she was dropped from Elektra shortly after its release. Spy maybe a strange album for Carly Simon, but it does have many solid songs, and I can't help but assume that Elektra thought it would be a huge hit. It is hit material. "Memorial Day" is an eight-minute long epic with disco interludes and an improvisational drum solo to close it out, "Vengeance," was one of the first music videos by a female artist to be aired on MTV, and the title track is wonderfully playful. 

#4: Another Passenger

After the lukewarm response to Playing Possum, Carly went to Hollywood to record 1976's Another Passenger with a new producer, Ted Templeman. This is definitely a west coast album. There's even times when Carly could be mistaken for Linda Ronstadt (who sings backup on a few tracks). Templeman's production is noticeably looser and more laid back than Richard Perry's. It almost sounds like Carly can finally relax and breathe after years of being in the spotlight. This record peaked even lower than Playing Possum, but that feels intentional this time around. This is an album for the love of expression, not just simply chart success. My favorite tracks: "Half a Chance," "In Times When My Head," "Libby."

#3: Hotcakes

Easily one of her happiest albums, Hotcakes was written and recorded at the height of Carly's first pregnancy, and released in 1974. Being another Richard Perry production, the melodies are neat and tidy, and definitely radio-ready. The songwriting in Hotcakes consists mostly of being pregnant and being happily married; The album cover is of a pregnant Carly sitting in her kitchen. Her smile also hints at the witty humor found in many of the songs. Hotcakes is a light and nurturing album, being autobiographical of Simon's life at the time. My favorite songs: "Misfit," "Just Not True," and "Haven't Got Time for the Pain." 

#2: Boys In the Trees

Boys In the Trees (1978) is a deeply personal and vulnerable album, even for Carly Simon. Arif Mardin's production is warm, loose and elegant, unlike Carly's work with Richard Perry. It's a nice change of pace. There's something dreamlike or abstract about many of the tracks here, like "Haunting" or "In a Small Moment," that conjure up vivid stories with beautiful, delicate instrumentation. Carly even dips her toes into disco once again on "Tranquillo," previewing what we'd see much more of on Spy. This was Carly's fourth top 10 album, and the single "You Belong to Me" peaked at #6. My favorite songs: "Tranquillo," "You're the One," and "Boys In the Trees" (probably my favorite Carly Simon song). 

#1: No Secrets

Boys In the Trees maybe close, but No Secrets is Carly Simon's best album (the name of this blog should indicate that). This 1972 groundbreaking album propelled Carly to worldwide fame; It is her only #1 album, and contains her only #1 single ("You're So Vain"). Accolades aside, No Secrets is nearly perfect. There is a marked difference between her previous two albums and this one. Richard Perry's production turns Carly's voice into that of a rock star, rather than that of a timid folksinger. The horns and strings are simple yet luxurious, and there are a handful of rockers on this album that give Carly's full, raspy voice a chance to take center stage. While I do wish people would explore more of Carly's later work, all of the praise No Secrets has accumulated over the years is completely deserved. My favorite tracks: "You're So Vain," "Night Owl," "It Was So Easy." 

There you have it. What do you think? Do you agree/disagree with my ratings? Should I have included the standards albums? Leave a comment below or use the bar to the right to leave me a message. Thank you for reading!