Paul Simon Hopes to Play a Full Concert
· Ultimate Classic RockPaul Simon may have retired from touring, but playing live generally is not off the table.
"I'm hoping to eventually be able to do a full-length concert," he recently told The Guardian. "I'm optimistic. Six months ago I was pessimistic."
Six years ago, the singer-songwriter announced his retirement from the road and has since spoken about struggling with hearing loss — at one point, he noted that he had lost nearly all hearing in his left ear, a reality that made playing live difficult.
Retired From the Road, Not From Music
Last month, he made a brief appearance at the SoHo Sessions loft in New York City, performing seven songs for around 150 people. Speaking with The Guardian, Simon clarified that his 2018 announcement was never intended to spell the end of his career.
"I never said I was going to retire,” he said. "I said I was going to stop, which I did. I thought that with that band and the repertoire we were doing we'd developed it as far as we could. It was enjoyable, but I wanted to find out what happens when you stop. Then I had a dream, and everything changed back to a new version of reality."
That dream led to the creation of his most recent album, 2023's Seven Psalms. It was during this time that Simon's hearing loss worsened.
"It was scary, frustrating," he explained. "You're in denial and then you're overwhelmed by this change in your life because you now have a disability. But even though it wasn't pleasurable any more, I started to think that this was some new information that I needed to absorb into the piece. I started to focus on sounds, not from computers or synthesizers, but acoustic instruments used in unusual ways."
READ MORE: 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Paul Simon
Not only is Simon thinking about more performing, he's also written two entirely new songs.
“One of them, a duet with Edie, is different from anything I've written. I might just put it out into the ether, see where it goes," he said, referring to his wife and sometimes creative collaborator Edie Brickell. "I'm interested in relearning how to write songs, like I did in England, and developing new acoustic sounds. Maybe I’m something of a lone wolf in that respect. But I'm kinda interested in the conclusion of where my thinking in music finally ends up."
20. 'The Paul Simon Songbook' (Paul Simon, 1965)
After Simon & Garfunkel's 'Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M.' didn't make them stars, Simon headed overseas to play mostly solo shows consisting of his folk songs. He built a small following in England and recorded this stripped-down set of mostly originals -- including future Simon & Garfunkel classics like "I Am a Rock" and "April Come She Will" -- accompanying himself on acoustic guitar. The album remained unreleased in the U.S. for years after Simon distanced himself from it. An interesting, if inessential, document of Simon before the hits.
19. 'Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M.' (Simon & Garfunkel, 1964)
Simon & Garfunkel's debut album sounds like a lot of earnest folk LPs from the day. The one thing that stands out: Simon's way with words and music. The duo's harmonies are a bit too delicate at this point, but you can sense their potential. "The Sound of Silence," found here in its original acoustic version, would be remixed the next year, giving them their first No. 1 and launching their career.
18. 'In the Blue Light' (Paul Simon, 2018)
As he prepared to retire from touring, Simon revisited some of the lesser-known songs in his extensive catalog. The result, 'In the Blue Light,' is the most boring record of his long career. Songs stretch back to 1973's 'There Goes Rhymin' Simon' through 2011's 'So Beautiful or So What.' Almost all of them sound unnecessary here. And the context, years removed from their original inspirations, is pretty much lost.
17. 'You're the One' (Paul Simon, 2000)
Simon's most straightforward album in decades, 'You're the One' doesn't aim to be much more than a singer-songwriter record made by one of the best. But Simon is at his best when he gets ambitious -- from the overriding concept of Simon & Garfunkel's 'Bookends' to 'Graceland''s African rhythms. This is a pleasant enough album, just not a very exciting one.
16. 'Surprise' (Paul Simon, 2006)
Simon's most risk-taking album in years includes collaborations with Brian Eno, who broadens the sonic palette. But the songs themselves aren't very memorable, and beneath the surface of the new aural tricks, there's not much going on here. Still, give Simon credit for his continuing restlessness, even this far into his professional career.
15. 'One-Trick Pony' (Paul Simon, 1980)
After a five-year break, Simon returned with his first album since the Grammy-winning 'Still Crazy After All These Years.' A soundtrack of sorts to the movie starring Simon, 'One-Trick Pony' mixed studio and live material for a record that never quite comes together, even though a handful of songs -- especially the hit single "Late in the Evening" -- were worth the long wait and haul.
14. 'Songs From the Capeman' (Paul Simon, 1997)
Simon's first album after a seven-year break following 'The Rhythm of the Saints' contained his versions of songs he wrote for 'The Capeman,' a Broadway musical that bombed. The autobiographical 'Songs From the Capeman' incorporates doo-wop, pop, R&B and Latin rhythms in an effort to get a grip on Simon's musical bedrock. It's a mess at times. And like the stage musical that inspired it, the album tanked with fans.
13. 'Hearts and Bones' (Paul Simon, 1983)
Simon's most underrated album was supposed to be a Simon & Garfunkel reunion record. But an argument between them led to Simon erasing his old partner's vocal contributions. Not counting the 1980 soundtrack LP, 'One-Trick Pony,' 'Hearts and Bones' marked Simon's first album in eight years, and the songs here reflect the long passage of time. It's one of his most mature and honest LPs, an often overlooked gem that set the wheels in motion for the career-revitalizing 'Graceland' in a few years.
12. 'Seven Psalms' (Paul Simon, 2023)
The dream-like qualities of this 33-minute acoustic meditation are no accident: The album's title and lyrics for the seven songs came to Simon while he was sleeping. Designed to be listened to in one uninterrupted half-hour session, Seven Psalms flows together as a single contemplative piece on spirituality and one man's struggles with belief. Hymn-like and personal in a way that makes it more an answered calling than an album, this is a late-night benediction to aging souls.
11. 'So Beautiful or So What' (Paul Simon, 2011)
Simon's most assured album in more than 20 years explores mortality, spirituality and growing old with a set of textured songs that never gets too complicated. Simon approached the album as he did in the old days, with mostly just a guitar, and shaded the layers later. The result is an adult record that isn't afraid to confront the inevitable but still has a hell of a time getting there.
10. 'Stranger to Stranger' (Paul Simon, 2016)
Simon and longtime collaborator Roy Halee create a sonic landscape that's every bit as invigorating as their best work together. There are surprises around and tucked into every corner. And the melodies are Simon's sharpest in years, seeped in wit and insight. A late-career winner (Simon was 74 when the album was released) that's more adventurous and exciting than many records made by artists a third Simon's age.
9. 'The Rhythm of the Saints' (Paul Simon, 1990)
What 'Graceland' was to South African music, 'The Rhythm of the Saints' is to Latin American. Four years after 'Graceland' made Simon a superstar again, he returned with another world-music set that explores cultural heritages through universal rhythms. Some of his most undervalued songs are here, and the project holds together almost as strongly as 'Graceland.' After this, it would be another seven years before Simon made another record.
8. 'Still Crazy After All These Years' (Paul Simon, 1975)
The album that broke Simon's ties to his past once and for all -- even if it did include "My Little Town," the first time he and Art Garfunkel recorded together since their breakup. It also helped establish him as one of the biggest music stars of the era (it's his only solo No. 1 album and a Grammy winner for Album of the Year). The title track became a new standard, as Simon's career picked up more speed. It would be five years before he made another album.
7. 'There Goes Rhymin' Simon' (Paul Simon, 1973)
Picking up where the previous year's self-titled LP left off, 'There Goes Rhymin' Simon' includes more genre jumping (gospel and Dixieland are the two biggies here), a wide range of studio pros and a lightening of a load he carried since Simon & Garfunkel broke up. At times it's a more confident album than 'Paul Simon,' even if its songs don't quite reach the best of its predecessor. Either way, it finally gave Simon some distance from his past.
6. 'Sounds of Silence' (Simon & Garfunkel, 1966)
Simon & Garfunkel's second album got a huge boost when a song from their debut LP was remixed with electric instruments and shot up the charts. "The Sound of Silence" catapulted the duo's career, and the quickly assembled album built around that cut -- consisting mostly of numbers Simon penned while living in England, several of which appeared on his solo 'The Paul Simon Songbook' -- paved the way for more expansive records in the next few years.
5. 'Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme' (Simon & Garfunkel, 1966)
Simon & Garfunkel's first great album, and the first time they started expanding their sound in the studio. Redefining the folk roots of their first two records, 'Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme' is a sonic leap from the stripped-down and canned production found on the rushed 'Sounds of Silence,' released nine months earlier. Simon was also growing as a songwriter, evidenced by the record's restless style and mood changes.
4. 'Paul Simon' (Paul Simon, 1972)
Simon's solo career starts here (even though 1965's little-heard 'The Paul Simon Songbook' was his first LP to feature just his name). He played around with foreign sounds on the last Simon & Garfunkel album, 'Bridge Over Troubled Water,' but he dives into jazz, blues, Latin music and even reggae here, steering from one corner to the next (he recorded one song in Jamaica, a sign of things to come). It was two years since Simon & Garfunkel split; 'Paul Simon' sounds like a giant exhale.
3. 'Bookends' (Simon & Garfunkel, 1968)
Simon was still in his mid-20s when he wrote this concept album about growing old. Working with producer Roy Halee, Simon & Garfunkel create the musical groundwork for one of the most assured LPs of the '60s. There's barely a moment wasted on the 29-minute album -- from the sweeping "America" to the nostalgic "Mrs. Robinson" to the hometown tribute "At the Zoo." Simon's first real claim as one of the greatest songwriters of his generation.
2. 'Bridge Over Troubled Water' (Simon & Garfunkel, 1970)
Simon & Garfunkel's final album is also Simon's tour de force, an expertly written, played and produced set of songs that skips around genres and defies labels at every turn. From the big-ballad sweep of the title track to the early flirts with world music on "El Condor Pasa (If I Could)" and "Cecilia" to the heartbreaking goodbye to the duo's partnership "The Only Living Boy in New York," 'Bridge Over Troubled Water' is one of pop's most timeless and perfect albums, a filler-free feast for the ears that includes some of Simon's (and therefore modern music's) best songs.
1. 'Graceland' (Paul Simon, 1986)
After the commercial failure of 'Hearts and Bones' and the breakup of his marriage, Simon rebounded with his best-ever solo album and his most joyful record, a musical reawakening that doubles as a soul-searching excavation of love and life. Recorded partially with South African musicians, 'Graceland' kick-started the world-music boom and sparked Simon's career, snagging tons of awards in the process. But none of this matters much if the music on 'Graceland' wasn't so exuberant and life-affirming. The lyrics cut to the big picture too, but it's 'Graceland''s solid rhythmic foundation that makes it one of the '80s' most timeless records.