CLOUDS IN MY COFFEE 1965-1995 is a career retrospective that includes her greatest hits, new material, live tracks and previously unreleased recordings.

Named after a key lyric in her career-defining song "You're So Vain," the three-disc CLOUDS IN MY COFFEE offers an excellent summation of the first three decades of Carly Simon's career. Interestingly, it doesn't engage in the usual historical revisionism concerning said career, and includes a few tracks from her pre-Elektra early years.

Foregoing chronological order, the set includes one solid greatest hits disc, another of previously unreleased tracks and rarities, and a third of key album tracks. Some of the choices are a bit odd--nothing from the fine late-'70s album PLAYING POSSUM, for example--but the sequencing does the songs justice and the remastering job is outstanding. The highlight of the new material is a heartbreaking version of John Prine's "Angel From Montgomery" that's among Simon's best and most sensitive covers. Casual listeners might want to stick with one of the single-disc anthologies, but CLOUDS IN MY COFFEE is essential for fans.