Playing Possum
| Playing Possum | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | April 21, 1975 | |||
| Recorded | 1974–1975 | |||
| Studio | Sound Labs, Sunset Sound Recorders, Crystal Sound, A&M Studios and Burbank Studios, California | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 34:48 | |||
| Label | Elektra | |||
| Producer | Richard Perry | |||
| Carly Simon chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Playing Possum | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
Playing Possum is the fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter Carly Simon, released by Elektra Records, on April 21, 1975.
It was Simon's third consecutive album to reach the top 10 on the Billboard Pop albums chart, peaking at No. 10 in June 1975. The lead single from the album, "Attitude Dancing", which featured Carole King on backing vocals, was also a success, peaking at No. 21 on Billboard Pop singles chart, and No. 18 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. A second single, "Waterfall", which featured prominent backing vocals by Simon's then-husband James Taylor, didn't fare as well, reaching no higher than No. 78 on the Pop singles chart. It fared much better on the Adult Contemporary chart, entering the Top 40 and peaking at No. 21. The album's third and final single "More and More" was co-written by New Orleans pianist Dr. John, who also played piano on the track, along with Ringo Starr on drums, but it peaked no higher than No. 94 on the Pop singles chart.
Reception and cover artwork
In his mixed review of the album, Stephen Holden of Rolling Stone said it "represents a breakthrough of sorts for Simon", in her continued shift from a "sensitive singer/songwriter role" to a "rock songstress". He wrote that "Attitude Dancing" was "easily the most exciting Carly Simon cut since 'You're So Vain.'" Other standouts from his review were "After the Storm", "Love Out in the Street", "Are You Ticklish", "Look Me in the Eyes", "Waterfall", and "Slave".[2] Cash Box said of the single "More and More" that "Carly belts out a hard blues vocal over barrelhouse piano, with Memphis style horns and a soulful female chorus lending support."[3]
Today, Playing Possum may best be remembered for its controversial cover photograph, which shows the singer wearing only a black negligee, sheer-to-waist pantyhose, and knee-high black boots. The photographer was Norman Seeff.[4] It was nominated for Best Album Package at the 18th Annual Grammy Awards in Feb. 1976.[5] In 1991, it ranked at No. 20 on the Rolling Stone's list of the 100 greatest album covers.[6]
Simon chose to include further photographs from the session in the booklets accompanying her three-CD boxed set, Clouds in My Coffee (1995), and her two-CD Anthology (2003), the latter which also includes the singles "Attitude Dancing" and "Waterfall".
Awards
| Grammy Awards | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Work | Award | Recipient | Result | Ref |
| 1976 | Playing Possum | Best Album Package | Gene ChristensenA | Nominated | [7] |
Notes
- A The photographer was Norman Seeff.
Other honors and recognitions
- 1991 – Playing Possum ranked No. 20 on Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Album Covers of All-Time list.[6]
Track listing
Credits adapted from the album's liner notes[8]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "After the Storm" | Carly Simon | 2:47 |
| 2. | "Love out in the Street" | Simon | 3:40 |
| 3. | "Look Me in the Eyes" | Simon | 3:34 |
| 4. | "More and More" | 4:02 | |
| 5. | "Slave" |
| 3:54 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6. | "Attitude Dancing" |
| 3:52 |
| 7. | "Sons of Summer" | Billy Mernit | 3:05 |
| 8. | "Waterfall" | Simon | 3:31 |
| 9. | "Are You Ticklish" | Simon | 2:26 |
| 10. | "Playing Possum" | Simon | 3:57 |
Personnel
Credits adapted from the album's liner notes[8]
Musicians
- Carly Simon – lead vocals, acoustic piano (1, 2, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10), horn arrangements (1), string arrangements (1, 10), backing vocals (2, 3, 5–8), acoustic guitar (3)
- Billy Mernit – acoustic piano (2, 7)
- James Newton Howard – ARP synthesizer (3), electric piano (3)
- Dr. John – acoustic piano (4)
- Lee Ritenour – electric guitar (1, 5, 8), mandolin (5)
- James Taylor – acoustic guitar (3, 5, 8), backing vocals (3, 5, 8, 10)
- Jeff Baxter – guitar (4)
- Alvin Robinson – guitar (4)
- Sneaky Pete Kleinow – pedal steel guitar (10)
- Klaus Voormann – bass (1, 4)
- Willie Weeks – bass (2, 6, 10)
- Leland Sklar – bass (5, 8)
- Joe Mondragon – bass (9)
- Andrew Gold – drums (1, 10), guitar (2, 6), tambourine (2), acoustic guitar (10)
- Andy Newmark – drums (2)
- Ringo Starr – drums (4)
- Russ Kunkel – drums (5, 8)
- Jim Gordon – drums (6)
- Irving Cottler – drums (9)
- Alan Estes – percussion (1, 3)
- Emil Richards – percussion (2)
- Fred Staehle – percussion (4)
- Richard Perry – tambourine (4)
- Eddie Bongo – congas (6)
- Trevor Lawrence – alto sax solo (1)
- Derrek Van Eaton – flute (8)
- Lon Van Eaton – clarinet (8), sitar (10)
- Tommy Morgan – harmonica (10)
- Perry Botkin Jr. – string arrangements (2, 5), orchestration (2, 5), conductor (2, 5, 9), horn and woodwind arrangements (5), clarinet and trombone arrangement (9)
- Paul Riser – horn and string arrangements (6)
- Rita Coolidge – backing vocals (2, 5)
- Clydie King – backing vocals (2, 5)
- Rodney Richmond – backing vocals (2)
- Vini Poncia – backing vocals (3)
- Julia Tillman Waters – backing vocals (4)
- Maxine Willard – backing vocals (4)
- Carolyn Willis – backing vocals (4)
- Abigale Haness – backing vocals (6)
- Carole King – backing vocals (6)
- Ken Moore – backing vocals (6)
Production
- Producer – Richard Perry
- Engineers – Bill Schnee (Tracks 1, 2 & 5–10); Norm Kinney (Track 3); Andrew Berliner (Track 4).
- Second Engineer – Charles Beasley
- Assistant Engineers – Larry Emerine and Reed Stanley
- Remixing – Norm Kinney and Bill Schnee
- Mastered by Doug Sax at The Mastering Lab (Los Angeles, CA).
- Art Direction – Glen Christensen
- Design and Photography – Norman Seeff
- Management – Arlyne Rothberg, Inc.
Charts
Album – Billboard (North America)[9]
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Pop Albums | 10 |
Album – International
| Year | Country | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Australia[10] | 25 |
| 1975 | Canada[11] | 22 |
| 1975 | Japan[11] | 70 |
Singles – Billboard (North America)[12]
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | "Attitude Dancing" | Pop Singles | 21 |
| 1975 | "Attitude Dancing" | Adult Contemporary | 18 |
| 1975 | "Waterfall" | Pop Singles | 78 |
| 1975 | "Waterfall" | Adult Contemporary | 21 |
| 1975 | "More and More" | Pop Singles | 94 |
References
- ^ Allmusic review
- ^ Holden, S. (June 19, 1975). "Playing Possum". Rolling Stone Magazine. Retrieved July 12, 2014.
- ^ "CashBox Singles Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. September 13, 1975. p. 15. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
- ^ Estes, Lenora Jane (September 12, 2013). "The 'Lost Archive' of Norman Seeff". Vanity Fair. Retrieved July 27, 2014.
- ^ "Grammy Awards 1976". Retrieved July 27, 2014.
- ^ a b "Rolling Stones 100 Greatest Album Covers". Retrieved July 26, 2014.
- ^ "Grammy Awards 1976". Awards&Shows.com. Archived from the original on October 8, 2014. Retrieved April 11, 2015.
- ^ a b Playing Possum (booklet). Carly Simon. Elektra. 1975.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ "Carly Simon – Chart history - Albums". Billboard.com. Retrieved January 4, 2015.
- ^ David Kent (1993). Australian Charts Book 1970—1992. Australian Chart Book Pty Ltd, Turramurra, N.S.W. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ a b "CAN Charts > Carly Simon". RPM. Archived from the original on January 4, 2015. Retrieved January 4, 2015.
- ^ "Carly Simon – Chart history - Singles". Billboard.com. Retrieved January 4, 2015.
