| | Headline | Now we know SBOSW better |
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| Author | Comment | Michiel
Jun-10-2011, 07:43 GMT
Netherlands
 | After giving it the time and so the chance to get familiar with SBOSW, I thought let´s start the ranking issue again...
I now fairly can say that the album is nice, but it´s not a ROTS or a Graceland or even a H&B. I think it´s as nice as (so equal) Surprise.
But nonetheless I´m glad with the album, and I´m curious already about his new one with Edie.
In ghe S&G years he had Eddie on his side and now Edie... Confusing :-)
| | | | Nancy
Jun-10-2011, 11:46 GMT
USA - United Staates America
 | I like SBOSW very much. The more I listen the more I like it. It ranks with his top albums in my estimation. | | | | linclink
Jun-10-2011, 15:38 GMT
Unknown
 | I think "So Beautiful Or So What" is as great an album as he´s ever made. I thought the same thing about "Surprise".
I´ve ranked the albums here, in Levels, wherein any given level the albums are roughly of the same quality & listed in chronological order. The Simon & Garfunkel albums are listed within parenthesis.
Level I:
~Heart And Bones
~Graceland
~Rhythm Of The Saints
~Surprise
**~SO BEAUTIFUL OR SO WHATt**
(Bookends)
(Bridge Over Troubled Water)
Level Ia:
~Paul Simon
~There Goes Rhymin´ Simon
(Sounds Of Silence)
(Parsley, Sage, Rosemary And Thyme)
Level II:
~Still Crazy After All These Years
~One-Trick Pony
~You´re The One
Level III:
~The Paul Simon Songbook
~Songs From The Capeman
Level IV:
(Wednesday Morning 3 A.M.)
| | | | Mike
Jun-10-2011, 18:10 GMT
USA - United Staates America
| "You´re The One" has grown on me lately which tells me I´ll never be able to rank these albums. "So Beautiful Or So What" is definitely in the top for me though, I´d put it up there with "Bookends," which has such an amazing arch to the songs. "Bookends" Side A alone blows my mind. | | | | kris
Jun-10-2011, 19:15 GMT
Denmark
 | I pretty much agree. There is a situation and a mood for every album. Everytime I think I know an album, I discover new details. I would have a hard time ranking his albums too. | | | | linclink
Jun-11-2011, 02:04 GMT
USA - United Staates America
| Let me re-post my ratings with these disclaimers...
1) I don´t he´s ever made anything other than a very good album. Even Level III & Level IV here are fine efforts.
2) The albums at Level I are about as favorite a group of albums as I have in all of modern music, period. These albums would most likely be at the very top, or close to it for the year they came out, and often at the top, or near to it, for the decade they came out. Most would literally be at the top of their year, and/or decade.
The Beatles (together & solo) are about the only artists quite up there with the works of Paul Simon/Simon & Garfunkel for me (though plenty of others come close, and/or have works up there in that range).
3) The albums below Level I, in Level Ia, might still be at the top of the year they came out, or near it, and way up there for their decade. Those at Level II would certainly be way up there for their year & decade as well.
4) Everyone of the releases is unique & has something impressive to offer. At different times, different ones move to the forefront for me. I know these all so well that I´ll go very long periods without listening to them. But I Love that when a new album comes out it encourages me to dip back into the back catalog. It helps me to not burn out on the new album...place it in context to the overall output & gives me a chance to hit Old faves with where my head, heart & ears are now (which is most likely at least somewhat different from where they were on last visits)...This has certainly happened with this new album, and it´s just made me all the more certain of how absolutely major a release it is. A brilliant album, and outright masterpiece in my book. Blown away & then some!
So once again...
Level I:
~Heart And Bones
~Graceland
~Rhythm Of The Saints
~Surprise
**~SO BEAUTIFUL OR SO WHATt**
(Bookends)
(Bridge Over Troubled Water)
Level Ia:
~Paul Simon
~There Goes Rhymin´ Simon
(Sounds Of Silence)
(Parsley, Sage, Rosemary And Thyme)
Level II:
~Still Crazy After All These Years
~One-Trick Pony
~You´re The One
Level III:
~The Paul Simon Songbook
~Songs From The Capeman
Level IV:
(Wednesday Morning 3 A.M.) | | | | Mary Katherine
Jun-11-2011, 02:24 GMT
Unknown
| I like it a lot. I find it hard to compare music though. I can say certain albums are my favorites but ranking, or comparing musicians, is difficult. I know certain things can be said about the quality of different people´s work but comparing people especially who are very good is hard.
Paul Simon said in one of the recent interviews that listening through high-quality headphones makes a difference. I think that´s true b/c a guy at the Apple store spent about an hour doing work with my laptop for free after I dropped an ice cream bowl on the keyboard and wrecked the hard drive. I basically got a new computer with only some of the externals and the monitor being the same. I felt bad about him not getting any reward for his time and I´d wanted headphones so I bought a pair called v-moda that were over $200 US. The sounds really did improve quite a bit. I could hear depth and sounds from the background and clarity like I never could before.
so in ranking the music, I think it´s important to rank equally high-quality presentations. the apple store told me at this point the type of ipod does not matter, but the bit rate (over 128 I think they said) and the quality of the headphones make the difference in what you hear. | | | | Ian
Jun-11-2011, 04:13 GMT
Australia
 | Yes Mary Katherine,you are absolutely correct. Listening with good headphones is an excellent way to enjoy good music. I have a fairly good system,but strangely,I seem to listen to most of my music through the tinny little speakers on my phone,but occasionally I´ll put on the headphones and the difference is incredible,and of course you hear the stereo effect to perfection. ´Surprise´ is an extremely good headphone album as well. It´s the way Paul layers the guitars on that album,and where they sit in the stereo picture. Listen to ´That´s Me´ on phones,the way the acoustic guitar based interlude before the bridge just opens up-it´s wonderful. As for ranking Paul´s music,I´m sorry,I can´t. I have tried in the past. It´s as difficult as trying to name my favourite Beach Boys or Beatles song-impossible. The work of artists such as these has to be taken as a complete whole I believe. I´m just wussing out,but it´s REALLY hard to put one work ahead of another. | | | | |
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