Customer Reviews

Never Been Gone

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

This album is, largely, good. I've been a Carly fan since her first album in 1971. Yes, her voice isn't as strong as it once was, but, overall at 64, it's damn good! The two major disappointments here are "It Happens Everyday" and "You're So Vain," which are both terribly flawed by hokey background vocals by Carly and others. In "Everyday," that happens to be Carly screeching something about girls packing their suitcases to live in friends' SoHo apartments. It's like a fingernail on a chalkboard. And her son's hokey and poor arrangement, with background vocals repeating "give it to the girls" is laughable and, together, these flaws ruin a song I believe is one of Carly's best from "Hello Big Man." The other real disappointment is "You're So Vain," again flawed by a hokey background vocal about "I need more cow milk." Just hokey, cheap and sounding like it was recorded in a garage. Come on, Ben and Carly, you can do much, much better! Because Carly has distinguished herself from her contemporaries and the motley crew of sleazy songstresses of today, I guess we expect more from her, which may be unfair.

The new songs are good, "Ain't No Freedom" and "Songbird." I wonder when "Ain't" was wrtten. The first part of "Songbird" is obviously a demo recording from '70 or '71, and the second part is Carly recording anew. It works well. I think the two best cuts are "Never Been Gone," and "Let the River Run." Both are beautiful. Carly's voice sounds strong and the melodies are beautiful. "That's The Way I've Always Heard It Should Be" and "Anticipation" are both very good and, IMHO, more upbeat than the orginals, though I love the originals. All in all a good album, flawed by a couple of really hokey, stupid arrangements, that stick out like sore thumbs and cast a negative influence on the entire album. Too bad, because otherwise this could have been a four-star or even five-star IMHO. Looking forward to some new Carly material which, I hope, isn't flawed by any future hokey arrangement.

I have never written a review here, but have read my fair share. In my opinion, this is one of carly's best work in years. Her vocals sincere, moving and heartfelt. The influence of her son Ben, probably made for some of the playful touchs here and there. I have listened to Carly ALOT, for more years than I care to say. Let's just say from day one. She shines here and sounds like she really enjoyed this labor of love. 5 stars. Buy it.

I agree with the amateurish sound review, but I love the fact that the album sounds as if you had invited Carly and children home and Ben grabs the guitar after dinner. Very intimate sound, great surprising rearrangements. Careful, this review comes from a guy that prefers the bonus Acoustic tracks on the "Carly Simon - A Moonlight Serenade On The Queen Mary II" with just the guitar player and her daughter, more than the actual concert.

Let me preface this by saying that I have been a huge Carly fan since her very first album. A few of her releases these last years have been patchy but this album is a travesty! Why oh why "rework" such classic songs? Not one of the songs on this album is anywhere near as good as the original. James did not have a good influence on Carly's song choices and musical arrangements (Mockingbird!!!) and it seems she should keep Ben at arm's length now.
Is she so devoid of ideas for new work or just in need of money? If it's the latter let's pass the hat around before she decides to release another album of massacred tunes that we love(d)!!!!!!!!!!

What is about age that softens things for so many of us? Don't be a hater and please take the chance and explore these new interpretations of these old hits from this classic artist. The sadness is gone from "It Happen's Everyday', the anger from "You're So Vain', but there is still lot's of the fun. Several of these performances even surpass the orginals....."Let the River Run", the title track, and the re-working "Boys in the Tree's will have Joni Mitchell feeling she is missing a cut from 'Court and Spark'. One new song "No Freedom" comes off like a fascinating Beatles 'Sargent Pepper' time-warp. "Songbird' and the merging of the old with the new is the collection's one big miss. A great Carly song but she should have just re-recorded it in today's voice, which is incidentally, still pretty good. It is clear Simon is still a very vital, relevant musician and like all great artist's, always taking chances.

We were lucky to see Carly perform many of the songs from this new album in New York at Lincoln Center, Tuesday night, as part of the Grammy Museum Series. Each song was a GEM! No one wanted the evening to end! Beginning with "Let The River Run" after which she received a standing ovation and ending with an oh so beautiful version of "Coming Around Again." Was there ever another way? There were many tears in the eyes of the audience when she began to sing Coming Around Again--what a song--this version is very emotional and Carly gave it a poignancy that only years and living life can bring.

Another amazing song--actually an INCREDIBLE performance--- was "You Belong To Me"... Carly was joined by John Forte (of the Fugees) on this and together the chemistry was fantastic! A whole new way of looking at this great song! Carly performed this with John Forte on the album and on the Today show yesterday.

The musicians were fabulous--you knew that as soon as they began playing--the sound was GORGEOUS-- can't think of a better word--These musicians are also with her on the album, Peter Calo, Teese Gohl, David Saw, D.J. Logic. What a combination--Peter and Teese have been with Carly on many of her great albums and concerts(which we would love to have more of!)

Part of the proceeds of this album go to the Carly Simon Music Initiative--a collaboration with the Berklee School of Music. The group concentrates on bringing the therapeutic benefits of music into the community.

Great listening on this album-- a whole new way of looking at some of Carly's favorite hits. Carly is a fascinating individual who brings intelligence to music and lyrics--this is no exception!
Thank you Carly!

When I first heard she was rerecording her hits I was a little disappointed. Did we really need another version of Your so Vain? Most of these tracks are on 2 or 3 Carly albums already. But it's a lot more enjoyable than I expected. The highlights are You Belong To Me, Anticapation and YSV. They sound different enough to warrant the rerecordings. She is not going to make any new fans, but for old ones like me, this is a real treat. Scary cd cover for such a beautiful singer.

I might like some of the original recordings more than these new takes ("It Happens Every Day" comes to mind), but every song here is wonderful and it's a real pleasure to hear Carly Simon experimenting with new arrangements. Most of all, I do love the way she imbues these songs with wisdom and experience; "Anticipation," from this vantage point, is tender and heartbreaking. The new ending to "Coming Around Again" captures the resignation that romantic disappointment brings in a way that the original did not (listen to how Carly Simon sings "the rhythm went out of our romance"). The title cut makes me wish I were in some tavern by the ocean with a group of old friends, although it sounds pretty good here in the flat midwest, too. Carly Simon's brilliance lies in her ability to evoke contradictory emotions in a deceptively simple, conversational manner. If cosmic justice prevails this album will introduce her to many new admirers. She's great.

I've loved Carly Simon's music since the beginning of her career. Every time she puts out a CD (record) she surprises in many ways. Redoing some of her old classics in new fresh arrangements is fun...although I do like most of the originals. I think the standouts on this CD are Boys in the trees, That's the way I've always heard it should be, You belong to me, ain't no freedom, Never been gone, Let the river run, and The right thing to do. It may take time to get used to her deeper voice, but it does sound nice. It is warm, and rich. Carly is an artist and likes to experiment with different sounds, and styles and that's what makes her the best. Now going on an indie label she is headed in a new direction. We can only hope for more wonderful music from her.

I've always had a geeky affection for Carly Simon's music. She brings honesty and intimacy to her best recordings, often peppered with larger truths and observations that range from the humorous to the heartbreaking, wrapped in hummable tunes. Carly is at her best when she brings to the table what she is feeling now in words she hasn't said before, as she did in her best albums: Anticipation, No Secrets, Hello Big Man, Coming Around Again, and Letters Never Sent. She's at her worst when she reinterprets the music of others: her voice often lacks the control and power of true interpreters.

What to do, then, when she reinterprets her own material, often decades after the fact?

Her voice, while still pleasant to listen to, has diminished somewhat with age, although certainly not the way the voices of her more commercially relevant (Stevie Nicks) or artistically relevant (Joni Mitchell) peers' voices have. What prevents this album of reinterpretations from becoming a "must have," then, is the largely uninventive arrangements. The originals already had a sense of emotional intimacy, so stripping down the arrangements certainly did not add that element to the mix. And while a pared down arrangement can often reveal the gem of the song at the core of the recording, these arrangements occasionally feel lethargic compared to the originals.

Nonetheless, there are some pluses to be had here. The songwriting is still superb and holds up after all these years. Furthermore, the sparse arrangements to lend an air of physical proximity to the artist: One often feels, listening to these songs, that one is eavesdropping on a closed jam session, or sitting in the living room with the singer herself and hearing the germ of an idea as it first develops. It's almost as though Carly is saying, "So I have this idea for a song called 'You're So Vain,' and I'm going to give you what I've managed so far... what do you think of it?" To that extent, it does add to one's musical collection in the same way that an appendix or a footnote adds to a body of literature: It may not suffice as a story unto itself, but it adds a layer of understanding to that story.