Album Title: The Essential Paul Simon
Why I Bought It: Probably for "Mother and Child Reunion"; but I've always loved his joint work with Art Garfunkel, and wanted a completer picture of his solo career.
What I Like (Hopeful): "Mother and Child Reunion". Apparently the song was inspired by Simon's grief over the death of the family dog, and the title by a chicken-and-egg dish offered by a Chinese restaurant. Whatever; it's a cheerful-sounding song, though the lyrics ("this strange and mournful day") partially belie it.
What I Like (Defiant): "Me and Julio Down By the School Yard". Sassy, satiric, and a little silly; nobody - not even Simon himself - knows what the mama saw. Obscure in meaning, but fun to listen to.
What I Like (Melancholy): "Darling Lorraine". The story of a lifelong love affair - its highs, its lows, and the shattering feeling of watching someone you love in terminal pain. Sad, but satisfying.
What I Like (Melodic): "American Tune". Slow-paced, soft, and tuneful; a song of endurance in the face of tribulation, and hope in the face of disappointment.
Overall: This is a two-disc album, with thirty-six songs. The ones I've picked out are in no way representative; this album moves from the bounciness of "Graceland" to the despair of "Adios Hermanos", from the upbeat "Something So Right" and "Take Me to the Mardi Gras" to the melancholy "Wartime Prayers" and "The Late Great Johnny Ace". It's got the silly and disconcerting "You Can Call Me Al" and "Kodachrome", the tenderly sympathetic "Under African Skies", and the rueful "Still Crazy After All These Years". Simon can be strident ("Born in Puerto Rico"), satiric ("Stranded in a Limousine"), or silly ("50 Ways to Leave Your Lover"). His is a diverse talent, and if none of these is quite as good as the best of his work with Garfunkel, still, much of it is very good indeed.
