Product Description

The new album revisits songs originally written throughout Carly's extensively long and productive career. With new largely acoustic arrangements, the CD was recorded at home on the island of Martha's Vineyard. Carly's son Benjamin Taylor was the originator of the idea and Carly willingly (though sometimes hesitatingly) complied and lived up to the dare. Carly, Benjamin and the rest of the producers, known as Paphiopedilium , chose the songs, most of which were Carly's best-known and commercially successful. In the CD's generous liner notes is an explanation not only of the word Paphiopedilium , but an explanation of the reworking of each of the songs. Carly hopes that even without these notes, the music will speak for itself.

We are proud to give Carly's fans old and new, a brand new look at ten of her best loved, well-known songs as well as two never-heard-before surprises.


NEVER BEEN GONE includes "You're So Vain" , "Coming Around Again" , "Anticipation", "Let The RiverRun" , "You Belong To Me", "That's The Way I've Always Heard It Should Be", "It Happens Every Day", "Never Been Gone", "Boys In The Trees", and "The Right Thing To Do" along with new songs "No Freedom" and "Songbird".

Track Listing

1. The Right Thing To Do
2. It Happens Every Day
3. Never Been Gone
4. Boys In The Trees
5. Let The Riverrun
6. You're So Vain
7. You Belong To Me
8. No Freedom
9. That's The Way I've Always Heard It Should Be
10. Coming Around Again
11. Anticipation
12. Songbird

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #366 in Music
• Brand: Dig
• Released on: 2009-10-26
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .19 pounds

Customer Reviews

A good album, though Ben's arrangement was amatuerish at times
This album is, largely, good. I've been a Carly fan since her first album in 1971. Yes, her voice isn't as strong as it once was, but, overall at 64, it's damn good! The two major disappointments here are "It Happens Everyday" and "You're So Vain," which are both terribly flawed by hokey background vocals by Carly and others. In "Everyday," that happens to be Carly screeching something about girls packing their suitcases to live in friends' SoHo apartments. It's like a fingernail on a chalkboard. And her son's hokey and poor arrangement, with background vocals repeating "give it to the girls" is laughable and, together, these flaws ruin a song I believe is one of Carly's best from "Hello Big Man." The other real disappointment is "You're So Vain," again flawed by a hokey background vocal about "I need more cow milk." Just hokey, cheap and sounding like it was recorded in a garage. Come on, Ben and Carly, you can do much, much better! Because Carly has distinguished herself from her contemporaries and the motley crew of sleazy songstresses of today, I guess we expect more from her, which may be unfair.

The new songs are good, "Ain't No Freedom" and "Songbird." I wonder when "Ain't" was wrtten. The first part of "Songbird" is obviously a demo recording from '70 or '71, and the second part is Carly recording anew. It works well. I think the two best cuts are "Never Been Gone," and "Let the River Run." Both are beautiful. Carly's voice sounds strong and the melodies are beautiful. "That's The Way I've Always Heard It Should Be" and "Anticipation" are both very good and, IMHO, more upbeat than the orginals, though I love the originals. All in all a good album, flawed by a couple of really hokey, stupid arrangements, that stick out like sore thumbs and cast a negative influence on the entire album. Too bad, because otherwise this could have been a four-star or even five-star IMHO. Looking forward to some new Carly material which, I hope, isn't flawed by any future hokey arrangement.

amazing all over again
I have never written a review here, but have read my fair share. In my opinion, this is one of carly's best work in years. Her vocals sincere, moving and heartfelt. The influence of her son Ben, probably made for some of the playful touchs here and there. I have listened to Carly ALOT, for more years than I care to say. Let's just say from day one. She shines here and sounds like she really enjoyed this labor of love. 5 stars. Buy it.

A BRAVE MOVE.....and it works
What is about age that softens things for so many of us? Don't be a hater and please take the chance and explore these new interpretations of these old hits from this classic artist. The sadness is gone from "It Happen's Everyday', the anger from "You're So Vain', but there is still lot's of the fun. Several of these performances even surpass the orginals....."Let the River Run", the title track, and the re-working "Boys in the Tree's will have Joni Mitchell feeling she is missing a cut from 'Court and Spark'. One new song "No Freedom" comes off like a fascinating Beatles 'Sargent Pepper' time-warp. "Songbird' and the merging of the old with the new is the collection's one big miss. A great Carly song but she should have just re-recorded it in today's voice, which is incidentally, still pretty good. It is clear Simon is still a very vital, relevant musician and like all great artist's, always taking chances.