Reflections of my Life

The Summer Of Love Goes On, a Various Artists Compilation. Released 1998 on Polygram TV.

Reflections is the first career-spanning, multi-label single-disc compilation of Carly Simon's career, including hits from Elektra and Arista. This collection includes 20 songs–every one of Carly's top-charting hits, digitally remastered directly from the master tapes. One of music's most influential and cherished singer-songwriters, Simon has recorded and released over 25 albums and is internationally renowned as a versatile artist who is consistently breaking new ground. A Grammy and Oscar winner, her experiences in life, love and motherhood and her strive for success have translated into several of the most memorable hit songs ever recorded.

Dean Ford is a Scottish singer and songwriter best known for his time as lead vocalist and frontman of the pop group Marmalade, who prior to 1966, had been called Dean Ford & the Gaylords. As the lead vocalist of the U.K. group, Marmalade, Ford contributed to their eight Top Ten U.K. hits, throughout the 60s and early 70s, as altogether they had twelve songs in the Top 30. The group's biggest International song was the now standard, ""Reflections of My Life,"" which Dean co-wrote and is re-visited here as a tasteful acoustic number. With lyrics covering all aspects of his life, Dean is finally able to relate the truth of his journey through these ""reflections"" of his life.

Personnel include: Carly SIMON (vocals, acoustic guitar, whistle, piano, keyboards, synthesizer, programming) Eric GALE (electric guitar) David SANBORN (alto saxophone); Michael BRECKER (tenor saxophone) Dr. JOHN (piano, organ); Richard TEE (electric piano) Will LEE (bass instrument, background vocals); Steve GADD (drums) Andy NEWARK (congas, percussion) Ralph MacDONALD (percussion) James TAYLOR , Roberta FLACK (background vocals).

Recording information: 1971 - 2003. You know that tattered old Carly Simon best-of album that's been sitting in your older sister's record collection for decades? It's been firmly supplanted. While the two-disc ANTHOLOGY on Rhino is the most comprehensive Simon collection, for a single-disc retrospective, you can't do better than this. Obviously, the expected staples are all present and accounted for, from the breathlessly innocent "That's the Way I've Always Heard It Should Be" to the sassy, notoriously inscrutable "You're So Vain." Expanding on the aforementioned 1975 compilation, though, REFLECTIONS goes on to include the slinky Michael McDonald co-write "You Belong to Me," the synth-flecked '80s hit "Coming Around Again," and much more. For a thumbnail sketch of this beloved singer-songwriter's work, REFLECTIONS is the definitive article.

Icon II - Rubicon is the second collaborative effort by John Wetton and Geoff Downes who first worked together in Asia in the early 80's. Compared to the first Icon album, Icon II - Rubicon is certainly more "iconic" and might well be the finest set of songs that Wetton and Downes have ever written together, at least since the first two Asia albums that were released more than 20 years earlier. I think they have matured as songwriters and certainly as lyricists and there is nothing as banal as Heat Of The Moment or Don't Cry here.

For the first time ever, almost every Diana Ross hit is there - from the early Supremes favourite to the exellent new single 'Goin' Back'. The only hit that isn't there is her version of 'I will survuve', but then again, with so many decent songs, spanning 5 decades, one can't really complain. CD1 contains her more dancey tracks-from the Supremes Motown classics to her 1999 hit 'Not over you yet' (not her best effort). As usual, 'Upside Down' and 'I'm coming out' are there. However, there are also some singles from her Eaten Alive album from the 1980s which hadn't been availble previously on a greatest hits album. My favourite however, has to be the very underrated opener 'Chain Reaction' , produced by the Bee Gees. Over on CD2 (the ballads), 'Theme from Mohogany' still sounds as fresh as ever.