Tag: paul-simon

Graceland, by Paul Simon.

Paul Simon, gaining ground on Fleet Foxes, Wilco, and Johnny Cash on the (not actually data yet) frequency chart, making this song I think his third appearance?

One of those other times, I think I mentioned the importance of the Graceland cassette tape in my Dad’s car for a number of years, Ladysmith Black Mambazo all over it, my confusion that anyone else knew any of the music from it (except for the Chevy Chase number, which still annoys the heck out of me).

Fun fact: I have never been to Graceland, but was supposed to go, as part of a famously canceled trip to Memphis. I went to New Mexico instead and met my wife.

It was worth adding a little flavor of the backup vocal here. If I were willing to stay up later, bass guitar would be next, then maybe some attempts to add more harmonies to the backups that would sound either bad or obviously digital.

Late In The Evening, by Paul Simon.

I don’t know where to begin cataloging the history of my relationship with Paul Simon’s (and sometimes Garfunkel’s) music, so let’s do an old fashioned list.

• The Concert In Central Park cassette (idk, 1983, maybe?) that ran on repeat one summer between me and a couple kids from North Carolina at camp. That’s the version of this song that runs in my head, I guess, though listening to the studio version, the live one was pretty much perfect.
• Graceland in the car with my dad, seeing him play Diamonds on the Soles of her Shoes with Ladysmith Black Mambazo on some awards show, listening to the tape in the car with my dad some more.
• Rhythm of the Saints during junior high bus trips, and the Miami Arena concert where I sang along with Sound of Silence so loudly I embarrassed my mother which in hindsight seems really challenging.
• Having songs like El Condor Pasa in common with my wife and her family.
• That great passage in one of the Girl Talk records where he mashes up Cecelia with Get Low.

Mashed everything so hard on this one it was all too loud and I had to mix it a second time and it’s still too loud. Didn’t get the whole trumpet line right, but not bad for a few minutes of tinkering!