TS: Prince and Paul Simon

Who would win in fisticuffs between these 5'2" songwriting giants? How much would you pay to see these pint-sized pugilists punch each others' lights out? Will the "the Boxer" make the Minneapolis, Minnesota-based multi-instrumentalist go "face down"? YOUR PUNS NOW!

um, no puns, all Prince...

what's with all the Batman v Superman shit on ILM all of a sudden?

just surprised its not a poll

I considered running a poll, but decided that we don't have a large enough sample size of respondents with specialized knowledge of musical pugilism to ensure statistical accuracy.

maybe we should get thom yorke in on this too

Prince can probably cover "Hazy Shade of Winter" even better than the Bangles did, and I can imagine a "Sometimes It Snows in April"-esque version of "Hearts and Bones," so he wins.

love'em both, though. I'm more interested in a discussion of Simon's guitar skillz, which remain mad underrated.

Yes, they are both connected by the Bangles, aren't they? "Manic Monday" and "Hazy Shade of Winter."

But yeah, Paul Simon's guitar work is quite remarkable; even during the Simon and Garfunkel days, he's uses a lot of great, underused chords, and he has a very pleasing style that somehow embodies folk and virtuosity simultaneously, without being overly either. Very nice to listen to.

All of what you're saying is irrelevant. Prince is a feisty bastard who fights dirty.

Well yeh, he's got a dirty mind.

I look at this from the perspective of the soft underbelly. Once they passed their prime, Simon could only put out a bad album every three to five years, whereas Prince still seems to have a bottomless well (and his live shows remain legendary). So Prince, sorry.

id be surprised if prince doesnt run away with this but i dig both a whole lot

Once they passed their prime, Simon could only put out a bad album every three to five years, whereas Prince still seems to have a bottomless well (and his live shows remain legendary). So Prince, sorry.

Wait, so having a bottomless well of bad albums is better than having a limited one?

Once Prince started releasing albums, I would say it is him. Although "Hearts And Bones" was fantastic.

Paul Simon released material in the 70s, and with Art Garfunkel in the 60s, that may be even better than Prince at his best though.

Yes, they are both connected by the Bangles, aren't they? "Manic Monday" and "Hazy Shade of Winter."

The connection may be a bit pressed, as Prince did actually give "Manic Monday" to The Beatles whereas "Hazy Shade Of Winter" was a cover version of an old well-known Simon & Garfunkel song.

As Prince did actually give "Manic Monday" to The Bangles, I mean. :)

Freudian Slip

also Prince is probably the right answer, but I'm voting for PAUL SIMON (mostly for S&G)

Prince because of affirmative action

um, I haven't heard enough Paul Simon to really be able to discuss this intelligently (I know, I know, when has that stopped me before?) Graceland is Paul Simon's best, isn't it?

Here's as good a place as any, though, to loudly proclaim that Phish's Bouncing Round the Room is probably the greatest song Paul Simon never wrote.

Graceland is a great album, no doubt. But then, he's had some amazing high points with S&G for sure, and in fact, S&G may be more canonical and important than Graceland ultimately. But Graceland really is incredible.

Paul Simon peaked with "Hearts And Bones". Did a lot of fantastic stuff before that one, alone and with Simon & Garfunkel. After it, he has kind of lost it as a songwriter.