Paul Simon

Paul Simon

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
• Original Release Date: January 1972
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Warner Bros / Wea
• ASIN: B000002LBV
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #67,975 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com essential recording
How does one follow a commercial smash on the scale of Bridge over Troubled Water, one of the blockbuster pop titles of the '60s? For Paul Simon, the strategy was simple--as in "Keep it simple." His 1972 solo debut is the bantam bookend to the expansive Bridge. Where the final Simon & Garfunkel LP was grand, Paul Simon is modest. Where Bridge served up lavish emotions, on his own Simon explored a kind of hooded, pensive melancholy. "Mother & Child Reunion," the first reggae arrangements many Americans ever heard, opens the album and casts a blue hue over the collection. An eclectic crew of players (including jazzmen Stephane Grappelli, Jerry Hahn, and Ron Carter) turn up in tunes that fit together as snugly as a winter wardrobe. By the time Larry Knechtel's electric piano fades away at the end of "Congratulations," Paul Simon, solo artist, has put that Bridge behind him and set off on his solo career. --Steven Stolder

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The First Solo Album By Rhyming Simon!, August 29, 2000

By	Barron Laycock "Labradorman" (Temple, New Hampshire United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This album represented Paul Simon's emancipation from the wearying exposure and constant pressures of fame as part of the Simon and Garfunkel phenomenon. With hints of his new directions rife in the final S&G album, "Bridge Over Troubled Water", this album showcases Simon's unique talents and creative interests with an eclectic, quirky, and yet gorgeously produced solo effort. From the haunting rhythms of "Mother And Child Reunion" to the comically intimate "Duncan", we sense more than a little autobiographical influence in all the songs. Commenting on his failed relationship with Art Garfunkel as well as his troubled first marriage, he gives us "Everything Put Together Falls Apart", a preview into his somewhat fateful notions about the inevitability of life changes and unavoidable heartache in later songs like "Slip Sliding Away".

On the other hand, we hear a more playful side of Simon with "Me And Julio Down By The Schoolyard", an upbeat number with intriguing lyrics and overlaced with a wonderfully latinized treatment. He shows his own concerns with a comical "Wear That Body Down", and a later take on trying to deal emotionally with a world gone crazy with "Peace Like A River". 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 and a brand new start for a man who had the courage and nerve to walk away from a phenomenally successful situation as half of Simon and Garfunkel to follow his own artistic heart. I highly recommend it. Enjoy!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Funky, folky, fun, and formative, May 16, 2002

By	kennedy19 "kennedy19" (wakefield, ma USA) - See all my reviews

Paul Simon began his exciting and daring seventies career with this, his most pared-down effort. Perhaps the transition comes as a surprise after the lushness of Simon and Garfunkel's "Bridge Over Troubled Water" (though there are some links between this album and that one, including the use of a bass harmonica, Jamaican rhythm, and Incan pipes.) Nevertheless, this album carries with it the thrill of a newly liberated solo artist. It immediately delves into funky territory with the memorable "Mother and Child Reunion," an excellent electric reggae number with fine female backing vocals. It proceeds to "Duncan," a song about lost innocence, and "Everthing Put Together Falls Apart," a mellow and unusual folk number (how many songs begin with the word 'Parafanalia'?). Both songs may possibly be seen as subtle comments on Simon's departure from his former duo, but each works well on its own merits. We then get to some songs that prove once again what an excellent guitar player and singer Simon is. "Run that Body Down" is simple but catchy as all get out, and "Armistice Day" is a superb performance, and a very moving one in its very understatement. "Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard" is another playfully simple classic with excellent lyrics, and it adds a sense of upbeat fun to the proceedings. "Peace Like a River" is a haunting number that anyone who has ever been up late worrying can relate to. "Papa Hobo" is a distinctly American song of sorry resignation, told from the point of view of a down-and-out fellow who somehow makes do. I love it. "Hobo Blues" is an unexpected guitar/fiddle instrumental, beautiful. "Paranoia Blues" continues the theme of worry and slight bitterness, and then we come to "Congradulations," an excellent weary song that is musically brilliant in its syncopation, pauses, and construction. On this melancholy note, we end. The entire experience has been rich in its honesty, cleverness, and tunefulness. Simon would revisit his emotional aches again on other records, but never with the same directness.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic album, happy surprise for brokenhearted S&G fans!, August 27, 2000

By A Customer

When Simon and Garfunkel broke up after Bridge over Troubled Water, I never thought what would emerge from that breakup was the single most creative musical individual of the last thirty years, but this album was certainly an early indication of Simon's ability to constantly reach within himself and renew his talent and his vision. Although Graceland remains his SUMMA creation, this album remains one of my favorites today, a bracing and refreshing jolt after the ballads of Simon and Garfunkel together, which though I loved them, didn't offer this energy. What is magical about Paul Simon's early albums is the way they wrap up non-Manhattan New York and give it to you as a gift of music in their rhythm, themes and diversity, charging his music with an energy that could not have come to life anywhere else.