Anthology

Disc 1
1	That's the Way I've Always Heard It Should Be 4:17
2	One More Time 3:35
3	Anticipation 3:22
4	Legend in Your Own Time 3:45
5	Julie Through the Glass 3:25
6	You're So Vain 4:19
7	We Have No Secrets 3:58
8	The Right Thing to Do 2:59
9	Mockingbird / James Taylor 4:12
10	Haven't Got Time for the Pain 3:55
11	Older Sister 3:08
12	Waterfall 3:32
13	Attitude Dancing 3:56
14	In Times When My Head 3:30
15	Nobody Does It Better 3:44
16	You Belong to Me 3:53
17	Devoted to You / James Taylor 2:31
18	Boys in the Trees 3:15
19	Vengeance 4:13
20	Come Upstairs 4:20
21	Jesse 4:18
Disc 2
1	Not a Day Goes By 2:43
2	Why 4:05
3	It Happens Everyday 2:47
4	Orpheus 3:53
5	Come Back Home 4:24
6	Coming Around Again 3:42
7	Give Me All Night Single Version 4:04
8	The Stuff That Dreams Are Made Of 4:57
9	All I Want Is You 3:59
10	Let the River Run 3:42
11	My Romance 2:35
12	Better Not Tell Her 5:13
13	Love of My Life 3:34
14	Like a River Single Version 4:47
15	Two Little Sisters from "Marvin's Room" 3:24
16	Film Noir 3:38
17	Scar 5:34
18	Actress 4:51
19	Touched by the Sun Live 5:38

Barnes & Noble

Ranging from 1971's "That's the Way I've Always Heard It Should Be" to 2000's "Actress," Anthology traces Carly Simon's evolution from confessional singer-songwriter to hit-making pop artist to skillful soundtrack contributor and interpreter. Comprising two CDs, each more than 75 minutes long, the set encompasses both the familiar and the neglected. The first disc covers Simon's first decade, when her popularity was at its peak. Out of the gate, she established herself as a smart and keen writer with hits such as "Anticipation," leading to a Best New Artist Grammy in 1971. She wrote one of the all-time great poison-pen songs in "You're So Vain," with backing vocals from Mick Jagger, who may or may not be the song's subject. Her duets with then-husband James Taylor, the joyous "Mockingbird" and the heartfelt "Devoted to You," still sound fresh, as do the jazzy "Older Sister," the heartwarming "Nobody Does It Better," and the slinky "You Belong to Me." Through the '80s and '90s, Simon's greatest successes came in writing songs for films; the songs have held up better than the films, including "Coming Around Again" from Heartburn, "Let the River Run" from Working Girl, and "Two Little Sisters" from Marvin's Room. Simon also explored torch songs -- the string-laden "Not a Day Goes By" and Rodgers & Hart's "My Romance" are here -- and became a fixture on Adult Contemporary radio. Anthology concludes with "Scar" and "Actress," two sharply-observed narratives from 2000's Bedroom Tapes, which returned Simon to the acoustic, confessional mode of her early work, plus a bonus treat of a 1995 live recording of "Touched by the Sun." Ultimately, Anthology does equal justice to Carly Simon's smoky, seductive voice and her sharp songwriting. Steve Klinge

All Music Guide

For Carly Simon fans looking for something a little more extensive than a single-disc greatest-hits collection, but not something so large and expensive as her Clouds in My Coffee 1966-1996 box set, Anthology is a good deal. The two CDs include 40 songs from 1971 to 2000, among them nearly two dozen chart hits (though some of the later ones only made the adult contemporary charts). For the more cold-blooded fan who wants to zero in on her best and most popular work, there might well be more than she or he wants to hear, particularly on disc two, devoted entirely to post-1980 material, which reflects her move from tenuously folk-rock-related singer/songwriting to blander adult contemporary music. For those who see her early work as her best, The Best of Carly Simon remains about all you need; for those who appreciate her whole career, the lengthier single-disc anthology The Very Best of Carly Simon: Nobody Does It Better will likewise suffice. There's not much in rarities on Anthology either -- nothing from her pre-Elektra recordings as part of the Simon Sisters, and nothing previously unreleased, though 1995's "Touched By the Sun" was only on the Live at Grand Central video, and four tracks are taken not from Simon albums but from film soundtracks (including, of course, her massive 1977 hit, "Nobody Does It Better"). All of this might be too much carping. This does, after all, gather material from more than half a dozen labels, presented respectfully with a 40-page booklet, though the liner notes are much heavier on fawning affection than historical details. Richie Unterberger