Paul Simon back on form by the sound of it

http://www.npr.org/2011/04/03/...beautiful-or-so-what

Streamed in full here prior to release.

Bruce

WOW, it's really amazing, Gonna have to have it on vinyl.  Thanks for the NPR site

I just bought tickets for mezzanine for April 20th.  I saw him when Rhymin Simon came out and about 10 years later.  He's really a comfort food musician for me.

Thanks for the streaming site. Think I'll wait till the release to listen to the whole thing - it's great! Though I'm sure at the beginning of verse 2 of Afterlife he sings 'there's a new kid in Swindon'....

I'll have to check this new one out ... Paul Simon is one of the all-time great songwriters. Aside from all the brilliant early S&G stuff, I really like Rhythm of the Saints a lot, much more so than Graceland ... darker, more mystery.

Graceland has a few special moments (and was perhaps part of the process that got me into African music) but generally I'm with you Fred.

Bruce

I love (and have bought) all of Paul Simon's albums, but I am afraid that 'Capeman' comes bottom of the pile for me. I thought 'Surprise' was excellent and I agree that 'Rythm of the Saints' is near the top of the pile, alongside, for me, 'Graceland' and 'Paul Simon'. 'Hearts and Bones' is also a very fine effort.

I was in Santa Barbara driving in my truck when they said Simon's new Album Graceland and I heard the Phrase "She had diamonds on the souls of her shoes"  and 30 minutes later "Boy in the Bubble".  I went down to the store on State street and they were playing it I had to have it.  It was on the stereo for a year regularly.

One of my roommates put together a closing Christmas party for the Continental flight crew that were being pulled out of the small airport. Fabulous house near the Mission with big light Christmas tree draped with trinkets for his travels.   Lots of drinking, 2 guys wanting the same girl, prizes of trips all over the world (company rates), and suddenly it was over, silence....  People were about to cry, I punched play on the CD, Graceland made it a BIG party again.  Norm thanked me ever so much.

Download from today @ HD Tracks _ 96kHz/24bit

I saw him live in Dublin about 5 years ago(?) and he was excellent, apart from the ususal lousy sound quality due to distortion volume levels. Played for about 2.5 hours.

Saw him live, summer of 2001, opening act Brian Wilson, then Simon came out. Great sound, no distortion, what a super concert. Brian Wilson was brilliant, it was like the Beach Boys all over again. Everyone up out of their seats dancing. I had taken miss 'Fatal Attraction' along. No drugs, no alcohol, just a steady stream of music, outside, by the lake, on a glorious night.

Dave

Oh guys, and a few gals. I just saw him last night at Pantages in Hollywood.  Absolutely incredible and on top of his game.  I kept expecting an intermission but he went for 2 hours. Great band behind him and they all seemed to play multiple instruments.  He is not one of those sad over the hill guys trading on old hits.  It was a very hot concert, he updated some pieces to keep them fresh.  He did about 4 from S&G days one being Only Boy in NY and later Sounds of Silence.

He kept the energy up and then would take time to slow down and then ramp it up.  He did a Jimmy Cliff song about Vietnam and later he was on steel acoustic, fiddling with the notes and it became Harrison's Here Comes the Sun.   Of course there's going to be an encore but did another 10 songs for that so another half hour.  It was well worth my money.   I don't go to many popular concerts because of the expense and often too loud for me, but don't miss him.

Pantages is old deco theater kinda down and out. Disney was going to do a big production and had their people restore it. The paint job is all in metallic shades of silver, bronze and golds, Thank goodness for Disney, using their money right. above is inside ceiling and below is entry hall. Mind boggling.  I've been in LA 14 years and only heard about it.