Playing Possum
Encyclopedia
Playing Possum is singer-songwriter
Carly Simon
's fifth studio album
, released in April 1975. It was her third consecutive album to reach the top ten of the best-selling album charts, peaking at number 10 in June 1975. Singles from the album were not as successful. The first single from the album, "Attitude Dancing," reached only number 21 on the Billboard charts. A second single, "Waterfall," which featured prominent backing vocals by Simon's then-husband James Taylor
, reached no higher than number 78. A third attempt, the single "More and More", was co-written by New Orleans pianist Dr. John
, who also played piano on the track, but it peaked no higher than number 94.
Playing Possum is now best remembered for its controversial cover photograph, which shows the singer wearing only a black negligee, stockings and knee-high black boots. The photographer was Norman Seeff
. It ranked at #20 on the Rolling Stone's list of the 100 greatest album covers.
Simon chose to include further photographs from the session in the booklets accompanying her three-CD boxed set, Clouds in My Coffee
(1995), and her two-CD collection, Anthology
(2003).
Singles - Billboard (North America)
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
Carly Simon
Carly Simon
Carly Elisabeth Simon is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and children's author. She rose to fame in the 1970s with a string of hit records, and has since been the recipient of two Grammy Awards, an Academy Award, and a Golden Globe Award for her work...
's fifth studio album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
, released in April 1975. It was her third consecutive album to reach the top ten of the best-selling album charts, peaking at number 10 in June 1975. Singles from the album were not as successful. The first single from the album, "Attitude Dancing," reached only number 21 on the Billboard charts. A second single, "Waterfall," which featured prominent backing vocals by Simon's then-husband James Taylor
James Taylor
James Vernon Taylor is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A five-time Grammy Award winner, Taylor was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2000....
, reached no higher than number 78. A third attempt, the single "More and More", was co-written by New Orleans pianist Dr. John
Dr. John
Malcolm John "Mac" Rebennack, Jr. , better known by the stage name Dr. John , is an American singer-songwriter, pianist and guitarist, whose music combines blues, pop, jazz as well as Zydeco, boogie woogie and rock and roll.Active as a session musician since the late 1950s, he came to wider...
, who also played piano on the track, but it peaked no higher than number 94.
Playing Possum is now best remembered for its controversial cover photograph, which shows the singer wearing only a black negligee, stockings and knee-high black boots. The photographer was Norman Seeff
Norman Seeff
Norman Seeff was born March 5, 1939 in Johannesburg, South Africa. Since moving to the United States in 1969, his work as a photographer and filmmaker has been focused on the exploration of human creativity and the inner dynamics of the creative process....
. It ranked at #20 on the Rolling Stone's list of the 100 greatest album covers.
Simon chose to include further photographs from the session in the booklets accompanying her three-CD boxed set, Clouds in My Coffee
Clouds in My Coffee
Clouds In My Coffee is singer-songwriter Carly Simon's 21st album released in 1995. It is a three-disc, 58 song career retrospective box set that spans Carly's career from 1965 to 1995...
(1995), and her two-CD collection, Anthology
Anthology (Carly Simon)
Anthology is singer-songwriter Carly Simon's 26th album, and first anthology album, released in November 2002. It is a two-disc set with all the songs personally picked by Simon...
(2003).
Track listing
All tracks composed by Carly Simon; except where indicated- "After the Storm" – 2:47
- "Love Out in the Street" – 3:40
- "Look Me in the Eyes" – 3:34
- "More and More" (Mac RebennackDr. JohnMalcolm John "Mac" Rebennack, Jr. , better known by the stage name Dr. John , is an American singer-songwriter, pianist and guitarist, whose music combines blues, pop, jazz as well as Zydeco, boogie woogie and rock and roll.Active as a session musician since the late 1950s, he came to wider...
, Alvin RobinsonAlvin RobinsonAlvin L Robinson is an American professional mixed martial artist currently fighting as a lightweight for the Bellator Fighting Championships. He is a former Ring of Fire lightweight champion...
) – 4:02 - "Slave" (Simon, Jacob BrackmanJacob BrackmanJacob Brackman is an American journalist, writer, and musical lyricist.After graduating from Harvard University in 1965, he went to work for Newsweek as a journalist. He remained there for six months and was then hired by The New Yorker...
) – 3:54 - "Attitude Dancing" (Simon, Jacob Brackman) – 3:52
- "Sons of Summer" (Bill Mernit) – 3:05
- "Waterfall" – 3:31
- "Are You Ticklish" – 2:26
- "Playing Possum" – 3:57
Personnel
- Carly Simon — Acoustic guitar, guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, arrangements, vocals, background vocals - Jeff BaxterJeff BaxterJeff "Skunk" Baxter is an American guitarist, known for his stints in the rock bands Steely Dan and The Doobie Brothers during the 1970s...
— Guitar (track 4) - Eddie Bongo — CongaCongaThe conga, or more properly the tumbadora, is a tall, narrow, single-headed Cuban drum with African antecedents. It is thought to be derived from the Makuta drums or similar drums associated with Afro-Cubans of Central African descent. A person who plays conga is called a conguero...
(track 6) - Rita CoolidgeRita CoolidgeRita Coolidge is a multiple Grammy Award-winning American vocalist. During the 1970s and 1980s, she charted hits on Billboard's Pop, Country, Adult Contemporary and Jazz charts.-Career:...
— Vocals, background vocals (track 2; 5) - Irving Cottler — Drums (track 9)
- Dr. JohnDr. JohnMalcolm John "Mac" Rebennack, Jr. , better known by the stage name Dr. John , is an American singer-songwriter, pianist and guitarist, whose music combines blues, pop, jazz as well as Zydeco, boogie woogie and rock and roll.Active as a session musician since the late 1950s, he came to wider...
— Guitar, piano, keyboards (track 4) - Alan Estes — Percussion (track 1; 3)
- Andrew GoldAndrew GoldAndrew Maurice Gold was an American singer, musician and songwriter. His works include the Top 10 single "Lonely Boy" , as well as the singles "Thank You for Being a Friend" , and "Never Let Her Slip Away" ....
— Guitar, drums, tambourineTambourineThe tambourine or marine is a musical instrument of the percussion family consisting of a frame, often of wood or plastic, with pairs of small metal jingles, called "zils". Classically the term tambourine denotes an instrument with a drumhead, though some variants may not have a head at all....
(track 1; 2; 6; 10) - Jim GordonJim Gordon (musician)James Beck "Jim" Gordon is an American recording artist, musician and songwriter. The Grammy Award winner was one of the most requested session drummers in the late 1960s and 1970s, recording albums with many well-known musicians of the time, and was the drummer in the blues-rock supergroup Derek...
— Drums (track 6) - Abigale Haness — Vocals, background vocals (track 6)
- James Newton HowardJames Newton HowardJames Newton Howard is an American composer best known for his scores to motion pictures. He is one of the most popular and respected composers for cinema, and has scored over 100 films...
— Arp Synthesizer, keyboards, electric piano (track 3) - Carole KingCarole KingCarole King is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. King and her former husband Gerry Goffin wrote more than two dozen chart hits for numerous artists during the 1960s, many of which have become standards. As a singer, King had an album, Tapestry, top the U.S...
— Vocals, background vocals (track 6) - Clydie KingClydie KingClydie Crittendon is an American singer, best known for her session work as a backing vocalist....
— Vocals, background vocals (track 2; 5) - Sneaky Pete KleinowSneaky Pete KleinowPeter E. "Sneaky Pete" Kleinow was an American country-rock musician, songwriter, and a motion picture special effects artist...
— Pedal steel guitar (track 10) - Russ KunkelRuss KunkelRussell Kunkel , also known as Russ Kunkel, is an American drummer and producer who has worked as a session musician with a number of well-known artists.Kunkel was born in Pittsburgh, PA...
— Drums (track 5; 8) - Trevor Lawrence — Saxophone, alto saxophone (track 1)
- Billy Mernit — Piano (track 2;7)
- Joe Mondragon — Bass (track 9)
- Ken Moore — Vocals, background vocals (track 6)
- Tommy Morgan — HarmonicaHarmonicaThe harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes...
(track 10) - Andy NewmarkAndy NewmarkAndrew "Andy" Newmark is an American musician, best known as a popular session drummer, and for playing with the funk band Sly & the Family Stone from 1972 to 1973....
— Percussion, drums (track 2) - Richard PerryRichard PerryRichard Perry is an American music producer. Perry began as a performer in his adolescence, but shifted gears after graduating college and rose through the late 1960s and early 1970s to become a highly successful and popular record producer with over a dozen gold records to his credit by 1982...
— Tambourine (track 4) - Vini PonciaVini PonciaVini Poncia is an American musician, songwriter and record producer.In the 1960s, Poncia formed a songwriting team with Peter Anders. An album of songs co-written by these childhood friends The Anders & Poncia Album, was produced by Richard Perry and released in 1969...
— Vocals, background vocals (track 3) - Emil RichardsEmil RichardsEmil Richards, born Emilio Joseph Radocchia on September 2, 1932 in Hartford, Connecticut, is a percussionist who plays a variety of different percussion instruments.-Biography:...
— Percussion (track 2) - Rodney Richmond — Vocals, background vocals (track 2)
- Lee RitenourLee RitenourLee Mack Ritenour is an American jazz guitarist who has recorded over 42 albums, appeared on over 3000 sessions, and has charted over 30 instrumental and vocal contemporary jazz hits since 1976. One of his most popular songs was the smash hit, “Is It You” in 1981. Ritenour is considered to be a...
— Guitar, mandolinMandolinA mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
, electric guitar (track 1; 5; 8) - Alvin Robinson — Guitar (track 4)
- Leland SklarLeland SklarLeland "Lee" Bruce Sklar is an American musician, singer-songwriter and film score composer. A prominent bass guitarist, Sklar has contributed to thousands of albums as a session musician...
— Bass, drums (track 5; 8) - Fred Staehle — Percussion (track 4)
- Ringo StarrRingo StarrRichard Starkey, MBE better known by his stage name Ringo Starr, is an English musician and actor who gained worldwide fame as the drummer for The Beatles. When the band formed in 1960, Starr was a member of another Liverpool band, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. He became The Beatles' drummer in...
— Drums (track 4) - Liza Strike — Vocals
- James TaylorJames TaylorJames Vernon Taylor is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A five-time Grammy Award winner, Taylor was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2000....
— Acoustic guitar, guitar, vocals, background vocals (track 3; 5; 8; 10) - Julia Tillman Waters — Vocals, background vocals (track 4)
- Derrek Van Eaton — FiddleFiddleThe term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
, fluteFluteThe flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
(track 8) - Lon Van Eaton — ClarinetClarinetThe clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
, flute, sitarSitarThe 'Tablaman' is a plucked stringed instrument predominantly used in Hindustani classical music, where it has been ubiquitous since the Middle Ages...
(track 8; 10) - Klaus VoormannKlaus VoormannKlaus Voormann is a German Grammy Award-winning artist, noted musician, and record producer. He designed artwork for many bands including The Beatles, The Bee Gees, Wet Wet Wet and Turbonegro. His most notable work as a producer was his work with the band Trio, including their worldwide hit "Da Da...
— Bass (track 1; 4) - Willie WeeksWillie WeeksWillie Weeks is an American bass guitarist. He has gained fame performing with famous musicians in a wide variety of genres. He has been one of the most in-demand session musicians throughout his career. Weeks has also gained notoriety touring with many of rock's heavyweights throughout his career...
— Bass (track 2; 6; 10) - Maxine Willard — Background vocals (track 4)
- Carolyn Willis — Vocals, background vocals (track 4)
Charts
Album - Billboard (North America)| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Pop Albums | 10 |
Singles - Billboard (North America)
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | "Attitude Dancing" | Pop Singles | 21 |
| 1975 | "Waterfall" | Pop Singles | 78 |
| 1975 | "More and More" | Pop Singles | 94 |