By late 1971, Fanny had achieved some critical and commercial success, with the title track to the album Charity Ball reaching the Billboard top 40.[1]
The opening track was a cover of Marvin Gaye's "Ain't That Peculiar", which was rearranged to include Latin-influenced percussion and a slide guitar solo from June Millington. It was released as a single, reaching No. 85 on the Billboard Hot 100. The group also covered the Beatles' "Hey Bulldog". Their arrangement included different lyrics from the original, which were reportedly approved by the Beatles.[1]
Release
The album was originally released in February 1972 by Reprise Records.[3] It reached No. 135 on the Billboard 200 chart.[4] In 2015, an expanded version was released on CD by Real Gone Records, including out-takes and backing tracks.[5]
The album received a good review in Rolling Stone, who said "the number of groups that can inspire affection the way Fanny have with this album, simply from the pure exuberance of their music, are far and few between".[8]Robert Christgau had mixed opinions on the album, saying half of the original material was reasonable but that the group "give themselves away" by the two covers that opened each side.[7] In a retrospective review, AllMusic's Mark Deming called it the group's "strongest and most exciting work."[6]
