Spy (Carly Simon album)
| Spy | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
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| Studio album by Carly Simon | ||||
| Released | June 1979 | |||
| Recorded | Dec. 1978 - April 1979 at Atlantic Studios, New York City | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 40:40 | |||
| Label | Elektra | |||
| Producer | Arif Mardin | |||
| Carly Simon chronology | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
Spy is singer-songwriter Carly Simon's ninth album, and eighth studio album, released in 1979. It is also her last album for Elektra Records. The title of the album is a tribute to Anaïs Nin, whose quote “I am an international spy in the house of love”, is written across the top on the inside jacket. Simon dedicated the album to producer Arif Mardin, in which she wrote in the liner notes, "Dedicated to Arif who is himself fantastic."
Although Spy did not yield any major hit singles, "Vengeance" earned Simon a Grammy Award nomination for Best Rock Vocal Performance, Female in early 1980, the first year to feature this new category.[2] It peaked at #48 on the Billboard Pop singles chart. Simon made a music video for the song,[3] and MTV later used a clip from it in a commercial that tried to entice viewers to get stereo sound on their TV sets.[4] The promotional clip was also chosen by Pioneer Electronics to be part of their first demo disc for its then-new Laserdisc player.
The album also features a track entitled "Never Been Gone", which has gone on to become a fan favorite, as well as one of Simon's personal favorites.[5] In 2009, she would release an album entitled after the track.[6]
Awards
| Year | Recipient/Nominated work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | "Vengeance" | Best Rock Vocal Performance, Female | Nominated |
Track listing
All tracks composed by Carly Simon; except where indicated
Side one
- "Vengeance" – 4:14
- "Just Like You Do" – 4:14
- "We're So Close" – 5:10
- "Coming To Get You" – 2:49
- "Never Been Gone" (Jacob Brackman, Simon) – 3:36
Side two
- "Pure Sin" (Simon, Frank Carillo) – 3:56
- "Love You By Heart" (Simon, Libby Titus, Jacob Brackman) – 3:55
- "Spy" (James Taylor, Simon, Arif Mardin) – 4:14
- "Memorial Day" – 8:29
Personnel
- Carly Simon - guitar, piano, vocals
- James Taylor - guitar, background vocals
- Warren Bernhardt - keyboards
- Michael Brecker - tenor saxophone
- Don Grolnick - keyboards
- Hubert Laws - flute
- Tom "Bones" Malone - trombone
- David Sanborn - alto saxophone
- John Hall - guitar
- Billy Mernit - piano
- Peter Ballin - alto saxophone
- Errol "Crusher" Bennett - percussion
- Kenneth Bichel - synthesizer
- Gail Boggs - vocals
- Randy Brecker - trumpet
- Frank Carillo - guitar
- Joe Caro - guitar
- Cliff Carter - synthesizer, bass
- Rafael Cruz - percussion
- Steve Gadd - drums
- Will Lee - bass
- Tony Levin - bass
- Mike Mainieri - keyboards
- Rick Marotta - drums
- Ullanda McCullough - background vocals
- Ian McLagan - piano
- Lucy Simon - background vocals
- David Spinozza - guitar
- Richard Tee - keyboards
- Peter Ballini - alto saxophone
- Lew Del Gatto - baritone saxophone
- Tim Curry - background vocals
- Phil Bodner, Jonathan Abramowitz, Lamar Alsop, Julien Barber, James Buffington, Frederick Buldrini, Jean R. Dane, Eddie Daniels, Peter Dimitriades, Lewis Eley, Gerald Tarack, Paul Gershman, Ted Hoyle, Regis Iandiorio, Teddy Israel, Harold Kohon, Jesse Levy, Guy Lumia, Joseph Malin, Richard Maximoff, Kermit Moore, Eugene J. Moye, Gene Orloff, Tony Posk, Alan Shulman, Mitsue Takayama - strings
Charts
Album - Billboard (North America)
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Pop Albums | 45 |
Album - International
| Year | Country | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Australia | 33[7] |
| 1979 | Canada | 56[8] |
Singles - Billboard (North America)
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | "Vengeance" | Pop Singles | 48 |
| 1979 | "Spy" | Adult Contemporary | 34 |
References
- ↑ Ruhlmann, William. Spy at AllMusic
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