Search - Paul Simon :: One-Trick Pony

If ever you decide to get a Paul Simon album, get this one

Andre Heeger | Germany | 10/23/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Boom, ba ba doo doo dooom, keykey pyeiw, Boom - doo do dodo dooom, pyeiw pyeiw (first notes of One Trick Pony).

I'm in heaven! This band is tight like I don't know what. No wonder. It has Steve Gadd on drums, Eric Gale on guitar, Richard Tee on keys (and vocals), Tony Levin and Anthony Jackson on bass, Hugh McCracken on acoustic guitar, Ralph MacDonald on percussion. Oh and Paul Simon plucks some guitar strings too from time to time. Horns on Late in the Evening and God Bless the Absentee arranged by Dave Grusin, on Long, Long Day by Bob Friedman - with Patty Austin on vocals.

Any questions?

When it came out back in 1977 I was skeptical at first if Paul's voice would suit the music. When I listened to Late in the Evening, the first song on the album, all my fears were blown away in a matter of seconds. Not only did he fit the band, his songwriting is top class - and soo different from what I knew before. This has groove, yahoo!!! (but the ballads are magic too)

This remastered edition is definitely worth it. The sound is clearer than on the first cd version, the instruments separate better than before and it has more of the live-feeling intended. The Bonus songs are nice but don't add up much to the wonderful album.

Just get this. Some of the best tight playing out there.





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Underrated Masterpiece

silhouette_of_enchantment | USA | 12/31/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Whenever I hear Paul Simon fans talk about his music, it's usually about his duet days with Art Garfunkel, or his solo effort on "Graceland." They rarely -- if ever -- mention "One Trick Pony," which by far, is my favorite album.



I wasn't really feeling Simon before I heard "One Trick Pony." I knew his hits from the 60s, and liked them -- but at the time I was a kid. At the time, "You Can Call Me Al" was a huge hit, constantly being replayed on the radio -- and I hated it. Now, it only brings up nostalgic memories.



I came to appreciate Paul Simon's as an artist when I first watched the movie, "One Trick Pony," on Bravo in the 1990s. (At the time, Bravo was still an indie movie channel before General Electric/NBC bought them out and changed the station's format.) Although I remembered little of the movie's plot (I only know it was loosely based on Paul Simon's life) the music stayed with me. Sometimes Simon's songs were bluesy and introspective; other times, they were funky, bold and assertive (something I didn't normally think about when listening to Paul Simon's music.) The songs were really, really good -- so good, I bought the album and played it on constant repeat. My old copy finally gave away in 2000, and devastated, I went out and purchased another one.



I like this album, Simon shows his true range and mastery as an artist. His genius, in my opinion, is in his confessional storytelling style. There is a naivety, sweetness and honesty in his voice and music -- which sometimes reminds me of Greek fables, at other times bedtime stories of modern day experience. This album made me truly fall in love with Simon as an artist.



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