Track Listing

1. Graceland
2. You can call me al
3. Mother and child reunion
4. The cool cool river
5. 50 ways to leave your lover
6. The obvious child
7. The boy in the bubble
8. Rene and georgette magritte with their dog
9. Late in the evening
10. Bernadette
11. Slip slidin' away
12. Take me to the mardi gras
13. Diamonds on the soles of her shoes
14. Still crazy after all these years
15. Kodachrome
16. Loves me like a rock
17. Me and julio by the schoolyard
18. Hearts and bones
19. Trailways bus

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #22639 in Music
• Released on: 2000-05-15
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.co.uk Review
Nothing he has released since has matched the sales heights of Bridge Over Troubled Water, but the quality of Paul Simon's solo work is undeniable--indeed it could be argued that the songwriter's work post-Simon & Garfunkel has been even more rewarding aesthetically. Shining Like A National Guitar--the fourth compilation to be drawn from Simon's eight solo albums--offers another welcome opportunity to appreciate this extraordinary career arc: tracing Simon's fascinating musical odyssey from Jamaica's "Mother & Child Reunion" and South Africa's "Boy In The Bubble", to Latin America's "The Obvious Child". Along the way, marvel at the articulate precision of Simon's music--"Graceland", "Hearts & Bones", "Still Crazy After All These Years", right up to the recent undervalued album of Capeman. He may not have been particularly prolific, but it's possible to be dazzled afresh by the sheer brilliance of Paul Simon's music. --Patrick Humphries

Customer Reviews

The Misssisssipi Delta Still Gleaming After All These Years
This is a very acceptable compilation of Paul Simon's solo career spanning both his years with Columbia Records and Warner Brothers who now have the rights to all his back catalogue.From the early days we have Me And Julio... up to the more recent Bernadette.Most fans will have these tracks on several albums already so it is difficult to see who this album is aimed at.Paul Simon solo and with Simon & Garfunkel has so many compilation albums available that they vastly outnmber his albums of original material.With the addition of digital remastering, few could fault this collection though the inclusion of Rene And Georgette Magritte And Their Dog is strange.I know few people who like this track which finds Paul at his most pretentious and dull.However, the rest of the album is great and a fine inroduction to the music of Paul Simon.Magic moment- Steve Gadd's drumming on Fifty Ways To Leave Your Lover.

The best single-disc Paul Simon-collection available
The various Paul Simon-compilations that have been released over the years have been an unsatisfying bunch, leaving out some of his best and most succesful songs in favor of his own personal favorites, so none of those collections can be recommended unreservedly.

But "Greatest Hits: Shining Like A National Guitar" remedies that, and it is by far the best such collection ever released, selecting 19 songs from Paul Simon's studio recordings between 1972 and 1997, including all of his ten British chart singles.

Not quite as comprehensive as the double-disc "Paul Simon Anthology", "Shining Like A National Guitar" nevertheless gathers almost all of Simon's very best songs, including "Still Crazy After All These Years", "Graceland", "The Obvious Child", "Mother And Child Reunion", "Slip Slidin' Away", "50 Ways To Leave Your Lover", "Take Me To The Mardi Gras", "Me And Julio Down By The Schoolyard", and of course "You Can Call Me Al".

If you're looking for a place to start, this is it. And if you're looking for just one Paul Simon-collection, this might very well be it as well, especially if you already have the key Simon & Garfunkel-songs (which can be found on "The Paul Simon Anthology").
4½ stars - highly recommended.

Excellece and Emotion and Wit all in one brilliant album!!!
I only Heard of Paul Simon when i saw his 'you can call me al' video on VH1 Classic.

It was then i decided to look out for more of his great work.

When i brought this album i enjoyed every song on there especially these:

You can call me al
Mother and child reunion
cool cool river
50 way's to leave your lover
the obvious child
Boy in the bubble
take me to the mardi gras
Me and julio down by the schoolyard

Trust me you cannot go wrong with this album and it belongs in every paul simon fan's collection.

You will love the lyrics as much as the tunes to each song, Please read this and make the right choice by the best paul simon album since Graceland!