Customer Reviews

Still Crazy After All These Years

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Brilliant work. One of Rhymin' Simon's best.

It surely rocks in a very religious sense, with his foray into Gospel with Phoebe Snow and the Jesse Dixon Singers in the collaboration on "Gone At Last". It is gentle, in the teasing collaboration with Art Garfunkel in "My Little Town" and reflective in the title cut. I recall going to a Simon concert right when this came out, and the rumor here was that Art was going to show up in Dallas that very night! Of course, the same rumor spread through Boston the night before, Chicago the night before that, and every other town on that tour.

It is well advised to call this an "essential". It is. Simon's vocals have never sounded better. His song writing is at its thought provoking best. In the CD jukebox for the desert island, this must make the playlist!

In his book chronicling American life during the 1970s, David Frum charted the changing relationships between sexes, decay in city life, abandonment of religious and family traditions in search of self. He added that many luxuriated themselves in music from the decade's singer/songwriters, who emotionally summed the era's self-absorbtion.

Or, in Paul Simon's case, epitomised it. "Still Crazy..." is a snapshot of mid-70s, post-hippie urban life as vivid, detailed and episodic musically and lyrically as Simon & Garfunkel statements like "Bookends" were sweeping and anthemic. Such was the low-key prescence here that Simon, upon winning a 1976 Grammy award for his work, thanked recurrent winner Stevie Wonder for not releasing an LP that year.

For this project, Simon and producer Phil Ramone gathered the royalty of what, 15 years later, became "smooth jazz." Bob James arranged strings on several tracks. Percussionist Ralph McDonald and drummers Grady Tate and Steve Gadd (his drums kick-start "50 Ways To Leave Your Lover") turn in stellar work (McDonald later played on "Saturday Night Fever.") David Sanborn and Michael Brecker turn in fine sax solos. (Brecker, so say the liner notes, actually plays "Still Crazy" 's solo while Phil Woods contributed on the equally tasty "Have A Good Time.")

Atop this lush musical carpet, Simon laid restrained melodies and knotty vignettes on middle-aged urban life. "You're Kind" plays like a straight, dry love song until its punch line hits like a "Seinfeld" re-run. The black rainbow and deceased ballplayer in "My Little Town" and "Night Game," respectively, capture childhood's frozen, dashed dreams. But "Have A Good Time" and the title song convey a survivor mentality with sly wit missing from the Eagles' bombastic, similar-themed "Take It To The Limit."

This LP is credited with influencing New York-centric, lyrically world-weary work from Harry Chapin, Billy Joel, (who recruited McDonald and Ramone for the "Stranger" sessions) and even Woody Allen, whose "Annie Hall" featured Simon and played from a similar world-view. Joel would sell more LPs, Allen more show tickets than Simon, whose work before with Simon & Garfunkel and after with "Graceland" received more acclaim. But "Still Crazy After All These Years" remains essential to any 70s music collection and important to any study of that fascinating, transitional decade.

As with the album released before this, "Rhyming Simon", this album represented Paul Simon's realization of his full abilities hinted at in previous albums both with Simon and Garfunkel and then as a solo artist. This album provocatively showcases Simon's unique talents and creative interests with an eclectic, wide-ranging, and gorgeously produced solo effort. From the haunting rhythms and wry lyrics of "Still Crazy After All These Years" to the tender and sensitive emotions expressed so well in "My Little Town" sung with Art Garfunkel", we sense more than a little autobiographical influence in all the songs. Simon's lyrical genius is displayed in spades here, from "Fifty Ways To Leave Your Lover" to "Have A Good Time " to the joyous "Gone At Last", sung with Phoebe Snow, and we can tell that this is an artist in full bloom and enjoying his singular ability to deliver a wide range of songs with a panorama of emotions and telling personal observations so artfully expressed that it is a wonder to listen to them. This is an album one must listen to appreciate, and the new directions Simon began with this album have now stretched out in a dozen or so albums and compilations. This is a terrific album for a man who had the courage and nerve to deliberately walk away from a phenomenally successful situation as half of Simon and Garfunkel to follow his own artistic heart. I highly recommend it. Enjoy!

Still Crazy After All These Years is Paul Simon's masterpiece. The album perfectly captures all of his strong suits, songwriter, understated vocals and great arrangements. It also contains a collaboration with his erstwhile partner Art Garfunkel. The song, "My Little Town" is a brilliant piece of music, with lush orchestration, nostalgic lyrics and of course the beautiful harmonies of the two men. "50 Ways To Leave Your Lover" is shuffling song about infidelity that became Mr. Simon's only number one solo single. "Come At Last" is a gospel flavored duet with Phoebe Snow and "Have A Good Time" is fast paced tune. "I Do It For Your Love" is a jazzy song with great lyrics and the title track is one of his all-time greatest songs. The album became his first and only solo number one album and won the 1975 Grammy for Album of The Year. The remastered sound is a great improvement over the original cd issue. The two bonus songs really don't add much to collection, but the demo version of "Gone At Last" is worth a listen.

....the title track foreshadows Steely Dan's current "What a Shame About Me" as far as being a Noo Yawk, chance meeting with a star-crossed lover kinda thing, but the difference is that Simon's song narrator recalls things in a leisurely, fond, there's all the time in the world way. Fagen regrets to say, "Well, no, we're way too different, see ya maybe in another lifetime (like when I'm rich and successful like you)". Simon knows there's a difference, but to live these moments again, is rare indeed, let's try to savor this chance meeting...

Let's savor this chance meeting, let's break out the beers...

This is one of my favorite Paul Simon solo efforts because it still catches me reminescing good times. And I know I've said things like "the 70's were OK, but let's not try to live them again", but I can be forgiven for my transgression because this album is also one of the best all time recordings by anybody. I figure if you're gonna pay your heard earned money on something, you might as well get some of the best stuff out there.

Yeah, I still dig the top ten tune "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover", but I am also crazy about "Have a Good Time" with vocal backgrounds by one of my faves, Val Simpson. I recall reading a review in Time Magazine about the existentialism of the "My Little Town" reunion w/ Garfunkle and I recall thinking at that time, "What? Why ruin a good tune with overanalysis?" and now I find myself saying that again about my own review of this album.

It is good music, done well, and you won't ever regret buying it.

Paul Simon has never had a strong voice, but is a gifted writer and arranger and this really is shown in Still Crazy. Ironically, his "big hits" are what I consider the weaker parts of the album. Compare (Still Crazy ..) to the brilliant (Silent Eyes) or (50 Ways ..) with (Gone At Last). This is one of Paul's best albums using a jazz style to express his emotions in this album. If you want to just get the best of Paul Simon, get this album and "Rhythum of the Saints" both of which are forgotten treasures.

A decade before his celebrated work with African and Brazilian musicians, Paul Simon made this superb foray into the world of "cool" jazz. Musically tight, and containing some of his most trenchant and concise lyrics, this album stands as a masterpiece nearly a quarter century later.

I was a student at Kent State Univ. in 1975 when this CD/Album was released. Great music was everywhere, I remember hearing it, I liked it, but forgot what it was I liked. Well... just recently I rediscovered it!! Maybe it's a good thing that I was a wild and crazy student back when.

My money says your replay button will get well excercised.

Hey folks, don't panic and pay inflated collectors prices for this or any of Paul Simon's other older catalog CDs. He's recently struck a deal to move his catalog back to Sony/Columbia (and be reunited with the Simon & Garfunkel catalog). These 2004 remasters will be reissued in the near future on Sony with new bonus tracks. Just wanted to give people a heads up as I've noticed the prices for these Rhino remasters sharply rising as they drop out of print.

This is one of those perfect pop albums; each cut is wonderfully written, arranged, and performed, and the experience of listening to this album in its entirety is one of intoxication. From the brittle and gorgeous My Little Town, to the title track, to the gospel riff Gone At Last to the insidiously witty 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover...each song has a melancholy soul, and Paul's plaintive way with melody and perfect instrumentation transports you to a place of nirvana. I think this is Paul's best solo album because it is rooted in his urban-sophisticated-folk soul, without too much experimentation. It is no wonder that many of the songs on this album have been covered over the years by countless artists -- this is one of those rare, durable, superb compositions that is truly artistically inspired.