Maps of Music

No Secrets (1972)

Where the lyrics of No Secrets take you, and where it was really made.

Elektra rejected the tracks from the first session for No Secrets, and the album was recorded at the London studio where The Beatles made the White Album.

Key places

Recorded at Trident Studios, London (1972)

Recording site Berwick Street — Richard Perry invited Carly Simon to record the album at Trident Studios in London. Perry wanted Simon to work with engineer Robin Cable there. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Cover shot in front of the Portobello Hotel (1972)

Album cover Portobello Hotel — Ed Caraeff's cover photograph was shot in front of the Portobello Hotel on Stanley Gardens, Notting Hill, London. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• No Secrets: third studio album by American singer-songwriter Carly Simon
• Released by Elektra Records on 28 November 1972
• Simon's major commercial breakthrough
• Lead single "You're So Vain" reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100

Background

• Richard Perry was invited to produce the album
• An earlier first session was produced by Paul Buckmaster, with James Taylor's vocals and Danny Kortchmar on guitar
• Elektra rejected the tracks from that session and asked Simon to work with Perry
• Carly's sister, Joanna Simon, sang background vocals

Recording

• Recorded at Trident Studios in London
• Perry was keen for Simon to work with engineer Robin Cable
• Trident had earlier hosted The Beatles' White Album, David Bowie's Space Oddity and Elton John's second album

Cover

• Photograph taken by Ed Caraeff
• Shot in front of the Portobello Hotel on Stanley Gardens, Notting Hill, London

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · www.discogs.com

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Born June 25, 1943 in New York City; American singer-songwriter and author.
• In 1963 began performing as the Simon Sisters with sister Lucy Simon; released Meet the Simon Sisters, which produced the minor hit "Winkin', Blinkin' and Nod".
• Signed to Elektra Records in 1970 and went solo.

Career

• Debut album (1971) won the Grammy for Best New Artist; "That's the Way I've Always Heard It Should Be" was her first top 10 single.
• No Secrets (1972) topped the Billboard 200 for five weeks; "You're So Vain" hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
• Recorded "Nobody Does It Better" for the 1977 Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me.
• Won an Academy Award, Golden Globe and Grammy for "Let the River Run" from Working Girl (1988).
• Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2022.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Initial reviews were mixed to positive
• Robert Christgau in Creem wrote a sarcastic comparison of Simon's singing to a horse
• Stephen Holden in Rolling Stone concluded that her singing is what makes the album refreshing

Reappraisal

• AllMusic's William Ruhlmann gave the album four-and-a-half stars out of five
• Ruhlmann said "You're So Vain" set the album's tone, with its frank autobiography and its look at the jet-set lifestyle
• Ruhlmann credited Perry's production with a pop/rock buoyancy that earlier albums lacked

Records

• Spent five weeks at No. 1 on the US Billboard 200
• Quickly went Gold in the US
• "You're So Vain" was No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks and on Adult Contemporary for two weeks
• "The Right Thing to Do" reached No. 17 on the Hot 100 and No. 4 on Adult Contemporary
• RIAA certified Platinum on 12 December 1997
• BPI certified Gold on 11 November 2011
• Ranked No. 997 in Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums in 2000
• "You're So Vain" was No. 216 in RIAA's Songs of the Century and inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2004

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · es.wikipedia.org · ja.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Elektra rejected the tracks from the first session and asked Simon to work with Richard Perry instead
• Joanna Simon, Carly's sister, sang background vocals on the album
• Trident Studios had previously hosted The Beatles' White Album, David Bowie's Space Oddity and Elton John's second album
• Simon married James Taylor in November 1972, after the recording ended
• Paul McCartney and Linda McCartney sang background vocals on "Night Owl"
• The making of the album was examined in the 2017 BBC Four documentary Carly Simon: No Secrets

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · es.wikipedia.org · ja.wikipedia.org

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