Paul Simon Studio Albums Ranked From Worst to Best
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- Опубликовано: 3 окт 2024
- Today we're ranking the 15 studio albums from the legendary singer songwriter, Paul Simon.
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Paul Frederic Simon (born October 13, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter known both for his solo work and his collaboration with Art Garfunkel. He and his school friend Garfunkel, whom he met in 1956, came to prominence in the 1960s as Simon & Garfunkel. Their blend of folk and rock, including hits such as "The Sound of Silence", "Mrs. Robinson", "America" and "The Boxer", served as a soundtrack to the counterculture movement. Their final album, Bridge Over Troubled Water (1970), is among the bestselling of all time.
As a solo artist, Simon has explored genres including gospel, reggae and soul. His albums Paul Simon (1972), There Goes Rhymin' Simon (1973), and Still Crazy After All These Years (1975) kept him in the public eye and drew acclaim, producing the hits "Mother and Child Reunion", "Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard", and "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover". Simon reunited with Garfunkel for several tours and the 1981 Concert in Central Park.
In 1986, Simon released his most successful and acclaimed album, Graceland, incorporating South African influences. "You Can Call Me Al" became one of Simon's most successful singles. Graceland was followed by The Rhythm of the Saints (1990), and a second Concert in the Park in 1991, without Garfunkel, which was attended by half a million people. In 1988, Simon wrote a Broadway musical, The Capeman, which was poorly received. In the 21st century, Simon continued to record and tour. His later albums, such as You're the One (2000), So Beautiful or So What (2011) and Stranger to Stranger (2016), introduced him to new generations. Simon retired from touring in 2018, but continued to record music. An album, Seven Psalms, was released in May 2023.
He has twice been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and has been the recipient of sixteen Grammy Awards, including three for Album of the Year. Two of his works, Sounds of Silence and Graceland, were inducted into the National Recording Registry for their cultural significance, and in 2007, the Library of Congress voted him the inaugural winner of the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song.
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A partner not liking "50 Ways to" is the 51st way to leave your lover
When Joe thinks back
on all the crap
he's ranked with Jason
It's a wonder he can think at all!
Rhythm of the Saints is my number one. The percussion hooked me in immediately, but as I played the CD on different systems (home stereo, headphones, car stereos, other people's systems) I kept noticing new sounds in the mix which just drew me in further. The right album at the right time for me.
Such beautiful music in this album! Why it gets the hate it gets will be one of the great mysteries of the human race. That album is my number 1 as well
Yeah, he’s severely underrated as a guitarist, I think.
Two and a half stars for Rhythm of the Saints is INSANE. What a gorgeous album.
To me, the self titled (1972) is the one. Just a masterclass on songwriting, and acoustic guitar as well, Paul is a beast.
It’s a good point from Joe that it’s unusual for an artist’s best work to be so late into their career, particularly artists who started in the 60s who mostly had a pretty lacklustre 80s. Graceland does sound fantastic even today, I don’t think there’s anything in the production that lets it down. A clear five star album.
Joe mentions that it was 14 years after his solo debut, but it was also about 20 years since Simon & Garfunkel first broke through. It's like an act who had a run of decent albums in the 2000s starting in 2004 releasing an album this year which is universally acknowledged to be clearly superior to those.
I'm actually a big fan of "Rhythm of the Saints." I love the Brazilian drums and rhythmic patterns of the songs.
Rhythm of the Saints doesn’t grab you immediately but yet it rivals Graceland as my go to album when I’m feeling Paul Simon-ish. Lucky to have seen him live in 1999 and Rhythm of the Saints is a big part of the setlist, so I will always be partial to it.
Went to see Paul with my kids a few years back in Boston. He played about 15 songs and can you guess where 4 of the songs were from? That’s right, The Rhythm of the Saints.
I love Rhythm of the Saints.
I was listening on and pretty much agreeing with Jason’s entire list until he said that 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover is ruined by the chorus?! The chorus *makes* that song. It provides this unexpected injection of energy and fun, combined with the tongue in cheek lyric, that makes it a top ten Paul Simon solo track for me.
Love Steve Gadd's drumming on 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover👍
And it’s a terrible chorus. Sorry. It’s so lame and so hookless.
@curly_wyn if anything it’s too hooky. - Joe
I am shocked it was a #1 hit for multiple weeks. I agree totally with Jason on that song. No offense to anyone who likes it, though. I just cant understand how THAT was the top song in the entire country. Incredible!
@@chargreeI hate this song- my least fave of his hits- I hate the lead in, the hook, the “don’t mean to be coy Roy “-
🤮 But a lot of folks finds it groovy
Simon really is an all-time great poet. When you pay attention to how much pensive thought he's putting into the lyrics of his songs, even the lesser-known ones, you realize he's up there with Dylan and Cohen.
You have to include the Simon & Garfunkel records when considering his arc as a songwriter. That catalog is 99% his voice. Love him!
.......................and all three of those artists were signed to Columbia....................that label certainly knows talent!
Hearts and bones is one of my favorite albums ever!
Same here, maybe we think too much?
Respect for Jason expressing what I've felt all these years regarding the chorus on 50 ways!
To me kind of a novelty song that- due to the chorus. The verse melodies and lyrics are nice. Gone at last, have a good time my little town, still crazy and even you’re kind and I do it for your love all trump that hit for musicality and song quality I think
Wow, I’m kind of surprised at how harsh some of the comments are. In my way of thinking his albums have been the most consistently and reliably enjoyable of any artist with this long of a career.
There goes Rhymn Simon is one of my favorite albums of al time, and I think it's rightfully number 2 in his catalogue. Great emotional ballads like "something so right". Great production also.
OK guys, I haven’t commented in a while, but this ranking contains an album that is near and dear to my heart. The Rhythm of the Saints is a top five album for me of all time. It is incredible sonically and lyrically. I always cringe when I hear someone who doesn’t understand it talk about it and when Jason says he just doesn’t like it or it’s too derivative. I just have to roll my eyes it’s its own thing and it has some of the most beautiful songs I’ve ever heard in my life. Thank you Joe for hearing what I hear.
Props to Jason for ranking Hearts and Bones at 3. But Rhythm of the Saints at 9!? Madness. It's the perfect marriage of teenage Paul's Doo-wop influences and middle-aged Paul's world music explorations. Right up there with The National's Alligator and CRJ's Emotion as a flawless album. Give it three more listens and thank me later ;)
I'm more on Joe's side with these ratings. I think Seven Psalms is an amazing album, which gets better with every listen. Paul Simon is one of the greatest songwriters ever.
It's been a grim and thoroughly depressing January and February (more so than usual), so this listing is hugely welcome. Paul Simon seems just the right artist to dive into more deeply right now. Thank you.
Wow Stranger to Stranger was my 3rd favorite by him after The Paul Simon Songbook and There Goes Rhymin' Simon
There is something amazing I’ve noticed about Paul’s career; I saw him with Garfunkel on a reunion tour in 2003 and they played the S&G classics, with 2 Paul solo tunes (“Slip Sliding Away” and “American Tune”, because Art’s voice fits them so well). I subsequently saw him solo twice and he did most of his solo stuff with a scattering of S&G songs, mostly with vastly different arrangements. I wonder how many artists can sell out massive arena tours playing essentially completely different catalogues of music; one from a previous band, and one solo. McCartney still plays mostly Beatles’ songs, Brian Wilson does Beach Boys songs and so on. Its remarkable that he’s written that many great songs that he can do that.
I own 20 to 30,000 CDs and my favorite album of all time is Paul Simon's Graceland. I absolutely love that album. Paul's an amazing artist. He has nine solo albums that I give five stars to not many artists you can say that about.
That are muchos CDs!😮 which albums would be in your top 10?
@@Leo-qe3gl
My favorite albums that would be in or near the top 10 are
1. Graceland Paul Simon
2. Buena Vista Social Club
3. The Nightfly Donald Fagan.
4. Purple Rain Prince & The Revolution
5. Kind of blue Miles Davis
6. Songs In The Key Of Life Stevie Wonder
7. Come away with me Norah Jones
8. Thriller Michael Jackson
9. 1962/66 / 1967/70 Beatles (either the new masters, or the old masters doesn't matter)
10. Tracy Chapman Tracy Chapman
@@cdman40 interesting list😯
my top 10: Stones - Sticky Fingers
Faith no more - Angel Dust
Pavement- Crooked Rain
Elvis Costello- Get Happy
T Rex - Electric Warrior
The Make Up - Save Yourself
Queens of the Stone Age - dto.
Smiths - Queen is dead
Pixies - Doolittle
L. Cohen - songs from a room
Greetings from Leipzig/ germany
I'd love to hear a ranked episode on JJ Cale. My all-time favourite. Love the content guys.
I feel like Jason may be looking at "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" the wrong way. It's a comedy song. The tone switch in the chorus with the childish rhymes is meant to make you laugh because of how absurd it is. Great song.
That doesn’t make it great. A comedy song has to be funny, and that song’s not funny at all, so you’re left with a bad song, and BY FAR his worst hit.
Much anticipated reaction, thank you. I feel less guilty now for not paying attention to the more recent albums. Glad Hearts and Bones got some love. Yes Cars are Cars is silly but has one of my favorite lines “ if some of my homes had been more like my car, I probably wouldn’t have traveled this far”. The late great Johnny Ace in my opinion is the premier tribute to John Lennon after his murder. Better than Elton John’s Empty Garden. (Not sure if you’ve ever seen the Central Park concert in its entirety, but there is a moment when Paul Simon is debuting the Johnny Ace song, and a fan storms the stage. Must have been truly jarring given what happened to John.)
Your reaction reminded me to revisit One Trick Pony. I owned it on vinyl and didn’t repurchase it on CD and it went down the memory hole I guess.
Looking forward to your top ten songs list tomorrow - Thanks again!
a early memory of paul simon was him performing still crazy after all these years on SNL dressed as a chicken🐔🐔🐔🐔🐔
Lmao, I'd forgotten about that. Classic.
Hey bengal. I remember that performance. It was good that he didn't cluck up. 🤣🐔 🎶💜💜
@@AbbeyRoadkill1 thats when SNL was clever and at its peak
Graceland was probably my faourite album of the 80's and still one of my all time top ten, as said, nothing sounded like it before and nothing really has had the same impact since in terms of melding different styles of music so effortlessly. An album that's hard not to smile through.
Joe's mention of Richard Thompson reminded me that Simon, as well as Thompson, Neil Young and Jimmy Page were all influenced by Bert Jansch. Check out Bert Jansch(1965), Jack Orion (1966) and Rosemary Lane (1971) to hear Jansch unadorned. Listen to Black Waterside, on Jack Orion, to hear where Page got his arrangement for Black Mountain Side on the first Led Zeppelin LP.
My ranking:
1. Paul Simon. I agree about Duncan; that first line is like the beginning of a great short story.
2. There Goes Rhymin' Simon. American Tune is the standout tune for me. Guess I should save something for the top 10 songs.
3. Hearts and Bones. Underrated. "One and one-half wandering Jews, free to wander wherever they choose..." Yeah ,the guy knows how to start a song.
4. One Trick Pony. Also underrated.
5. Paul Simon Songbook. I only heard this for the first time recently.
6. The Rhythms Of The Saints.
7. Graceland. I know, but it was so overplayed I never felt the need to actually own it.
I have to admit I haven't heard much of his later stuff, though Joe's description makes me want to give his latest a try.
Nice job.
There Goes Rhymin' Simon is my favorite. It's stood the test of time. I don't enjoy Graceland as much as I used to.
I'm surprised it was their #1.
@@markreilly7052 Me too.
Stranger to Stranger being bottom for both of you is... wow. Jaw-dropping!
Why? It stinks….
@@TastesLikeMusic Hell no! It's miles better than Hearts and Bones, for instance. In a different galaxy
They’re definitely in a different galaxy alright. - Joe
@@TastesLikeMusic Cars Are Cars. Enough said.
Weird, maybe it's because I'm older than you guys (45) and heard these albums when they came out, but I love Surprise, So Beautiful, Stranger and 7 Psalms. Most reviews I've read really, really rate these albums. I especially love the first 4 tracks on Surprise. For example, 'Everything About Is Love Song' is just perfect imo - the lyrics, the melody, the production...
Obviously I love Graceland and Rhythm too. I do have to confess to ignorance of the most of the albums before Graceland (I don't do streaming) so I will have to check them out. Thanks,
Stuart
I saw Paul Simon in 2011 when he was promoting "So Beautiful or So What." One of the best concerts I have ever attended. His band was terrific!!
ok here goes
overall i enjoyed the listo more than i thought i would
15 in the blue light 2.0
14 songs from the capeman 2.5
13 the rhythem of the saints 2.5
12 your the one 3.0-
11 seven psalms 2.5+
10 stranger to stranger 2.5+
9 the paul simon songbook 3.5
8 paul simon 3.5
7 still crazy after all these years 3.5+
6 graceland 3,5+
5 hearts and bones 4.0-
4 so beautiful or so what 4.0-
3 surprise 4.0-
2 there goes rhyming simon 4.0+
1 one trick pony 4,5
so far , i seem to like the later catalog more than the guys
cheers
🐯🐯
Excellent list, bengal. Good to see Hearts and Bones in your top five. 🎶💜💜
Joe I’m loving your Dylan series. It’s excellent. 👍
Thank you!
Graceland is a fucking masterpiece. Glad to see y’all give it the 5 (ya had me worried Jason!). Brilliant observation by Joe, Graceland really is the greatest late career album of all time and just a master stroke of beauty and elegance. It’s up there with Pet Sounds and Songs in the key of life. Top 25 album for me, but Paul as a whole doesn’t always hit at that level. His voice both sonically and artistically never sounded so good before or after 1986. He was put on this earth to make that record.
I've been a fan since I was a tween, first borrowing Simon's early albums from the public library (yes, we used to do that), before having enough money to buy my own. One Trick Pony was the first Simon album I bought when it was released, and I played it at least a hundred times the first year or so, so I understand why I rate it higher than most.
1) Graceland
2) Paul Simon
3) There Goes Rhymin’ Simon
4) Still Crazy After All These Years
5) The Rhythm of the Saints
6) One Trick Pony
7) So Beautiful or So What
8) Surprise
9) Stranger to Stranger
10) Seven Psalms
11) Hearts and Bones
12) The Paul Simon Songbook
13) You’re the One
14) In the Blue Light
15) Songs from the Capeman
Joe's right about "American Tune." It's a highlight during The Concert in Central Park.
When it comes to Hearts and bones you forgot to mention the beautiful Philip Glass arrangement.
"NPR, granola eating yuppie casing"...the line of the week! And could easily be applied to many other artists of Simon's status.
It was pretty cool to go through all of Paul Simon's albums since I had only heard a handful before this - Graceland, s/t and Rhymin' Simon. I found the first half of the discography to be enjoyable but the second half of it I honestly will probably never think about ever again. I don't think he ever makes anything super bad in that period but very little of it engaged me in any meaningful way. Even still I am glad I went through everything as his solo career was a pretty big blind spot for me.
15) Seven Psalms - 2.5
14) In the Blue Light - 2.5
13) Songs From The Capeman - 2.5
12) Surprise - 3
11) Stranger to Stranger - 3
10) You’re the One - 3
9) So Beautiful or So What - 3
8) One Trick Pony - 3.5
7) The Paul Simon Songbook - 3.5
6) The Rhythm of the Saints - 3.5
5) Hearts and Bone - 3.5
4) There Goes Rhymin’ Simon - 3.5
3) Still Crazy After All These Years - 3.5
2) Paul Simon - 4
1) Graceland - 4.5
I’m glad that you do a Paul Simon ranking, but you appreciate him much less than I do. I also really love a couple of albums that you both, or Jason, didn’t appreciate. The Rythm of the Saints is my favourite album of his, and Surprise is top five
The 4 songs from Surprise I really like are "Wartime Prayers," "Father & Daughter," "Another Galaxy," and "Outrageous." The rest is decent but doesn't really stick with me.
I largely agree with your take on The Rhythm of the Saints. I think "The Cool Cool River" is a top 15 Paul Simon song (and that includes all the Simon and Garfunkel stuff). There are only a couple songs on Saints that I'm lukewarm about.
I liked it a lot. - Joe
Not everyone loves the Rhythm of the Saints, but I’m shocked that Jason dissed it quite so much. I think it’s a great listen. I actually rated it as one of my top 3 albums of 1990.
Mind you, it did take me many years to really love it.
@@PhilSmithRHR I'd definitely echo the sentiment that Rhythm is a grower of an album. I remember liking at the time, but I like it even more now.
TLM reviewed the Simon & Garfunkel discography before I started following the channel, so I included S&G here in the interest of being complete.
1. Bridge Over Troubled Water (1970) 5
2. Bookends (1968) 5
3. Graceland (1986) 5
4. Parsley, Sage, Rosemary & Thyme (1966) 4.5
5. Paul Simon (1972) 4.5
6. There Goes Rhymin' Simon (1973) 4.5
7. The Rhythm of the Saints (1990) 4.5
8. Sounds of Silence (1966) 4
9. Still Crazy After All These Years (1975) 4
10. The Paul Simon Songbook (1965) 3.5
11. One-Trick Pony (1980) 3.5
12. Songs From the Capeman (1997) 3.5
13. Wednesday Morning 3 A.M. (1964) 3
14. Hearts and Bones (1983) 3
15. Surprise (2006) 3
16. Stranger to Stranger (2016) 3
17. You're the One (2000) 3
18. So Beautiful or So What (2011) 3
19. Seven Psalms (2023) 3
20. In the Blue Light (2018) 3
CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER:
3.0 Wednesday Morning 3 A.M. (1964)
3.5 The Paul Simon Songbook (1965)
4.0 Sounds of Silence (1966)
4.5 Parsley, Sage, Rosemary & Thyme (1966)
5.0 Bookends (1968)
5.0 Bridge Over Troubled Water (1970)
4.5 Paul Simon (1972)
4.5 There Goes Rhymin' Simon (1973)
4.0 Still Crazy After All These Years (1975)
3.5 One-Trick Pony (1980)
3.0 Hearts and Bones (1983)
5.0 Graceland (1986)
4.5 The Rhythm of the Saints (1990)
3.5 Songs From the Capeman (1997)
3.0 You're the One (2000)
3.0 Surprise (2006)
3.0 So Beautiful or So What (2011)
3.0 Stranger to Stranger (2016)
3.0 In the Blue Light (2018)
3.0 Seven Psalms (2023)
What to say about this guy other than he's one of the absolute giants of American songcraft- just a notch below Bob Dylan himself. Of course, Paul Simon's best stuff came as the leader of Simon & Garfunkel, though he's certainly no slouch as a solo artist.
Once "The Sound of Silence" went to #1 in early 1966 it didn't take long for S&G to become one of the biggest acts in the world. Hauntingly beautiful harmonies were their calling card, but the foundation was always Paul Simon's erudite songwriting, best expressed in mini-movie folk sagas like "Homeward Bound," "America," and "The Boxer." Albums-wise, S&G's peaks were 1968's Bookends (a concept album about growing old) and 1970's Bridge Over Troubled Water (a breathtakingly eclectic tour de force).
Simon's versatility becomes even more apparent during his solo career. He set a high standard for how an artist can keep their songwriting fresh by taking up new genres. Exploits include presaging the rise of reggae ("Mother & Child Reunion") and acquainting pop audiences with Latin styles like calypso and salsa ("Me & Julio Down By the Schoolyard," "Late in the Evening"). He's also a natural at mining the 1950s rock, gospel, and doo-wop of his youth ("Kodachrome," "Gone at Last," "Loves Me Like a Rock"). All the while retaining his mastery of the folk idiom ("Duncan," "American Tune").
His 1986 masterpiece Graceland has transcended "world music" to become *the world's* music. It's one of those albums that can instantly change my mood. By the end, I'm always convinced these really *are* the days of miracle and wonder, and that we all really *will* be received in Graceland. The controversy over him collaborating with South African musicians seems quaint to me now. (Bakithi Kumalo's playing deserves special mention. His basslines are mindblowing!) For an artist to release a genuine classic like Graceland more than 20 years into their career is nothing short of astonishing.
I sort of lost track of Simon after The Rhythm of the Saints (1990), his richly percussive exploration of Brazilian folk music. I wasn't familiar with the rest of his albums, and wasn't expecting any of them to get beyond 3 stars, but 1997's Songs From the Capeman surprised. I enjoy its unique mix of doo-wop and Puerto Rican music.
A master of emotive lyricism, Simon is another data point for the theory that Jewish people make the best lyricists in popular song. Indeed, there are times when I prefer Simon's heartfelt economy to Dylan's cryptic layers. I'd even argue that Simon is more melodically gifted than Dylan, although he wasn't as ambitious in his subject matter, or as prolific in his output.
I've noticed Simon doesn't get talked about a lot in the online vinyl community, which is a shame. When you combine his solo work with all the choice cuts he served up with S&G, I think he's a top 30 artist for pop/rock music and its immediately related genres (i.e. excluding jazz and classical music).
MY RATING SYSTEM:
5.0 = major classic (consistently great *and* stratospheric highs)
4.5 = minor classic (consistently great *or* stratospheric highs, but not both)
4.0 = great (a clear majority is worth revisiting and it's one of the best things for this artist/style)
3.5 = seriously good (at least half is worth revisiting)
3.0 = nominally good (less than half is worth revisiting)
2.5 = fair (competent but uninspired, not worth revisiting)
2.0 = poor (difficult listen)
1.5 = awful (can't finish it)
1.0 = historically awful (musical apocalypse)
▪︎ "Consistently" does not mean "flawlessly." I allow for a few duds if the rest of the songs are good enough. "Stratospheric highs" refer to albums that feature iconic songs or have an iconic sound. (Albums I consider to be "perfect" can also reach 5 stars, even without containing legendary songs or being highly influential.)
▪︎ I don't go below 1 star because once I'm in the realm of the truly terrible, I don't care to differentiate anymore.
▪︎ Anything I rate 3.5 stars or better is an album I'm enthusiastic about and would likely revisit at some point.
My go to album is One Trick Pony, I think its one of his best and I feel it gets overlooked, Paul Simon has a great band playing on this album - I enjoy playing this album late in the evening👍👍
My top 3 is this
3. Still crazy
2. Rhymin Simon
1. Self titled 1972
Not sure it will ever change either. Great show as always guys!!
Loved it! Great lists.
50 Ways to Leave your Lover is awesome. Boo, Jason.
"Paul Simon in Concert: Live Rhymin'" is one of my all-time favorite live albums. You will find a great version of "Duncan" on there, Joe.
Also, I really dig the vibe of One Trick Pony. The playing on it is so good. I go back to that one quite often.
The choice of JJ Cale to play on Can’t Run But shows his genius of picking musicians for each song. Perfect.
When his first record came out after the break up with Garfunkel, I was in taken away with joy. It was all Paul anyway.
Maybe our best songwriter, mixing melody, rhythm, and lyrics.
I love to hear Joe come around in here the mastery.
I enjoy these album rankings! Please do one on Heart if you haven't already.
Great ranking and lots of thoughtful comments here. With Simon & Garfunkel being so fantastic as they were in their prime, it's almost impossible not to view anything they did after in the light of their early works. As Jason said, I don't need Paul Simon to be my guide to world music. I was never a fan of those albums, even though I loved Chevy Chase back in those days...
I've got four Paul Simon albums! Can't wait!
Good artist - glad to see one of these! Your chanel has gotten very good though. I appreciate it.
surprise is one of my favorite and roots is also one
01 Still Crazy After All These Years
02 One-Trick Pony
03 Paul Simon
04 There Goes Rhymin' Simon
05 Hearts and Bones
06 The Paul Simon Songbook
07 Graceland
08 The Rhythm of the Saints
09 Songs from The Capeman
10 You're the One
11 So Beautiful or So What
12 Surprise
13 In the Blue Light
14 Seven Psalmsu
15 Stranger to Stranger
Thanks for doing this episode! My very subjective list would probably look like this:
1. So Beautiful or So What
2. Graceland
3. You're The One
4. Still Crazy After All These Years
5. Paul Simon
6. Hearts And Bones
7. There Goes Rhymin' Simon
8. Seven Psalms
9. The Rhythm of The Saints
10. One Trick Pony
11 The Paul Simon Songbook
12 Stranger to Stranger
13 In The Blue Light
14. The Capeman
15. Surprise
It’s great to have a full discography list back…this is your sweet spot, and it feels like it’s been a while. Love Jason’s hilarious take on Rhythm of the Saints … a classic take! Paul is a solid artist, though he does get a little pretentious and over-busy in his arrangements. A little too smarty-smart or something. But his run from Rhymin’ Simon through Graceland is pretty great, with a special shout-out to Hearts and Bones. He should have hung it up in 1990 or so, but a lot of his music up to that time was both profound and catchy. Lots of great hits. Thx, JPE
Surprise was not quite it, but "How Can You Live in the Northeast" is my (surprise) favorite of the solo songs. I think it works better for someone older. It's a song about mass tragedy that winds up being about perseverance. And Eno actually works well on the thematic turnaround.
Great job as always guys. I'm only familiar with his hits and I was very familiar with the Still Crazy album from my childhood. I've never even listened to the whole Graceland album. My favorite song of his is My Little Town. It makes me weepy and brings me back to my childhood memories. I enjoyed this video tremendously.
As always, thanks for your efforts in all your reviews.
Paul Simon was the first artist I ever loved, so there’s over 50 years of feeling here. Basically, his 21st Century albums are way better than you stated, I just couldn’t recognise what Jason particularly was saying. I’m not sure In The Blue Room should be included. It seems like a pointless exercise to me, as did The Capeman.
He has two five star albums which are very solid: Graceland obviously and There Goes Rhymin’ Simon. It was good to see some love for Hearts & Bones. That opening line “One and one half wandering Jews” even beats Graceland for me.
The weird thing about Graceland for me is that it’s an all time Top 20 album, and maybe a Top 10, but it’s still only the third best in 1986 after The Queen Is Dead and So.
Looking forward to the top 10 songs.
I can imagine RobertPlant releasing soon a swan-song-esque solo cd akin to *SevenPsalms*
Based on your comments near the beginning, I'm gathering you have heard a lot of the more recent stuff for the first time as part of this effort and maybe only listened to those records once. I don't know how you have the time to listen to as much music as you do and absorb what you do. IMHO the last few records need multiple listens to fully appreciate. I do agree that not all of that part of his catalogue is great -- I'd probably put "Surprise" at the bottom of my list and "Stranger to Stranger" not much higher, but even a bad Simon record has at least a few keepers. I love "You're the One" and would have ranked it higher. "So Beautiful or So What" contains IMHO two of his all time best songs. "Love and Hard Times" and "Questions for the Angels" give me goosebumps every time. That said, his earlier work is so solid that it's hard to say I'd rank those higher than some of the early stuff. To me, "Hearts and Bones" contains several of his best tracks - the title track, "The Late Great Johnnie Ace" and "Rene and Georgette Magriette ..." but lots of others that don't work too well for me. Not a huge fan of "The Capeman" but there are a few real gems there too. "Trailways Bus", "Can I Forgive Him" and "Born in Puerto Rico" are top notch. Paul is a top artist for me and I'm glad to see a ranking of his music here.
1986 was such an amazing year! Paul Simon’s greatest album, and yet it still might be topped by “So”, “King of America”, “The Queen is Dead”, etc. that year. I was really disappointed at the time that “Graceland” beat “So” to win the album of the year Grammy
I love both Graceland and So. Both are in my top 5 for the year 1986. But, to me, Graceland feels like more of an equal marriage between western pop and world music, whereas So feels like pop tunes dressed up in world music garb.
15. Songs From the Capeman (1997) (2.0)
14. In the Blue Light (2018) (3.0)
13. You're the One (2000) (3.0)
12. So Beautiful or So What (2011) (3.0)
11. Seven Psalms (2023) (3.0)
10. Surprise (2006) (3.5)
9. Stranger to Stranger (2016) (3.5)
8. One-Trick Pony (1980) (3.5)
7. Still Crazy After All These Years (1975) (3.5)
6. There Goes Rhymin' Simon (1973) (3.5)
5. The Paul Simon Songbook (1965) (3.5)
4. The Rhythm of the Saints (1990) (4.0)
3. Hearts and Bones (1983) (4.0)
2. Paul Simon (1972) (4.0)
1. Graceland (1986) (4.5)
I grew up with Simon and Garfunkel - really loved their music. My favorite Paul Simon album is his first one. My favorite period is through Hearts and Bones which I know is not at all controversial. I was not a fan of Graceland except for 3 - 4 songs. I have all of his albums except for a couple of the later ones. He is one of my favorite lyricists.
After listening to this, I want to listen to his early albums again. I really love the song Jonah from One Trick Pony. Also Rene and Georgette from Hearts and Bones. And so many others….
I was hoping for an upcoming schedule in the description like we used to get.
Ween Jethro Tull and Cake!
@@TastesLikeMusic In that order?
I'm already 1/3rd of the way through Jethro Tull's catalog, but I didn't realize Ween was also on the docket.
An artist making a radical departure and their best album 14 years into their career? I know you’ll disagree but Folklore (like Graceland another Grammy AOTY) in 2020 came to mind right away.
Didn’t think about that one. Maybeeee. - Joe
"American Tune" is Art Garfunkel's favorite Paul Simon song.
One Trick Pony is my favorite Paul Simon album & the movie is actually fairly decent with Lou Reed as his manager & Tony Levin in his band & looking exactly like he still looks today !
hey , one trick pony is my #1 album also cheers🐯
My Favorite album is One Trick Pony,and I Love the movie as well 👍
Don't remember seeing Graceland in your AOTY for 1986? But nice to see the appreciation, especially for Still Crazy...excellent album.
Paul Simon is one of America's great songwriters. I'd put him up there with Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell in terms of the singer-songwriter milleu. As someone who doesn't really pay attention to lyrics and is more focused on music and melody, Paul has great lyrics and fantastic and varied sounds, styles and melodies. Love his boyish voice too.
Love the ranking guys. Joe's list is basically identical to mine but I'd swap the self-titled and There Goes Rhymin' Simon which I think is a tad overrated besides the two singles. Though, Jason's opinions on the self-titled not having strong melodies and 50 Ways having a bad chorus is a little absurd.
Here it goes:
15. You're the One 2.5
14. Seven Psalms 2.5
13. Songs From the Capeman 2.5
12. In the Blue Light 3.0
11. Surprise 3.0
10. Stranger To Stranger 3.5
9. One-Trick Pony 3.5
8. The Rhythm of the Saints 3.5
7. So Beautiful or So What 3.5
6. Still Crazy After All These Years 3.5
5. Paul Simon 4.0
4. There Goes Rhymin' Simon 4.0
3. Hearts and Bones 4.0
2. The Paul Simon Songbook 4.0
1. Graceland 5.0
good list but i cant do the graceland thing but you know the story of the 1 song lol💜💜
@@bengalgangster Thank you, bengal. Yes, I remember and I totally understand. 🎶💜💜
Joe working on his zz top beard. Keep on. Great idea! Greetings from Leipzig/ germany.
Interesting note about The Capeman. He didn't write any of the lyrics. For some reason, he collaborated with the Carribean poet and playwright, Derek Walcott, who wrote all of the lyrics. Not sure why Simon decided not to write his own lyrics for the musical/album. I don't think Walcott had ever written song lyrics before this project.
The ‘72 self titled is easily my favorite, and Duncan is probably my favorite song of his.
Interesting story with Graceland. The song where Los Lobos collaborates with Simon. The way Los Lobos tells the story, neither party was too excited about it, but the label insisted. When they got together, Simon basically askes them if they had anything, musically. Supposedly, the music is a song David Hidalgo already had, it was all his. Simon had them play it, recorded it, and then came up with some lyrics and did the vocals. But the songwriting credits went only to Simon. There is some lasting animosity about that, at least from the Los Lobos side.
With Paul Simon, its a case of the music getting better in reverse chronological order. The further back you go, the better it gets. His 70's albums were corkers. Cheers.
15. Hearts And Bones (1983) 1.5/5
14. Songs From The Capeman (1997) 1.5/5
13. Surprise (2006) 2/5
12. Seven Psalms (2023) 2/5
11. One-Trick Pony (1980) 2/5
10. In the Blue Light (2018) 2/5
9. So Beautiful Or So What (2011) 2.5/5
8. Stranger To Stranger (2016) 2.5/5
7. The Rhythm Of The Saints (1990) 2.5/5
6. You're The One (2000) 2.5/5
5. Still Crazy After All These Years (1975) 3/5
4. Graceland (1986) 3/5
3. The Paul Simon Songbook (1965) 3.5/5
2. There Goes Rhymin' Simon (1973) 3.5/5
1. Paul Simon (1972) 4/5
As a Paul Simon fan from the opening notes of Sound of Silence, first heard on my transistor radio in late Summer 1965, I have to say, you missed the mark. You left off his live album, Live Rhymin', featuring an excellent version of American Tune, and, ALL the Simon and Garfunkel albums are basically Paul Simon albums. Art was a great harmonizer, with a sweet tenor, but Paul was the writer, musician, and performer who drove the duo to the heights! That said, There Goes Rhymin' Simon is his all-time best, followed closely by Paul Simon, the first solo LP! Graceland is more inclusive, but not as engaging. I'd put it in 3rd, the only earworm on it You Can Call Me Al. Rhymin' Simon is one earworm after another. Still Crazy is a heads-up for what would be coming, One Trick Pony, and Hearts and Bones.
Y'all came into Simon piecemeal, hearing later albums first, then gravitating toward the earlier stuff. Those around my age got to know Paul through S&G, then with the solo albums. It was a progression, through Graceland, more or less. Then, the desert, with few oases. You have to hand it to the man, to record a listenable album at 82, but in terms of vital music, his best days were 1965-1975. Everything after is more icing on an already well-iced cake!
Im a paul simon megafan.. even still while i dont agree with a few things you kinda nailed it on this one... you have the objective eye and i cant disagree
“Kind of a jerk move by Paul Simon” ought to be the title of his memoir. I think Los Lobos would agree.
Jason, how dare you crap on my 4-year old self’s favorite song…
I think Graceland is highly overrated, but better than most of his records.
I agree with "Stranger to Stranger" being at the bottom. When he toured "So Beautiful or So What," he would play at least 5 songs from the album at each show, and they weren't always the same. When he toured "Stranger to Stranger," I think he only played one or two songs from the album per show. That should tell you a lot about the quality of the album.
Would have been interesting to hear your opinions on "A Simple Desultory..."
When Joe Talks about Graceland. Don't forget his time in Simon & Garfunkel / Tom & Jerry (back in the late 1950's). Graceland came very late into his career in that aspect. It's hard to find any artist or band that released such a new take and good quality album like at that point of their career.
Yeah, if you start counting from the very first Tom & Jerry single ("Hey Schoolgirl") in 1957, Graceland was released 29 years into Simon's career. That's crazy.
Great job. I'm more aligned with Joe except for the debut which I'm closer to Jason.
Y'all didn't even mention the other vocalists on Capeman. 😑
Since I know you guys surveyed Dylan, too, I thought I'd chime in with this: Did you know that Tom Wilson, the Texas-born African-American Columbia producer of Dylan's albums up through "Bringing It All Back Home" (and the single, "Like a Rolling Stone") is the guy who (inspired by the success of the Byrds' cover of "Mr. Tamborine Man") made "Sound of Silence" into a hit single by adding a drum track and electronic instruments to it, thus launching Simon & Garfunkel's commercial career -- after they'd already split up (and not for the first time)?
Of course it is all subjective. I am a huge Paul Simon fan and have listened to each of these albums hundreds of times. The ones I seem to pick out more than the rest lately are Capeman (upset about the racial slurs, really?), Surprise and Graceland. But, to each their own.
Rhymin’ Simon is his best, tied with Graceland. It stayed on the charts for almost the whole year. Matched Blood on the Tracks, Band on the Run and Court and Spark in the duration on the charts, for good reason. Superb. Graceland is busier and unusual (and fantastic) but Rhymin is his best pure pop song construction, delivery and production.
Hi, nice to see you again talking about a great artist who i consider among the best songwriter ever.
Graceland is indeed my favourite album, Still crazy after all these years comes after that, then There goes rhymin and the self titled album
PS: have you done a Paul McCartney ranking together? i've seen the one by Jason 5 years ago or so
14) Songs from the Capeman (1997) 3.5/5
13) Seven Psalms (2023) 3.75/5
12) Hearts and Bones (1983) 3.75/5
11) So Beautiful or So What (2011) 4/5
10) Surprise (2006) 4/5
09) One-Trick Pony (1980) 4/5
08) Stranger to Stranger (2016) 4/5
07) The Rhythm of the Saints (1990) 4/5
06) There Goes Rhymin' Simon (1973) 4/5
05) Paul Simon (1972) 4.25/5
04) You're the One (2000) 4.5/5
03) The Paul Simon Songbook (1965) 5/5
02) Graceland (1986) 5/5
01) Still Crazy After All These Years (1975) 5/5
Ratings Scale:
0 stars - irredeemably terrible/insultingly bad/the worst
.5 stars - terrible
1 star - bad
1.5 stars - pretty bad
2 stars - weak/mediocre
2.5 stars - meh
2.75 stars - "It's OK, but quit playing it."
3 stars - OK/decent
3.25 stars - pretty good
3.5 stars - good
3.75 stars - really good
4 stars - very good
4.25 stars - very, very good
4.5 stars - excellent
5 stars - lasers in the jungle
Chronological Order:
1965 - 5.00 - The Paul Simon Songbook
1972 - 4.25 - Paul Simon
1973 - 4.00 - There Goes Rhymin' Simon
1975 - 5.00 - Still Crazy After All These Years
1980 - 4.00 - One-Trick Pony
1983 - 3.75 - Hearts and Bones
1986 - 5.00 - Graceland
1990 - 4.00 - The Rhythm of the Saints
1997 - 3.50 - Songs from the Capeman
2000 - 4.50 - You're the One
2006 - 4.00 - Surprise
2011 - 4.00 - So Beautiful or So What
2016 - 4.00 - Stranger to Stranger
2023 - 3.75 - Seven Psalms
Notes:
* I've been listening to Simon and Garfunkel since I was a baby. I heard plenty of solo Paul Simon on the radio growing up. He's always been around.
* The Paul Simon Songbook has solo acoustic versions of many songs that would become much more well-known Simon and Garfunkel songs. Simon and Garfunkel made the definitive versions, but the Songbook versions, while more skeletal, are fully formed in their own right. Their greatness cannot be denied!
* There Goes Rhymin' Simon has some great songs, but it also has the first Simon song I don't care for - "Something so Right" which is too mushy and light for my tastes.
* I remember how fascinated I was with "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" when I was a kid.
* It's a shame what Paul Simon did to Art Garfunkel during the recording sessions for Hearts and Bones. It was supposed to be an S&G collaboration, but Simon felt the songs were too personal and he ended up going solo and erasing Garfunkel's contributions, severely damaging their relationship. The album is very interesting though. Opener "Allergies" has a cool, almost metalesque guitar solo. Lots of cool sounds on "Think Too Much (a)" - sounds kinda New Wave. "Cars Are Cars" is something else. The verses are meh, but the chorus sounds like proto They Might Be Giants!
* Songs for the Capeman has a lot of Puerto Rican doo wop which is definitely not my thing, but this music is undeniably good, including some great guest singers. The explicit language is rather shocking, especially coming from Simon. I'm not a prude when it comes to cuss words, but the racism and racial slurs were still a bit of a turn off, even though Simon was just writing for the characters he was portraying.
* I think You're the One is highly underrated. A laid back, fun record with plenty of trademark Simon humor. Lots of great world music, some great instrumentation like pedal steel and great songs.
* Surprise is an interesting collaboration with Brian Eno and I think it works for the most part. The opening cut is weak, but everything else is at least good and the last two tracks are 5s.
* Strangely, on So Beautiful or So What, I also find the opening track weak, most of the cuts to be very good and the last two tracks to be the best just like on Surprise. Opener "Getting Ready for Christmas Day" is ruined by excessive overlaid samples from some sermon, and I'm not so sure it would be a song even without that issue. The rest of the album is quite strong though, including more African influences and a lovely kora along with great guitar on "Rewrite."
* Stranger to Stranger turns out to be the strongest post-2000 album, a late career highlight.
* I didn't include In the Blue Light because I'm not interested in including re-recordings of previously released album cuts.
* I found Seven Psalms to be a moving rumination on death.
* Love me some Paul Simon!!!
* Cheers mates!!!!!!!!!!!!
I've heard a few live versions of "Something So Right" that have a bit more energy, but yeah, it's not a favorite of mine, either. One of the reasons Rhymin' doesn't quite get to 5 stars in my book.
Over a month now without an album ranking when it used to be one every week. What’s going on guys?
It’s very very time consuming. - Joe
Our numbers on those videos had basically plateaued. We get as many views, and make as much, if not more money, from tier lists and other content that requires about 1/10 the preparation and editing. The album-ranking-every-week model is dead. -Jason
I think it's worth pointing out that many of the sounds and styles on Graceland HAD been heard outside of Africa before--by people who had been listening to 1985's highly acclaimed and influential Indestructible Beat of Soweto compilation, for example. Even Malcolm McLaren had incorporated township styles in 1983, on his Duck Rock album produced by Trevor Horn. Lizzy Mercier Descloux had a huge European hit in 1984 with a song from her Zulu Rock album, "Mais ou Sont Passées les Gazelles?" (Check it out on RUclips, you'll be glad you did.) South African music was increasingly in the air through the first half of the 80s; Paul Simon was far from the first to take it on. If anything, he was a bit late to the game.
Not in America he wasn’t. - Joe
I think the obvious rhymes in "50 Ways" is done on purpose. Leaving your.lover is a real old story after all, and very cliche ridden.
Graceland was always overrated. His peak was Bridge to Rhymin.
The Paul Simon Songbook isn't bad at all, wonderful version of I Am a Rock, and definitely the best version of Kathy's Song (she's even on the cover, which is a nice touch).
Wow, you guys are pretty harsh on Paul Simon - just unexpected. One of things I love about Paul Simon is that you think he is doing a funny, kind of silly, song and then he’ll throw in such poetic lyrics.From “Afterlife”:
After you climb, up the ladder of time, the Lord God is near
Face to face, in the vastness of space, your words disappear
And you feel like swimming in an ocean of love, and the current is strong
But all that remains when you try to explain is a fragment of song
Tremendous lyricist, no doubt. But I think the success of Graceland kind of blew him off course musically. Don’t think he ever really found his way back. -Jason
@@TastesLikeMusic Go Jason! Love the ire against Paul's music I've heard so far. A fine artist on a lost highway.
Since you guys ranked all the Black Sabbath albums..how about Ozzy Osborne solo album ranked?? Would be a great vid since he has several albums and they range in quality
“The Sound Of Silence” - an utterly beautiful, visionary, and poetic song, was written by the same man who wrote the cheesy AF (and somehow immensely popular) “You Can Call Me Al”
I can’t think of one other artist who wrote one of my most beloved songs and also one of the absolute worst.
Going to have to politely disagree on this. The Sound of Silence is a little overblown where as You Can Call Me Al is fun and breezy and inspired by a true story. - Joe
I'm not a huge fan of "Call Me Al." I don't have it rated as one of the best songs on Graceland. But the lyrics, bass playing and piccolo solo are worth the price of admission.
But I totally agree with your assessment of "Sound of Silence." If this were Tier List Tuesday it would be double S tier.
8 year old me did not want to hear Paul Simon “rapping” and my feelings haven’t changed. It’s just not what I want in any of my favorite 80s tunes. I understand you both disagree.
@@AbbeyRoadkill1 I wholeheartedly agree.
I think you guys need to look at the catalog of KIKI DEE. Her albums ranged from Spector-ish girl group pop in the 60s to Motown in the early 70s to her Rocket years with Elton in the 70s to her more experimental work with Carmelo Luggeri. Her album WHERE RIVERS MEET with Carmelo is right up there with GRACELAND, bringing Middle Eastern and Indian music to the forefront - it's pretty earth shattering stuff.
I also think you guys should rank DAVID GRAY, now that Kramer is gone.
Kramzer - damn autocorrect
Still not going to do David Gray. I’ve been meaning to check out more Dee. - Joe
My two favorite solo Paul Simon songs are "The Vampires" and "She Moves On". I asked Derek Walcott about a line from the vampire song, and he answered "That was Paul's". Sorry but Graceland doesn't appeal to me.
Ok,slightly off topic but holy smokes I just went to iTunes to fill in some gaps in my Paul Simon Collection, and there is a REMIX album of Graceland. Blasphemy! Can’t believe Paul Simon would have signed off on this … what a horror.