The Essential Paul Simon
The Essential Paul Simon | ||||
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Compilation album by Paul Simon | ||||
Released | June 26, 2007 | |||
Recorded | 1971-2006 | |||
Genre | Rock, pop | |||
Length | 148:23 | |||
Label | Warner Bros. (original release) Legacy (re-issue) | |||
Producer | Paul Simon Phil Ramone Roy Halee | |||
Paul Simon chronology | ||||
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The Essential Paul Simon | ||||
2010 Re-issued Cover (Sony Music Australia) | ||||
The Essential Paul Simon is a compilation album of Paul Simon's songs from the years 1971-2006 and released in 2007. An edition exists with a DVD featuring performances from The Dick Cavett Show and Saturday Night Live. It was re-released in 2010 in Australia through Sony BMG a part of The Essential series.[1][2]
Reception
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [3] |
Stephen Thomas Erlewine from Allmusic calls the compilation "efficient, picking up after the parting of ways with Garfunkel and running straight through until 2006's Surprise." He believes "some might argue that there's too heavy of a Graceland presence here — a whopping six tracks, over half the album — but it is his biggest album and functions as a nice transition between his better-known '70s hits and the more esoteric but frequently compelling work that he's done since."[3]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Paul Simon except as noted.
Disc 1
- "Mother and Child Reunion" - 3:04
- "Loves Me Like a Rock" - 3:32
- "Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard" - 2:44
- "Duncan" (Early fade-out) - 4:29
- "Kodachrome" - 3:33
- "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" - 3:28
- "Slip Slidin' Away" - 4:45
- "Gone at Last" - 3:38
- "Something So Right" - 4:32
- "Late in the Evening" - 4:02
- "Hearts and Bones" - 5:39
- "Take Me to the Mardi Gras" - 3:26
- "That Was Your Mother" - 2:54
- "American Tune" - 3:45
- "Peace Like a River" - 3:18
- "Stranded in a Limousine" - 3:07
- "Train in the Distance" (Edited version) - 4:22
- "The Late Great Johnny Ace" - 4:47
- "Still Crazy After All These Years" - 3:25
Disc 2
- "Graceland" - 4:46
- "Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes" (Simon, Joseph Shabalala) - 5:38
- "The Boy in the Bubble" (Simon, Forere Motloheloa) - 3:58
- "You Can Call Me Al" - 4:36
- "Under African Skies" - 3:35
- "The Obvious Child" - 4:08
- "Born at the Right Time" - 3:48
- "The Cool, Cool River" - 4:31
- "Spirit Voices" (Simon, Milton Nascimento) - 3:54
- "Adios Hermanos" (Simon, Derek Walcott) - 4:43
- "Born in Puerto Rico" (Simon, Walcott) - 4:55
- "Quality" (Simon, Walcott) - 4:12
- "Darling Lorraine" - 6:36
- "Hurricane Eye" - 4:13
- "Father and Daughter" - 4:10
- "Outrageous" (Simon, Brian Eno) - 3:22
- "Wartime Prayers" - 4:48
DVD bonus
Videos
- "Me and Julio Down by the School Yard" - Directed by Gary Weis, 1988 (video includes 25 second rap intro) - 3:12
- "You Can Call Me Al" - Directed by Gary Weis, 1986 - 4:40
- "The Boy in the Bubble" - Directed by Jim Blashfield, 1986 - 4:03
- "Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes" - Directed by Ethan Russell, 1987 - 5:50
- "The Obvious Child" - Directed by Ruy Guerra, 1990 - 4:33
- "Father and Daughter" (from The Wild Thornberrys movie, 2002) - Directed by Wayne Isham, 2002 - 4:08
TV Appearances
- "Mrs. Robinson" (Excerpt from The Dick Cavett Show, April 4, 1970) - 4:14
- "Loves Me Like a Rock" (Excerpt from Saturday Night Live, October 18, 1975) - 3:20
- "Sweeney Sisters" (Excerpt from Saturday Night Live, December 19, 1987) - 6:15
- "Homeward Bound" (with George Harrison) (Excerpt from Saturday Night Live, November 20, 1976) - 3:33
Charts
Chart (2007-08) | Peak position |
---|---|
Dutch (Album Top 100)[4] | 26 |
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[5] | 29 |
US (Billboard 200)[6] | 42 |
United Kingdom (UK Albums Chart)[7] | 12 |
Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
United Kingdom (BPI)[8] | Gold | 100,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
Release history
Country | Date | Label | Format | Catalog |
---|---|---|---|---|
Australia | 2010 | Sony Music Australia, Legacy Records[9][10] | CD, music download | 88697 78679 2 |
References
- ^ Paul Simon - The Essential Paul Simon at JB Hi-Fi
- ^ Essential Paul Simon at Sanity
- ^ a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. Paul Simon – The Essential Paul Simon: Review at AllMusic. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
- ^ Dutch Charts – Paul Simon – The Essential Paul Simon
- ^ NZ Charts – Paul Simon – The Essential Paul Simon
- ^ Billboard 200 – Paul Simon – The Essential Paul Simon
- ^ UK Official Charts - Paul Simon - Chart History
- ^ "British album certifications – Paul Simon – The Essential". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved April 11, 2022.
- ^ Paul Simon - The Essential Paul Simon (2 CD) Australia at Discogs
- ^ Australian Charts - Paul Simon - The Essential Paul Simon
- v
- t
- e
- The Paul Simon Songbook (1966)
- Paul Simon (1972)
- There Goes Rhymin' Simon (1973)
- Still Crazy After All These Years (1975)
- One-Trick Pony (1980)
- Hearts and Bones (1983)
- Graceland (1986)
- The Rhythm of the Saints (1990)
- Songs from The Capeman (1997)
- You're the One (2000)
- Surprise (2006)
- So Beautiful or So What (2011)
- Stranger to Stranger (2016)
- In the Blue Light (2018)
- Seven Psalms (2023)
- Paul Simon in Concert: Live Rhymin'
- Paul Simon's Concert in the Park
- Greatest Hits, Etc.
- Negotiations and Love Songs
- The Paul Simon Anthology
- Paul Simon 1964/1993
- Greatest Hits: Shining Like a National Guitar
- Recorded as Jerry Landis
- The Essential Paul Simon
- This Better Be Good
- Over the Bridge of Time
- The Ultimate Collection
- The Paul Simon Special (1977)
- One-Trick Pony (1980)
- Paul Simon in Concert (1981)
- The All-Star Gospel Session (1987)
- Graceland: The African Concert (1987)
- Paul Simon's Concert in the Park (1991)
- Born at the Right Time (1992)
- Classic Albums: Graceland (1997)
- The Capeman (theater, 1998)
- You're The One - In Concert (2000)
- Live at the Tower Theatre 2003
- Paul Simon and Friends: The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song (2009)
- So Beautiful or So What (Deluxe Limited Edition) (2011)
- Live in New York City (2012)
- Paul Simon's Graceland Journey: Under African Skies (2012)
- The Concert in Hyde Park (2017)
- In Restless Dreams: The Music of Paul Simon (2023)
- One-Trick Pony Tour 1980
- Never Ending Tour 1999
- On Stage Together Tour