Archive for March, 2006
March 31, 2006 at 3:11 pm · Filed under Paul Simon
April 2, 2006
FAST TRACKS
New songs of protest and rage
By Chris Lee, Special to The Times
BETWEEN the president’s plummeting poll numbers, widespread public dissatisfaction with the war in Iraq and the poetic potential of all that angst in the air, it was only a matter of time before pop music caught up with popular discontent.
Now, three high-profile acts offer pointed social critiques, an upswing in the kind of politically minded pop music that top-of-the-charts acts have addressed only sporadically from any perspective since the beginning of the war in Iraq three years ago.
The Dixie Chicks recently cracked the country Top 40 with “Not Ready to Make Nice,” a single that amplifies and elaborates on band member Natalie Maines’ 2003 Bush-bashing comment (on the eve of the war, she told a London audience that the group was “ashamed” it shared its home state with President Bush). In May, Paul Simon resurfaces with “Surprise,” his first album in six years, one that includes the song “Wartime Prayers.” In a disheartened meditation about psychic war wounds, the 64-year-old sings of cleansing his “soul of rage.”
Pearl Jam’s antiwar anthem “World Wide Suicide” has been on fire on rock radio since last week.
“Medals on a wooden mantle, next to a handsome face,” lead vocalist Eddie Vedder seethes on “Suicide,” “that the president took for granted, writing checks that others pay.”
That song’s anti-establishment stance won’t come as a shock to anyone familiar with the band’s campaign-year efforts in 2004, when it mounted the overtly political Vote for Change tour designed to promote regime change at home. Vedder also hinted at his political leanings when he impaled a rubber mask of Bush on a microphone stand in 2003.
“Pearl Jam is a band who throughout [its] career [has] been known for making some politically charged statements,” says Bill Burrs, vice president of rock music for the RCA Music Group, Pearl Jam’s distributor. “Given what’s going on in the world today, maybe that’s why some radio has embraced the song.”
Link
March 29, 2006 at 2:54 pm · Filed under Paul Simon
Paul Simon Album Ends the Silence
Paul Simon’s first new album in six years, “Surprise,” will be released by Warner Brothers Records on May 9. It was produced by Brian Eno, the studio innovator who has worked with U2, Talking Heads and David Bowie, among others. “Working with Brian Eno opens the door to a world of sonic possibilities,” Mr. Simon, left, said in a statement. The album will also feature appearances by Herbie Hancock and Bill Frisell. BEN SISARIO
Link
March 29, 2006 at 11:03 am · Filed under Paul Simon
March 29, 2006
QUICK TAKES
Paul Simon sings of ‘Wartime’
Richard Cromelin
Paul Simon has set a release date of May 9 for “Surprise,” his first album in six years, and the collection figures to be closely watched because it contains one of the veteran singer-songwriter’s most socially slanted lyrics since 1973’s disillusioned “American Tune.”
Simon hasn’t explained the inspiration for “Wartime Prayers,” according to his spokesman, but in the song he appears to be addressing the effect of the Iraq war. He opens by recalling the “silent conversations” of prayers in times of peace, then sings, “All that is changed now / Gone like a memory from the day before the fires / People hungry for the voice of God / Hear lunatics and liars.” He then adds, “Wartime prayers in every language spoken / For every family scattered and broken.”
Simon, who produced the album with English musician-producer Brian Eno, will perform on May 7, the closing day of the annual New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival.
Link
March 28, 2006 at 10:48 pm · Filed under Paul Simon
Paul Simon Returns With “Surprise”
Hall of Famer collaborated with Brian Eno on ninth studio album
Sixteen-time Grammy winner Paul Simon will release Surprise, his much-anticipated collaboration with producer Brian Eno (Talking Heads, U2), on May 9th.
The long-awaited follow-up to Simon’s last solo effort, 2000’s gold-selling You’re the One, was recorded in Eno’s London studio, as well as studios in Nashville and New York, and features Herbie Hancock and jazz guitarist Bill Frisell.
Among the album’s eleven tracks, which feature Simon’s trademark intricate acoustic guitar, is the Oscar-nominated “Father and Daughter,” off the soundtrack for the animated film The Wild Thornberrys, as well as the song “Outrageous” and the opener “How Can You Live in the Northeast.”
In 1972, when Simon released his self-titled solo debut, he spoke to Rolling Stone about his personal, hands-on recording process. “It wasn’t until my own album that I ever started to think to myself, ‘What do I really like?’” he said. “I learned every aspect of it has to be your own judgment. You have to say, ‘Now, wait a minute, is that the right tempo? Is that the right take?’ It’s your decision. Nobody else can do it.”
The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer will make his first appearance in support of Surprise at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage festival on May 7th, and is scheduled to perform on Saturday Night Live on May 13th. Summer and fall tours are also in the works.
JESSICA ROBERTSON
Posted Mar 28, 2006 2:47 PM
Link
March 28, 2006 at 10:46 pm · Filed under Paul Simon
Simon Ready To ‘Surprise’ With Eno
March 28, 2006, 10:30 AM ET
Jonathan Cohen, N.Y.
After several years of work, Paul Simon is finally ready to share his long-awaited collaboration with producer Brian Eno (U2, Talking Heads) with the listening public. The 11-track project, dubbed “Surprise,” will be released May 9 in North America via Warner Bros. and a day earlier internationally.
Among the songs set to appear on “Surprise” are “Sons and Daughters,” “How Can You Live in the Northeast,” “Outrageous” and “Father and Daughter,” Simon’s contribution to 2002’s “The Wild Thornberrys Movie” which was nominated for the best original song Academy Award.
Guest appearances include guitarist Bill Frisell, drummer Steve Gadd and pianist Herbie Hancock, whose 2005 album, “Possibilities,” featured a new recording with Simon of the latter’s “I Do It for Your Love.”
“Surprise” is Simon’s first studio album since 2000’s “You’re the One,” which debuted at No. 19 on The Billboard 200 and has sold more than 505,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
The lone live date on Simon’s schedule at present is a May 7 appearance at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. A small-venue show in London is in the works to coincide with the new album’s release date but details have yet to be announced.
According to a spokesperson, tours are in the works for both summer and fall. Simon will also perform on the May 13 episode of NBC’s “Saturday Night Live.”
Here is the track list for “Surprise”:
“How Can You Live in the Northeast”
“Everything About It Is a Love Song”
“Outrageous”
“Sure Don’t Feel Like Love”
“Wartime Prayers”
“Beautiful”
“I Don’t Believe”
“Another Galaxy”
“Once Upon a Time There Was an Ocean”
“That’s Me”
“Father and Daughter”
Link
March 28, 2006 at 10:45 pm · Filed under Paul Simon
Warner Bros. To Release Paul Simon’s New Album ‘Surprise’ On May 9
On May 9, Warner Bros. Records will release ‘Surprise,’ the new studio album by Paul Simon and his first release since 2000. Produced by Simon, and in collaboration with Brian Eno, the album contains some of Simon’s best songwriting and performances since the ‘Graceland’ album.
Says Paul Simon: “Working with Brian Eno opens the door to a world of sonic possibilities; plus he’s just a great guy to hang with in the studio, or for that matter in life. I had a really good time.”
‘Surprise’ features Simon’s masterful voice, and showcases some of his finest guitar work to date. Augmented by Eno’s innovative soundscapes, ‘Surprise’ includes contributions from musicians including Steve Gadd, Herbie Hancock, and Bill Frisell.
‘Surprise’ was mixed by Tchad Blake, and recorded at Eno’s studio in London as well as studios in New York and Nashville. The album features 11 songs, including the previously Oscar-nominated “Father And Daughter.”
Paul Simon has already confirmed his first appearance for the new album: he and his band will cap off the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival with a headlining show at the Acura stage on Sunday, May 7th. He is also scheduled to appear on Saturday Night Live May 13th. Tour plans are currently in the works for both summer and fall, please check paulsimon.com for announcements and details.
The song titles to ‘Surprise’ are:
1. How Can You Live In The Northeast
2. Everything About It Is A Love Song
3. Outrageous
4. Sure Don’t Feel Like Love
5. Wartime Prayers
6. Beautiful
7. I Don’t Believe
8. Another Galaxy
9. Once Upon A Time There Was An Ocean
10. That’s Me
11. Father And Daughter
Link
March 28, 2006 at 10:42 pm · Filed under Paul Simon
Paul Simon to release ‘Surprise’ album
NEW YORK, March 28 (UPI) — Paul Simon is preparing to roll out his years-in-the-making album, “Surprise,” with a tour and appearance on “Saturday Night Live.”
The 11-track collaboration with producer Brian Eno hits stores May 8 internationally and May 9 in North America, Billboard.com reported Tuesday.
It will mark Simon’s first album since “You’re the One” in 2000 and features guest appearances by guitarist Bill Frisell, drummer Steve Gadd and pianist Herbie Hancock.
Simon is scheduled to perform May 7 at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and tours are being planned for summer and fall, a spokesman for the singer told Billboard.com.
Simon is scheduled to appear as the musical guest on the May 13 episode of NBC’s “Saturday Night Live.”
Link
March 28, 2006 at 10:38 pm · Filed under Paul Simon
Mar 28, 4:15 PM EST
Paul Simon returns with new album
By LARRY McSHANE
Associated Press Writer
NEW YORK (AP) — When Paul Simon decided it was time for a new album, there was an immediate problem: He wasn’t exactly sure what to say - or how to say it.
“It might be that it gets more difficult as you get older,” Simon mused about the writing process. “It might also be that it was just a period of time that required me to rethink a lot of my musical and lyrical premises, and think, `What could I say that I wouldn’t feel was just unnecessary, irrelevant, stupid?’”
It took three years to figure it all out, and the answer was “Surprise” - the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer’s first album since “You’re the One” in 2000.
It’s a long time between music, but here’s a quick demonstration of Simon’s songwriting brilliance and staying power: “Surprise” comes 20 years after “Graceland,” his Grammy-winning collaboration with South African musicians - and that came 20 years after “Sounds of Silence,” where Simon worked with lifelong friend Art Garfunkel.
On the new album, due in stores May 9, the 64-year-old Simon brings aboard an unlikely new collaborator: Brian Eno, the avant-garde artist best known for his musical work with Robert Fripp, Talking Heads, David Bowie and U2.
It’s not as strange as it (or the resulting album) sounds.
“We’re both ’sounds’ people,” Simon explained. “We’re both about soundscapes. I thought he would bring an element that I hadn’t ever encountered before, electronics, into a guitar record. Theoretically, it seemed to be a good idea. And when we actually did it, you could tell right away it was a good idea.”
Simon was a fan of Eno’s eclectic work, and they met at a London dinner party. They decided to “throw it together, see what the mix of sounds were, see what we produced,” Simon recalled.
The results are evident from the opening track, “How Can You Live in the Northeast?,” where Simon’s songwriting meets Eno’s wall of sounds to almost hypnotic effect. “Outrageous” is the hilarious tale of a middle-aged man doing 900 sit-ups a day while “painting my hair the color of mud.”
And there’s the autobiographical “Sure Don’t Feel Like Love,” with its lyric about a man who remembers how “once in August 1993 I was wrong/And I could be wrong again.”
“That’s pretty much me,” Simon confessed with a soft chuckle. “You think of it. It’s hilariously arrogant.”
Simon handles most of the guitar duties, and he’s joined on various songs by guests Herbie Hancock and Bill Frisell. The album also features his Oscar-nominated song “Father and Daughter” from “The Wild Thornberrys.”
Simon will play the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival on May 7 in the flood-ravaged city that remains close to his heart. His Children’s Health Fund, a charity co-founded by Simon in 1987, has been working in the Gulf area to assist victims of Hurricane Katrina.
“New Orleans is a place that I have a lot of affection for,” said Simon. “I have a lot of friends who live there. … It makes me look forward to going to New Orleans even more than I normally would just to play and hang out.”
AP Photo/ROBERT CLARK
Link
March 28, 2006 at 10:24 pm · Filed under Paul Simon
In stores May 9th
