Carly Simon an instant hit, reaching No. 3 on "Billboard's" Album Chart and was certified Gold. "Hotcakes" included two top ten singles, "Mockingbird", a duet with James Taylor that peaked at No. 5 on "Billboard's" Pop Singles chart, and "Haven't Got Time for the Pain", which hit No. 2 on "Billboard's" Adult Contemporary chart. The same year, Simon provided vocals on Tom Rush's album "Ladies Love Outlaws" and co-sang with Rush on "No Regrets" and as backup on "Claim on Me". In 1975, Elektra released her first greatest-hits album, "The Best of Carly Simon", which became Simon's all-time best selling disc and
Long Ago and Far Away (James Taylor song) melody of "Long Ago and Far Away" and that of "Sunny Skies," a song from Taylor's prior album "Sweet Baby James". Journalist Peggy Mulloy Glad regards it as an example of how Taylor can use his vocal and guitar playing to "communicate the pain, melancholy and desires that most people experience but few can express." Author Dave Thompson described the song as "slight." But Rudis considers it a "nice dreamy number." Author Ian Halperin regards it as the most daring song on "Mud Slide Slim". Thirteen years after its initial release, critic Doug Robinson called it a "lesser known gem."