Disc 285 is...You're The One
Artist: Paul Simon
Year of Release: 2000
What’s Up With The Cover?: As I noted in the teaser, this is a very relaxed album, and it starts with the cover. A 59 year old Paul Simon sits back and looks quite at ease. I think he actually looks better than he did in the sixties, when he had that ridiculous bowl cut.
How I Came To Know It: As I noted way back at Disc 29, when I reviewed Paul Simon's greatest hits album, I first got into Paul Simon through Simon and Garfunkel albums from the sixties, and I recently reviewed the first one I ever heard back at Disc 239.
How It Stacks Up: I only have two Paul Simon albums. I like the other one much more than this one, but it isn't really fair, since the other one I have is a really, really big album. I'll talk about that one when I roll it, but I'm sure you can guess.
Rating: 3 stars.
This album is a very upbeat offering from Simon, who's had his fair share of heartache, but seems well contented on "You're The One".
The songs on this album focus a lot on aging gracefully, including "Darling Lorraine", a long ballad telling the tale of a couple's ups and downs from marriage through to the death of one of them. "Darling Lorraine" is a beautiful expression of a relationship, warts and all, through the ages.
Another age related song is the aptly named, "Old", where Simon ruminates on exactly how old he is these days (as noted above - 59, and that was ten years ago). This song starts out with promise, and my favourite stanza is:
"First time I smoked
Guess what - paranoid
First time I heard "Satisfaction"
I was young and unemployed
Down the decades every year
Summer leaves and my birthday's here
And all my friends stand up and cheer
And say 'man, you're old.'"
Later he compares his age to how old God is, how long the bible has been around, and eventually how old the universe itself is (c. 13-14 billion, FYI). I like the idea behind this, but the execution comes off a little schmaltzy and maybe even a bit 'highschool poetry'.
That is true for many places in this record, that see Simon bravely exploring ideas of aging and perspective with mixed results.
Musically, this record is a natural extension of "Graceland", with Simon still employing sprung rhythm in his phrasing, and an African-inspired surfeit of drum sounds.
However, it also shows him growing in places, and in songs like "The Teacher" he employs a Celtic drum style with a caucusus twist that Loreena McKennitt would be proud of. I don't like "The Teacher" as a song very much, but I like to see well-established artists like Simon still unafraid to play with their own structures and find something new.
Vocally, I am also notably impressed with Paul Simon here, who hits many high notes with a surprisingly pretty tone. Well removed from Garfunkel's vocal shadow, Paul Simon's voice seems to get better with age.
When I first got this record ten years ago, it really stuck with me and got a fair bit of stereo time, but over the years some of the novelty has worn off. I still admire it, but it is too uneven to give more than three stars.
Best tracks: That's Where I Belong, Darling Lorraine, Old, Hurricane Eye
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