No Secrets

No Secrets in the Family were a Swiss avant-prog band active during the late 1980's and early 1990's. They were heavily influenced by many of the RIO-related bands, in particular the more song-orientated groups like Art Bears, Slapp Happy, Etron Fou Leloublan and News From Babel. The result, as fans of these bands might expect, is playful, quirky art rock which balances discordant elements with melodic touches and places an emphasis on theatrical vocals and complex instrumental interplay. The core group consisted of Annette and Markus Schönholzer who played keys and guitar respectively and shared the main vocal duties, Christian Strässle on violin and saxophone, Daniel Meisenberger on bass and Martin Gantenbein on drums and flute.

You will get diverging opinions about Kleinzeit. Some people say it is No Secrets in the Family's finest; others condemn it as their worst. And truth be told, both camps are right. Simply put, the Schönholzers went overboard on this album, an adaptation of Russell Hoban's novel Kleinzeit, itself a very strange story about hospitals, love, pain, and medical devices. The songwriting is definitely a few steps higher in terms of complexity and experimentation, something Rock in Opposition fans will appreciate (particularly fans of News from Babel, although not for the vocals). On the other hand, the album misses the unbridled humor found on Play & Strange Laughter. Despite a lot of quirks and fun passages, Kleinzeit is serious business and, because of that and its duration (67 minutes), it gets slightly tedious.

No Secrets in the Family were a Swiss avant-prog band active during the late 1980's and early 1990's. They were heavily influenced by many of the RIO-related bands, in particular the more song-orientated groups like Art Bears, Slapp Happy, Etron Fou Leloublan and News From Babel. The result, as fans of these bands might expect, is playful, quirky art rock which balances discordant elements with melodic touches and places an emphasis on theatrical vocals and complex instrumental interplay. Though they never made a big impact at the time and remain obscure today, even by avant-prog standards, No Secrets in the Family should certainly not be overlooked. They are especially recommended for fans of the afore-mentioned artists, as well as avant-rock bands like Debile Menthol, Skeleton Crew and the Residents.

Carly Simon's best album, No Secrets was also her commercial breakthrough, topping the charts and going gold, along with its leadoff single, "You're So Vain." That song set the album's saucy tone, with its air of sexually frank autobiography ("You had me several years ago/When I was still quite naïve") and its reflections on the jet-set lifestyle. But Simon's honesty meant that her lyrical knife was double-edged; now that she felt she had found true love ("The Right Thing to Do," another Top Ten hit, was her celebration of her relationship with James Taylor), she was as willing to acknowledge her own mistakes and regrets as she was to point fingers. But it wasn't only Simon's forthrightness that made the album work; it was also Richard Perry's simple, elegant pop/rock production, which gave Simon's music a buoyancy it previously lacked. And Perry paid particular attention to Simon's vocals in a way that made her more engaging (or at least less grating) to listen to.

"No Secrets," with its iconic cover image, is Carly Simon's third studio album and her first #1. Released in 1972, the record spent five weeks at the top of the Billboard charts. "No Secrets" blends the best of her pop/jazz/bluesy style and spawned four Top 20 hits including the #1 smash "You're So Vain," her powerhouse diatribe to a smug, conceited ex, featuring the back-up vocals of Mick Jagger. "The Right Thing to Do" was another major single, and one of her most gorgeous ballads ever. No one can mistake that voice, which has become one of the most recognizable and endearing in all of pop music. Richard Perry's simple, elegant production pays particular attention to the vocals that run the gamut of sweet to ferocious. It seems Carly Simon knows, intuitively, how to properly emote the feelings of each song to the listener…