Paul Simon's career has something that is becoming quite rare in the entertainment world: longevity. Yes, the songs on this collection span over three decades. During that time period our culture, the music biz, and Simon himself have seen great changes.
So has every one of us.
For instance, at the beginning of this thirty year period, I could not have been called a Paul Simon fan. I had no use for Simon & Garfunkel and considered the Simon solo material to be a natural extension. So hey, why bother? Then my girlfriend put on one of his records and, well..."Still Crazy After All These Years" was something that couldn't be denied. Maybe, just maybe, it was time to look beyond my then current Foghat/Bad Company/Nugent listening habits.
All these years later, my palette of sounds has expanded far beyond what I'd ever though possible. Though Simon was probably not surprised by his own path, his music has touched upon many genres: folk, folk rock, pop, Brazilian, South African, and even a little bit of art rock (on last year's Surprise). Somehow, this collection of disparate musics hangs together as a single artistic statement.
But wait, let's get back to that girlfriend/epiphany thing for a minute. See, it really wasn't all that much of an awakening as I still went right along ignoring Simon's music. Oh sure, I might have noticed when "You Can Call Me Al" was an unavoidable presence on the airwaves but that was about it (OK, that and Simon's hilarious "Still Crazy..." performed in a turkey costume on Saturday Night Live).
Around about the time that Simon released Surprise, I took a look back across thirty years to see an amazing lineup of tunes — "Late In The Evening," "50 Ways To Leave Your Lover," "Kodachrome," "Slip Slidin' Away," "American Tune," "Me And Julio Down By The School Yard," "Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes," "Graceland," "The Boy In The Bubble." My goodness, that's a whole lotta songwriting goodness right there!
The good news is that Simon shows no signs of slowing down. Artistically, Surprise sits proudly alongside just about all of his other records. Another thirty years is probably too much to ask but hey, you never know. There's longevity, and then there's longevity!
Article comments
1 - Glen Boyd
Nice review Mark. I'm kind of the opposite of you -- I always dug S&G, but have never been that big of fan of Simon as a solo artist. Still, there's no denying all that "songwriting goodness" is there?
-Glen
2 - Donald Gibson
What I've always admired about Simon's songwriting is that he never seemed to dumb down the language (or the music, for that matter) to gain wide appeal.
Even on an early song, like "I Am A Rock," this still resonates (and it still sounds sophisticated):
Don’t talk of love but I’ve heard the word before/ It’s sleeping in my memory
I enjoyed your article.
- Donald
3 - Josh
Brilliance and mastery are the words I most associate with Simon as a songwriter. This is a terrific collection.
4 - JC Mosquito
Each song of Simon's can be seen as a gem, but he's not as prolific as others. I don't believe he has a treasure trove of outtakes & unreleased material laying about - maybe he pours his energy into craftsmanship instead of inspiration.
My fave album of his is Paul Simon Songbook, which only saw CD release a few years back. It's basically Simon with an acoustic guitar playing what would become S&G songs. The stripped bare version of Patterns alone is worth the price of the disc.
5 - Gordon Hauptfleisch
1983's 'Hearts and Bones' is a favorite, but inconsistent and disappointing enough (especially in sales) that I can see how it pushed Simon to his next-album departure to 'Graceland' and beyond.
It not only has some of Simon's most achingly beautiful songs, such as the title track, "Rene and Georgette Magritte With Their Dog After The War," the evocative "The Late Great Johnny Ace," but also some of his best lyrics, such these from the melancholic "Train In A Distance," about a relationship that, despite all hope-against-hope, "fell apart / It wasnt hard to do":
Two disappointed believers
Two people playing the game
Negotiations and love songs
Are often mistaken for one and the same...
...Everybody loves the sound of a train in the distance
Everybody thinks its true
What is the point of this story
What information pertains
The thought that life could be better
Is woven indelibly
Into our hearts
And our brains
6 - Connie Phillips
Congrats! This article has been forwarded to the Advance.net websites and Boston.com.