new songs
Julie
myself.
I don't like the new songs.
Never thought I'd say that about anything that PS wrote.
Anyone else?
No hate mail please.
Julie
Ans
The latest new songs are surely different from what PS wrote before.
But I like them. I like the guitar playing very much and the lyrics
(although not all of them) give me enough to think about. But I must
admit if there will be a whole new album I hope there will also be
songs with some more variation of instruments in it.
Cathy
"Julie" <Jule...@ntlworld.com> wrote in message
news:AHVjm.22125$xj1....@newsfe07.ams2...
No hate mail or reply, but... what new songs? I'm obviously a bit (or
more?!) out of it.... ;-)
Cathy
Ans
> "Julie" <Jules1...@ntlworld.com> wrote in message
The new songs are Love And hard Times which Paul played at Barnes &
Noble. Amulet, an instrumental song for Intermediate Masterworks for
Marimba from the ZMF New Music Commissioning Project and also
available at Luciana Souza's new album Tide and Question For The
Angels available for the USA and Canada at iTunes.
Noplacia
Mona Lisa, too.
Drop your negativity and open your mind and ears. Just be gateful
Paul is still writing and creating. How can you not see the beauty
and the genius?
"If you shop for love in a bargain store and you don't get what you
bargain for, do you get your money back?"
Julie
"Noplacia" <bubblegu...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:059c2729-64d0-4708...@z31g2000yqd.googlegroups.com...
>
> Drop your negativity and open your mind and ears. Just be gateful
> Paul is still writing and creating. How can you not see the beauty
> and the genius?
>
No negativity and my mind and ears are open. After 30 years of listening and
loving everything that Mr Simon has written (well maybe not Cars are Cars)
it has taken many hours of thought to come to admit to myself that I don't
like the new songs. I might yet change my mind when I hear them through a
decent sound system. (And I am only talking about the last couple of songs
released)
Julie
Jose Maria
new Simon songs.
Maybe in my opinion "Question For The Angels" is a bit better than the
other new songs.
But they all are insignificant, minor, worthless songs. My reasons:
1.- They lack of a main melody ruling over the song (that also
happenned on Surprise album)
2.- They seem to be composed following an atonal system (influenced by
Phillip Glass?)
3.- No rythm at all.
4.- All that is tried to be balanced by a hard,dense and intricated
guitar playing, that sounds pretentious and a bit horrid- It reminds
me that famous comment by Salieri about Mozart music: "Too many
notes". In this case otherwise than in Mozart it seems true for Simon.
5.- Minimalist arrangements and production of the songs: poor songs
6.- A pathological mania for style fussions. Now not only american pop-
rock-country-doowoop with southafrican and brazilian mixes but now
some flamenco and marroque influences are added. A dish with too many
spices makes the stomach get into a revolt.
7.- Another stupid pathological mania: not to repeat himself, not to
do songs as he knows to do. Well when one is about to turn his 70s one
has very little new stuff never done before to bring out. If one tries
to act in this way at that age one becomes boring,strange, flamboyant,
little attractive and (paradox) one ends repeating himself without
noticing it. Pathetic.
8.- The lyrics are too basic and straight for Simon standards. And one
gets tired of so many angels, Gods, Lords, Sons of God, Buddah and
other religious items from 2000 year. It seems he is growing very old
very hurry and he is more and more afraid of death and his fears of
old man have become him in people with some generical religious
expectations (he who was so skeptical about religion all his life that
it became in a landmark in his work). Of course fear of death, feeling
of inminent death, miseries of an old man are matters very little
attractive for a song.
9.- When one is a creator artist one needs to live different
circumstances than most people and to be sensitive to many different,
exciting points of view and of living. Some degree of mind and
cultural adventurer. Simon is away from that right now, he is father
with age and mind of grandfather, his life is absorbed by his children
and turn around them. A quiet, family, unsophiticated life. Few good
songs may come from that background.
Anyway Simon, as any artist, can do the work he wants to do. And if
someone has won the right to do it that is Simon himself. The problem
comes when your new stuff does not connect with almost anybody and it
has no influence on anyone and it does not bring out anything new or
of importance. And worst: not even magic or beauty to improve and
soath other people lives (his fans).
Ans
I think you are to critical. Paul is in a good spot now, I'm glad he
has a happy family life and he reached the place in his career (like
you said) where he can do whatever he wants. It looks like he likes to
work more than ever with other artists including his son Harper. I
don't see it as a problem that his new stuff doesn't connect with a
lot of people, I think Paul knows and accepts that. Because of this I
don't think he will bring the new songs officially out on a new album.
Although I can understand that a lot of fans are disappointed, I
should say: go with the flow. Well, the music he writes is still
interesting for me. I love the album Surprise, the melodies are there,
just harder to recognize and the guitar playing on that album is
outstanding.