Paul Simon: "Hearts And Bones" C/D?

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Why isn't this album more heralded?

I see it as sort of the ultimate culmination of his pre-world music years. An album filled with sophisticated songs with sophisticated chords, sophisticated lyrics and sophisticated arrangements.

The title track, "Train In The Station", "The Late Great Johnny Ace" and most of all the beautiful "Rene And Georgette Margritte With Their Dog After The War" are all among the best songs he has ever written.

For me, this represents the pinnacle of everything he has ever done (maybe besides "Bookends") and it is the main reason why I have never quite gotten a grip on his world music material, because he was so musically great just before he discovered ethnomusic.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Friday, 21 April 2006 10:59 (twenty years ago)

ace album.

drops a bollock putting the worst track first mind.

(pedant hat on) well it's called 'train in the distance' but yeah, fantastic.

i always meant to check out the re-release. it has extras n such on there i think.

― pisces, Friday, 21 April 2006 11:10 (twenty years ago)

Agree on Hearts and Bones, but disagree that it came "just before [Simon] discovered ethnomusic." Simon was doing ethnomusic at least as far back as "El Condor Pasa", and passing through "Me and Julio", "Love Me Like A Rock", and "Late In The Evening" - just to mention hits.

― Vornado, Friday, 21 April 2006 11:18 (twenty years ago)

It's really, really good.

― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn (Alfred Soto), Friday, 21 April 2006 11:59 (twenty years ago)

Your argument is accepted. Also "Mother And Child Reunion" was basically ethnomusic back at a time when reggae was considerably less mainstream than today.

I suppose the "Hearts And Bones" title track had quite an ethic element to it too.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Friday, 21 April 2006 12:30 (twenty years ago)

i think it features Chic on it too! It's a bit mellow for me but the tracks you mentioned are cool

― hughwrang, Friday, 21 April 2006 12:38 (twenty years ago)

But aren't they sort of the most mellow tracks on the entire album?

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Friday, 21 April 2006 12:49 (twenty years ago)

I remember reggae being considerably more mainsstream than today.

reggae hardly ever gets in the charts thesedays.

Back then, "Let your yeah be yeah" pioneers, "Black and White" Greyhound, Dave/Ansel Collins, Johnny Nash, Des Dek, all would have a more than evens chance of having hits...

― mark grout (mark grout), Friday, 21 April 2006 13:06 (twenty years ago)

Why isn't this album more heralded?

Wasn't this the album where it started out as a "Reunion" "Simon and Garfunkel" album, but they fell out and Paul Simon carried on without Art, and wiped his vocals (or at least mixed them out) ?

― mark grout (mark grout), Friday, 21 April 2006 13:18 (twenty years ago)

The Chic-fronted "Think Too Much" is wondrous.

― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn (Alfred Soto), Friday, 21 April 2006 14:07 (twenty years ago)

Classic. Listening to this album, you'd think writing beautiful, unique vocal melodies was the easiest thing in the world. Great balance in tone between pop fun ("Song about the Moon," "Cars are Cars") and melancholy ("H+B," "Rene + Georgette"), and then songs like "Train in the Distance" that bridge the gap. Also, some of Simon's best lyrics. He seems to be at his best when there's an element of sadness in his writing; something that's missing on Graceland.

― erklie (erklie), Friday, 21 April 2006 14:26 (twenty years ago)

I only got around to listening to this for the first time last week. Obviously I need to give it another chance, but I listened to You're The One for the first time, immediately afterwards, and I thought that seemed to stand up better.

At this point Rhythm of the Saints is still my favourite though.

― JimD (JimD), Friday, 21 April 2006 14:28 (twenty years ago)

Well, why deny the obvious, child?

― mark grout (mark grout), Friday, 21 April 2006 14:30 (twenty years ago)

I love love love "Maybe I Think Too Much (Pt. 2)". Best use of sheep bahhhing in a song ever.

― Roy Kasten (Roy Kasten), Friday, 21 April 2006 14:38 (twenty years ago)

btw Geir, this album is plenty heralded. It may have been his worst seller to date, sure, but it got positive reviews; and every Simon fan says it's his Most Underrated Album.

― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn (Alfred Soto), Friday, 21 April 2006 15:03 (twenty years ago)

Alfred is correct, but it still deserves saying again: this album is criminally underrated (or, more accurately, completely ignored/forgotten) outside of the Simon fanbase. "Allergies" is basically skippable and "Song About The Moon" never did much for me at all (feels like a One-Trick Pony leftover to my ear) - but, man! "Think Too Much" - both parts - "Train in the Distance," and indeed, "Rene and Georgette Magritte," which has to be in Simon's top three melodies of all time. "The Late Great Johnny Ace" has actually brought me to tears at least once.

I'll even vouch for "Cars are Cars," although it's safe to say that the Nile Rodgers material on this record isn't really what it's celebrated for. It's so fun to hear Simon backed by such a completely different arrangement than his 70s soft-jazz thing (see also, the marvelousness of Graceland and Rhythm). I'd also say it's some sort of touchstone for "Cool Cool River"'s "I believe in the future, I may live in my car.." bridge.

― Doctor Casino (Doctor Casino), Friday, 21 April 2006 15:19 (twenty years ago)

"Rene and Georgette..." does have a lovely melody, but the tinkling electric piano grates on me. You understand why Simon just said the hell with them and moved on to Graceland.

― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn (Alfred Soto), Friday, 21 April 2006 15:23 (twenty years ago)

Wasn't this the album where it started out as a "Reunion" "Simon and Garfunkel" album, but they fell out and Paul Simon carried on without Art, and wiped his vocals (or at least mixed them out) ?

is this true? I've never heard this. was this before or after the central park concert? I know they did the late great johnny ace at that concert.

― kyle (akmonday), Friday, 21 April 2006 15:24 (twenty years ago)

It's so fun to hear Simon backed by such a completely different arrangement than his 70s soft-jazz thing

I like him best when he does that "70s soft-jazz thing".

Wasn't this the album where it started out as a "Reunion" "Simon and Garfunkel" album, but they fell out and Paul Simon carried on without Art, and wiped his vocals (or at least mixed them out) ?

Never heard about that. "Still Crazy After All These Years" is the one that contained "My Little Town", their only post-"...Troubled Water" collaboration other than the Central Park concert.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Friday, 21 April 2006 22:42 (twenty years ago)

I like the 70s soft-jazz thing too - I mean, "Still Crazy For All These Years," "God Bless The Absentee," etc., those are great songs. But "Cars Are Cars," "Allergies," and "Think Too Much" are about the only place you can hear Simon over sequenced drums and keyboards or whatever. I'm not saying it's always great, but it's definitely an interesting texture, and one thing really key to Simon's work generally is his restlessness in looking for new textures - as Vornado points out, going back at least as far as "El Condor Pasa," he was trying to fiddle his way out of the folk-rock pigeonhole. I like that about him, it's one reason why delving into his album cuts generally is so rewarding for fans.

See also: "Save The Life of My Child"...

― Doctor Casino (Doctor Casino), Friday, 21 April 2006 23:40 (twenty years ago)

classic. the only simon or s+g album that is classic right through as well; all the others(perhaps with the exception of 'rhythm of the saints') have a dud track or two, but 'hearts and bones' in consistently wonderful. a lovely blend of nostalgia and paranoia that never gets didactic or indulgent.

i like 'allergies' a lot, actually. i've learned to play arrangements of both the title track and 'rene and georgette magritte' on guitar. fun!

― derrick (derrick), Saturday, 22 April 2006 05:09 (twenty years ago)

But "Cars Are Cars," "Allergies," and "Think Too Much" are about the only place you can hear Simon over sequenced drums and keyboards or whatever.

And on "Allergies" it sounds great because he manages to mix the sequenced drums and keyboards with the harmonies that made him great. The two others are among the weaker tracks on the album for me.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Saturday, 22 April 2006 07:35 (twenty years ago)

Btw. "Rene And Georgette Margritte..." had a great video too. A pity it is so rarely shown as an oldie.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Saturday, 22 April 2006 07:36 (twenty years ago)

three weeks pass...

... yes, Art was initially more involved in the album, and for whatever reason, it ended up a 'Paul Simon' album - I was thinking that there was at least one track retained with Art in the mix - I'm going on a 20+ year memory and I don't want fabricate too much here, but I'm equally certain I read accounts of acrimony as a result of Garfunkel's 'removal' from the proceedings... I've never seen 'H&B'the CD in stores...

I bought my parents the cassette version when the album came out and I dug the heck out of Allergies - that DiMeola riffing is still etched in my brain... 'Rene and Georgette Magritte... ' was awesome as well... I'm not sure how much my parents the album, but to this day it's on my 'why don't I have this album?' wish list...

If I may impose - and if this thread hasn't already expired - does anyone know whether the following 'recollection' was fact - or if I'm imagining it? I could swear that there was a somewhat lengthy guitar into on one of the songs on the 'Paul Simon' vinyl version in the early 70's... when I bought the CD about 6 or 7 years ago, I was stunned to find that I was either wrong, or the intro had been excised from the CD version?? I'm thinking it was possibly a lead-in to Armistice Day? Does anyone recall anything like this? or was I possibly so 'fogged in' back then that I'm thinking of something entirely different? I have a memory of a friend playing it for me and making me 'guess who?' and I was stumped until Simon's voice entered the track... there is some sweet acoustic interplay in that song, I just thought it was a heck of a lot longer... ?? Thanks.

― Ed Gallagher, Saturday, 13 May 2006 01:23 (twenty years ago)

'somewhat lengthy guitar INTRO' is what I meant to type... not 'into'... sorry

― Ed Gallagher, Saturday, 13 May 2006 01:25 (twenty years ago)

one month passes...

Wasn't this the album where it started out as a "Reunion" "Simon and Garfunkel" album, but they fell out and Paul Simon carried on without Art, and wiped his vocals (or at least mixed them out) ?

Yes. Here's a New York Times article about the CD written right around that time: http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F0CEFDC133BF933A05753C1A965948260

I keep on hoping that one day Paul Simon will re-release the album with Garfunkel's part included. Not that I've heard anything about that happening; it's just a hope.

― Robert Orenstein (Abracadab), Saturday, 8 July 2006 06:14 (nineteen years ago)

three years pass...

this album

― plaks (I know, right?), Monday, 2 November 2009 21:50 (sixteen years ago)

Your argument is accepted.

― iatee, Monday, 2 November 2009 21:52 (sixteen years ago)

five months pass...

Easily losing their evening clothes,
they danced by the light OF the moon...
...to the Penguins, the Moonglows
the Orioles
and the Five Satins
The deep forbidden music they've been longing for
Rene and Georgette Magritte,
with their dog after the war

― Doctor Casino, Sunday, 25 April 2010 16:06 (sixteen years ago)

two years pass...

Hearts And Bones demos with Art Garfunkel on!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eeLd-t8BKz0

― piscesx, Friday, 15 March 2013 05:40 (thirteen years ago)

Wow. Didn't know those ever even existed in any kind of semi-listenable form.

― Doctor Casino, Friday, 15 March 2013 20:50 (thirteen years ago)

although, hmmm, not so much garfunkel on most of those. Cool demos though!

― Doctor Casino, Friday, 15 March 2013 21:03 (thirteen years ago)

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