Charity Ball is the second studio album by the American rock group Fanny, released in July 1971 on Reprise. The album's title track became the group's first top 40 hit.

Background 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.

Critical reception 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."

Release The album reached No. 150 on the Billboard 200. The title track was released as a single, reaching No. 40 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Track listing

Personnel Adapted from the album's liner notes.

Fanny June Millington – guitar, vocals Jean Millington – bass, vocals Nickey Barclay – piano, organ, vocals Alice de Buhr – drums, percussion, vocals Technical Richard Perry – producer Richard Moore – engineer , remixing Bill Lazarus – engineer, remixing Matt Hyde – engineer Tom Harvey – remixing Dean O. Torrence – album design Candice Bergen – cover photo of Fanny Kim Tucker – cover photo Layton Huber – prop design

References

External links Charity Ball – Fanny Rocks (official website)