Paul Simon is the second artist in two days to announce a unique compilation of their music beyond the rote releasing of hits.
Songwriter is a selection of songs, chosen by the composer, as the best of his decades-long creative output. Some of these are well-known hits and others more obscure works, but all bear the distinct lyrical, melodic and rhythmic signature of Paul Simon, one of the great composers of popular song in the last 50 years. As Simon has said, "I think of myself as a songwriter first, the recording artist and performer in me follow in the writer's footsteps."
Simon brought his own unique perspective on the nuances of his catalog in the assemblage of Songwriter. The album includes an emotionally resonant rendition of The Sound of Silence, from Simon's 2011 concert at New York's Webster Hall, Aretha Franklin's transcendent studio take on Bridge Over Trouble Water and other selections from the artist's critically-acclaimed catalog of songs.
Selecting the individual songs for Songwriter, from the hundreds he's written and recorded, presented Paul Simon an opportunity to reflect over the entirety of his career. The collection showcases the individual songs best-exemplifying the high-points in his conversations with the muses, from his early work with Simon & Garfunkel to his ruminations on 2011's So Beautiful or So What.
Songwriter includes liner notes by music journalist Tom Moon, who notes that the collection, "....features commercial landmarks alongside ambitious and often criminally under-appreciated compositions. This structure makes the case that hit-single success is just one (often over-emphasized) measure; inevitably, with an artist who has contributed as much as Simon has, some of the 'smaller' pieces get overlooked.... What you learn, listening to this 'director's cut' sampler from a long career, is that there have always been conversations bubbling inside of Simon's tunes, and those conversations take many forms...."
The release of Songwriter signals a banner year for Simon, who turns 70 on October 13.
Track List:
Disc 1
The Sound Of Silence (Live at Webster Hall 2011) - new unreleased
The Boxer - Paul Simon - Live Central Park
Bridge Over Troubled Water - Aretha Franklin - studio version
Mother And Child Reunion
Tenderness
Peace Like A River
American Tune
Kodachrome
Something So Right
Late In The Evening
Train In The Distance
Hearts And Bones
Rene And Georgette Magritte With Their Dog After The War
Still Crazy After All These Years
Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes
The Boy In The Bubble
Graceland
Disc 2
Obvious Child
Further To Fly
The Cool, Cool River
Spirit Voices
Born In Puerto Rico
Quality
Darling Lorraine
Look At That
Senorita With A Necklace Of Tears
That's Me
Another Galaxy
Father And Daughter
Rewrite
Love And Hard Times
So Beautiful Or So What
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