The Bedroom Tapes

For the collection of unreleased recordings by Brian Wilson, see Bedroom Tapes.

The Bedroom Tapes
Studio album by
Carly Simon
ReleasedMay 16, 2000
Studioat Simon's home and Sonic Brothers, Martha's Vineyard and Right Track Recording, Sound On Sound and Edison Recording Studios, New York City
GenreRock
Length56:39
LabelArista
ProducerCarly Simon, Tesse Gohl, Frank Filipetti, David Fields, Eric Bazillian
Carly Simon chronology
The Very Best of Carly Simon: Nobody Does It Better
(1998) 		The Bedroom Tapes
(2000) 		Christmas Is Almost Here
(2002)

The Bedroom Tapes is the 18th studio album by American singer-songwriter Carly Simon, released by Arista Records, on May 16, 2000.

The album received widespread critical acclaim upon release, and Simon promoted it through many television appearances; notably on Good Morning America, where she performed a concert in Bryant Park on May 19, 2000, which featured songs from the album, as well as some of her classic hits, such as "You're So Vain" and "Nobody Does It Better".[1] Despite the warm reception, the album soon went out of print. In 2002, Simon released autographed limited editions of The Bedroom Tapes, with two bonus tracks: "Grandmother's House" and "Sangre Dolce". The release was limited to only 100 copies. Simon later included "Sangre Dolce" on her 2008 album This Kind of Love.[2] The opening track, "Our Affair", was remixed by Richard Perry and featured on the soundtrack album of the 2000 Don Roos film Bounce, starring Gwyneth Paltrow and Ben Affleck.[3]

On April 6, 2015, Simon re-released the album as a special edition CD with two bonus tracks: "When Manhattan Was a Maiden" and the aforementioned "Grandmother's House". Produced by C'est Music, the re-release was through the Carly Simon Vintage Line, and can be purchased exclusively through Simon's official website.[4]

Reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[5]

The Bedroom Tapes received overwhelmingly positive reviews upon release, with many music critics deeming it one of Simon's greatest works. Writing for AllMusic, MacKenzie Wilson said Simon "is as raw as she was on 1975's Playing Possum and just as sweet as 1987's Coming Around Again, but Simon is fresh. Although in her mid-fifties, she is still a charmer," concluding "The Bedroom Tapes is pure, and Carly Simon proves herself to be well grounded. Not that listeners didn't already know that."[5] Similarly, People wrote that the album "unfolds like a one-woman show," calling it a "Boffo performance."[6]

Billboard called the album "A feast for fans of intelligent, richly crafted pop music," and wrote: "With her first collection of original compositions in five years, Simon reminds the young wannabes who continually crib her classic recordings for ideas how it's really done," and concluded "At a time when more simplistic fare dominates the charts, the commercial future of The Bedroom Tapes is hard to predict. But ya gotta love and respect Simon for her commitment to continually raising the creative bar- and for serving as such a strong role model for young tunesmiths."[7]

Rolling Stone called it "A bang up album. Her balance of excellent pop thrills and writing remains singular. The Carly Simon of The Bedroom Tapes shines." NY Daily News called it "one of her best albums", stating "The Bedroom Tapes finds Simon returning to the sharp-eyed commentary and unflinching candor of her best-loved work of the 70's." The Miami Herald wrote "Adults rejoice. Few albums manage to touch the heart and challenge the brain as this gem does." Us Weekly stated "These disarmingly personal songs are pure catharsis. Who needs support groups? The Bedroom Tapes is classy work from one of pop's original confessors."[8]

Awards

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Year Award Category Work/Recipient Result Ref.
2002 Boston Music Awards Song of the Year "Our Affair" Nominated [9]
Female Vocalist of the Year Carly Simon Won [10]

Track listing

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Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.[11] All tracks written by Carly Simon, except where noted.

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Our Affair" 4:16
2."So Many Stars" 5:35
3."Big Dumb Guy"
5:54
4."Scar" 5:32
5."Cross the River" 5:59
6."I Forget" 4:33
7."Actress" 4:48
8."I'm Really the Kind" 4:27
9."We Your Dearest Friends" 4:49
10."Whatever Became of Her" 4:56
11."In Honor of You (George)"
5:50
Total length:56:39
Bonus tracks on 2002 limited edition
No.TitleLength
12."Grandmother's House"5:39
13."Sangre Dolce"3:11
Total length:65:29
Bonus tracks on 2015 special edition
No.TitleLength
12."Grandmother's House"5:39
13."When Manhattan Was a Maiden"5:21
Total length:67:39

"When Manhattan Was a Maiden"

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"When Manhattan Was a Maiden" is a song that was the original inspiration and title for what became The Bedroom Tapes. As the concept of the album evolved, Simon ultimately decided to drop the song, and it was never commercially released. In 2002, Simon posted the original demo of the song on her official website for streaming.[12]

The song was included on the 2015 re-release of the album.[4]

Credits

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Personnel

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  • Carly Simon – lead vocals, backing vocals (1, 2, 4, 7, 8), keyboards (1, 2, 4–10), acoustic guitar (1, 4, 7–10), electric guitar (1, 9, 10), percussion (1, 3, 4, 8, 9), guitars (2), bass (2), drum programming (2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 9), congas (3), organ (5, 10), keyboard bass (7, 9), marimba (11)
  • Teese Gohl – organ (5), arrangements and conductor (5, 8, 11), acoustic piano (9), all instruments (11), programming (11)
  • Andrew Felluss – additional organ (10)
  • Stuart Kimball – acoustic guitar (1, 10), electric guitar (1, 9, 10)
  • Eric Bazilian – electric guitar (6), keyboards (12), programming (12), guitars (12), bass (12), drums (12)
  • Peter Calo – rhythm guitar (2)
  • Michael Lockwood – electric guitar (3, 4, 7), acoustic guitar (4)
  • T-Bone Wolk – bass (1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 9, 10), acoustic piano (3), electric guitar (3), acoustic guitar (3), dobro (3), mandolin (9)
  • Tony Garnier – bass (6)
  • Steve Gadd – drums (1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 9, 11), percussion (5, 8, 10)
  • Larry Ciancia – drums (3)
  • Shawn Pelton – drums (11)
  • Mindy Jostyn – violin (8, 10)
  • Aaron Heick – saxophone (11)
  • Liam O'Maonlai – backing vocals (2, 4, 5, 8), flute (4)
  • The Rankin Sisters – backing vocals (2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12)
  • John Forté – backing vocals (3)
  • Ben Taylor – backing vocals (3, 8)

Production

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  • Producers – Carly Simon (Tracks 1–10, 12 & 13); Teese Gohl (Track 11).
  • Co-Producers on Tracks 1–10 – David Fields and Frank Filipetti
  • Co-Producer on Track 12 – Eric Bazilian
  • Engineers – Frank Filipetti, Jimmy Parr, Carly Simon and Ed Tuton.
  • Mixed by Frank Filipetti
  • Mastered by Mark Wilder

Charts

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Album – Billboard (United States)[13]

Year Chart Position
2000 Billboard 200 90

References

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  1. ^ "Carly Simon – Bryant Park Concert 2000". YouTube. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved May 14, 2014.
  2. ^ Jurek, Thom. "This Kind of Love". AllMusic. Archived from the original on November 30, 2021. Retrieved April 20, 2020.
  3. ^ Ruhlmann, William. "Bounce [Original Soundtrack]". AllMusic. Archived from the original on August 9, 2017. Retrieved April 20, 2020.
  4. ^ a b "The Bedroom Tapes". Carlysimon.com. Archived from the original on December 26, 2018. Retrieved January 6, 2018.
  5. ^ a b Wilson, MacKenzie. "The Bedroom Tapes". AllMusic. Archived from the original on November 4, 2021. Retrieved July 12, 2007.
  6. ^ "Picks and Pans Review: The Bedroom Tapes". People. June 12, 2000. Archived from the original on March 3, 2017. Retrieved May 18, 2015.
  7. ^ Baltin, Steve (June 3, 2000). "Reviews & Previews". Billboard. Archived from the original on April 26, 2022. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  8. ^ "The Bedroom Tapes - Press". Carlysimon.com. Archived from the original on June 2, 2002. Retrieved May 4, 2014.
  9. ^ "Awards". Carlysimon.com. Archived from the original on October 19, 2007. Retrieved June 21, 2017.
  10. ^ "Boston Music Awards 2002". Boston Music Awards. Archived from the original on November 4, 2021. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
  11. ^ The Bedroom Tapes (booklet). Carly Simon. Arista. 2000.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  12. ^ "When Manhattan Was a Maiden". Carlysimon.com. Archived from the original on June 2, 2002. Retrieved December 28, 2014.
  13. ^ "Carly Simon – Chart history". Billboard. Archived from the original on October 21, 2022. Retrieved January 4, 2015.
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