Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. Mother And Child Reunion
2. Loves Me Like A Rock
3. Me And Julio Down By The School Yard
4. Duncan
5. Kodachrome
6. 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover
7. Slip Slidin' Away
8. Gone At Last - Simon, Paul & Phoebe Snow/Jessy Dixon Singers
9. Something So Right
10. Late In The Evening
11. Hearts And Bones
12. Take Me To The Mardi Gras
13. That Was Your Mother
14. American Tune
15. Peace Like A River
16. Stranded In A Limousine
17. Train In The Distance
18. Late Great Johnny Ace
19. Still Crazy After All These Years

Disc 2:

1. Graceland
2. Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes
3. Boy In The Bubble
4. You Can Call Me Al
5. Under African Skies
6. Obvious Child
7. Born At The Right Time
8. Cool Cool River
9. Spirit Voices
10. Adios Hermanos
11. Born In Puerto Rico
12. Quality
13. Darling Lorraine
14. Hurricane Eye
15. Father And Daughter
16. Outrageous
17. Wartime Prayers

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1452 in Music
• Released on: 2008-06-02
• Number of discs: 2
• Format: CD

CD Description
Legendary pop chameleon and philanthropist Paul Simon has enjoyed a varied and musically diverse career, perfectly summarised in this collection. From songs that recall the heydayof his work with Art Garfunkel to tunes that see him tackling world music and conquering the charts in his 'Graceland' days, this is an exhaustive document of Simon's craft. What shines throughout the collection, though, is his clear gift for the deft one-liner, the musical nuance and tweak of gesture that earmarks him as one of his generation's most significant artists.

Customer Reviews

One of the great singer-songwriters in the English Language
I have been listening to the music of Paul Simon since i can remember.
What you get here is not a rebel, a follower of trends, a commercial artist or a controversial one.
What we get with Paul simon is some of the most beautiful songs ever in the English Language, performed with the respect they deserve.
As one part of the duo Simon and Garfunkel, Paul Simon wrote : The Boxer, sounds of silence, Bridge over Troubled water and Mrs Robinson to name a few.
What strikes me as a surprise in this collection is how several of the songs here are of the same quality if not superior to the above.
ie American Tune, Slip Slidin away, Still crazy after all these years, Kodachrome, Gone at Last, The Boy in the Bubble.

It is true that many people consider Paul Simon to be a great Lyricist-which of course he is. But the diversity of the music here is mouth watering. Gospel, Salsa, Folk, Rock, Rock and Roll, Soweto,Jazz....

A truly gifted singer-songwriter who cares and respects his audience.

These CDs are great for personal listening, parties, or the car. CD one contains such remarkable Gospel Music, it would be o.k for believers to skip Church on a Sunday.
Superb!

The Essential Paul Simon CD
While the restless artisanship of Paul Simon's music has been previously anthologized more than once, this double-disc-plus-DVD set instantly takes its place as the most comprehensive yet musically insightful overview of his solo career. Six tracks from the singer's Grammy-winning triumph Graceland, the 1986 collection that both reinvented Simon's career and pushed world music into a well-deserved spotlight, serve as the collection's focal point. They bridge the more traditional '70s singer-songwriter fare Simon pursued after his split with partner Art Garfunkel and the often openly experimental avenues that more recently led to his rewarding 2006 collaboration with Brian Eno, Surprise. Simon's innate artistic curiosity is further underscored by the album's creative sequencing, which eschews strict chronology for a tack that weaves the songs into a more musically and thematically cohesive tapestry. The bonus DVD culls together visual materials that range from the expected videos (including a turn with Mickey Mantle in the early "Me and Julio," the signature, Chevy Chase-starring "You Can Call Me Al," "The Boy in the Bubble," and "Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes" from Graceland) and TV performances that include a plaintive "Mrs. Robinson" from a 1970 Dick Cavett show and three era-spanning appearances on Saturday Night Live, including a warm 1976 duet with George Harrison on "Homeward Bound" that legend says was nearly the catalyst for a full onstage Beatles reunion.

great collection
For me, this is an excellent collection of Paul Simon's best stuff. Almost all the great songs from "Shining Like A National Guitar" with a few great newer tracks. Basically, if you want to know Paul Simon's music, just buy this!