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Wow!

Ross

Reminds me of Graceland. Definitely a nice record.

Yeah, very Paul Simon. Nice album indeed. Thanks for posting!

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i'm always wary of reports of one of his being the greatest since graceland, arguably the greatest album of the 80's....i'll settle for best since rhythm of the saints, which was a very worthy followup to his masterwork.....

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StonesTod
i'm always wary of reports of one of his being the greatest since graceland, arguably the greatest album of the 80's....i'll settle for best since rhythm of the saints, which was a very worthy followup to his masterwork.....

It's like the dreaded "best album since Exile" tag. It'll take a few listens before I would say it was better than "Rhythm", but I think it is on par. There aren't many albums by anyone in "Graceland" territory.

Ross

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Ross

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StonesTod
i'm always wary of reports of one of his being the greatest since graceland, arguably the greatest album of the 80's....i'll settle for best since rhythm of the saints, which was a very worthy followup to his masterwork.....

It's like the dreaded "best album since Exile" tag. It'll take a few listens before I would say it was better than "Rhythm", but I think it is on par. There aren't many albums by anyone in "Graceland" territory.

Ross

i'm just hoping it's more accessible than his last one...that was a "surprise" to me that it had virtually no discernible hooks or melodies...

I never liked Graceland - so I'll pass on this one as well.

- Koen.

I still miss Artie, and I never thought Graceland was as good as the conventional wisdom about it.

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71Tele
I still miss Artie, and I never thought Graceland was as good as the conventional wisdom about it.

I'll second that.

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71Tele
I still miss Artie, and I never thought Graceland was as good as the conventional wisdom about it.

i'm not sure it has anything to do with wisdom. it's a fairly common opinion that it's his best solo album and one of the very best and most significant records ever made.

can't imagine art's vocals on it making it any better than it was, if that's where you were going.

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StonesTod

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71Tele
I still miss Artie, and I never thought Graceland was as good as the conventional wisdom about it.

i'm not sure it has anything to do with wisdom. it's a fairly common opinion that it's his best solo album and one of the very best and most significant records ever made.

can't imagine art's vocals on it making it any better than it was, if that's where you were going.

No, my two statements were separate thoughts (Artie and Graceland), but Paul did erase Artie's vocals from what was supposed to be their first (and only) reunion studio album "Think Too Much" and turn it into a Paul Simon album called "Hearts and Bones". I lost a little respect for him there, and I still think Graceland was a tad overrated and tiny Paul looked somewhat silly onstage with all those Africans behind him, but you know, that's just cranky old me. I do like Paul Simon as a songwriter, but he can be awfully insufferable sometimes.

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71Tele

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StonesTod

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71Tele
I still miss Artie, and I never thought Graceland was as good as the conventional wisdom about it.

i'm not sure it has anything to do with wisdom. it's a fairly common opinion that it's his best solo album and one of the very best and most significant records ever made.

can't imagine art's vocals on it making it any better than it was, if that's where you were going.

No, my two statements were separate thoughts (Artie and Graceland), but Paul did erase Artie's vocals from what was supposed to be their first (and only) reunion studio album "Think Too Much" and turn it into a Paul Simon album called "Hearts and Bones". I lost a little respect for him there, and I still think Graceland was a tad overrated and tiny Paul looked somewhat silly onstage with all those Africans behind him, but you know, that's just cranky old me. I do like Paul Simon as a songwriter, but he can be awfully insufferable sometimes.

all the great ones are insufferable, tele!

i've heard the version of hearts and bones with artie, and paul made the right call deleting art's vocals.

i love artie, but his voice lost its angelic qualities many moons ago....

i think your bias is getting the best of you if you're gonna start talking about what paul looked like on stage for the graceland tour. still one of the greatest shows i've ever been to....

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StonesTod

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71Tele

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StonesTod

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71Tele
I still miss Artie, and I never thought Graceland was as good as the conventional wisdom about it.

i'm not sure it has anything to do with wisdom. it's a fairly common opinion that it's his best solo album and one of the very best and most significant records ever made.

can't imagine art's vocals on it making it any better than it was, if that's where you were going.

No, my two statements were separate thoughts (Artie and Graceland), but Paul did erase Artie's vocals from what was supposed to be their first (and only) reunion studio album "Think Too Much" and turn it into a Paul Simon album called "Hearts and Bones". I lost a little respect for him there, and I still think Graceland was a tad overrated and tiny Paul looked somewhat silly onstage with all those Africans behind him, but you know, that's just cranky old me. I do like Paul Simon as a songwriter, but he can be awfully insufferable sometimes.

all the great ones are insufferable, tele!

i've heard the version of hearts and bones with artie, and paul made the right call deleting art's vocals.

i love artie, but his voice lost its angelic qualities many moons ago....

i think your bias is getting the best of you if you're gonna start talking about what paul looked like on stage for the graceland tour. still one of the greatest shows i've ever been to....

Tod, you're absolutely right and I should not make posts about OT artists before breakfast. The thing about Paul on stage was that he's a wee little fellow and those African guys were so big...oh never mind.

I would love to hear the "Hearts and Bones" outtakes with Artie. Maybe Paul made the right choice (I usually stand up for the writer in these scenarios) but I still find it criminal that these two guys could not manage one single studio album together in the 40 years since they broke up, despite doing several tours and shows. What's up with that?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2011-04-06 18:59 by 71Tele.

Heard one track a few weeks ago and thought it was great...don't want to hear anymore until I get the CD in my hands. This one, I'm VERY excited about.

I must be in the minority with thinking that Saints is actually better than Graceland......

I've heard 1 song and it sounds pretty good. I'd love to see him live, I never have. But in spite of three shows in the bay area.It's proving to be a tough ticket to come by.

Sounds pretty damn good to me

Listening to it now - absolutely love it!!

SCL - I saw him once double-billed with Bob Dylan which was the only way I'd ever see Dylan. Paul Simon was AWESOME!! Would love to see Simon & Garfunkel. Anyone know the status of that rumored reunion tour?

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VoodooLounge13
Listening to it now - absolutely love it!!

SCL - I saw him once double-billed with Bob Dylan which was the only way I'd ever see Dylan. Paul Simon was AWESOME!! Would love to see Simon & Garfunkel. Anyone know the status of that rumored reunion tour?

paul and bob did some very interesting things together on that tour...and the fascinating part was that they swapped who opened from night to night and whoever's band opened was the band that played for the duets, so you got some cool variations that way.

saw art and paul on their 2003 sojourn - everly's joined the party for a few songs, too. great stuff, but as i said, artie's voice just wasn't up to par for the most part. but, it was a pretty decent show, with an amazing band, featuring the great jim keltner on the skins.....he makes any band worth listening to.

I'm excited to hear this. Long Paul Simon fan.

I saw the Dylan/Simon tour in the front row Charlotte, NC. One of my favorite concert memories. Both were great in the show I saw.

Dylan really focused on Paul's lips and tried to sing close harmony which he seems to find impossible to do but it was amusing and charming to watch him try.

its a really good album---maybe the best so far in 2011

Graceland was/is a hugely overrated and bloody annoying album...so I'll pass on both.

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VoodooLounge13
Listening to it now - absolutely love it!!

SCL - I saw him once double-billed with Bob Dylan which was the only way I'd ever see Dylan. Paul Simon was AWESOME!! Would love to see Simon & Garfunkel. Anyone know the status of that rumored reunion tour?

I saw Paul double-billed with Brian Wilson in 2001. I went mainly to see Brian, but Paul's band sounded fantastic. They absolutely blew Brian's band off the stage. Simon and Garfunkel were supposed to do a short tour of Canada and a few northern cities in the states last year. It was postponed and rescheduled, then it was cancelled altogether. Artie is having voice problems. I've seen them together and I've seen each of them solo. I think each of them actually does a better show without the other one than they do together. It's weird, but the most satisfying S & G experience I've had was a Garfunkel solo concert.

Here's a little piece about the tour being cancelled last year.

[www.wcsx.com]



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2011-04-07 02:59 by tatters.

seeing paul at a small club in dc may 29 (930 club.. capacity 1000-1200).. very much looking forward to it..


have not heard album as yet.... but paul simon is one of the truly great american songwriters and i have no doubt it will be a good one


second the compliments of graceland and also rhythm of the saints which i listen to a lot..

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VoodooLounge13
I must be in the minority with thinking that Saints is actually better than Graceland......

why deny the obvious, child?

I'll hold off until my CD arrives next week. Looking forward to seeing the tour next month.

I don't miss Artie all that much. When I saw S&G in DC in 2003, Artie was trying too hard to sing over Simon much of the time. I went with a friend who has sung in a chorale for 15 or so years. He described it as "Two men in the same room, singing the same songs at the same time. But not together." Ouch.

Here's my fav track so far out of the three I've heard ... nice swing, very soulful.





Drew

Been listening to this since I picked it up yesterday...some great songwriting here.

Anyone else pick it up?

Graceland was so painful, seeming to detail the destruction of his relationship with Carrie Fisher. Love Simon, but prefer the "old stuff", Still Crazy...etc...didn't really get into his work post 80, but
But i think PS is the best singer-songwriter of that era.
I will never forget, 1980 or was it 81? My cousin and I had waited months and months to see S&G reunion tour in Houston. So excited and then a hurricane threat cancelled the show. Still remember how dissapointed we were.

Is anything more true, sad poetic than these lines?:

'I know a man, he came from my hometown
He wore his passion for his woman like a thorny crown
He said Dolores, I live in fear
My love for you's so overpowering, I'm afraid that I will disappear'

'I know a woman, (who) became a wife
These are the very words she uses to describe her life
She said a good day ain't got no rain
She said a bad day is when I lie in the bed
And I think of things that might have been...'



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 2011-04-14 00:41 by stupidguy2.

I agree with all the praise of Paul's new album. I just got it yesterday and have now listened to it three times. It is a great album, a really, truly great album. It is not Simon and Garfunkel, it is not Graceland, it is just a very sweet, introspective and beautifully rhythmic album. PS is great with his rhythms, always has been. And there is great guitar playing on there too, as well as great instrumentation. It is a more serious effort than his last two solo albums, I must say. And I love his subtle, cool humor.