1964-1993 (3cd) [Box set]

Paul Simon | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 28, 1993)
• Original Release Date: September 28, 1993
• Number of Discs: 3
• Format: Box set
• Note on Boxed Sets: During shipping, discs in boxed sets occasionally become dislodged without damage. Please examine and play these discs. If you are not completely satisfied, we'll refund or replace your purchase.
• Label: Warner Bros.
• ASIN: B000002MMI
• Also Available in: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #66,281 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

52 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars 1964/1993 or is it 1958/1991?, October 18, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: 1964-1993 (3cd) (Audio CD)

When boxed sets first appeared they set the standard. Clapton Crossroads, Allman Bros. Dreams to name a few.

Then artists felt they had to make an artistic statement with an anthology and go beyond what it was supposed to do-anthologize.

Case in point - Paul Simon's box contains a wealth of his best music, but it just misses in a few areas.

First, the dates. Nothing on this box is from 1964. Oh, Sound of Silence can be argued (they took the Wednesday Morning 3AM track from 1964 and overdubbed it) but the version on this is from 1965. Still, you have Hey Schoolgirl from 1958.

Next 1993. Thelma is an outake from Rhythym Of The Saints from 1991. I'm sorry, an outtake from two years earlier is not a NEW track.

Then Paul feels he still has to edit songs. Loves Me Like A Rock again loses seconds (this time 15) and 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover loses over half a minute.

Where is A Church Is Burning from The Paul Simon Songbook? Where are the S&G tracks: Homeward Bound, and I Am A Rock? Where are the S&G outtakes from Hearts & Bones? Where is Stranded In A Limousine?

Then the packaging: no CD sleeves?

Artists should stay out of the compiling of boxed sets. That way boxed sets can do a better job of what they are designed to do - anthologize

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This Is Prime Simon, January 31, 2000

By 

Steve Vrana (Aurora, NE) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: 1964-1993 (3cd) (Audio CD)

For starters, I'll admit this is not for the fanatic Paul Simon fan. They will already own nearly all of this. And even for the casual fan, this box set duplicates all of 1988's Negotiations and Love Songs (except "Train in the Distance" from Hearts and Bones, and "Still Crazy after All These Years" is replaced with a previously unreleased 1991 live version). The box also duplicates most of 1978's Greatest Hits, Etc. (The glaring exception is the inexplicable omission of the otherwise unavailable "Stranded in a Limousine.")

What you are left with is 3 CDs worth of prime Paul Simon. Granted, you only get a dozen Simon and Garfunkel songs. (If you want more, buy the excellent Old Friends box set.) All the solo hits are here. Plenty of album tracks from his entire career. Of special interest is the hilarious spoken word "The Breakup" with Art Garfunkel. The last disc perhaps focuses to heavily on Graceland and Rhythm of the Saints, but all told the music stands as a testament to one of pop music's best songwriters ever--period.

We could argue indefinitely as to what should or shouldn't have made the final cut. More rarities. More live cuts. More alternate takes. This box isn't perfect, but the music on it is. RECOMMENDED

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I can't get enough, February 20, 2000

By 

Altso Nonaz (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 1964-1993 (3cd) (Audio CD)

As most of the other customer comments indicate, this collection does have a lot of repeated tracks found on other Paul Simon or S&G complilations; however, as the die-hard Simon fan that I am, I find that this 3-disk set trumps the other collections I own (and, lemme tell you, I have A LOT!). Why? Well, my favorite part of this collection is the packaging. The "box" looks like a hardcover book. It is absolutely beautiful with a lovely black&white photo of Paul on the front. Inside, along with the 3 disks, you'll find a booklet. This booklet has given me insight into the musician's mind. Paul comments on each song and what was going on in his life when he composed it. He also explains the circumstances behind the various musicians with whom he's worked. Paul has such a broad musical talent and has played with such an ecclectic variety of styles (folk, do-wop, cajun, African), so this insert (almost a book itself) really makes me feel like I know Paul when I hear the songs. Sure, this collection repeats songs found in other collections mentioned by the other customer reviews, but for the true Paul Simon fan there is no meaning to the word "enough."