For over 25 years, Carly Simon has been one of the biggest stars in pop music - a Grammy winner who has sold millions of albums and scored 10 Top 20 hits ("You're So Vain," "Nobody Does It Better," "Anticipation" and more). Her 1979 LP Spy (produced by Arif Mardin and featuring the hit single "Vengeance") has never appeared on CD and is one of the most requested titles for re-release. With this remastered reissue (containing all 9 original songs, written or co-written by Carly), her CD catalog is now complete.
Carly Simon was onto something, naming her album after Anais Nin's book of erotic fiction A Spy in the House of Love, and she used the concept to come up with songs about maintaining the passion in a long-term relationship. But she didn't follow through completely, devoting two songs (including the singles chart entry "Vengeance") to attempts to remake "You're So Vain" and returning to producer Arif Mardin and his New York jazz-pop session men. Although commercial considerations marred the concept, Spy still contained several good songs despite its compromises. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide