| Charity Ball | |
| Type: | Studio |
| Artist: | Fanny |
| Cover: | FannyCharityBall.jpg |
| Released: | July 1971 |
| Studio: | Village Recorders, Los Angeles Sunset Sound Recorders, Hollywood Larrabee Sound Studios, Hollywood |
| Genre: | Rock |
| Length: | 38:52 |
| Label: | Reprise |
| Producer: | Richard Perry |
| Prev Title: | Fanny |
| Prev Year: | 1970 |
| Next Title: | Fanny Hill |
| Next Year: | 1972 |
Charity Ball is the second studio album by the American rock group Fanny, released in July 1971 on Reprise.[1] [2] The album's title track became the group's first top 40 hit.
The album was, like the previous year's debut Fanny, produced by Richard Perry. The songs were all written by the group, with the exception of a cover of Buffalo Springfield's "Special Care". The group experimented with a wider range of musical styles than the first album, including ballads and funk in addition to straightforward rock 'n' roll. The photograph of the band used in the front cover artwork was taken by Candice Bergen.
Music critic Robert Christgau wrote, "This record exploits [drummer Alice de Buhr's] chops and presence, sinking the pop harmonies in a harder, funkier frame. The title tune is a pure raver that oughta be a hit, but almost every song has something—or several somethings—to recommend it."
In a retrospective review, AllMusic's Mark Deming said that Charity Ball, in comparison with the group's first album, is a "stronger, more confident, and more enjoyable disc," writing that "the push and pull between June Millington's tough guitar figures and Nickey Barclay's rollicking keyboards yield more exciting results here." He felt that the band has better songs on Charity Ball, but that the production is "sometimes a bit more polished than this music needed."
The album reached No. 150 on the Billboard 200.[3] The title track was released as a single,[4] reaching No. 40 on the Billboard Hot 100.[5]
Adapted from the album's liner notes.[6]