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Greatest Hits, Etc.
''Greatest Hits, Etc.'' is the first greatest hits album by American singer-songwriter Paul Simon, released in November 1977 by Columbia Records. It was his first compilation, spanning the first six years of his solo career. Its release was prompted by the fact that two years after his last studio album, Simon didn't yet have enough material to release a new full-length album, and his contract with Columbia was finished but a new album was needed to fulfill it. Simon later signed with Warner Bros. Records. The album was initially supposed to be called ''Blatant Greatest Hits''. The album included two new songs: the smooth ballad "Slip Slidin' Away", a US top 5 hit previously considered for ''Still Crazy After All These Years'', and the upbeat "Stranded in a Limousine", which failed to chart in the US. "Slip Slidin' Away" was not available in any other album until 1988's '' Negotiations and Love Songs'' and "Stranded in a Limousine" was added as a bonus track on the CD reissue of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Paul Simon
Paul Frederic Simon (born October 13, 1941) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and actor whose career has spanned six decades. He is one of the most acclaimed songwriters in popular music, both as a solo artist and as half of folk rock duo Simon & Garfunkel with Art Garfunkel. Simon was born in Newark, New Jersey, and grew up in the Queens, borough of Queens in New York City. He began performing with his schoolfriend Art Garfunkel in 1956 when they were still in their early teens. After limited success, the pair reunited after an electrified version of their song "The Sound of Silence" became a hit in 1966. Simon & Garfunkel recorded five albums together featuring songs mostly written by Simon, including the hits "Mrs. Robinson", "America (Simon & Garfunkel song), America", "Bridge over Troubled Water (song), Bridge over Troubled Water" and "The Boxer". After Simon & Garfunkel split in 1970, Simon recorded three acclaimed albums over the following five years, all of w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Graceland (album)
''Graceland'' is the seventh solo studio album by the American singer-songwriter Paul Simon. It was produced by Simon, engineered by Roy Halee and released on August 25, 1986, by Warner Bros. Records. In the early 1980s, Simon's relationship with his former musical partner Art Garfunkel had deteriorated, his marriage to actress Carrie Fisher had collapsed, and his previous record, ''Hearts and Bones'' (1983), had been a commercial failure. In 1984, after a period of depression, Simon became fascinated by a bootleg cassette of ''mbaqanga'', South African street music. He and Halee visited Johannesburg, where they spent two weeks recording with South African musicians. Further recordings were held in the United States, with guest musicians including Linda Ronstadt, the Everly Brothers, Louisiana band Good Rockin' Dopsie and the Twisters, and Los Angeles band Los Lobos. ''Graceland'' features an eclectic mixture of genres, including pop, rock, ''a cappella'', zydeco, ''isicatham ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
American Tune
"American Tune" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Paul Simon. It was the third single from his third studio album, ''There Goes Rhymin' Simon'' (1973), released on Columbia Records. The song, a meditation on the American experience, is based on the melody of the hymn " O Sacred Head, Now Wounded". The song reached number 35 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Whitburn, Joel (1996). ''The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits'', 6th Edition (Billboard Publications). Lyrics In an interview with Tom Moon in 2011, Paul Simon was asked about political references in his songs, and he said: "I don’t write overtly political songs, although 'American Tune' comes pretty close, as it was written just after Nixon was elected." Reception '' Billboard'' described it as a "discourse on inner security while being far from home." '' Cash Box'' called it a "gorgeous, haunting, highly lyrical track" and said that the "soft vocal performance is heightened by sweet string section." It is ranked n ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
50 Ways To Leave Your Lover
"50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Paul Simon. It was the second single from his fourth studio album, ''Still Crazy After All These Years'' (1975), released on Columbia Records. Backing vocals on the single were performed by Patti Austin, Valerie Simpson, and Phoebe Snow. The song features a recognizable repeated drum riff performed by drummer Steve Gadd. One of his most popular singles, "50 Ways" was released in December 1975 and began to see chart success within the new year. It became Simon's sole number-one hit as a solo artist on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in the United States, and was his highest position in France, where it peaked at number two. Elsewhere, the song was a top 20 hit in Canada and New Zealand. The single was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), denoting sales of over one million copies. Creation Following Simon's divorce from first wife Peggy Harper, Simon opted to take a more humorou ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kodachrome (song)
"Kodachrome" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Paul Simon. It was the lead single from his third studio album, ''There Goes Rhymin' Simon'' (1973), released on Columbia Records. The song is named after Kodak's now-discontinued reversal film brand Kodachrome. Description After a review in ''Billboards May 12 issue praising its "cheerfully antisocial lyrics," the song debuted at No. 82 in the Hot 100 on the week-ending May 19, 1973. The lyrics to this song on ''There Goes Rhymin' Simon'' differed in wording from those on ''The Concert in Central Park'' (1982) and ''Paul Simon's Concert in the Park, August 15, 1991'' albums. The lyrics on the original album version said, "everything looks worse in black and white," but on the live albums he sang, "everything looks better in black and white." Simon said, "I can't remember which way I originally wrote it – 'better' or 'worse' – but I always change it.... 'Kodachrome' was a song that was originally called 'Goin' Home.'" ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Something So Right (song)
"Something So Right" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Paul Simon. It is the fourth song on his third studio album, ''There Goes Rhymin' Simon'' (1973). Although it was not a single, it was released as a B-side of a number of singles, including "Take Me to the Mardi Gras" and "Slip Slidin' Away". The song has been covered by numerous artists, most notably by British singer Annie Lennox, whose 1995 duet with Simon placed at number 44 on the UK Singles Chart. Personnel Credits adapted from the liner notes of ''There Goes Rhymin' Simon''. *Paul Simon – vocals, guitar, songwriting, production *David Spinozza – guitar *Al Gafa – guitar *Richard Davis (bassist), Richard Davis – acoustic bass *Bob Cranshaw – electric bass *Grady Tate – drums *Bob James (musician), Bob James – Rhodes piano, Fender Rhodes *Bobby Scott (musician), Bobby Scott – piano *Don Elliott – vibraphone *Quincy Jones – String section, string arrangement *Phil Ramone – audio engineer ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Me And Julio Down By The Schoolyard
"Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard" is a song by American singer-songwriter Paul Simon. It was the second single from his second, self-titled studio album (1972), released on Columbia Records. Lyrical subject The song is about two boys ("Me and Julio") who have broken a law, although the exact law that has been broken is not stated in the song. When "the mama pajama" finds out what they have done, she goes to the police station to report the crime. The individuals are later arrested, but released when a "radical priest" intervenes. The meaning and references in the song have long provoked debate. In a July 20, 1972 interview for ''Rolling Stone'', Jon Landau asked Simon: "What is it that the mama saw? The whole world wants to know." Simon replied "I have no idea what it is... Something sexual is what I imagine, but when I say 'something', I never bothered to figure out what it was. Didn't make any difference to me." More recently, in October 2010, Simon described the song as ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Duncan (Paul Simon Song)
"Duncan" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Paul Simon. It was the third and final single from his second self-titled studio album (1972), released on Columbia Records. The song was also released as a single in July 1972 as "Duncan" b/w "Run That Body Down". A ballad in E-minor, "Duncan" tells the story of Lincoln Duncan, a fisherman's son. An inability to fall asleep in a cheap motel due to the loud sex that a couple is having next door sends Duncan off on a long reverie. He recalls his decision to leave "the boredom and the chowder" of his hometown in the Canadian Maritime Provinces and head towards New England. He recalls running out of money, losing his confidence and faith in himself, and gaining them back after losing his virginity to a young female street preacher – "just like a dog I was befriended". The cult Children of God, later known as the Family International, founded by David Berg used girls and women in their group to proselytize towards the cult wi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Still Crazy After All These Years (song)
"Still Crazy After All These Years" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Paul Simon. It was the third and final single from his fourth studio album of the same name (1975), released on Columbia Records. Though the song briefly reached the top 40 of the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in the U.S., it was a bigger hit on the magazine's Easy Listening chart, where it peaked at number four. Composition "Still Crazy After All These Years" begins with the singer singing that "I met my old lover on the street last night." The "old lover" has been variously interpreted to be either Simon's ex-wife Peggy Harper, from whom he was recently divorced, his former girlfriend from the 1960s Kathy Chitty, or even Simon's former musical partner Art Garfunkel, who appears on the following track, My Little Town. After sharing a few beers, the singer and the old lover part ways again. The singer notes that he is "not the kind of man who tends to socialize" but rather leans "on old familiar ways" and i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Session Musician
Session musicians, studio musicians, or backing musicians are musicians hired to perform in recording sessions or live performances. The term sideman is also used in the case of live performances, such as accompanying a recording artist on a tour. Session musicians are usually not permanent or official members of a musical ensemble or band. They work behind the scenes and rarely achieve individual fame in their own right as soloists or bandleaders. However, top session musicians are well known within the music industry, and some have become publicly recognized, such as the Wrecking Crew, the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section and The Funk Brothers who worked with Motown Records. Many session musicians specialize in playing common rhythm section instruments such as guitar, piano, bass, or drums. Others are specialists, and play brass, woodwinds, and strings. Many session musicians play multiple instruments, which lets them play in a wider range of musical situations, genres an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ticknor & Fields
Ticknor and Fields was an American publishing company based in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded as a bookstore in 1832, the business would publish many 19th century American authors including Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Henry James, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Henry David Thoreau, and Mark Twain. It also became an early publisher of ''The Atlantic Monthly'' and ''North American Review''. The firm was named after founder William Davis Ticknor and apprentice James T. Fields, although the names of additional business partners would come and go, notably that of James R. Osgood in the firm's later years. Financial problems led Osgood to merge the company with the publishing firm of Henry Oscar Houghton in 1878, forming a precursor to the modern publisher Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Houghton Mifflin revived the Ticknor and Fields name as an imprint from 1979 to 1989. Company history Early years In 1832 William Davis Ticknor and John All ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rock Albums Of The Seventies
''Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies'' is a music reference book by American music journalist and essayist Robert Christgau. It was first published in October 1981 by Ticknor & Fields. The book compiles approximately 3,000 of Christgau's capsule album reviews, most of which were originally written for his "Consumer Guide" column in ''The Village Voice'' throughout the 1970s. The entries feature annotated details about each record's release and cover a variety of genres related to rock music. Christgau's reviews are informed by an interest in the aesthetic and political dimensions of popular music, a belief that it could be consumed intelligently, and a desire to communicate his ideas to readers in an entertaining, provocative, and compact way. Many of the older reviews were rewritten for the guide to reflect his changed perspective and matured stylistic approach. He undertook an intense preparation process for the book during 1979 and 1980, which temporarily ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
