PROFILBARU.COM

Playing Possum
Playing Possum
Studio album by Carly Simon
Released	April 21, 1975
Recorded	1974–1975
Studio	Sound Labs, Sunset Sound Recorders, Crystal Sound, A&M Studios and Burbank Studios, California
Genre	Rock; pop; disco; jazz;
Length	34:48
Label	Elektra
Producer	Richard Perry
Carly Simon chronology
Singles from Playing Possum
	"Attitude Dancing"; Released: 1975; "Waterfall"; Released: 1975; "More and More"; Released: 1975;

Playing Possum is the fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter Carly Simon, released by Elektra Records, on April 21, 1975.

It was Simon's third consecutive album to reach the top 10 on the Billboard Pop albums chart, peaking at No. 10 in June 1975. The lead single from the album, "Attitude Dancing", which featured Carole King on backing vocals, was also a success, peaking at No. 21 on Billboard Pop singles chart, and No. 18 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. A second single, "Waterfall", which featured prominent backing vocals by Simon's then-husband James Taylor, didn't fare as well, reaching no higher than No. 78 on the Pop singles chart. It fared much better on the Adult Contemporary chart, entering the Top 40 and peaking at No. 21. The album's third and final single "More and More" was co-written by New Orleans pianist Dr. John, who also played piano on the track, along with Ringo Starr on drums, but it peaked no higher than No. 94 on the Pop singles chart.

Reception and packaging

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[1]

In his review of the album, Stephen Holden of Rolling Stone said it "represents a breakthrough of sorts for Simon", in her continued shift from a "sensitive singer/songwriter role" to a "rock songstress". He wrote that "Attitude Dancing" was "easily the most exciting Carly Simon cut since 'You're So Vain.'" Other standouts from his review were "After the Storm", "Love Out in the Street", "Are You Ticklish", "Look Me in the Eyes", "Waterfall", and "Slave".^[2] Cash Box said of the single "More and More" that "Carly belts out a hard blues vocal over barrelhouse piano, with Memphis style horns and a soulful female chorus lending support."^[3]

Today, Playing Possum may best be remembered for its controversial cover photograph, which shows the singer wearing only a black negligee, sheer-to-waist pantyhose, and knee-high black boots. The photographer was Norman Seeff.^[4] It was nominated for Best Album Package at the 18th Annual Grammy Awards in Feb. 1976.^[5] In 1991, it ranked at No. 20 on the Rolling Stone's list of the 100 greatest album covers.^[6]

Simon further included photographs from the session in the booklets accompanying her three-disc boxed set Clouds in My Coffee (1995) and the two-disc Anthology (2002). The latter also includes the singles "Attitude Dancing" and "Waterfall".^[7]

Awards

Year	Award	Category	Work	Result	Ref.
1976	Grammy Awards	Best Album Package	Playing Possum^A	Nominated	^[5]

Notes

^A The nomination is credited to Gene Christensen. The photographer was Norman Seeff.

Other honors and recognitions

1991 – Playing Possum ranked No. 20 on Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Album Covers of All-Time list.^[6]

Track listing

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.^[8]

Side one
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"After the Storm"	Carly Simon	2:47
2.	"Love Out in the Street"	Simon	3:40
3.	"Look Me in the Eyes"	Simon	3:34
4.	"More and More"	Mac Rebennack Alvin Robinson	4:02
5.	"Slave"	Simon Jacob Brackman	3:54

Side two
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Attitude Dancing"	Simon Brackman	3:52
2.	"Sons of Summer"	Billy Mernit	3:05
3.	"Waterfall"	Simon	3:31
4.	"Are You Ticklish"	Simon	2:26
5.	"Playing Possum"	Simon	3:57
Total length:			34:38

Personnel

Musicians

Carly Simon – lead vocals, acoustic piano (1, 2, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10), horn arrangements (1), string arrangements (1, 10), backing vocals (2, 3, 5–8), acoustic guitar (3)
Billy Mernit – acoustic piano (2, 7)
James Newton Howard – ARP synthesizer (3), electric piano (3)
Dr. John – acoustic piano (4)
Lee Ritenour – electric guitar (1, 5, 8), mandolin (5)
James Taylor – acoustic guitar (3, 5, 8), backing vocals (3, 5, 8, 10)
Jeff Baxter – guitar (4)
Alvin Robinson – guitar (4)
Sneaky Pete Kleinow – pedal steel guitar (10)
Klaus Voormann – bass guitar (1, 4)
Willie Weeks – bass guitar (2, 6, 10)
Leland Sklar – bass guitar (5, 8)
Joe Mondragon – bass guitar (9)
Andrew Gold – drums (1, 10), guitar (2, 6), tambourine (2), acoustic guitar (10)
Andy Newmark – drums (2)
Ringo Starr – drums (4)
Russ Kunkel – drums (5, 8)
Jim Gordon – drums (6)
Irving Cottler – drums (9)
Alan Estes – percussion (1, 3)
Emil Richards – percussion (2)
Fred Staehle – percussion (4)
Richard Perry – tambourine (4)
Eddie "Bongo" Brown – congas (6)
Trevor Lawrence – alto sax solo (1)
Derrek Van Eaton – flute (8)
Lon Van Eaton – clarinet (8), sitar (10)
Tommy Morgan – harmonica (10)
Perry Botkin Jr. – string arrangements (2, 5), orchestration (2, 5), conductor (2, 5, 9), horn and woodwind arrangements (5), clarinet and trombone arrangement (9)
Paul Riser – horn and string arrangements (6)
Rita Coolidge – backing vocals (2, 5)
Clydie King – backing vocals (2, 5)
Rodney Richmond – backing vocals (2)
Vini Poncia – backing vocals (3)
Julia Tillman Waters – backing vocals (4)
Maxine Willard – backing vocals (4)
Carolyn Willis – backing vocals (4)
Abigale Haness – backing vocals (6)
Carole King – backing vocals (6)
Ken Moore – backing vocals (6)

Production

Producer – Richard Perry
Engineers – Bill Schnee (Tracks 1, 2 & 5–10); Norm Kinney (Track 3); Andrew Berliner (Track 4).
Second Engineer – Charles Beasley
Assistant Engineers – Larry Emerine and Reed Stanley
Remixing – Norm Kinney and Bill Schnee
Mastered by Doug Sax at The Mastering Lab (Los Angeles, CA).
Art Direction – Glen Christensen
Design and Photography – Norman Seeff
Management – Arlyne Rothberg, Inc.

Charts

Album – Billboard (United States)^[9]

Year	Chart	Position
1975	Billboard 100	10

Album – International

Year	Country	Position
1975	Australia^[10]	25
	Canada^[11]	22
	Japan^[11]	70

Singles – Billboard (United States)^[9]

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1975	"Attitude Dancing"	Adult Contemporary	18
	"Attitude Dancing"	Hot 100	21
	"Waterfall"	Adult Contemporary	21
	"Waterfall"	Hot 100	78
	"More and More"	Hot 100	94

References

^ Ruhlmann, William. "Playing Possum". AllMusic. Archived from the original on October 21, 2022. Retrieved July 12, 2007.
^ Holden, Stephen (June 19, 1975). "Playing Possum review". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on March 14, 2022. Retrieved July 4, 2014.
^ "CashBox Singles Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. September 13, 1975. p. 15. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
^ Estes, Lenora Jane (September 12, 2013). "The 'Lost Archive' of Norman Seeff". Vanity Fair. Archived from the original on June 25, 2018. Retrieved July 27, 2014.
^ ^a ^b "18th Annual Grammy Awards". The Recording Academy. Archived from the original on October 28, 2021. Retrieved August 23, 2023.
^ ^a ^b "Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Album Covers". Rate Your Music. November 14, 1991. Archived from the original on July 15, 2012. Retrieved July 15, 2015.
^ "Anthology". Carlysimon.com. Archived from the original on February 3, 2007. Retrieved July 26, 2014.
^ Playing Possum (booklet). Carly Simon. Elektra. 1975.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^ ^a ^b "Carly Simon – Chart history". Billboard. Archived from the original on October 21, 2022. Retrieved January 4, 2015.
^ David Kent (1993). Australian Charts Book 1970—1992. Australian Chart Book Pty Ltd, Turramurra, N.S.W. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
^ ^a ^b "CAN Charts > Carly Simon". RPM. Archived from the original on January 4, 2015. Retrieved January 4, 2015.