Hearts And Bones

This is a pop record which feels primarily soothing. I'm with Christgau: It never quite takes off. The string arrangements suggest it could have, too (at least for me). The writing seems solid overall with a hint of cuteness at points.

Pretty unremarkable, especially considering Graceland exists. Cars are Cars is probably one of the dorkiest songs to ever be made

Farts & moans

I felt like this album was really catchy and all round good vibes albeit inconsistent, however that “Cars Are Cars” song made me so frustrated and angry. what the fuck

Paul Simon is amazing. At least half the songs started out a little odd to me and by the end I was fully into it. He also seems to understand how sounds layer really well and he was willing to use different methods to make the exact right sound. A song writing genius, as ever.

A fun album, lots of interesting tunes and sounds. Doesn't take itself to seriously, a good listen that I have no disagreements with. Grooves and can get down too, easy listening, easy dancing. Paul Simon is a music man. True feeling: 3.8/5

This Paul Simon cover looks like a screenshot of a camera that caught him stealing in a convenience store. Maybe he was trying to steal a good song idea? And it obviously didn't work.

Every story I've heard about Paul Simon breaking anti-Apartheid travel restrictions and going to South Africa involve tales of him being bored and disillusioned with his own music, and as this appears to be the album he released before traveling to meet decent musicians - I can fully empathise. This album is technically a very competent recording, but blimey o'reilly it is ditchwater dull. Who could fail to be inspired by "Song about the moon"? Let's not mention the staggering obviousness of "Cars are cars". Are they really, Paul? It takes some real lyrical genius to spot that. Simon is a great musician, but there is little that exemplifies writer's block and moribund, contract-fulfilling journeymanning more than this tepid, desperately dull album.

Middle of the road. Especially for Paul Simon. He made way better albums and songs

I haven’t listened to much Paul Simon in a long time, and was surprised there was an album from 1983 that I had never heard of nor could recall any songs from. I started off a little skeptical about a song called “Allergies” kicking things off, but I quite liked it. Nice guitar solo in the middle and I like the music and lyrics. This song was the most obviously from the 80s on this album. The 80’s elements made me like it more, overlaid as they were on what was unmistakably a Paul Simon song. Also as an allergy-sufferer I appreciated the odd subject matter. Settled in to “Hearts and Bones”, a really nice song, and knew I would be in Paul Simon’s capable hands for the rest of the listen. As the album progressed I found myself pretty much loving every song. Paul Simon has more unconventional subjects (“When Numbers Get Serious” is great, despite some questionable multiplication), all accompanied by interesting arrangements. There are two “Think Too Much” songs. Both are fantastic (although I give the edge to (A) as my favorite, but glad both are there). “Song About the Moon” is one of my favorite songs on the album. “Train in the Distance” seemed vaguely familiar to me, so I may have run across this at some point in the past. “Rene and Georgette Magritte After the War” is beautiful, Paul Simon is a wizard of taking a lyric like that and making it flow so naturally in the song. “Cars are Cars” was the first song that as it started I thought might be a miss for me… but by the end I had warmed up to it. Love the juxtaposition of styles between the chorus and the verses. “The Late Great Johnny Ace” has an unusual ending provided by none other than Philip Glass that I found was a nice ending to the album. I’m glad this album was on this list as I doubt I would ever have encountered this anywhere else. Great album I will listen to again and again!

In which one half of the duo that gave us The Boxer and The Only Living Boy in New York released a lead single about allergies, and it wasn't even the worst song on the album. Did you know that cars are cars all over the world? An awful album only partially redeemed by an introspective reflection on the assassination of John Lennon. Best track: The Late Great Johnny Ace

Cars are Cars is one of the most painfully stupid songs I’ve ever heard in my life.

I love Paul Simon, but I have not gotten to my heavy listening period with him yet. Probably will come in my 30s.

My favourite Paul Simon album, which says something given the company it has.

I’m a Paul Simon fan

Pretty average

Ok you have allergies and know nothing about cars.

This is the third Paul Simon album I've been served in the span of two and a half months. Please make it stop. I'm really starting to resent the people who catapulted this man to such fame that he is considered so essential. He is about as fundamental to musical experience as the Barenaked Ladies.

holy shit stop already

Am I the only one who finds Paul Simon insufferable? "Hearts and Bones"? Nope, "Farts and Drones."

Opens with a song about having a rash, bold move. Loads of that huge 80s whoompy bass sound, possibly the whoompiest. The next song is more familiar: gentle acoustic guitar with a pitter-patter bongo percussion part and jazzy electric piano chords for a dash of schmaltz - his soft light vocals floating warmly over the mix. The rest of the songs settle somewhere between these 80s disco inflected synth pop and 70s folk singer sounds. It's all smooth and tasteful and pretty dull in a distinctly upper middle class upper middle brow way. Impossible to listen to this without picturing an arena full of Larry Davids vibing out to the musical equivalent of hotel art.

I hate this song Allergies, I think it's ridiculous. The 80s synth instrumentation kills me. I'm reminded of what I don't like about Paul Simon, the lyrics that go nowhere (in my opinion) except to a rhyme or pun. I don't feel a deep meaning, despite the songs hinting to it. No, Paul, in this case, you did not think too much.

Kinda boring, isn't it?

Blown away. Every song was incredible and the production was weird as fuck but I liked it. Ending of last song was beautiful

This is really good, a middle ground between Simon and Garfunkel and the Paul Simon of Graceland I grew up with.

ALLERGIES!

Hearse and Boners: Paul Simon almost made me crash my car with laughter with “allergies, melodies”; he nearly got me run over when his mellow mist lulled me in the mall parking lot. The man’s a menace, three stars. Point deducted for his being a laughable jerk; point added for being so listenable while being so clearly a laughable jerk.

You can hear the uncertainty and lack of inspiration Simon later touted as his reasons for his pivot to "world music". Half of this is pretty good, half absolute drivel. Nevertheless, the title track is perhaps my favorite song of his, so delicate and poetic. Go watch Carrie Fisher's "Wishful Drinking" and the part in which she describes having it written for her. Lovely. This is also the album that killed his relationship with Garfunkel forever, so it's not all bad. Can you imagine the material on an '80s-production reunion album? Bleurgh..

Mixed Bag… A somewhat uneven, dare I say Prog-Pop (?), collection by Mr. Simon. Mixed in terms of sonics as well as quality. Let's start with the obvious: there are serious duds on here. The first of these, unfortunately, is the opener, largely due to its silly lyrics (same flaw goes for Cars Are Cars (aaaaargh!), which is luckily buried in the second half). But then we can witness some of Paul Simon's finest compositions. Take the marvellous title track with its elegant Bossa touches, the refined phrasing, and the stunning chord progressions. And whoa, Rene and Georgette Magritte with Their Dog After the War makes you simply stop in your tracks: what a marvel (I melted when he sang "après la guerre" so nonchalantly). But then some songs simply don’t really stick - though not for lack of ambition. In When Numbers Get Serious Paul throws in so many ideas that the song seems overstuffed with ideas: the slap bass and the synth in the first part of the song don’t really match the backing vox/the choir. All in all, while showing remarkable songwriting craft, the result sounds forced. Elsewhere, the ambition somewhat drains the fun from other tunes: the laconically stomping Song About the Moon is bookended by the themselves (over-)ambitious Think Too Much (b and a). In contrast, Song About the Moon pulls such a “simple” effect (melodic changes towards the chorus(es)) that it stands out as somewhat understated. Even though, taken for itself, this would probably be a fan favorite were it included in his earlier output. Elsewhere songs foreshadow his Graceland era; Train in the Distance and Think Too Much (a) would probably count as bona fide outtakes from his magnum opus, if we didn’t know better. For all my criticism, I have to admit that I enjoy the hell out of the album, simply for Paul Simon's overwhelmingly beautiful harmonics and in general because of the strikingly “experimental” character of the record with all the LinnDrum elements as well as killer musical contributions (Anthony Jackson, Marcus Miller, Philip Glass among others … crazy). There are so many bits in pieces to pay attention to (Think Too Much (b) would be my favorite in this regard). Sadly, his undeniable ability as a songwriter jangling with all kinds of styles and seamlessly blending them together wasn’t (yet) on full display on Hearts and Bones. I'd call it a great prequel to Graceland, but for it being so transitional, I would not include it in a list such as this. Edit: Does anyone else think of Warren Zevon's Night Time in the Switching Yard when listening to Think Too Much (a)?

Simon sans garfunkel c'est moins bien, mais j'ai appris quelque chose : les voitures sont des voitures !

No. 220/1001 Allergies 3/5 Hearts and Bones 4/5 When Numbers Get Serious 3/5 Think Too Much 3/5 Song About The Moon 3/5 Think Too Much 3/5 Train in the Distance 3/5 René and Georgette 3/5 Cars Are Cars 3/5 The Late Great Johnny Ace 3/5 Average: 3,1 Good album, but nothing to hate or love on here.

I prefer Graceland to this. Ok I guess but probably won’t listen again

“Cars are cars!” They sure are little buddy.

It’s so funny to me that the guy who wrote THE BOXER is also the guy who wrote Cars Are Cars. It’s honestly such a great lesson for any creative person - someone who could make great art could also in another time of their life be making complete “fully-run-out-of-ideas” nonsense like this, and vice versa. So just keep doing it! Keep making art! Who cares if it’s shit! You never know what’ll happen! Cars are cars!

Music so far in the background you'd need a magnifying glass to find it.

It starts with a weird \"is this Paul Simon trying to be an 80's pop star\" vibe and never quite loses it. Hearts and Bones is most enjoyable and Cars are Cars is the most silly. Gone at Last is a Simon-esque collab with a gospel groove. Overall, kind of a yawner and completely benign.

Very flaccid music. He sings about odd subjects and stories. Cars, trains, the brain, random thoughts he’s having I guess? Are we sure he isn’t a School House Rock singer? “Cars are Cars” could have easily been a hit. Unfortunately, that was the only song I liked. You can’t take this guy seriously, that’s the trick. I was happy when the album was over. 4/10

This is just bland and a bit twee at times. Disappointing

Oh. I guess Graceland isn't the only Paul Simon solo album I hope to never hear again. ZERO stars.

This album has the stupidest lyrics I’ve ever heard. “Allergies” and “Cars are Cars” too the list.

Painful

I’m not a Paul Simon fan

Paul Simon is singlehandedly responsible for some of the worst music of the 80s. Dude should have quit after accidentally knocking it out of the park with Sound of Silence. A boring dreadful listen that manages to straddle world music, cheesy 80s production and inexecrable singer-songwriter

Paul Simon’s music (especially at this stage) feels very thoughtful and patient, sophisticated but down to earth. It reminds me of when I had faith in the world, and of the sensible, middle aged, middle class adults I looked up to. I like all of the album, but the highlight is Rene and Georgette Magritte, probably my favorite song of his. I like art that speaks to the importance of art, but this one is also very sensitive and humanizing.

Paul Simon makes such unbelievably beautiful music. "Rene and Georgette Magritte With Their Dog After The War" gets me every time - what a masterpiece of a song. I probably still prefer Graceland as an album, but there are too many highlights here to rate it anything other than a 5.

Not well known, probably because no hits came from this album. However, this is quintessential Paul Simon, making it worth spending some time with.

It was a very fun album, nothing really super crazy. It had enjoyable messages and a fun tone!

Great perfect Paul Simon but I would rather noy be so depressed

maybei think too mucch

Ok yeah, the Car song is dorky as shit but the verses at least have a good message. It’s just got a very 80s chorus. The rest of the album is good solid Paul Simon.

I grew up listening to Paul Simon; he never disappoints. Never will.

Simon without the Garfunkel.

I knew from the Simon and Garfunkel that I’ve heard, and also from listening to Graceland, that I would probably enjoy this album. I couldn’t have expected just how lovely this is though. It seems like everybody knows Graceland as Paul Simon’s best record, but I’d consider this to be on par. His guitar playing sounds so effortless, but I can assure you that it’s definitely not easy. And his voice is exceptionally soft and calming. There is nothing here that I dislike.

Paul Simon is one of those artists who probably never released a single bad song. Need I say more? 5 stars.

Enfin du Paul Simon! J'attendais ça (ou du Dylan). J'avais écouté 2 ou 3x cet album je connaissais plus Graceland et Still Crazy. Mais vraiment une belle (re)découverte. Les Think too much et Hearts And Bones groovent vraiment. Les 80's auront eu ça de bon! Je trouve souvent que les 80s souffrent de la comparaison avec les 70s. Cars are cars et Allergies ont un thème funny mais sont un peu moins intéressantes niveau musical.

Si je donne pas 5 étoiles, Félix. Blague à part je comprends pourquoi il l’aime autant! Clairement un master de la melodie, capable d’écrire des chansons d’amour et des balades comme des chansons loufoques. Commencer une album en parlant d’allergies, c’est 5 étoiles automatiques. Très agréable d’écoute et donne envie d’écouter plus de Paul, un signe de succès

Will always give Paul Simon 5 stars. A poet and a wordsmith. A gentle soul.

Paul simon is completely unique in his ability to write compelling and brilliant lyrics and couple them with truly unique and interesting music. I'm biased as I already think paul simon is the goat songwriter

The Car one was insane but his impression of john lennon was funny

I really like Paul Simon

Not my fav Paul Simon but how can he not get 5 stars

8/10 1. Allergies- 0/10 2. Hearts and bones-10/10 3. When numbers get serious- 8.5/10 4. Think too much (b)- 5.5/10 5. Song about the moon- 9/10 6. Think too much(a)- 7.9/10 7. Train in the distamce-9.5/10 8. Rene and Georgette...- 9.3/10 9. Cars are cars- 5.5/10 10. The late great johnny ace- 9/10 11. shelter of your arms- 9,6/10

Sommige stemmen zijn oude bekenden, die af en toe bij je aanbellen en die je binnenlaat als een lang niet geziene vriend. Paul Simon is er zo eentje. Ik kende niks van deze plaat, maar het is allemaal zo vertrouwd en prettig dat je meteen uitnodigt om te gaan zitten en een glas voor hem inschenkt. Achterovergeleund (of hoe vertaal je 'laid back'), verstild, zelfs het up-tempowerk is ultiem relaxt. Als er dan ook nog iets tussen zit wat je raakt ('René en Georgette Margritte') dan ben ik verkocht.

UR KIDDINGGGGG... this album is my life forever come on

This is Paul Simon's lesser known, but best album. Better than all of S&G and way better than Graceland in my opinion. I was lucky enough to grow up listening to this one a lot and know all the lyrics by heart. Every song on the album is an accomplishment, but for me it's The Late Great Johnny Ace. Still makes me well up every time I hear it thinking about what John Lennon may have achieved if he hadn't been stolen from us all.

Long-time fan of this underrated album. It's interesting that you can hear the transition from his 70s style (e.g., heavy use of the Fender Rhodes on songs like Train in the Distance) to his 80s world music style (e.g., use of marimba on Think Too Much (b). Even though version "a" is Paul Simon with Chic it also has more of that Graceland sound. Even the outro to Train in the Distance has vocals that make me think of his 80s world music style. Cars are Cars also). Then there are songs that are just beautiful and uniquely timeless like Hearts and Bones (about his relationship with Carrie Fisher), Rene and Georgette Magritte with Their Dog After the War (a surrealistic song written about a photograph of surrealist Magritte and his wife), and The Late Great Johnny Ace (about John Lennon's murder). Let's talk about that last one - I remember when Paul Simon debuted it during the Concert in Central Park and a crazy person ran on stage yelling "I need to talk to you!" just after Simon sang "A stranger came up and asked me if I'd heard John Lennon had died." That was an eerie moment. It's a captivating sad song, which ends with a gorgeous coda by Philip Glass. I've always loved this album and always will.

Wow. What a great record. There really isn't a duff track here. Superb.

One of the best songwriters of all time. If I hadnt mentioned.

Favorite Paul Simon album.

I just apparently really like Paul Simon. His music feel familiar yet unique. Even the songs with goofy lyrics are instrumentally still very very good.

Loved all of it!

As I mentioned before, I really appreciate albums that manage to be relaxing while not being dull. Paul Simon's tracks had interesting tricks to make sure each of them stood out in some way. Giving it the full rating as I gave it multiple listens across the day.

Favorite album so far. Really good and can see myself returning to the artist. Top marks.

Very nice!

Obviously, Simon is a genius songwriter, but why do all of the songs sound so sad? Even when the lyrics are funny and the melody a bit silly, they are melancholy at the same time. It's the '80s; music is supposed to be upbeat or at least more intense. I like this album, but I'll probably never listen to most of it again.

Been listening to this one all day. I really like almost every song. I’m feeling like a 4.5+ I really like Paul Simon.

I have developed such a soft spot for Paul Simon. This is sweet. Laid back, but also psychoanalytical, and it reminds me a little teeny bit of Daniel Lopatin's work. Cars are Cars is utter dogshit though.

gostei bastante, não conhecia.

Really good production, need to hear it again to see how replayable it is

9/10 welp, the chorus to Cars Are Cars is gonna be stuck in my head for an annoyingly long time

I’ll be honest and tell you that my eyes rolled a little bit when I saw this album pop up and figured it was just the result of some Paul Simon fanboys on the editorial team for the book. After all, I consider myself a Paul Simon fan (though I stop short of being a fanboy) and I’d never even heard of it! It turns out I just don’t explore enough because this does in fact kick ass and even though it seems unfair for Paul Simon to have at least three albums on here (because surely Graceland at least is still coming up, right?), I agree you should listen to it before you die. The only thing that sucks about it is that it sounds like Paul was a dick to Art during the making of it and that the experience broke the Garfunkelian camel’s back, leaving all of us without the opportunity to hear what the two of them could have gone on to do together.

A hidden gem! I knew albums before and after but hadn’t heard this one…only a couple songs from it. Great album!

Wow I really really liked this album. I knew I was a fan of Simon and Garfunkel but I don’t think I’ve ever listened to Simon on his own and I loved it. It sounded similar to his duo work and there wasn’t a part i didn’t like.

Probably my favourite PS album.

Think too much (a) is amazing. Cars are cars - good as well. 5. Excellent album.

You'll never see me give a Paul Simon album not a 5. That being said, this one is lower on the list of 5s for me, even though Hearts and Bones is one of his best songs. Enjoyed the acoustic versions at the end of the deluxe re-release, especially the Everybody Love the Sounds Of A Train In the Distance.

Always great!!

Man, Paul Simon, huh? Pretty great, this guy. Should have given Graceland a 5, but I didn't so I'll make up for that. Happily. Even with the Sesame Street skit. Music to feel good to.

Excellent album, a bit uneven, with some classic Simon songs.

Lovely album

my favorite paul simon album and one if my favorite albums all time. The Lat Great Johnny Ace, Renee and Georgie Magritte, Hearts and Bones, Train in the Distance- some songs may not match up but i love the whole album

Really enjoyed this! I have always enjoyed his music...so calming and soothing.

I think Paul Simon is finally growing on me I really liked this one, except for the one about cars that was annoying asf

One of the best!

i grew up listening to him!

Love me some Paul Simon, fantastic lyricist and musician.

Excellent - did not recognize it when it came out. Only the later ones.

All of Paul Simon's music makes me feel good. Really enjoyed this.

Easiest 5 stars yet. Paul Simon is a genius and it’s an honour to get to listen to his work.

Great lyricism and calming music.