The dangling conversation (Simon and Garfunkel) (LP 3778 - 3782)

Simon and Garfunkel  Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme (Vinyl, CBS Records, 1966) *****  

Simon & Garfunkel   Live from New York City, 1967 (CD, Columbia Records, 2002) *** 

Simon & Garfunkel  Bookends (Vinyl, CBS Records, 1968) *****   

Simon and Garfunkel  Bridge Over Troubled Water (Vinyl, CBS Records, 1970) *****   

Simon and Garfunkel  Old Friends: Live on Stage (CD, Columbia Records, 2004) ****   

Genre: Folk rock, pop

Places I remember: Marbecks Records, Kings Recording

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Cecilia (BOTW)

Gear costume: Mrs. Robinson (Bookends), The Boxer (BOTW)

They loom large in his legend (The Album Collection playlists): Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Part 5; Part 6

Active compensatory factors: As I was growing up, I was, of course, aware of their big hits, but I was late coming to the Simon and Garfunkel albums. I'd started with Paul's solo album - There Goes Rhymin' Simon, and worked backwards, beginning with Bridge Over Troubled Water, but then going further into their back catalogue. 

The awkwardly titled Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme was their third album. The Sounds of Silence had been successful so Paul returned from London and the duo was reunited.

Now with time (four months) to work on songs, the pair came up with some enduring classics: Homeward Bound; The Dangling Conversation; Scarborough Fair/Canticle; The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy); For Emily, Wherever I May Find Her and 7 O'Clock News/Silent Night.

The Live in New York album documents their early approach (the set was well recorded, in early 1967) - Paul on guitar and both Art and Paul on vocals. This is an excellent concert - warm and relaxed pretty much, as they go through their early hits amongst the material from their first couple of albums.  

Bookends is a carefully realised album. The first side follows a concept - the aging process, while the second has the hits - Mrs. Robinson, and A Hazy Shade of Winter. It all hangs together - showing the serious/art side of their music. 

AllMusic sums it up well: Simon & Garfunkel never overstate; instead they observe, almost journalistically, enormous life and cultural questions in the process of them being asked. In just over 29 minutes, Bookends is stunning in its vision of a bewildered America in search of itself.

What can be said of Bridge Over Troubled Water? An unbelievable collection that serves as testament to the genius of both Simon and Garfunkel. Art's singing on the title song is peerless, and Paul's writing peeks on this album. As a duo they left the best to last as they effortlessly feature a range of styles, from rock, R&B,gospel, jazz, South American music, folk rock and pop. An embarrassment of riches!

The Old Friends Live on Stage double CD set is magic as well. It documents their 2003 tour well and even though Art's voice isn't the pristine instrument it once was, the concert and CD become a fitting reminder of the magic the two old friends could conjure up. Yes, it's an exercise in nostalgia but so what.

Where do they all belong? The notable exception is 1981's Concert in Central Park reunion album - for some reason I never bought it.

There are plethora of Greatest Hits style compilations out there - I have three. They act as a great sampler.

Kodachrome (Paul Simon) (LP 3770 - 3777)

Paul Simon  The Paul Simon Songbook (Vinyl, CBS Records, 1965) ****  

Paul Simon  Paul Simon (Vinyl, CBS Records, 1972) ***** 

Paul Simon  There Goes Rhymin' Simon (Vinyl, CBS Records, 1973) *****  

Paul Simon  Paul Simon in Concert: Live Rhymin' (Vinyl, CBS Records, 1974) *****  

Paul Simon  Still Crazy After All These Years (Vinyl, Columbia Records, 1975) ***  

Paul Simon  Hearts and Bones (Vinyl, Warner Bros, Records, 1983) ****  

Paul Simon  Graceland (Vinyl and CD, Warner Bros. Records, 1986) ****  

Paul Simon  Rhythm of the Saints (CD, Warner Bros. Records, 1990) *** 

Genre: Folk, folk-rock, pop

Places I remember: Spellbound Wax Company (The Paul Simon Songbook), Marbecks Records

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Train in the Distance (Hearts and Bones)

Gear costume: You Can Call Me Al (Graceland); Kodachrome (There Goes Rhymin' Simon); My Little Town (Still Crazy After All These Years)

They loom large in his legend (The Album Collection playlists): Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Part 5; Part 6

Active compensatory factors: I know the first thought is for Simon & Garfunkel (they're next), but luckily alphabetically Paul Simon comes first. Luckily, because The Paul Simon Songbook was his debut solo album in 1965 - a year after the first Simon & Garfunkel album (Wednesday Morning 3 A.M.) which I don't own.

The Paul Simon Songbook is just Paul - guitar and vocals recorded in England after he had moved there. He does a couple of songs from Wed. A.M., but mostly he demos/workshops other songs that would appear either on Simon & Garfunkel albums or as part of his later solo albums. I love it. He sounds young and fresh and vital.

Paul Simon was his first solo album after the split with Art Garkunkel. It's an incredible collection of Paul singing warm, funny, observational songs. The big songs were Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard , Mother and Child Runion, and Duncan, but there are no duds on this album. Quality control was on high.

There Goes Rhymin' Simon is another terrific collection of songs and another 5-star masterpiece. That quality control was consistently set on high. Choosing a song or two to represent Paul Simon's solo work is nearly impossible! Every song on this album is a masterpiece.

Live Rhymin' was another superb album. Paul is in fine form throughout.  He is joined by Urubamba for a couple of songs: El Cóndor Pasa (If I Could), Duncan, and The Boxer. All songs benefit from fresh arrangements. He repeats the trick with the Jessy Dixon Singers for the rest of the concert, before ending with a terrific solo version of America.

Cracks starting appearing with Still Crazy After All These Years. There are some great moments (Gone at Last, 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover and especially My Little Town - his reunion with Art), but there is some weak material as well. 

The jazz pop style thanks to the New York session musicians is all a bit too cozy and I really don't like the smug Have a Good Time. Still, the album was a big commercial hit - topping the charts and winning a clutch of Grammy awards.  

I sat out his next album - One Trick Pony. I came out while I was working at Marbecks Records and I listened to it a bit but the jazz sheen didn't move me at the time. So the next album is his break up album with Carrie Fisher - Hearts and Bones.

This is an extraordinary album and along with There Goes Rhymin' Simon - my two favourite Paul Simon albums. It didn't sell but that just means a lot of people missed out on Paul Simon's most personal collection - the anatomy of a love affair. 

Along the way are some of his most inventive music, thanks to ending his flirtation with jazz pop. Train in the Distance, the title track, and René and Georgette Magritte with Their Dog after the War are my personal favourites and the song for John Lennon is the only way he could end this underrated album.

Graceland has developed an aura around it since its release. In my house it's famous for being the record my eldest son, as a toddler (he's now age 40), found in my collection and used as a skateboard. I had to buy a replacement - no big deal, but the story has entered family folklore as a result.

It's a very eclectic mix (like Paul Simon and There Goes Rhymin' Simon) with pop, rock, a cappella, zydeco, and South African styles being used against his poetic imagery. It's a winning combination - with this album he was back big time in commercial terms.

The Rhythm of the Saints was the follow up and it was bound to forever live in Graceland's shadow.

This time Paul turns to Brazilian music for inspiration and texture. It's not as melodic as Graceland (it was a deliberate follow up - so it's hard not to compare them) and therefore less accessible. I can't recall the songs after they have just played which means I don't linger on his lyrics - that are in that same fragmented mode he used on Graceland.

That's it for Paul Simon - next up Simon and Garfunkel.

Where do they all belong? I haven't been lured by the albums post The Rhythm of the Saints. I've heard some of them and I have kind of considered them lesser to his previous work. This might be unfair so I will dip into them via Spotify to see if I've missed anything as good as Hearts and Bones.

Unconscious whispers (Melissa Aldana) (LP 3764 - 3769)

Melissa Aldana  Echoes of the Inner Prophet (Vinyl, Blue Note Records, 2024) ***  

Beau Brummels  Triangle (Vinyl, Warner Bros. Records, 1967/ 2019 reissue) ***  

Fleetwood Mac Christine McVie's Fleetwood Mac at the BBC 1970-71 (Vinyl, Rhythm & Blues Records, 1967/ 2019 reissue) Mostly **** (songs on side 2 - 5 to 8 = *) 

Vincent H.L.  Golden Sun (Vinyl, 1:12 Records, 2021) ***

Fenne Lily  Big Picture (Vinyl, Dead Oceans Records, 2023) **** 

Ester Rose  How Many Times (Vinyl, Father/ Daughter Records, 2021) ***

Genre: Jazz, psychedelic pop, blues rock, NZ music, indie-folk, country/ Americana.

Places I remember: JB Hi Fi

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Crazy 'Bout You Baby, Tell Me All The Things You Do (Fleetwood Mac), Lights Light Up (Fenne Lily)

Gear costume: Nine Pound Hammer (Triangle) 

They loom large in his legend (The Album Collection playlists): Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Part 5; Part 6

Active compensatory factors: JB Hi Fi have been having a big clearout. First it was 75% off, and then those they couldn't move at that price were reduced further to $5 each. Bargains!! And certainly worth a punt. I did a quick Google search while in the store and all seemed worthy of my time, so this was something of a no-brainer. When did you last see a bunch of mint recent releases for five bucks each?

Melissa Aldana (no, I hadn't heard of her either) is a Chilean tenor sax player. The Blue Note label is what made me take the chance on Echoes of the Inner Prophet - her most recent album. Great title - sounds like spiritual jazz which I'm a fan of generally. The album's growing on me, albeit slowly. I'll need a few more listens though to fully appreciate what she is aiming for.

The Beau Brummels album is one I've thought about from time to time. JB Hi Fi must have bought a few of these. Lenny Waronker produced (a good sign), plus it's from 1967 (67 being a magic number for me this year). AllMusic says: All the band's signature styles (folk, country swing, and Brit-pop) are still heard in the mix, but the tunes here assume an added aura of mysticism. Okay. I'll again need a few more listens but I don't quite get it yet.

Christine McVie's Fleetwood Mac Live at the BBC 1970-71 was full price when I visited JB Hi Fi but I couldn't leave it behind. My love of Christine McVie's music has been documented already in this blog.

Three quarters of the album is superb - great audio quality and superb playing, but the other quarter is really rough and while the cover says they are 'very listenable', I beg to differ. Nevermind. For the rest - fantastic songs like Crazy 'Bout You Baby. Side one then is a hoot!

Vincent H.L. looks a bit like Neil Young, sounds a bit like Neil Young and plays a bit like Neil Young. Yikes! Call him the Nu Zild Nil Yung! This album is a slow grower, as in I didn't like it much on the first listen, but then - woh Nelly - second listen, in the spring sunshine, I'm grooving on the sloppy guitars and slurry vocals. This one's a keeper!

The find of the pile though is undoubtably Fenne Lily. Another indie folk singer-songwriter I'd never come across, but for $5 I got a terrific surprise. It helped I heard it first at night. It's perfect at dusk. Then I played it again in the spring sunshine and its magic translated to that scenario as well.

Her delivery is beguiling, as she sings in a hushed tone for the most part. She's reflective but not dour. Songs unwind themselves gently and hauntingly. I'm a fan!

The final $5 purchase is Ester Rose's How Many Times. Ester is an American country musician. This is her third album and, again, I took a punt based on the AllMusic review of her latest album.

How Many Times is a breakup record but it sounds pretty upbeat with some jaunty sounds. Ester's voice is pure and affecting. Nothing wrong with this album and yes, another one that will grow on me in time, I'm sure. The fiddle and pedal steel are particularly fine. 

Where do they all belong? A good haul then with me returning to Fenne Lily every day this week.

Legend in your own time (Carly Simon) (LP 3753 - 3763)

Carly Simon  Carly Simon (Vinyl, Elektra Records, 1971) ***  

Carly Simon  Anticipation (Vinyl, Elektra Records, 1971) *** 

Carly Simon  No Secrets (Vinyl, Elektra Records, 1972) ****  

Carly Simon  Hotcakes (Vinyl, Elektra Records, 1974) ***

Carly Simon  Another Passenger (Vinyl, Elektra Records, 1976) ****   

Carly Simon  Boys in the Trees (Vinyl, Elektra Records, 1978) ****  

Carly Simon  Come Upstairs (Vinyl, Warner Bros. Records, 1980) **  

Carly Simon  Hello Big Man (Vinyl, Warner Bros. Records, 1983) ***  

Carly Simon  Coming Around Again (Vinyl, Arista Records, 1987) ****  

Carly Simon  Greatest Hits Live (CD, Aritsa Records, 1988) ****  

Carly Simon  Live at Grand Central (CD, Arista Records, 2023) ****  

Genre: Pop

Places I remember: Real Groovy Records, Chalden Books and Records, 

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: You're So Vain (No Secrets)

Gear costume: It Keeps You Runnin' (Another Passenger) 

They loom large in his legend (The Album Collection playlists): Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Part 5; Part 6

Active compensatory factors: As you can see, I am obsessed with Carly Simon - the original Taylor Swift. Insanely talented, gorgeous, and somehow she remains down to earth.

I'm not a completist though, as the missing albums below show. Like the rest of the planet, I was aware of her in 1972 thanks to You're So Vain, but the obsession only started with 1985's Spoiled Girl. Head over heels!

Ahem...anyway, back to the beginning. Carly Simon was her debut in very early 1971 (Anticipation was later in that same year). Timothy Crouse, writing in Rolling Stone nailed it: "Carly's voice perfectly matches her material" and her "superbly controlled voice is complemented by deft arrangements." The songs aren't quite there yet, but Thats the Way it Should Be is a standout song (and a top ten hit).

Anticipation builds on the debut and has a more confident set of songs throughout the album. The title song about waiting for her date to arrive (apparently Cat Stevens) remains one of her best songs. These are the good old days! 

All of the songs except for final track (I've Got To Have You) were written by Carly on her own or with a lyricist - usually Jacob Brackman. Talented right?

No Secrets was the big commercial breakthrough, thanks to You're So Vain. However, it's not a one trick pony like the previous two albums. The Right Thing To Do was a second successful single and she covers James Taylor's Night Owl brilliantly. Richard Perry's production was spot on. Plus, the cover image didn't hurt!

Hotcakes has a pregnant Carly on the cover and a love-in with James Taylor in its grooves. We're talking domestic bliss which is great, but it doesn't make for great art ordinarily. 

Haven't Got Time for the Pain and Mockingbird (a duet with JT) were the hits from the album. Richard Perry was again producing, and the guest list of famous musician friends helping out was impressive. Apart from JT, others to put in a shift are Dr John, Robbie Robertson, Jim Gordon, Klaus Voormann, and Jim Keltner.

It was another highly successful album commercially speaking. Carly was on a roll.

I'm missing a copy of her next album (Playing Possum) so her sixth studio album, Another Passenger, is next. She decided on a new producer after Playing Possum, so goodbye Richard Perry and hello Ted Templeman. She also turned to members of The Doobie Brothers and Little Feat for backing. Van Dyke Parks, Andrew Gold, JT, Dr John, Glen Frey, Klaus Voormann, Linda Ronstadt, Jackson Browne, and Jim Keltner also play/sing on the album. Nice.

Musically, it did the trick - Rolling Stone said it was her best album to date, but I don't think the songs are consistently great (remember - Spoiled Girl is easily my favourite Carly Simon album). Commercially, it continued a slide begun with Playing Possum.

I think Boys in the Trees is as strong, if not stronger than Another Passenger. She tries out some new looks, successfully in my opinion. Some of her strongest material is on it (the title track for instance is superb), the cover is fantastic and the lead single, You Belong To Me is another winner, as well.

Having used the cream of the west coast musicians on Another Passenger, she now opts for some of New York's finest studio guys on Boys in the Trees - including Steve Gadd, Eric Gale, Richard Tee, David Sanborn, and the Brecker Brothers. Oh, and JT makes another cameo performance.

Come Upstairs is a transitional album, away from the soft rock and jazz pop to a rockier, more current, sound and it isn't one of my favourites. Blame the synths but also the material isn't particularly strong (I don't even find the single, Jesse that great). 

The transitional nature of the album extends to her personal life and marriage to James Taylor. James is a plea to JT and a bit embarrassing and In Pain sounds exactly like it sounds - a howl of pain but incongruous given the rest of the songs. So - this one is a meh for me. So was Torch b.t.w. - an attempt in 1981 to sing just standards. 

Carly returns to the Anticipation approach for Hello Big Man which is much more to my taste. She enlists the famous reggae rhythm section of Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare for a number of songs. So, it sounds great!

This was followed up by Spoiled Girl - my absolute favourite Carly Simon album (I'm pretty much alone in this though as the record gets panned elsewhere), as I mentioned above, so the next album is her first on Arista Records - Coming Around Again - her 13th studio effort. The title track became a big international hit. The rest of the album is polished and classic Carly Simon - one of two hot girls looking for love.

I'm missing My Romance and I've included Have You Seen Me Lately already. So, next up are a couple of live albums - Greatest Hits Live and Live at Grand Central.

They are both well named. Greatest Hits Live sounds exactly like the studio version with some audience ambience added in. It's a good collection of the big hits - Nobody Does It Better, You're So Vain, Anticipation, The Right Thing To Do...the list goes on. So, It's good!

Live at Grand Central is also top notch. It's from a mature artist - Carly's voice is still fully intact, but by 2023 it had developed a lovely huskiness. She also avoids all the obvious hits for this performance. Only Anticipation and Coming Around Again are also done on Greatest Hits Live.

The musicians are great too. there is a bedrock of acoustic guitar that creates a different feel to the concert. Together these two live albums are a perfect introduction to Carly's work.

Where do they all belong? Missing: Playing Possum; Spy; Torch; My Romance; and then from Letters Never Sent onwards except for the two live albums listed above.

Degrees of separation (Silent Alliance) (LP 3752)

Silent Alliance  The Spirit of an Age to Come (CD, Fastcut Records, 2008) ***** 

Genre: Indie-pop or better described by the band as 'Guitary electro dance pop'.

Places I remember: From Tom

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Hollow Talk

Gear costume: Detachment, Cities on Fire

They loom large in his legend (The Album Collection playlists): Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Part 5; Part 6

Active compensatory factors: I have to declare a bias and conflict of interest here: I am related to two of the stars of Silent Alliance: Tom and Lewis Kirkham. Talented? Devilishly good looking? Modest? Well of course!!

They are from greater Manchester (Liverpool supporters though) and they serve up a delish combination of New Order/ The Smiths jingle jangle. Multi-layered guitars dominate (shoegaze is a touchstone) and the resulting musical stew is insanely addictive and catchy as all get out. Lead singer and lyricist Philip Ybring has real presence, and the songs bite (in a good way yunnerstan).

They were big in Japan, Bury, and Stratford (NZ) but coulda shoulda woulda been huge all over the planet. Hey - it's not too late. Send the gang some love via Spotify!

Where do they all belong? The band also have their follow up (and sadly, at the time of writing - final) album available digitally. It's rather spiffing and called The Midnight Tide. Go to it SA fans!

Autumn leaves (Ed Sheeran) (LP 3750 - 3751)

Ed Sheeran + (CD, Asylum/Atlantic Records, 2011) ***  

Ed Sheeran X (CD, Asylum/Atlantic Records, 2014) ****  

Genre:  Pop, folk-pop

Places I remember: Kings Recording (Abu Dhabi), The Warehouse

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles:  Thinking Out Loud (X)

Gear costume: Photograph, Sing (X)

They loom large in his legend (The Album Collection playlists): Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Part 5; Part 6

Active compensatory factors: Plus (+) was English singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran's debut album. For me, Ed was a bit like Adele - a music that I heard while in The Middle East (Qatar). Both came out of nowhere, seemingly, and then were everywhere!

I'm not that fond of the rap styles he adopts (quite a few on + and X and they've dated a bit since) - I much prefer his simple guitar led love songs.

The debut album got things off to a good start with his unique brand of balladry and acoustic hip-hop becoming commercially very successful. He's generally easy on the ear but without being easy listening - plenty of confronting language, and topical references re drugs and casual sex for that to happen.

Generally, I prefer the more streamlined pop of X to the debut. His melodic gifts seem more to the fore and the raps aren't cringey. 

Where do they all belong? I stopped with X, but Jacky likes Ed's songs, so if I see subsequent albums going cheap, I'd pick them up (maybe). At the time, my daughters enjoyed Ed's approach, and I think that the late teens, early twenties demographic is what he was aiming at anyway, rather than me.

Inevitable (Shakira) (LP 3749)

Shakira   Dónde Están los Ladrones?  (CD, Sony Music, 1998) *****  

Genre: Latin American pop

Places I remember: Virgin Megastore (Dubai)

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Ciega, Sordomuda

Gear costume: Tú, Ojos Así (YouTube)

They loom large in his legend (The Album Collection playlists): Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Part 5; Part 6

Active compensatory factors: Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll (Shakira for short) is a Colombian singer-songwriter. She is a big deal in Latin America and her appeal is now global.

Back in the mid 2000's, I was reading 1001 Records You Must Hear Before You Die and Shakira's Dónde Están los Ladrones? was glowingly featured along the way. I took a punt and was amply rewarded.

Shakira sings in Spanish so her lyrics kind of pass me by (my Spanish is limited to two papers I did as a prerequisite for a masters' degree back in the late seventies). But her emotional vocal delivery and the infectious music carry me along anyway.

Where do they all belong? Yep - I agree, you need to hear this one before you die.

No one there (Sentenced) (LP 3748)

Sentenced  The Cold White Light (CD, Century Media, 2002) ****  

Genre: Finnish goth metal

Places I remember: Virgin Megastore (Dubai)

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: No One There

Gear costume: You Are The One

They loom large in his legend (The Album Collection playlists): Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Part 5; Part 6

Active compensatory factors: I picked up quite a few of these kinds of Scandinavian metal albums while living in The Middle East. The Virgin Megastore in the Dubai Mall had leaps of CDs like this (btw - the store's still there but a pale shadow of what it one was).

Sentenced are a gothic metal band from Finland (they were huge in Finland!). The Cold White Light was their seventh album (they released eight before splitting).

The approach on the album is in the melodic metal style of Dream Theater and Lacuna Coil - with powerful lead vocals by Ville Laihiala, and the music has a rock'n'roll heart. It's still pretty heavy but we're not talking early Opeth here.

Where do they all belong? Not an album I play much now - the likelihood of my playing heavy doom metal is much reduced these days.

Singing in my sleep (Semisonic) (LP 3747)

Semisonic  Feeling Strangely Fine (CD, MCA Records, 1998) ****  

Genre: Pop 

Places I remember: JB Hi Fi, The Warehouse

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Closing Time

Gear costume: Secret Smile

They loom large in his legend (The Album Collection playlists): Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Part 5; Part 6

Active compensatory factors: This album is so good, I bought two copies. Ha ha! Not quite.

It's one of those times that I forgot I already had a copy and bought a second by mistake.

That said, Feeling Strangely Fine (their second album) is a great record! It includes three excellent singles: Closing Time, Singing In My Sleep, and Secret Smile. 

Although Semisonic is a trio (John Munson - bass, Jacob Slichter – drums, Dan Wilson - lead vocals, guitars, keyboards), it's Dan who is the main man.

Together, they create an excellent commercial pop sound throughout. Not as powerpop or as willfully inventive as Jellyfish, but in that same ballpark.

Where do they all belong? That's the only Semisonic album I have, but I'd be keen to add their next one - All About Chemistry (love that title song)