Songs From The Capeman (1997 Concept Cast Album) [Cast Recording, Import]

Paul Simon | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 18, 1997)
• Original Release Date: November 18, 1997
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Cast Recording, Import
• Label: Warner Bros
• ASIN: B000002NJ3
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (88 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #62,447 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Adios Hermanos

2. Born In Puerto Rico

3. Satin Summer Nights

4. Bernadette

5. The Vampires

6. Quality

7. Can I Forgive Him

8. Sunday Afternoon

9. Killer Wants To Go To College

10. Time Is An Ocean

11. Virgil

12. Killer Wants To Go To College II

13. Trailways Bus

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A brilliant novel in musical form., September 10, 2001

By 

slomamma (San Luis Obispo, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Songs From The Capeman (1997 Concept Cast Album) (Audio CD)

What a shame the production of The Capeman failed, because that failure will probably mean that not very many people will ever hear this album, which is not only one of the best things Paul Simon has ever done, but one of the best albums I have ever heard.

If Bob Dylan was the poet of the rock era, Paul Simon has always been its finest storyteller. Think of Old Friends. Me and Julio. 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover. They all tell perfectly crafted little three minute short stories. This album has the overall framing story of Salvador Agron, a teenage murderer in the 50s, who spent 20 years in prison, becoming educated, writing poetry, rehabilitating himself and never again committing any violent act. Some of the songs are from AgronÕs point of view, the rest are from the point of view of various people in his life. As the different points of view layer and overlap, and the various stories come together, this album begins to seem like a great novel that just happens to be set to music. It is beautiful and challenging, sometimes crude and sometimes poetic (and often both at the same time). It makes you think hard about prejudice, justice, redemption and a lot of other issues that donÕt find a place in popular music very often.

And the music is fabulous. Simon has been working in many musical styles and genres for decades and that preparation really comes to fruition here. The basic styles are 50s streetcorner doo-wop and Latin, but Simon knows both of those styles so well that he finds great variety where another composer would recycle the cliches.

After the failure of The Capeman, itÕs unlikely Paul Simon will be tempted to try another Broadway musical. But I hope he doesnÕt give up on concept albums like this one. This is the kind of work he was born to write. Nobody else could have done it so brilliantly.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gushingly positive review of The Capeman, March 25, 2004

By 

David (The Eastern States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Songs From The Capeman (1997 Concept Cast Album) (Audio CD)

Maybe enough time has now passed for the initial negative reaction to The Capeman stage show to fade into the distance. Like everyone else, I never saw it, so can only rely on the accepted wisdom that it was bad. This "soundtrack" album, though, is a complete and utter masterpiece no matter which way you look at it.
I'm certainly a Paul Simon fan, but not blindly so - like most enthusiasts I have my opinions about the higher and lower points in his career (and no two opinions about these things are ever the same). The Capeman is perhaps Paul Simon's highest achievement; sheer unadulterated brilliance from start to finish. Its lack of acceptance, even among many Simon fans, could be due to the perception of it as overly self-indulgent. I find great artists like Simon are often at their best when they are at their most self-indulgent, if self-indulgence is what this is.
Simon synthesises the musical influences from his youth - doo-wop and salsa from the end of the 50's in NYC, to tell a story he remembers from the same period and place. The musical combinations are often incongruous and "challenging", but ultimately brilliantly evocative, while never resorting to pastiche. On top of all this is the "theatrical", storytelling aspect of the album, which somehow works perfectly in its own right - I can only imagine that any stageshow would have been a distraction to the words and music. Even with Simon himself taking on the vocals for multiple roles, the story and characters come across vividly, and the narrative power and scope are unprecedented (I think he intended to but never got around to releasing a full cast album?). Simon's "character" monologue-style singing shows his narrative vocal strength like never before (and yes, there is some rude language - the kids better skip this and go back to their Limp Bizkit and Eminem albums if you don't want them to grow up warped). Marc Anthony and Ednita Nazario have never had better material to sing, and do a magnificent job.
Ultimately, this album stands as a monument to top-class, brave and adventurous songwriting. As such, it of course had to fail commercially, and it's a shame to think of someone like Paul Simon being discouraged by poor public reception to great work such as this. Some people are used to working their whole lives in obscurity, but to someone like Simon it may come as a shock when something he does is so disparaged. I guess Amazon is one place to try to address the balance.

14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bad Musical with Great Music, December 13, 1999

By 

Robert Iracane - See all my reviews

This review is from: Songs From The Capeman (1997 Concept Cast Album) (Audio CD)

Full disclosure: I never saw the musical. The reviews were just too terrible. However, I had enough faith in Mr. Simon to purchase the "Concept Cast Album"; it has become one of my most listened to CDs. I believe the reviews of the show said that the music was well-written and performed, but the book was average and the direction (by Mr. Simon) was subpar. I don't normally listen to theater reviews, but I guess the show closed before I could even get to New York to see it. About the songs: Paul Simon is a genius. The melodies, the poetry, the harmonies, it's all there. Doo-wop is hard to make interesting, but Mr. Simon does it. Latino music can sound bland if poorly written, but Mr. Simon writes and sings like he's done it his whole life. This album is very special to me. "Bernadette" is a great love song that I always sing along to full blast. "Trailways Bus" is a somber tune that I saw Mr. Simon perform at Madison Square Garden, and although I was in the highest reaches of the arena, it still touched me.