No Secrets (Carly Simon album)

No Secrets is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter Carly Simon, released by Elektra Records on November 28, 1972.[1][2]

No Secrets
Studio album by
Carly Simon
ReleasedNovember 28, 1972[1][2]
Recorded1972
StudioTrident Studios
(London, England)
GenrePop rock[3]
Length35:58
LabelElektra
ProducerRichard Perry
Carly Simon chronology
Anticipation
(1971)		 No Secrets
(1972)		 Hotcakes
(1974)
Singles from No Secrets
  1. "You're So Vain"
    Released: November 1972
  2. "The Right Thing to Do"
    Released: March 1973

Simon's major commercial breakthrough, No Secrets spent five weeks at No. 1 on the US Billboard 200 chart and quickly went Gold, as did its lead single, "You're So Vain", which remained at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for three weeks and the Adult Contemporary chart for two weeks.[4] The second single, "The Right Thing to Do", reached No. 17 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 4 on the Adult Contemporary chart. The album was officially certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on December 12, 1997. It was certified Gold by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) on November 11, 2011.

No Secrets is ranked No. 997 in All-Time Top 1000 Albums (3rd. edition, 2000).[5] The making of the album, including commentary from many of the main musicians and production staff, was examined in the 2017 documentary Carly Simon: No Secrets, directed by Guy Evans for Eagle Rock Film Productions and broadcast on BBC Four.[6]

Recording and packaging

"Angel from Montgomery" was recorded by Carly Simon in her first session for the No Secrets album which was produced by Paul Buckmaster and featured James Taylor's vocals and Danny Kortchmar on guitar. Simon recalls: "Elektra rejected [the tracks from that session] and...asked me to work with Richard Perry. [Elektra] didn't think Buckmaster would produce a hit record for me".[7] Carly's sister, Joanna Simon, sang background vocals for the album.[8]

At the invitation of producer Richard Perry, Simon recorded the album at Trident Studios in London, where Perry was keen for Simon to work with engineer Robin Cable. Trident Studios had previously been the venue for the recording of notable albums including The Beatles' White Album, David Bowie's Space Oddity and Elton John's second album.

The photograph for the cover, taken by Ed Caraeff, was shot in front of the Portobello Hotel, on Stanley Gardens in London's Notting Hill.[9]

Reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
Christgau's Record GuideB−[10]

Initial reviews for No Secrets were mixed to positive. Robert Christgau, writing in Creem, said, "if a horse could sing in a monotone, the horse would sound like Carly Simon, only a horse wouldn't rhyme 'yacht', 'apricot', and 'gavotte'. Is that some kind of joke?"[11] Stephen Holden in Rolling Stone concluded that "what finally makes No Secrets so refreshing is her singing, which conveys the finest spirit of patrician generosity."[12]

More recent reviews have been much more positive. For example, AllMusic's William Ruhlmann gave the album four-and-a-half stars (out of five). Ruhlmann noted that "You're So Vain", "set the album's saucy tone, with its air of sexually frank autobiography and its reflections on the jet-set lifestyle." He also stated that "now that she felt she had found true love, she was as willing to acknowledge her own mistakes and regrets as she was to point fingers." He concluded that "Perry paid particular attention to Simon's vocals and gave her music a new pop/rock 'buoyancy that previous albums lacked'."[3]

"You're So Vain" was also voted No. 216 in RIAA's Songs of the Century. It remains Simon's biggest hit and is considered her signature song.

Awards
Grammy Awards
Year Work Award Recipient Result Ref
1974 "You're So Vain" Record of the Year Carly Simon Nominated [13]
Song of the Year Nominated
Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female Nominated
No Secrets Best Engineered Recording – Non-Classical Robin Geoffrey Cable and Bill Schnee Nominated [14]
2004 "You're So Vain" Grammy Hall of Fame Award Inducted [13]

Track listing

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.[15]

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."The Right Thing to Do"Carly Simon2:57
2."The Carter Family"
3:29
3."You're So Vain"Simon4:17
4."His Friends Are More Than Fond of Robin"Simon3:00
5."We Have No Secrets"Simon3:57
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Embrace Me, You Child"Simon4:06
2."Waited So Long"Simon4:30
3."It Was So Easy"
  • Simon
  • Brackman
3:06
4."Night Owl"James Taylor3:47
5."When You Close Your Eyes"
  • Simon
  • Bill Mernit
3:05
Total length:35:58

Personnel

Musicians

Production
  • Richard Perry – producer
  • Robin Geoffrey Cable – engineer, recording, remixing
  • Mark Berry – recording
  • Bill Schnee – engineer, remixing
  • Doug Sax – disc cutting
  • Robert L. Heimall – art direction, design
  • Ed Caraeff – cover photography
  • Peter Simon – inner sleeve photography
  • David Katz – musicians contractor

Charts

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Japan — 105,770[20]
United Kingdom (BPI)[25] Gold 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[26] Platinum 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. "Happy 45th: Carly Simon, NO SECRETS". Rhino. Archived from the original on November 16, 2022. Retrieved November 28, 2017.
  2. "Carly Simon - No Secrets". Discogs. November 28, 1972. Archived from the original on February 27, 2023.
  3. Ruhlmann, William. "No Secrets". AllMusic. Archived from the original on October 21, 2022. Retrieved July 12, 2007.
  4. "American certifications – Carly Simon". Recording Industry Association of America. Archived from the original on May 24, 2022. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
  5. "The Virgin All-Time Album Top 1000 List - 2000". Rocklist. Archived from the original on March 22, 2023. Retrieved July 22, 2018.
  6. "BBC Four - Classic Albums, Carly Simon: No Secrets". BBC Four. Archived from the original on October 1, 2021. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
  7. "Ask Carly - Angel from Montgomery". Carlysimon.com. Archived from the original on July 4, 2008. Retrieved July 4, 2008.
  8. Margaret Hall (October 21, 2022). "Joanna Simon, Renowned Mezzo Soprano, Dies At 85". Playbill. Archived from the original on May 30, 2023. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
  9. Walter Neff. "Carly Simon – Album Covers: No Secrets (1972)". Archived from the original on February 2, 2023. Retrieved April 5, 2013.
  10. Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: S". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved March 12, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
  11. Christgau, Robert (April 1973). "The Christgau Consumer Guide: Carly Simon: No Secrets". Creem. Retrieved November 7, 2011. Also included in "Carly Simon > Consumer Guide Reviews". Robert Christgau. Retrieved March 14, 2006.
  12. Holden, Stephen (January 4, 1973). "No Secrets review". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on May 16, 2022. Retrieved November 7, 2011.
  13. "Carly Simon". The Recording Academy. Archived from the original on March 20, 2022. Retrieved October 19, 2018.
  14. "Bill Schnee". The Recording Academy. Archived from the original on March 20, 2022. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
  15. No Secrets (booklet). Carly Simon. Elektra. 1972.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  16. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  17. "Top RPM Albums: Issue 5295". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
  18. Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
  19. "Offiziellecharts.de – Carly Simon – No Secrets" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
  20. Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005. Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
  21. "Norwegiancharts.com – Carly Simon – No Secrets". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 20, 2013.
  22. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
  23. "Carly Simon Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
  24. "Top Pop Albums of 1973". Billboard. December 31, 1973. Archived from the original on December 4, 2012. Retrieved July 2, 2012.
  25. "British album certifications – Carly Simon – No Secrets". British Phonographic Industry. November 25, 2011. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
  26. "American album certifications – Carly Simon – No Secrets". Recording Industry Association of America. December 12, 1997. Retrieved February 20, 2013.
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