Turntable Triumphs

In 1971, Carly Simon's Anticipation was released.



Carly's second solo album was an acoustic affair with its own moody and dreamlike sound.

The theme was waiting and hoping and, yes, anticipation.

The big hits from the album were the title track, "Legend In Your Own Time" and the only song on the album Carly didn't write, Kris Kristofferson's "I've Got To Have You" (the title track was top twenty pop, "Legend" was a top twenty easy listening hit and, leaving the US charts, the Kristofferson cover hit number 2 in Australia).

Carly's vocals provide tension in ways they wouldn't again until Playing Possum.

It's, again, a dreamlike album -- in theme, in sound.

Possibly due to the hits being so well known, the album itself is often overlooked today.

Or maybe because it's so unlike anything Carly did elsewhere in her career.

Though one of America's finest songwriters, Carly's work is often ignored when music from the time period is discussed.

We think that's a result of prejudice.

There's the obvious sexism that works against so many female artists.

There's also a sneering at eclecticism.

Carly explores sound on her albums.  She varies instrumentation, time signatures, mood, etc.

Anticipation comes closest to fitting the sameness of sound that so many rock critics demand.

Though she's gone on to produce many more, Anticipation was the first classic album of her career.