NEW ALBUM: In the Blue Light - Printable Version

NEW ALBUM: In the Blue Light - Printable Version

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NEW ALBUM: In the Blue Light - Ruby - 07-09-2018

PAUL SIMON - In the Blue Light

Tracklisting:

1.            "One Man's Ceiling Is Another Man's Floor" - There Goes Rhymin' Simon (1973)
2.            "Love" - You're the One (2000)
3.            "Can't Run But" - The Rhythm of the Saints (1990)
4.            "How the Heart Approaches What It Yearns” - One-Trick Pony (1980)
5.            "Pigs, Sheep and Wolves” - You're the One (2000)
6.            "René and Georgette Magritte with Their Dog After the War” - Hearts and Bones (1983)
7.            "The Teacher" - You're the One (2000)
8.            "Darling Lorraine" - You're the One (2000)
9.            "Some Folks' Lives Roll Easy” - Still Crazy After All These Years (1975)
10.          "Questions for the Angels" - So Beautiful or So What (2011)

Sumptuous yet edgy is what springs to mind listening to this. Mr Simon has not lost his touch! The best way I can think of describing the album is that if Woody Allen was a musician – this might be what he’d sound like – just a LOT less annoying! J Seriously – although he goes off on a few tangents, there’s absolute control, I’d say.

Simon is soon to be seventy seven – good grief! You’d never guess that this was the voice of a man who is three years away from 80. He’s reworked some of his lesser known songs from over the course of his career and it is immediately evident that he has top class musos to aid him in his endeavours; Bill Frisell, Wynton Marsalis, Jack DeJohnette and Steve Gadd, and an accomplished chamber ensemble from New York – yMusic, as well as others (Bryce Dessner of The National being one). Fantastic sounds – beautifully arranged and produced reinventions. I’m far from a fan of everything he’s ever done - not that I’ve heard it all, admittedly (did not like Graceland, for example), but credit must be given where it’s due, and IMHO that’s definitely here. It’s music of a semi-jazz persuasion I would say, by virtue of it's conversational and somewhat offbeat nature, nobody gets excited and there are no big solo breaks (well – perhaps with the exception of that sax!).

Well worth a listen … funnily enough I think this makes a perfect companion to Madelaine Peyroux’s most recent release – a pigeon pair! It’s not rock, not jazz and is very easy on the ear which is why I’m putting it here, quickly, before my signal disappears Rolleyes

…

RE: NEW ALBUM: In the Blue Light - CRAZY-HORSE - 08-09-2018

i listened to the opening track yesterday, loved it...

then I read a review which said it was a covers album, well, new recordings of some of his personal favourites from his back catalogue...
I then gave up on it...

strangely enough, both Paul's (Simon and McCartney), both 76 and both release albums on the same day,
should be interesting who wins the battle of chart positions next week...
pretty sure Macca will dominate in the UK, Simon will probably win out here in Australia but I think the US could go either way.

RE: NEW ALBUM: In the Blue Light - SteveO - 09-09-2018

Great to see two of the iconic songwriters releasing new albums !

RE: NEW ALBUM: In the Blue Light - Music Head - 09-09-2018

will probably give this a pass when it comes up for me
depending on the competition
only thing worse than a covers album would be covering your own material
I always preferred Art anyway

RE: NEW ALBUM: In the Blue Light - CRAZY-HORSE - 09-09-2018

(09-09-2018, 12:13)Music Head Wrote: will probably give this a pass when it comes up for me
depending on the competition
only thing worse than a covers album would be covering your own material
I always preferred Art anyway

i agree mate....
as you know I'm a huge CCR/Fogerty fan but I still cant bring myself to buy that duets covers set of his old songs called "wrote a song for everyone" he released three years ago...

I'm sure his duet with Grohl covering "fortunate son" is probably very good in its own right but, no thanks....

only bonus with the Paul Simon for me is that I don't know the originals as I'm not a fan of him

RE: NEW ALBUM: In the Blue Light - Ruby - 09-09-2018

Well that went down like a lead Zeppelin! Lol!

I think differently - don’t see anything wrong with an artist breathing new life into their old songs, or presenting them in such a way as to bring them out of the background they slid into somewhere along the way. It still takes imagination to come up with a new direction – perhaps even more so. They may not always get it right, but sometimes they do.

It’s a difficult question, this one of covers - there are credible artists who pretty much wouldn't have had a career had it not been for doing covers – Richie Havens, Joe Cocker, for example. S'pose you have to assess each one on their own merit.

Interesting to hear other opinions and as always - to each their own. Smile

RE: NEW ALBUM: In the Blue Light - SteveO - 16-09-2018

I agree Ruby ! Here is an example of great covers !

RE: NEW ALBUM: In the Blue Light - Music Head - 13-01-2019

I dropped out after Rhythm Of The Saints
probably the 7 year layoff caused that
so half of this I was not familiar with
was hoping to get a fav out of those
but it turned out to be what Ruby posted
much prefer the new arrangement of that track
cello/flute/bassoon over xylophone
no contest for the bomb
Pigs, Sheep & Wolves

RE: NEW ALBUM: In the Blue Light - Ruby - 13-01-2019

Wowzer MH!
Does this alter your stance on covers at all?
Cool that you listened.