No Secrets (Carly Simon album)

No Secrets
Studio album by Carly Simon
Released	November 1972
Recorded	September–October, 1972 at Trident Studios, London
Genre	Pop, Vocal
Length	37:23
Label	Elektra
Producer	Richard Perry, Frank Filipetti, Robin Hurley
Carly Simon chronology
Anticipation (1971) No Secrets (1972) Hotcakes (1974)

No Secrets is pop/folk singer-songwriter Carly Simon's third studio album, released in 1972.

No Secrets was Simon's commercial breakthrough album. The album spent five weeks at number 1 on the Billboard charts and quickly went Gold,^[1] as did its leadoff single, "You're So Vain", which remained at number 1 on the Pop charts for three weeks, and at number 1 on the Adult Contemporary charts for two weeks.^[2] 25 years after its initial release, the album was officially certified Platinum on December 12, 1997.^[1]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[3]
Robert Christgau	(B−) [4]
Rolling Stone	(positive) [5]

Reviews for No Secrets were mixed. Robert Christgau, writing in Creem, rated the album a B-, which signifies "a competent or mildly interesting record that will usually feature at least three worthwhile cuts." He stated that "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?"^[4] A retrospective review from Allmusic's William Ruhlmann was fairly positive. 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 on the note that "[Richard] Perry paid particular attention to Simon's vocals in a way that made her more engaging (or at least less grating) to listen to."^[3]

Track listing

All songs by Carly Simon unless otherwise noted.

1. "The Right Thing to Do" – 2:57
2. "The Carter Family" (Simon, Jacob Brackman) – 3:29
3. "You're So Vain" – 4:17
4. "His Friends Are More Than Fond of Robin" – 3:00
5. "We Have No Secrets" – 3:57
6. "Embrace Me, You Child" – 4:06
7. "Waited So Long" – 4:14
8. "It Was So Easy" (Simon, Brackman) – 3:06
9. "Night Owl" (James Taylor) – 3:47
10. "When You Close Your Eyes" (Simon, Bill Mernit) – 3:05

Personnel

• Carly Simon – acoustic guitar on 5 6 7 8, piano on 1 2 3 4 10, vocals, backing vocals on 1 7, string arrangements on 3, ARP synthesizer arrangements on 4
• Andy Newmark – drums on 1 2 6 8 10
• Jimmy Ryan – acoustic guitar on 2 3 4 5 10, bass on 1 10, electric guitar on 3 6 7 8 9
• Klaus Voormann – bass on 2 3 5 6 7 8 9

Additional personnel

• Paul Buckmaster – string arrangements on 10, woodwind arrangements on 10, synthesizer arrangements on 6 10, choir arrangement on 6, orchestration on 3 6
• Kirby Johnson – string arrangements on 2 5, woodwind arrangements on 2, electric piano on 5
• Ray Cooper – congas on 1 9
• Jim Gordon – drums on 3 5
• Nicky Hopkins – piano on 7 9
• Jim Keltner – drums on 7 9
• Paul Keough – acoustic guitar on 5 8
• Vicki Brown – backing vocals on 1
• Liza Strike – backing vocals on 1
• Richard Perry – percussion on 3
• David Henshaw – ARP synthesizer on 4
• Peter Robinson – piano on 6
• Lowell George – slide guitar on 7
• Bill Payne – organ on 7
• James Taylor – backing vocals on 7
• Bonnie Bramlett – backing vocals on 9
• Bobby Keys – tenor saxophone on 9
• Linda McCartney – backing vocals on 9
• Paul McCartney – backing vocals on 9
• Doris Troy – backing vocals on 9
• Mick Jagger – backing vocals (uncredited) on 3

Production

• Produced By Richard Perry, Frank Filipetti & Robin Hurley
• Engineers: Mark Berry, Robin Geoffrey Cable, Frank Filipetti, Bill Schnee
• Remixing: Robin Geoffrey Cable, Frank Filipetti & Bill Schnee
• Mastering: Ted Jensen

Charts

Album - Billboard (North America)

Year	Chart	Position
1973	Pop Albums	1

Album - Kent Music Report (Australia)

Year	Chart	Position
1973	Kent Music Report Albums Chart	1

Singles - Billboard (North America)

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1973	"You're So Vain"	Adult Contemporary	1
1973	"You're So Vain"	Pop Singles	1
1973	"The Right Thing to Do"	Adult Contemporary	4
1973	"The Right Thing to Do"	Pop Singles	17

Certifications

Organization	Level	Date
RIAA – USA	Gold	December 8, 1972[1]
RIAA – USA	Platinum	December 12, 1997[1]

Notes

1. ^ ^{a b c d} RIAA (2010-02-28). "RIAA - Gold & Platinum - February 28, 2010". RIAA. http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?table=SEARCH_RESULTS&artist=Carly%20Simon&format=ALBUM&go=Search&perPage=50. Retrieved 2010-02-28.  (table of RIAA certifications for artist Carly Simon in format ALBUM)
2. ^ RIAA (2010-02-28). "RIAA - Gold & Platinum - February 28, 2010". RIAA. http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?table=SEARCH_RESULTS&artist=Carly%20Simon&format=SINGLE&go=Search&perPage=50. Retrieved 2010-02-28.  (table of RIAA certifications for artist Carly Simon in format SINGLE)
3. ^ ^{a b} Ruhlmann, William. No Secrets (Carly Simon album) at Allmusic. Retrieved 14 March 2006.
4. ^ ^{a b} Christgau, Robert (April 1973). "The Christgau Consumer Guide: Carly Simon: No Secrets". Creem. http://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/cg/crm7304.php. Retrieved 7 November 2011.  Also included in "Carly Simon > Consumer Guide Reviews". Robert Christgau. http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?name=Carly+Simon. Retrieved 14 March 2006. 
5. ^ Holden, Stephen (January 4, 1973). "Carly Simon No Secrets > Album Review". Rolling Stone (125). http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/no-secrets-19730104. Retrieved 7 November 2011. 

Preceded by Seventh Sojourn by The Moody Blues	Billboard 200 number-one album January 13 - February 16, 1973	Succeeded by The World Is a Ghetto by War
Preceded by Slayed? by Slade	Australian Kent Music Report number-one album March 19 - April 29, 1973	Succeeded by Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player by Elton John