Hotcakes (album)
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Hotcakes is singer-songwriter Carly Simon's fourth studio album. Released in 1974, it became one of her biggest selling albums. The album featured the major hits "Mockingbird", a duet with her then-husband James Taylor (a cover of a 1963 hit for Inez and Charlie Foxx), and "Haven't Got Time for the Pain". Recorded during her pregnancy with her first child, many of the album's songs reflected Simon's upbeat mood during this period. The album's cover photo shows the pregnant Simon sitting in a gleamingly white kitchen, smiling brightly and wearing a bohemian white linen dress.
The album went gold immediately and it stayed on the charts for eight months, yet it was initially overshadowed commercially by two other major albums released by Simon's own label, Elektra/Asylum, in the same month as Hotcakes, Joni Mitchell's Court and Spark and Bob Dylan's Planet Waves. These took the #2 and #1 spots, respectively, on the Billboard album chart while Hotcakes peaked at #3.[1] Hotcakes went on to sell several hundred thousand more copies than Dylan's album and was listed in the Top 40 of Billboard's Year End Top albums for 1974, while Planet Waves did not make the Top 50.
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   link |
Reception
Jon Landau, writing in Rolling Stone, stated Simon's ..."Hotcakes is playful-sounding with some serious overtones — a balance that best suits her for the time being."[2] He also stated that "'Think I'm Gonna Have a Baby,' 'Forever My Love' and especially 'Haven't Got Time for the Pain' are substantial songs and performances, superior to almost everything else she has so far recorded."[2]
William Ruhlmann's more recent review for Allmusic rated the album four out of five stars. Ruhlmann wrote, Hotcakes was "an autobiographical concept album that defined domestic bliss at a time when Simon's listeners also were catching their breath and turning inward." Shortly after its release, Hotcakes was certified Gold by the RIAA, for sales "of one million dollars at manufacturer's level" in the United States.[3] David Geffen, the then President of Elektra/Asylum was quoted in a 1974 Rolling Stone article that Hotcakes had sold 1 million units in the US up to that point.
Track listing
All tracks composed by Carly Simon, except where indicated.
Side one
- "Safe and Sound" (Simon, Jacob Brackman) - 3:40
- "Mind on My Man" - 2:59
- "Think I'm Gonna Have a Baby" - 3:57
- "Older Sister" - 3:09
- "Just Not True" - 5:19
- "Hotcakes" - 1:09
Side two
- "Misfit" - 3:07
- "Forever My Love" (Simon, James Taylor) - 3:27
- "Mockingbird" (Inez and Charlie Foxx, with additional lyrics by Taylor) – 4:14
- "Grownup" - 3:46
- "Haven't Got Time for the Pain" (Simon, Brackman) - 3:54
Personnel
- Carly Simon - guitar, piano, vocals
- Dr. John - guitar, keyboards
- Robbie Robertson - guitar
- James Taylor - guitar, backing vocals
- Michael Brecker - saxophone
- Richard Davis - bass guitar
- Bucky Pizzarelli - guitar
- Howard Johnson - tuba, saxophone
- Ralph MacDonald - percussion
- Jim Keltner - drums
- Jim Gordon - drums
- Tasha Thomas - backing vocals
- Kenny Ascher - keyboards
- Larry Brean - slap bass
- Paul Buckmaster - strings
- Billy Cobham - tuba, saxophone
- George Devens - percussion
- Benny Diggs - backing vocals
- Todd Graff - backing vocals
- Lani Groves - backing vocals
- Carl Hall - backing vocals
- Bobby Keys - saxophone
- Russ Kunkel - drums
- Steve Madaio - trumpet
- Rick Marotta - drums
- Andy Newmark - drums
- Richard Perry - backing vocals
- Barry Rogers - trombone, trumpet
- Jim Ryan - guitar, bass guitar
- Lucy Simon - backing vocals
- David Spinozza - guitar
- Klaus Voormann - bass guitar
- Harry Maslin - Recording and Mix Engineer, The Hit Factory
Charts
Album - Billboard (North America)
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1974 | Pop Albums | 3[4] |
Album - International
| Year | Country | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1974 | Australia | 9[5] |
| 1974 | Canada | 7[6] |
| 1974 | Japan | 39[7] |
| 1974 | United Kingdom | 19[8] |
Singles - Billboard (North America)
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | "Haven't Got Time for the Pain" | Adult Contemporary | 2 |
| 1974 | "Haven't Got Time for the Pain" | Pop Singles | 14 |
| 1974 | "Mockingbird" | Adult Contemporary | 10 |
| 1974 | "Mockingbird" | Pop Singles | 5 |
References
- ^ AllMusic. "Carly Simon Awards". Retrieved 6 September 2014.
{{cite web}}:|author=has generic name (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter:|1=(help) - ^ a b Landau, J. (June 6, 1974). "Hotcakes". Rolling Stone Magazine. Retrieved 2014-07-04.
- ^ "Carly Simon certifications". RIAA.com. Retrieved 2014-05-05.
- ^ "Carly Simon - Chart history | Billboard". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2015-01-04.
- ^ David Kent (1993). Australian Charts Book 1970—1992. Australian Chart Book Pty Ltd, Turramurra, N.S.W. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ "CAN Charts > Carly Simon". RPM. Retrieved 2015-01-04.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970-2005. Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
{{cite book}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help) - ^ "UK Charts > Carly Simon". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2014-01-04.