The Bedroom Tapes Explained

The Bedroom Tapes
Type:studio
Artist:Carly Simon
Cover:The Bedroom Tapes.jpg
Released:May 16, 2000
Studio:at Simon's home and Sonic Brothers, Martha's Vineyard and Right Track Recording, Sound On Sound and Edison Recording Studios, New York City
Genre:Rock
Length:56:39
Label:Arista
Producer:Carly Simon, Tesse Gohl, Frank Filipetti, David Fields, Eric Bazillian
Prev Year:1998
Next Title:Christmas Is Almost Here
Next Year: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

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." Similarly, People wrote that the album "unfolds like a one-woman show," calling it a "Boffo performance."[5]

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."[6]

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."[7]

Awards

YearAwardCategoryWork/RecipientResultRef.
2002Boston Music AwardsSong of the Year"Our Affair"[8]
Female Vocalist of the YearCarly Simon[9]

Track listing

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.[10]

"When Manhattan Was a Maiden"

"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.[11]

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

Credits

Personnel

Production

Charts

AlbumBillboard (United States)[12]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Carly Simon – Bryant Park Concert 2000 . https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/SmDz9soAdvs . December 21, 2021 . live . . May 14, 2014.
  2. Web site: Jurek . Thom . This Kind of Love . . April 20, 2020 . November 30, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211130015053/https://www.allmusic.com/album/this-kind-of-love-mw0000783802 . live.
  3. Web site: Ruhlmann . William . Bounce [Original Soundtrack] ]. AllMusic . April 20, 2020 . Aug 9, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170809184118/http://www.allmusic.com/album/bounce-original-soundtrack-mw0000103753 . live.
  4. Web site: The Bedroom Tapes . Carlysimon.com . January 6, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20181226113329/http://www.carlysimon.com/store/the-bedroom-tapes-special-edition-cd . December 26, 2018 . live.
  5. News: Picks and Pans Review: The Bedroom Tapes . . June 12, 2000 . May 18, 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170303072709/http://people.com/archive/picks-and-pans-review-the-bedroom-tapes-vol-53-no-23/ . March 3, 2017 . dead.
  6. Baltin . Steve . Reviews & Previews . . June 3, 2000 . May 26, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220426173944/https://books.google.com/books?id=mQ8EAAAAMBAJ&q=carly+simon+the+bedroom+tapes+billboard+review&pg=PA27#v=snippet&q=carly%20simon%20the%20bedroom%20tapes%20billboard%20review&f=false . April 26, 2022 . live.
  7. Web site: The Bedroom Tapes - Press . Carlysimon.com . May 4, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20020602184343/http://www.carlysimon.com/music/TBT.shtml . June 2, 2002 . dead.
  8. Web site: Awards . Carlysimon.com . June 21, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20071019020216/http://www.carlysimon.com/timeline/Awards.shtml . October 19, 2007 . dead.
  9. Web site: Boston Music Awards 2002 . . October 30, 2021 . November 4, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211104053630/https://bostonmusicawards.com/bma/boston-music-awards-2002/ . live.
  10. Carly Simon . The Bedroom Tapes . 2000 . booklet . Arista.
  11. Web site: When Manhattan Was a Maiden . Carlysimon.com . December 28, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20020602183643/http://www.carlysimon.com/ai/wmwam/wmwam.htm . June 2, 2002 . dead.
  12. Carly Simon – Chart history . . January 4, 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221021023757/https://www.billboard.com/artist/carly-simon/chart-history/tlp/ . October 21, 2022 . live.