cungar

http://www.smh.com.au/news/music/sur...441205995.html

Surprise - it's Paul Simon's new album
March 30, 2006

When Paul Simon decided it was time for a new album, there was an immediate
problem: He wasn't exactly sure what to say - or how to say it.

"It might be that it gets more difficult as you get older," Simon mused
about the writing process.

"It might also be that it was just a period of time that required me to
rethink a lot of my musical and lyrical premises, and think, 'What could I
say that I wouldn't feel was just unnecessary, irrelevant, stupid?' "

It took three years to figure it all out, and the answer was Surprise - the
Rock and Roll Hall of Famer's first album since You're the One in 2000.

It's a long time between albums, but here's a quick demonstration of Simon's
songwriting brilliance and staying power: Surprise comes 20 years after
Graceland, his Grammy-winning collaboration with South African musicians -
and that came 20 years after Sounds of Silence, when Simon worked with
lifelong friend Art Garfunkel.

On the new album, due in stores on May 9, the 64-year-old Simon brings
aboard an unlikely new collaborator: Brian Eno, the avant-garde artist best
known for his musical work with Robert Fripp, Talking Heads, David Bowie and
U2.

AP

Decker

Wow, it's been 20 years since Graceland. That was my first purchase on CD. Damn, I feel old.
I'm curious as to what this album will sound like. He's slowed down lately and I haven't really liked his last two solo albums much. Hope Eno gets some catchier, less letharic songs out of him.

cungar

Heard this yesterday. Musically it sounds a lot like a Peter Gabriel album. Paul's vocals are still strong and his songwriting is sharp. Good stuff.

atlantamoi

Good, solid album. Not a masterpiece, but enjoyable. A couple of songs make me think of Daniel Lanois for obvious reasons. Glad Eno's stamp is all over the disc.

DrRingDing

this is kinda weird:

i just went to the iTunes store to see if they had this for pre-order and what do i see but that they have all of his albums available twice - one is remastered and one is the original, non-remastered, i guess. it gets weirder because some of the non-remastered versions are only available as "partial albums" (meaning you have to load each song individually into your cart)...

oh, and they don't have Surprise available as a pre-order.

-ringding-

slop101

I really like most of this album, and while a couple songs might be awkward clunkers, there's enough great material to makes it worthwhile. Just like most new albums these days, it starts off really strong, then sort of settles into mediocrity, but then gets a little better.

But yeah, because of Eno, it's got some cool production techniques and interesting flourishes that keep the album interesting even if you're not a big fan of Simon's songwriting.

You can listen to the album here:
http://www.paulsimon.com/

cungar

I went on the Paul Simon newsgroup and there's not a lot of love for this album there. I think they're a lot of old folkies who aren't really into new sounds. I give Simon a lot of credit for doing something this expreimental at age 64.

fliggil

I just got home from the New Orleans Jazz Fest last night, just thought I'd comment that I do not have the new album (so I don't know names) but the 2, maybe 3 new songs he played were kinda downers, didn't really enjoy them much. On a side note, the rest of his set was a lot of fun, Me and Julio and Graceland were highlights, a lot of people were disappointed that he didn't play You Can Call Me Al, I still had a great time.