But third-person storytelling in songs tends to rub me in the wrong way as a rule. "He's a real nowhere man"...stfu...the examples are legion.
I much prefer first-person to self-indulgence than shoddily created characters within the context of a two minute pop song.
― dell, Wednesday, 27 February 2008 00:16 (sixteen years ago) link
xpost
Yeah, it's hard to beat.
Also, it's been remarked elsewhere on this board, but the cheesy accompanying guitar line is almost gilding the lily in a sense.
Great song, though.
The entire thing could be taken as a weed equivalent to the Randy Newman joke about "A Horse with No Name"'s acid conceits, but it's fundamental genius can't be denied, as far as I'm concerned...
― dell, Wednesday, 27 February 2008 00:21 (sixteen years ago) link
For that matter, the America song is pretty great, as well.
typo.
Sign me up for "Rolling Controversial Opinions on ILM" thread, I guess...
― dell, Wednesday, 27 February 2008 00:24 (sixteen years ago) link
Agh, I wish this board had a preview function. The text that you type in the box is in such a graceless typeface, compared to the end result. And this damn small box, it's boxing me in.
― dell, Wednesday, 27 February 2008 00:30 (sixteen years ago) link
I'm a big picture kind of guy.
"When Numbers Get Serious."
― look at it, pwn3d, made u look at my peen/vadge (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 19 November 2010 17:55 (thirteen years ago) link
Think Too Much (a) + (b) are both great songs. Playing these on repeat today.
― brotherlovesdub, Thursday, 30 December 2010 00:08 (thirteen years ago) link
so is "Song About the Moon"
― Gus Van Sotosyn (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 30 December 2010 01:20 (thirteen years ago) link
hey did you know paul simon has a new record coming out? i didn't until yesterday: So Beautiful Or So What.
― tylerw, Thursday, 30 December 2010 14:52 (thirteen years ago) link
title track on this just kills me it is so perfect
― plax (ico), Thursday, 30 December 2010 14:53 (thirteen years ago) link
jesus, the doo wop sections of rene and georgette -- so great.
― tylerw, Thursday, 6 January 2011 23:21 (thirteen years ago) link
Did a search for the video to "René and Georgette Magritte With Their Dog After The War" but cannot find it anywhere on the net. Pity, that vid is awesome but hardly ever shown anywhere. Possibly some copyright issue as it contains a lot of René Margritte artwork.
― You're Twistin' My Melody Man! (Geir Hongro), Thursday, 6 January 2011 23:35 (thirteen years ago) link
― plax (ico), Thursday, December 30, 2010 8:53 AM (2 months ago) Bookmark
otm.
i only ever knew the song, but just got the album and it's killing me in general
― ullr saves (gbx), Tuesday, 1 March 2011 23:24 (thirteen years ago) link
This is the best Simon gets in his solo career to really hitting the goosebump buttons for me - - I have way more love for Graceland from a lifetime of joys with it, and all of the other solo albums through Saints are great listens, but this is the one I think that consistently makes me feel the most things. Some damned good songwriting here, god, "Think Too Much."
― Doctor Casino, Thursday, 3 March 2011 04:42 (thirteen years ago) link
cannot be said enough
― call all destroyer, Thursday, 3 March 2011 04:43 (thirteen years ago) link
One and one-half wandering jewsFree to wander wherever they chooseAre travelling togetherIn the sangre de cristoThe blood of christ mountainsOf new mexicoOn the last leg of the journeyThey started a long time agoThe arc of a love affairRainbows in the high desert air
They don't write them like that anymore. Been obsessed with this album since i was about 12. Way better than Graceland. There's a good interview with him in Uncut mag this month, just came out this week over here in the UK. Real detailed stuff. He mentions Randy Newman as a favourite fellow songwriter. No surprises there i guess.
― piscesx, Thursday, 3 March 2011 06:47 (thirteen years ago) link
THE SMARTEST PEOPLE IN THE WORLDHAVE GATHERED IN LOS ANGELESTO ANALYZE OUR LOVE AFFAIRAND POSSIBLY UNSCRAMBLE US
― difficult listening hour, Thursday, 3 March 2011 07:05 (thirteen years ago) link
i need to get this
― just sayin, Thursday, 3 March 2011 09:03 (thirteen years ago) link
god damn
― ullr saves (gbx), Thursday, 10 March 2011 02:48 (thirteen years ago) link
still dont have this
― just sayin, Thursday, 10 March 2011 08:50 (thirteen years ago) link
By coincidence I picked this up dirt cheap in my local secondhand shop last week (before reading this thread). Will put it on tonight. Apart from Graceland, the pretty great 'Negotiations and Love Songs' comp is my only exposure to solo PS.
― sam500, Thursday, 10 March 2011 09:16 (thirteen years ago) link
One thing that annoys me is that the great video for "Rene and Georgette Magritte with their Dog After the War" seems to be more or less wiped out. And whenever it briefly pops up, like in MTV's video archives or somebody posting it on Youtube, it disappears almost as soon as it got there. Back when I used to watch MTV's Greatest Hits and similar programs in the 90s, they also never ever played it. In fact I've never ever seen it on TV at all except for once on Norwegian TV back when it was new. A pity because it is such a great video.
Anyone know what's the deal? Is it Paul Simon himself who, for some reason, is not pleased with it and doesn't want it to have any attention, or is it some Magritte-family-related copyright issue as the video does indeed contain a lot of Magritte paintings?
― Hongroe (Geir Hongro), Monday, 29 August 2011 01:20 (thirteen years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCNKz1VTSh0
― iatee, Monday, 29 August 2011 01:22 (thirteen years ago) link
Uploaded by krakenek on Sep 11, 2006
― iatee, Monday, 29 August 2011 01:23 (thirteen years ago) link
Yeah. There it is. Sound quality suggests it is an old recording though.
― Hongroe (Geir Hongro), Monday, 29 August 2011 01:23 (thirteen years ago) link
never seen this. was it a single in the US?
― piscesx, Monday, 29 August 2011 01:24 (thirteen years ago) link
I thought I remembered the video showing on Saturday Night Live once either when Simon was host or musical guest, but I guess it was "The New Show" instead.
― Halal Spaceboy (WmC), Monday, 29 August 2011 03:53 (thirteen years ago) link
the new show is the only time I ever saw that, it's weird that I remember that pretty vividly.
― akm, Monday, 29 August 2011 04:12 (thirteen years ago) link
I saw it on HBO's Video Jukebox back in the day.
― reggae night staple center (Eazy), Monday, 29 August 2011 04:38 (thirteen years ago) link
Not sure how long this will stay online, but this is the "Train in the Distance" demo included as a bonus track in the catalog re-release:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bsArOakcLHw
― Earth, Wind & Fire & Alabama (Eazy), Saturday, 8 September 2012 15:14 (twelve years ago) link
Really lovely, thanks for posting.
― Doctor Casino, Saturday, 8 September 2012 15:24 (twelve years ago) link
she cooks a meal or twooooooooo
― guess that bundt gettin eaten (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 26 November 2014 03:58 (nine years ago) link
good lord this album is terrible
― Οὖτις, Monday, 2 November 2015 20:26 (eight years ago) link
For an album to be terrible, more than half the songs have to be terrible.
This is not one of those albums. "Allergies" and "Cars are Cars" are the only throwaways.
― The burrito of ennui (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 2 November 2015 20:29 (eight years ago) link
yeah this album is great, come on now. "train in the distance" "magritte" "think too much" "johnny ace" ... what's not to like?
― tylerw, Monday, 2 November 2015 20:32 (eight years ago) link
It's a question I often repeatWhere do allergies go when it's after a showAnd they want to get something to eat?
really? you ask yourself this question a lot? so many weak slapped together "observational" lyrics that don't add up to anything, his usually reliable storehouse of memorable melodies and hooks almost entirely absent, a bunch of arrangements that feel like tentative stabs towards some shakily defined goal - no wonder he ended up borrowing/collaborating so much on the next record, it's like he forgot how to write.
xp
― Οὖτις, Monday, 2 November 2015 20:35 (eight years ago) link
"Allergies" and "Cars are Cars" are the only throwaways.
agree these are the worst, they're embarrassing
listening to them makes me feel bad for Paul Simon, in a "oh come on man, don't do THAT, oh no you are doing it anyway please stop"
― Οὖτις, Monday, 2 November 2015 20:36 (eight years ago) link
way
I'd also add the Chic version of "Think Too Much" to tylerw's list. The album's second tier Simon, but it's the best kind of crisis album: an artist at a crossroads, anxious about the next step.
― The burrito of ennui (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 2 November 2015 20:39 (eight years ago) link
I'd add both of them
― NATION: ? ? ? (Sufjan Grafton), Monday, 2 November 2015 20:42 (eight years ago) link
oh wait, he already had one. how did you know which was excluded?
― NATION: ? ? ? (Sufjan Grafton), Monday, 2 November 2015 20:45 (eight years ago) link
after the mega-flop of the One Trick Pony film/album you can just imagine the label's reaction when they hear H+B track 1 side 1 for the first time. no wonder PS says they didn't give a shit what he did next and let him go off and do whatever the heck he wanted.
weird how the massive Central Park gig happened in between One Trick.. and this! like at that point there was nothing to be done to halt the slide.
― piscesx, Monday, 2 November 2015 22:27 (eight years ago) link
also this is fascinating if you haven't seen it
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nap6bNPU4qU
― piscesx, Monday, 2 November 2015 22:30 (eight years ago) link
weird how the massive Central Park gig happened in between One Trick hearts and bones was originally conceived as a simon and garfunkel reunion album right? i'm sure the record company would've been fine w/ anything that had S&G on the cover.
― tylerw, Monday, 2 November 2015 22:31 (eight years ago) link
One Trick Pony is not a great album but I love that movie
― Οὖτις, Monday, 2 November 2015 22:34 (eight years ago) link
mmhm yeah until they had a row and he 'removed his vocals note by note'(WIKI). the demos with Art were on YouTube but.. not now it seems.
― piscesx, Monday, 2 November 2015 22:36 (eight years ago) link
wau @ that interview!
― Οὖτις, Monday, 2 November 2015 22:36 (eight years ago) link
His comps can feel very redundant, even when they expand to fit a new format (one vinyl disc to one full CD to two full CD's, etc.) But they also highlight how much his solo records (at least before Graceland) cohere really well with each other every time you mix them together.
His first three studio albums, Graceland, Rhythm of the Saints and his last two studio albums of all-new songs wound up being my favorites. Hearts and Bones is on the cusp - good songs but something about they way they were produced feels a little thrown together to me, like they needed a few more passes to make all the elements gel within each track.
― birdistheword, Wednesday, 9 March 2022 04:44 (two years ago) link
like more Art, less technique
― assert (MatthewK), Wednesday, 9 March 2022 05:50 (two years ago) link
xp Peace Like a River is all-time.
― war mice (hardcore dilettante), Wednesday, 9 March 2022 06:06 (two years ago) link
Yeah, these days the eponymous debut gets overlooked. I spent time with it in January after several years -- what a charming, friendly, smart collection!
― So who you gonna call? The martini police (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 9 March 2022 11:12 (two years ago) link
xxp that's about right. Clearly more ambitious, but they don't quite nail the execution.
― birdistheword, Wednesday, 9 March 2022 14:20 (two years ago) link
i should spend some time with this one this week, it's been ages. most recently have had really nice evenings with Still Crazy and Rhymin' Simon. i feel like almost all his albums besides Graceland are in some sense "underrated." H&B has some of his most affecting songs for sure. i think only "Allergies" and "When Numbers Get Serious" don't work for me at all.
― The creator of Ultra Games, for Nintendo (Doctor Casino), Wednesday, 9 March 2022 14:32 (two years ago) link
I'm tempted to say the title track and "Rene and Georgette Magritte With Their Dog After the War" are better than any song he's written since, and the original album versions are beautiful recordings despite my reservations elsewhere. Graceland's a much better album, but it's a triumph that owes a lot more to the contributions of new and guest collaborators, etc.
― birdistheword, Wednesday, 9 March 2022 15:44 (two years ago) link
Xxpost love Peace Like A River and Armistice Day off the solo debut. Had H&B on vinyl way back when. Never bought the CD so it’s been ages since I’ve heard it.
― that's not my post, Thursday, 10 March 2022 05:03 (two years ago) link
The solo-acoustic “Train in the Distance” is one of my favorites of any of his songs.
― deep luminous trombone (Eazy), Thursday, 10 March 2022 15:40 (two years ago) link
I can see that. I always liked parts of that song, but it feels underdeveloped on the studio recording. I vaguely recall some strings popping up at the end - they felt kind of thrown in there and drove home how rough the album sounds, like they were still workshopping ideas rather than figuring out what they really wanted to do and taking the usual care to execute those ideas.
― birdistheword, Thursday, 10 March 2022 15:51 (two years ago) link