''Playing Possum'' is the fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter

Carly Simon Carly Elisabeth Simon (born June 25, 1943) is an American singer-songwriter, memoirist, and children's author. She rose to fame in the 1970s with a string of hit records; her 13 Top 40 U.S. hits include " Anticipation" (No. 13), " The Right Th ...

, released by

Elektra Records Elektra Records (or Elektra Entertainment) is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, founded in 1950 by Jac Holzman and Paul Rickolt. It played an important role in the development of contemporary folk and rock music between the ...

, on April 21, 1975. It was Simon's third consecutive album to reach the top 10 on the ''Billboard'' Pop albums chart, peaking at No. 10 in June 1975. The lead single from the album, "

Attitude Dancing "Attitude Dancing" is a song written by Carly Simon and Jacob Brackman, performed by Simon and produced by Richard Perry. The song served as lead single from Simon's fifth studio album, ''Playing Possum'' (1975). The single became a Top 40 hit, pe ...

", which featured

Carole King Carole King Klein (born Carol Joan Klein; February 9, 1942) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician who has been active since 1958, initially as one of the staff songwriters at 1650 Broadway and later as a solo artist. Regarded as one ...

on backing vocals, was also a success, peaking at No. 21 on ''Billboard'' Pop singles chart, and No. 18 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large adverti ...

Adult Contemporary Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quie ...

chart. A second single, "

Waterfall A waterfall is a point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. Waterfalls can be formed in several ...

", which featured prominent backing vocals by Simon's then-husband

James Taylor James Vernon Taylor (born March 12, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A six-time Grammy Award winner, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. He is one of the List of best-selling music artists, best-sell ...

, didn't fare as well, reaching no higher than No. 78 on the Pop singles chart. It fared much better on the Adult Contemporary chart, entering the

Top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is the current, 40 most-popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "Top 40" or "cont ...

and peaking at No. 21. The album's third and final single "More and More" was co-written by New Orleans pianist

Dr. John Malcolm John Rebennack Jr. (November 20, 1941 – June 6, 2019), better known by his stage name Dr. John, was an American singer and songwriter. His music encompassed New Orleans blues, jazz, funk, and R&B. Active as a session musician from ...

, who also played piano on the track, along with

Ringo Starr Sir Richard Starkey (born 7 July 1940), known professionally as Ringo Starr, is an English musician, singer, songwriter and actor who achieved international fame as the drummer for the Beatles. Starr occasionally sang lead vocals with the ...

on drums, but it peaked no higher than No. 94 on the Pop singles chart.

Reception and packaging

In his mixed review of the album, Stephen Holden of ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'' said it "represents a breakthrough of sorts for Simon", in her continued shift from a "sensitive singer/songwriter role" to a "rock songstress". He wrote that "Attitude Dancing" was "easily the most exciting Carly Simon cut since 'You're So Vain.'" Other standouts from his review were "After the Storm", "Love Out in the Street", "Are You Ticklish", "Look Me in the Eyes", "Waterfall", and "Slave". ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', was an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an onli ...

'' said of the single "More and More" that "Carly belts out a hard blues vocal over barrelhouse piano, with Memphis style horns and a soulful female chorus lending support." Today, ''Playing Possum'' may best be remembered for its controversial cover photograph, which shows the singer wearing only a black negligee, sheer-to-waist pantyhose, and knee-high black boots. The photographer was Norman Seeff. It was nominated for

Best Album Package The Grammy Award for Best Recording Package is one of a series of Grammy Awards presented for the visual look of an album. It is presented to the art director of the winning album, not to the performer(s), unless the performer is also the art dire ...

at the

18th Annual Grammy Awards The 18th Annual Grammy Awards were held February 28, 1976, and were broadcast live on American television. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the year 1975. Award winners *Record of the Year **" Love Will Keep Us Together" - Cap ...

in Feb. 1976. In 1991, it ranked at No. 20 on the ''Rolling Stone''s list of the 100 greatest album covers. Simon further included photographs from the session in the booklets accompanying her three-disc boxed set ''

Clouds in My Coffee ''Clouds in My Coffee: 1965-1995'' is a three-disc box set by American singer-songwriter Carly Simon, released by Arista Records, on November 7, 1995. A full career retrospective at the time of its release, it contains 58 songs spanning Simon ...

'' (1995) and the two-disc ''

Anthology In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs or excerpts by different authors. In genre fiction, the term ''anthology'' typically cate ...

'' (2003). The latter also includes the singles "Attitude Dancing" and "Waterfall".

Awards

Notes * The photographer was Norman Seeff.

Other honors and recognitions

* 1991 – ''Playing Possum'' ranked No. 20 on ''

's'' 100 Greatest Album Covers of All-Time list.

Track listing

Credits adapted from the album's

liner notes Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found on the sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for cassettes. Origin Liner notes are des ...

Personnel

Credits adapted from the album's

Musicians

Production

Charts

Album – ''Billboard'' (United States) Album – International Singles – ''Billboard'' (United States)

References

External links

Carly Simon's Official Website
{{Authority control 1975 albums Carly Simon albums Elektra Records albums Albums produced by Richard Perry Albums recorded at Sunset Sound Recorders Albums recorded at A&M Studios Disco albums by American artists