For Late Boomers like me, Carly Simon's 'Anticipation' instantly triggers memories of my teen years. It played over crackling AM radio, clicked and popped on a friend's turntable, and blared over public pool PA speakers. Back then, the scent of suntan oil and glistening swimsuit bodies tantalized in the summertime. Oozing angst and excitement, the title track aptly describes the crushes and world of dating that followed.
That compelling universal experience of sexual tension surrounding the courtship process didn’t change with adulthood – which Carly Simon so clearly attested as she composed this hit song in 15 minutes while waiting for Cat Stevens to pick her up for a date!
Although her album wasn't my favorite, it served as an integral part of the playlist that defined my youth. Hence, I was startled upon first hearing the Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs UltraDisc 45 RPM reissue of Anticipation. Like experiencing a childhood Super-8 movie miraculously transformed into an 8K video, I was astounded at the clarity, dynamics, and depth of this record. It never sounded this good!
In retrospect, that should not surprise. Originally released by Elektra Records in November 1971, Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs sourced their reissue of Anticipation from its original master tapes (1/4" / 15 IPS Dolby A analog master to DSD 256 to analog console to lathe). Limited to 3,000 numbered copies, this reissue is presented at 45 RPM for the first time to deliver premium, audiophile-quality sound. The wider grooves of the 45RPM format and dead-quiet surfaces set the stage for an extremely evocative listen, combining incredible dynamics and detail with the best that vinyl offers in terms of warmer texture and natural sonic depth.
Aside from the recording process, the musicianship is uncanny. It's no wonder that Carly Simon said of this recording experience, "It was one of the best memories I shall ever have of recording. I had a band. The entire album was just that band (Andy Newmark, Jimmy Ryan, Paul Glanz) and myself. Cat Stevens did some vocals, and there were strings on a few songs, but on the whole, it was sparse, and I loved it." ("Timeline 70's." Carlysimon.com and Wikipedia.com)
Legend in Your Own Time
Side Two:
Our First Day Together
The Girl You Think You See
Summer's Coming Around Again
Side Three:
Share the End
The Garden
Side Four:
Three Days
Julie Through the Glass
I've Got to Have You
The Listening
In the title track, Jim Ryan's acoustic guitar vamp has a crisp attack rife with detail. Carly Simon's vocals are clear and lucid, tender in the opening moments, but build in strength as she sings the lyric "Anticipation" and onward (Simon, Carly. Anticipation. Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab, 2026. MFSL 2-631). Andy Newmark's snare is especially punchy, while his floor toms are stunningly loud, deep, and visceral. Paul Glanz's piano and bass are very present in a clear mix. (The mix and Simon's voice impressed me so much that I used them to fine-tune the Vertical Tracking Angles of the cartridges used in my Platanus Rose MC phono cartridge review HERE.)
The singer-songwriter ballad, "Legend in Your Own Time," is an acoustic treat. It highlights the bright leading edges, attack, and decay of the lead and rhythm acoustic guitars, as well as the resonant slaps, bass, and open-tone strikes on the congas. Moreover, employing double-tracked vocals, the sultry strength, vulnerability, and conversational ease of her rich and warm contralto shine in this cautionary tale about pride and fame.
Jim Ryan's melodic fingerpicking leads into a complex blend of emotional delivery by Simon in her ballad, "Our First Day Together." Light and wondrous at first, her voice rises as her sense of wonder gives way to angst, confusion, and betrayal when her deeply connected relationship is dismissed as merely a thrilling hookup. Carly Simon also contributed some acoustic guitar work, as did John Ryan on bass guitar.
"The Girl You Think You See" is a lovely-sounding ballad dripping with sarcasm. Simon's vocals start sweet and tender, but build in power as she sings of dependency and the loss of identity to please another. Accompanied by Paul Glanz on piano, Jim Ryan on acoustic guitar, John Ryan on Bass, and Andy Newmark on drums and percussion, theirs is a powerful, poignant, and intimate performance as she cautions her lover that she's not the persona that he's fallen for. The effects and layering of her vocals, Jim Ryan's finger-picking guitar solo, and the punch of Newmark's floor toms combine for a tasty aural cocktail to wash it down nicely.
Beginning with Jim Ryan's finger-picking guitar vamp, "Summer's Coming Around Again" conjures Carlos Jobim, and Simon's vocals – remaining uncharacteristically soft – Astrud Gilberto (albeit more expressive) in this sad, Bossa Nova-style ballad. The interplay between glistening piano notes and acoustic guitar is magical and brilliant, and makes for a satisfying outro at the end of the song.
"Share the End" is a somber, apocalyptic, and cautionary song. Kicking off with strings and piano, it builds in intensity. Carly Simon's voice has a decided edge, and is accompanied by brilliant violin swells, thudding, percussive drums, and a faux children's choir consisting of Simon's, Paul Samwell-Smith's, and Jimmy Ryan's overdubbed voices for great effect.
Commenting about a 2025 remix of that song for Rhino Records, Simon said, “'Share the End' always felt like a hidden gem – quiet but powerful. Today, in a time of war, real and phony despots, division, and dishonesty across the globe, it sometimes feels to me the world is still “going up in flames – five decades after I first recorded this song.” (https://www.rhino.com).
In contrast, Simon's vocals lose their bite and are altogether inviting in "The Garden," a dreamlike soft rock serenade kicked off with Simon and Jim Ryan playing acoustic guitar and Simon humming that invites her beau into a relationship where they "can be born again." The attack and decay of acoustic guitar notes, combined with Simon's vocals breathy, soft, entreating, and seductive one moment and powerful the next make for a refreshing aural oasis.
"Three Days" is a wistful remembrance of a short-lived, but emotionally-charged love tryst on the road. Set amongst swirling finger-picking guitars, piano, and thudding floor tom accents, her voice is a rapier sword in the hands of a skilled swordsman, smooth sided but sharp edged, cutting to the heart of the bittersweet experience with deft charm and efficiency.
Carly Simon's slow acoustic piano introduces "Julie Through the Glass," a tender tribute to her experience of viewing her newborn niece, Julie, through a hospital nursery window. Gone is the rapier's edge, as Simon's vocals reveal a vulnerable state of wonder and hopefulness, anticipating years of building a loving, nurturing connection as an aunt with her niece – even advising the need for self-love in order to have healthy relationships. Simon performs lead, backing vocals, and multi-tracked and layered choral vocals, and sparse, rhythmic clapping is deployed to good effect towards the end of this touching ditty.
Rounding out this recording, Carly Simon's and Jim Ryan's acoustic guitars glisten brightly against a black background while the rich and warm textures of Simon's vocals drive this tune powerfully as she croons about giving herself over to the passionate fires of a blossoming romance. Andy Newmark' drums and punch and emphasis, while and Jim and/or John Ryan hold down the understated bass line in this spare and raw testament to love's desire.
And so there you have it: a portal into a brilliant, landmark album celebrating the universal experience of anticipating, then plunging into love, fraught with peaks and valleys, performed by the great Carly Simon and her crack shot crew, rendered in a glorious vinyl Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs UltraDisc 45 RPM reissue. What's not to love about that? I highly recommend it.
Carly Simon Anticipation 180 gram 45 RPM 2 LP album
MFSL2-631
Retail: $59.99 U.S.
Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab
