Had Paul Simon (born New Jersey 13/10/1941), not written another lyric or composed any more melodies after his long-standing partnership with Art Garfunkel ended, he would never have been without respect or vast renumeration – ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water‘ (1970), the fifth and final album they recorded together outselling every other L.P. currently in existence while earning Simon more accolades in regard to his songwriting prowess, not least for the serene, gospel-infused title track.
With Garfunkel, whose contribution to the pairing had been airy, pristine vocals, keen to pursue an acting career (he had recently appeared in the Mike Nichols film ‘Catch 22‘) and with Simon frustrated at having to tailor his writing to a mainstream audience – a literal case of ‘Keep the Customer Satisfied‘ – in 1970, at the height of their popularity, Simon & Garfunkel parted company from each other.
With a blank canvas on which to create, in formulating plans for his first bona fide solo album (there had previously been an under the radar 1965 effort), Simon broke free of preconceived notions attached to him as a composer and compiled a record that is not only diligent, but daring in its diversity.
Avoiding the lavish production values that decorated many a Simon & Garfunkel track, ‘PAUL SIMON‘ (January 1972), is a studious, stimulating album that furthers his reputation as an innovative and original talent.
While Simon puts clear water between previous ventures and this new set of recordings, there remains a bridge, so to speak, in the form of co-producer Roy Halee who was also present when Simon & Garfunkel were in the studio. Yet there all familiarity ends, the sound while clear and distinct now given over to a lean, often understated presentation.
As for what Simon the lyricist has to say, there are no grand depictions of structures over turbulent currents, his observations while still eloquent are more personal in nature – these introspective ruminations focused on the acoustic guitar and melodic voice of the artist no matter how stylized the song in question.
After attempting a number (‘Why Don’t You Write Me‘) with reggae overtones on ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water‘ which by his own admission was a ‘bad imitation‘ of the form, Simon opens the album by immersing himself in the same type only with total conviction – going so far, literally and metaphorically speaking, as Jamacia to record the instantly engaging ‘Mother and Child Reunion‘.
Cutting the basic track in Kingston with local musicians Hux Brown (electric guitar) and bassist Jackie Jackson – both of whom were members of reggae luminaries Toots & the Maytals – along with backing vocalist Cissy Houston, the lyric in the first instance addresses the death of the Simon family dog, the writer then extending his focus to contemplate how emotional ties stay strong even after physical loss:
‘Oh, little darling of mine/I can’t for the life of me/Remember a sadder day/I know they say let it be/But it just don’t work out that way/And the course of a lifetime runs/Over and over again.’
Having the two-fold distinction of giving Simon a high-charting 45 (U.S. 4/U. K. 5) while being the first song from an established artist to bring reggae to widespread attention, ‘Mother and Child Reunion‘ also serves as an overture for the varied selection of material which lays ahead.
Second track ‘Duncan‘ is an engrossing acoustic guitar ballad depicting scenes from the early life of a fictional character named ‘Lincoln Duncan‘. While having the inflections of a folk parable by Bob Dylan, it is coloured through the instrumental passages not with harmonica but pan flutes courtesy of Los Incas, an Andean folk group who had previously done the honours on the noted S & G cut ‘El Condor Pasa‘ (If I Could).
With melodic virtuosity and vivid imagery, Simon weaves the tale of a youth who as the son of a fisherman leaves home in Maritimes from where he eventually reaches New England, arriving destitute and alone. But here he chances upon a street scene that ultimately offers unexpected comfort:
‘A young girl in a parking lot/Was preaching to a crowd/Singing sacred songs and reading from the Bible/
Well, I told her I was lost/And she told me all about the Pentecost/And I seen that girl as the road to my survival.’
The narrative then develops to the protagonist experiencing his first sexual encounter (‘Just later on the very same night/I crept to her tent with a flashlight/And my long years of innocence ended‘), Simon creating a compelling, character-driven study that embraces nostalgia and how through the passage of life, naivety gives way to experience.
Built upon a gentle folk-blues framework, ‘Everything Put Together Falls Apart‘ reflects wistfully on how change and lack of permanency can impinge on the most ordered of lives (‘There’s nothing to it, nothing to it/And you can cry/You can lie/For all the good it’ll do you/You can die‘). The conversational delivery of the lyrics offers little scope for backing vocals, emphasising the change in Simon’s approach to songwriting now the harmonies of Garfunkel no longer had to be accommodated.
Taken at a quicker pace and more a shuffle than ballad, ‘Run That Body Down‘ despite its upbeat tune has downbeat sentiments. The writer, while voicing the need for self restraint, appears fatalistic when looking for an answer to his own questioning (‘How long you think that you can/Run that body down?/How many nights you think that you can/Do what you been doin‘), the acoustic guitar work of Simon balanced effectively against the pointed electric guitar breaks of jazz virtuoso Jerry Hahn.
As an acoustic/electric guitar combination, Simon and Hahn also work impressively on side one closer ‘Armistice Day‘, the title a somewhat exaggerated metaphor for reaching a point of calm after a prolonged period of turmoil.
Playing more forcefully than at any other time on the record, Simon receives the additional accompaniment of prominent percussion (Airto Moreira) and the gently creaking horns of Fred Lipsus (alto sax) and John Schroer (tenor sax). He reflects ruefully on the frustrations of waiting for positive change to occur – deciding by the end to take his protestations to the heart of government:
‘Oh I’m weary from waiting/In Washington D.C./I’m coming to see my Congressman/But he’s avoiding me/Weary from waiting down in Washington D.C.’
With top notch New York sessioneer David Spinozza joining Simon in creating a layered acoustic guitar sound, side two opens in the uplifting company of ‘Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard‘, an uproarious piece with no shortage of quirks in either its positive lilt or playful lyrics.
Structured around a melody that has both folk and funk sensibilities, Simon whips up an ambiguous lyric that quickly unravels from an unspecified incident of possible illegality (‘What the mama saw/It was against the law’), the controversy raging to the point of becoming national news:
‘Woah, in a couple of days, they come and take me away/But the press let the story leak/Now when the radical priest come to get us released/We was all the cover of Newsweek.’
Throwing a cheery whistling segment into the mix by way of adding to the exuberance, this appealing track became a top twenty hit on both sides of the Atlantic when issued as the second single from the album.
For many of his best known known songs when working with Garfunkel, Simon had observed society from the perspective of a detached individual, questioning moral values of the day without directly challenging them. While ‘Peace Like a River‘ is not an overt protest piece, it serves as the most politically charged lyric he had so far penned.
Written in the aftermath of four students being shot dead by the National Guard at Kent State University in May 1970, the composer, while not losing hope that civil rights and liberalism could yet win through, takes the oppressive forces of the state to task – this acoustic guitar lament conjuring images of social tension, even martial law:
‘You can beat us with wires/You can beat us with chains/You can run out your rules/But you know you can’t outrun the history train.’
In contrast ‘Papa Hobo‘ depicts a put upon figure in the midst of experiencing bittersweet feelings toward his home city in the Midwest, ‘It’s carbon and monoxide/The ole Detroit perfume/It hangs on the highways in the morning/And it lays you down by noon.’
The song is driven, no pun intended, by various motor town references, (‘Detroit, Detroit/Got a hell of a hockey team’), Simon, aided by the sparse backing of Larry Knechtel (harmonium) and Charlie McCoy (harmonica), not slow to offer the irony of when the central figure comes to leave, he does so in an automobile.
Extending the diverse ambience to include a 90-second instrumental interlude entitled ‘Hobo’s Blues‘ that features a turn from violin great Stephan Grappelli, Simon then expresses his own ambivalence regarding New York with ‘Paranoia Blues.’
While the tune, fattened up with a brass section, is disarmingly cheerful, the contemplations are rueful and resigned, ‘I fly into J.F.K./My heart goes boom boom boom/I know that customs man/He’s going to take me/To that little room.’
With the stinging slide guitar lines of Stefan Grossman giving things an edgy vibe, Simon, having already aired his distrust of perceived acquaintances, (‘I got some so-called friends/ They’ll smile right to my face/But when my back Is turned/They’d like to stick it to me‘), then finds he is disenchanted with the metropolis itself:
‘I got the paranoia blues/From knockin’ around in New York City/Where they roll you for a nickel/And they stick you for the extra dime.’
Leading an ensemble assembled from the revered Wrecking Crew troupe of players – Knechtel (keyboards), Joe Osborn (bass) and Hal Blaine (drums) – on closing track ‘Congratulations‘ Simon comes across as annoyed with himself, coming up with a list of pertinent reminders that sound self-directed:
‘Love is not a game/Love Is not a toy/Love’s no romance/Love will do you in/And love will wash you out/And needless to say/You won’t stand a chance.’
Disconcertingly the final verse ponders the question of whether romance and companionship can endure (‘Won’t you answer me please/Can a man and woman/Live together in peace‘), the portents not good for Simon and first wife Peggy who had separated by the time he next came to record (‘There Goes Rhymin’ Simon‘ – 1973), their subsequent divorce articulated with great poignancy on the masterful ‘Still Crazy After All These Years‘ album of 1975.
On release ‘Paul Simon‘ quickly dispelled any notion its creator would have difficulty emerging from the shadow of his previous incarnation, the album reaching number four on the U.S. charts while heading to top spot in Britain.
The critics meanwhile were unanimous in their praise, Jon Landau giving ‘Paul Simon‘ a five star rating (from five) in Rolling Stone with Robert Christgau bestowing an almost (The Band and Dylan aside) unprecedented A+ mark on his A-D grading system.
If the Rolling Stones (‘Exile on Main St.’) secured the 1972 ‘Album of the Year’ plaudits, then Paul Simon had made the most thought-provoking and tasteful – setting in motion a trio of LP’s that by 1975 would see his name attached to three records containing some of the most articulate popular music attempted by anyone during that time span.
PAUL SIMON – PAUL SIMON (Released January 24 1972):
Mother and Child Reunion/Duncan/Everything Put Together Falls Apart/Run That Body Down/Armistice Day/Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard/Peace Like a River/Papa Hobo/Hobo’s Blues/Paranoia Blues/Congratulations;
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