Paul Simon in Concert: Live Rhymin' (1974)

I've always liked Simon & Garfunkel, who doesn't? I've also liked Paul Simon's solo stuff. Yet, I have never bought any record with these artists. Don't ask me why. Fortunately I still have some of these LPs in the collection, records I have taken /saved from relatives. Good deeds, that is.

This album has belonged to one of my uncles, before this summer's move to Montreal, he offered me to go through his collection and select those records I wanted. Because he never listened to them, I'm not sure if he even had a record player. Offers like these are like Christmas, and filled with bubbling joy I took a look at what he had. This was one of the albums that fowllowed me westbound.

This was Paul Simon's first live album, not sure exactly where it was recorded as nothing is specified on the cover. On internet London and New York are mentioned as a couple locations. The first songs only offer Paul along with an acoustic guitar, then the Brazilian band Urubamba comes into the picture and expands the sound. Of course Pauls sings El Condor Pasa (If I Could) backed by the South American band. On side B the gospel group The Jessy Dixon Singers appears on stage and makes it a bit hotter. They even get to sing a song all by themselves, Jesus Is The Answer, which also happens to be the song on the album you can do without.

What is there to say about this album, really? It's of course of high quality, Paul Simon offers a few doses of melancholy, some beautiful quiet songs and a few more fast paced, gospel-soaked numbers. One can always discuss the necessity of owning the album if you have the songs in their original form, I don't believe the live versions are better than the studio recordings. But if one has no other album with Paul Simon (with or without Garfunkel), it can probably be recommended since it offers a fairly wide range of Paul Simon's creations. It's only one disc, so it's not the whole concert from this tour, only selected songs.

Personal favorites are the beautiful version of the classic Sounds of Silence, Duncan with its beautiful flutes and The Boxer, that to me breathes childhood memories of my grandparents.


Tracklist

Side A
1. Me and Julio Down By The Schoolyard 2:47
2. Homeward Bound 2:45
3. American Tune 3:58
4. El Condor Pasa (If I Could) 4:08
5. Duncan 5:11
6. The Boxer 6:11

Side B
1. Mother and Child Reunion 4:00
2. The Sound Of Silence 4:27
3. Jesus Is The Answer 3:28
4. Bridge Over Troubled Water 7:10
5. Loves Me Like A Rock 3:16
6. America 4:35