Hearts And Bones

No idea why this is on here

I'm just about 300 albums in, and I'm kinda sad that this is my penultimate Simon record. I've already gotten all three S&G, Graceland, and now this. Only the eponymous remains. But Hearts & Bones. I hadn't heard a few of these tracks. Was that a goat maa-ing on "Think Too Much?" Odd. I've had the title track stuck in my head since listening and I'm not mad about it. I hear the, er, bones of Graceland here.

Lovely but kind of boring

I wasn’t really feeling this one but “Train In The Distance” and “…Johnny Ace” are both pretty interesting and cool.

Alright but sounds like every other Paul Simon album I heard

I dig Paul Simon but this album is not good. I'm having a hard time understanding why it's even on the list. "Cars are Cars" is one of the dumbest songs I've ever heard. The title track is okay, though; so, I'll grant it 2 stars. Could almost have been 1.

It was ok but a bit boring. It leans quite heavily into pop but it's just a little too low energy and emotionless for me.

Catchy songs with weird narrative lyrics - the Paul Simon Experience

Es ist ein gutes Album, aber auch ein langweiliges. Es gibt m. M. n. besseres von Paul Simon.

I’m a Paul Simon fan

I loved the co cents on Graceland but aside fro.that he's just a guy with a guitar

I enjoyed the storytelling in some of the songs but, ultimately, it is not something I will be adding to my playlists. Three stars!

Easy listening

Not his best. But it's also not bad really. Simon just seems to be reaching for something he didn't grasp here.

Good album, classic Paul Simon.

I like a more folky Paul Simon. This felt a bit too 80's. Not terrible though.

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

Fajne, ale nie skończyłam muszę jeszcze ras

Did not move me.

ок

This was a very decent and nice Paul Simon album!

Deze moest echt niet. Paul Simon heeft goede albums gemaakt, maar deze is 'm niet per se. Beetje poppy en wat minder folk-pop zoals we hem kennen. Tweetal nummers opgeslagen na dit te beluisteren. 2.9

Albumi #193, 06.04.2025 Hearts And Bones on Paul Simonin kuudes sooloalbumi. Se julkaistiin vuonna 1983. Albumin piti alunperin olla Simon & Garfunkel -albumi Art Garfunkelin ollessa vahvasti mukana studiotyöskentelyssä. Levy alkoi kuitenkin muotoutua Simonille liian henkilökohtaiseksi ja hän päätti tehdä sen sooloalbumina. Garfunkel jätettiin ulos projektista ja Simon korvasi hänen lauluosuudet omillaan. Albumi on varsin eheä folkahtava pop-teos, mutta ei yllä Simonin parhaimmistoon.

I enjoyed it. Kept me company while I was cleaning and was the perfect type of music… well-written and performed, pleasant, light rock. Liked it more than I thought I would.

3.5 Just the other day, as I neared the halfway point of this project, I realized I hadn’t gotten any Paul Simon or Simon & Garfunkel yet, which I thought was odd, since I know they’re definitely represented on this list. And lo and behold, a few days later, the algorithm gifted me with this! It’s actually a Simon album I hadn’t heard before. I really like him, but I’m no means a completist. The man has released garbage before. This isn’t garbage by any means, but I don’t know if I think it’s an exemplary piece of work either. I enjoyed listening to it, and there’s a couple truly standout tracks (my favorite was actually an unreleased track from the expanded edition so I can’t count that one in my rating) and a couple stinkers. But overall, a better than average Simon and it was nice to finally hear him represented on this list.

Fine

I mostly missed this one when it came out. All good, some great. I’m a bit obsessed with Johnny Ace now.

Pointless, uninspired, cheesy lyrics over dull and equally cheesy orchestration. This is another one of those filling out the numbers with a familiar name entries.

Paul Simon has been involved in making some great music, but this album is not that.

It has a soothing quality throughout with the exception of "Cars are Cars", which was an agitating disrupter of a tune. Apart from that song the rest of the album was monotone lacking instrumental and vocal dynamism. I can't think of an occasion when I would be compelled to listen to it again.

Nope

> the Beatles

pretty but not mr simon’s finest work imo

I love Paul Simon and had not heard this album before or any of the songs, so I went in excited. I was disappointed. There are so many other good Paul Simon albums that I don't understand why this was included. It was bland. Cars Are Cars is a terrible song.

nah

Bored soz king

Paul Simón is great and that is evident here with a less than marquee album that still entertains completely and thoroughly.

Taattua laatua! 3/5

Tänään pelkkä S, ja tämä albumi taisi olla se viimeinen niitti duolle. Toimiva 80 pop-levy, tosin jää Gracelandista jälkeen. 3/5

I need to listen to Paul Simon more often. Every time I do, I remember how much I like his music. 4

Nice and chill. Had fun.

"Cars Are Cars" is delightfully silly. "The Late Great Johnny Ace" is nicely atmospheric. Other than that, this album mostly blurs into the background.

Pretty good! I didn’t love it on the first listen but I came back to it, and the second listen helped me focus more on the production and harmonies than Simon’s lyrics, which can sometimes be a little goofy. The instrumentation is pretty good! Album is pretty good! “Cars Are Cars” is not!

Es gibt auf jeden schlimmeres aber es ist echt vertragbar

I like Graceland a lot better, but this album is good as well.

8/10 Favorite Tracks: Hearts and Bones, Train in the Distance Least Favorite: Cars are Cars, The Late Great Johnny Ace

Paul Simon is an American treasure, somehow underrated despite his fame. I’d never heard this album, but greatly enjoyed it. It’s hard not to compare it to Graceland, which I think is one of the best albums of all time, and this one may need a few more listens, but it sounds on par for Simon.

The lyricism on this album is a choice

så jäkla bra, dom två sista låtarna var kassa ganska men annars är det ju skitbra alltså. kanske en fyra eller en femma. får se vad det landar i. det får bli en fyra. rene and georgette magritte låten var inte heller så bra. men det är ändå jävla bra. låt 2-7 är fantastiska

I preferred the folk acpustic sections to the synth stuff but overall really good stuff.

The production is fantastic. The voices and instruments sounds incredible smooth through the all album. In spite of the sound, I wish some of the songs were more memorable or stuck more with me.

My second Paul Simon album this week, what is this thing trying to tell me???

In 1988 I took an excellent songwriting class at Berklee College of Music. It was taught by Pat Pattison: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pat_Pattison We spent a weird amount of time on this album. I had never heard it or even of it prior to the class but it was fun to be forced to focus on it so intently. So nostalgic for me to listen to this now but also what I like about this is that it was made in a weird gap period that has been pretty well overlooked but nevertheless he was still reaching and producing even though relatively few people gave a shot at this time and I respect that. My favorite tunes are The Late Great Johnny Ace, Rene and Georgette Magritte With Their Dog After The War and the title track.

Kind of sad to read that it was this album that doomed the Simon & Garfunkel revival, and also sad that ostensibly it was over a woman (Carrie Fisher no less), although I'm sure that the (re-)breakup was far more due to old wounds that apparently will never heal. Still, it's hard not to think that this album would have been much better as a Simon & Garfunkel album, with all of Garfunkel's recorded vocals restored to the tracks. This seems particularly true of the opening track "Allergies" and "Think too much (a)" (which ironically was the working album title before Garfunkel gave up). And since I didn't really find any of the tracks all that compelling, I think my *least* favorite track was "Cars are cars" ("susceptible to theft in the middle of the night"). On the other hand, likely because of Garfunkel's participation on the album, this is occasionally a more interesting and introspective Paul Simon solo album than the others in this collection (I've only listened to "Paul Simon" so far, but I know "Graceland" well enough to know that I'm not looking forward to the experience). Even so, I feel like Paul Simon's solo albums in this collection are about as compelling as other singer/songwriter's like Joni Mitchell, k.d. lang, Suzanne Vega, etc. Fine, but usually pretty flat-sounding because there isn't a full band participating as contributing artists, and so the music itself seems less foregrounded. I'm also not sure why this album got included in this project, given how lackluster it was with both critics and fans, and even the "1001 albums" entry author (Will Furford-Jones) seems confused about why he was asked to review the album.

this was okay. why's it here? I mean, there are a few great Paul Simon songs none of which are on this album.

Really enjoyed this album. it is very soothing. I was surprised by the solo guitar in the first song and thought "Is that Al Di Meola" ...and it was. feels like "Allergies" and "Cars are Cars" are extended commercial jingles.

fun artsiness to hold the people over until graceland

Hearts and Bones and Train in the Distance are so beautiful that it hardly matters what the rest of the album sounds like. There are some real clunkers. Overall it’s unfocused, or like he was trying out contemporary styles that just don’t suit him. But what is good, is fucking amazing.

Boring. Nothing necessarily terrible. Just not worth listening to. Been a slog of about 6 weeks.

Even the not so great Paul Simon albums have a couple bangers, namely Train in the Distance and Rene and Georgette Magritte in this case

Good but not my jam

I really like Paul Simon

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

Поп музыка 80-х с интересными музыкантами и аранжировками. Альбом практически не тронул, за исключением Hearts and Bones и (особенно!) The Late Great Johnny Ace.

Another super solid album by Paul Simon. This one might be slightly too melancholic for me, but his aura makes everything better. Always a good record.

Strong start with Allergies then the more it went on the more i missed Art :(

Release the Garfunkel cut!

Apparently for this record,Simon and Garfunkel wrote a lot of these songs together, planning for another group album, but they got in an argument, Garfunkel walked out on the recording sessions, Paul Simon removed Art's vocal tracks from the songs, and released it as his own album. Kinda a dick move. Through listening to a few Paul Simon records, and reading up on the history surrounding the records, it has become evident that Paul is a bit of a douche canoe. As far as this album is concerned, it doesn't hold a candle to Graceland, but it isn't a bad folk pop album all in all. Solid music to listen to in a coffee shop on a rainy day with an old book. Nothing remarkable about the album, but not bad. You can tell through listening to the album that Paul was grasping at straws trying to find topics to sing about....such as cars (dumb song), allergies, and the moon... Favourite songs: Allergies, Think Too Much (a), Hearts and Bones, Song About the Moon, Rene and Georgette Magritte With Their Dog After the War, Train in the Distance Least favourite songs: Think Too Much (b), The Late Great Johnny Ace, Shelter of Your Arms 3/5

this was famously a simon and garfunkel reunion album until paul erased art's bits and claimed it for himself. hard to tell who came out on top there; maybe garf saw the writing on the subway wall. but there's a few high points: the magritte song is lovely and it's always great to hear nile rodgers pop up. cars are cars is stupid as hell.

Die ist das Album, das der Grund für die Trennung von Simon & Garfunkel war. Es wird immer die Frage bleiben, welches Potential wäre gemeinsam abgerufen wurde. So bleibt das einzig nennenswerte, dass es der Grund für die Trennung war und musikalisch verweilt es im gehobenem Durchschnitt.

I liked it more than the other Paul Simon album so far. I think it's the synths. Makes me excited to get Graceland, so I ended up listening to that one for the first time today too hahaha Edit Apr 2 2026: 4 --> 3

There's things I liked about this - mostly, it was much more sonically varied than the previous Paul Simon album while still feeling cohesive. So while it was better than PS Self Titled it is still in the 3 category due to some boring songs and stupidly tautological lyrics (cars are cars? wdym?).

A solid album from Paul Simon. It's not Graceland, but it's not trying to be either.

Album hasn't clicked with me yet, maybe in the future.

This record sat in my store for 3 years. Even when we were low on good stuff no one touched it, so imagine my surprise to it on the 1001 list and it totally soft rocked.

Songs for sopping wet flannels

ok then

not to be a complete hater or anything but yikes, this was not good. this was the most boring-ass, milquetoast album that felt like it was trying oh so hard to be wEiRd and qUiRkY!!!!!!!!! that it just comes off like an secret middle school in-joke for someone else that you've figured out because it's so simple but it's so stupid that you're annoyed about it. nope, just me? well ok but like, what the fuck are some of these songs.... allergies? when numbers get serious? song about the moon? cars are cars????? bruh you're like thomas kinkade on vacation because these are the most insipid C-sides i've ever experienced so yeah, dull music, weird-but-not-in-a-good-way lyrics, and mostly just paul flailing in search of a point to any of this for nearly an hour. yawn. favorites: hearts and bones, rene and georgette magritte with their dog after the war

Paul Simon‘s Solo music always sounds well-made. It’s not necessarily music I need to hear, perhaps

3/5

A little samey at times but on the whole enjoyable! 3.5 rounded up Fun connection to yesterday's: Big Mama Thornton wrote Ball and Chain on Cheap Thrills, who was in the room when Johnny Ace shot himself.

Not my favourite Paul Simon album but damn he's a good songwriter.

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

3.10

Hated it after the opener. But it improves. Then it doesn't. Paul Simon writes some good songs. And then he writes some shite. A lot of the lyrics sound like he got them from a Christmas cracker. No Bob Dylan there. Better tunes though. Overall a "nice" album.

It was ok

Ni idea de este disco, no había visto la portada en mi vida y creo que no había oído ninguna canción nunca. Hay mucho de lo que luego fue su mirada a África, o eso me parece. Se deja oír, creo que "René and Georgette Magritte with Their Dog after the War" la he escuchado no hace mucho por algo.

Pleasantly boring

An interesting listen indeed. I love Paul Simon and the best songs on this album would be my least favourites on his greatest hits album. They’re still well written and have great musicianship but just miss that something. Listening critically to the other songs was eye opening as well. “That’s a great bass line” “those steel drums rhythms and melody are so cool” But then it falls flat. Maybe the lyrics. Maybe the lack of anticipated harmony with Garfunkel before he bounced. Glad things came together on Graceland

A mellow Paul Simon album that doesn't compare to Graceland, which he put out a few years later. I liked the Late Great Johnny Ace.

Not heard this album before, took me a couple of run throughs to get it, always struggle a bit to get into the classic Paul Simon 'jingle jangle' sounds, on the surface the lyrical content seems a bit random but a closer inspection reveals clever use of words and poignant analogies. It went from a two, to three and ended up landing at a "I need a physical copy" four ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Melodischer Pop, schön zu hören. 4/5

Listened Before? N A really great album. Knowing the backstory with Art Garfunkel, I actually am of the possibly unpopular opinion that he was correct to keep this as a solo project. I don't feel like this could have been a S&G album and kept the same feel and atmosphere. Added to Library? Y Songs added to playlist: Hearts and Bones

Floated by. Nice sounding. Hard to get excited about songs describing allergies and cars being cars all over the world. Think there are other albums that could be here

I'd never heard any of these songs before yesterday, so was pleasantly surprised how much I liked it. I think this was just before Graceland, and in several songs you can really hear that world music sound starting to get in. Very enjoyable album.

Good lyrics, not great music style

Why be dull? Quite.

Overall: 4/10 I really enjoyed Graceland when it appeared in the generator a while back. This album is like if you took every good element out of Graceland and replaced it with super 80s synths and drums. I can see why he was starting to fall out of love with music around this time. Mediocre, bland, boring, and all the worst things that Paul Simon can be. Fav Song: Hearts and Bones Least Fav Song: Cars Are Cars

Underrated.

2 Stars (5/15)

It's good cruising music, the album has some very nice instrumentation in it, and has a nice vibe :D . I think the first half of the album is kinda boring but the 2nd half has alot more sauce. the slap bass do be slapppppinnggg yummmm. fav song: Train in the Distance

Honestly just boring in my opion. Maybe I'll like Grace land when that comes up but this did nothing for me. Fave Songs - Think To Much (b), Train In The Distance

Paul has an amazingly smooth but clear voice that elevates this album very well and a way with words to pivot this voice. Fascinating instrumentation that makes very complicated rhythms sound very succinct. Excited to hear more from Paul Simon. Favourite song - Train in the Distance

The backing vocals and instruments were actually enjoyable, I would have liked this more without the vocals and lyrics. Allergies, Cars are cars and Rene and Georgette Magritte with their dog after the war are mental track names. At times it felt like he was farting out thoughts he’d doodled in a diary. Train in the distance and the dog song were good 2.5/5

When he asked what is the point of this story I couldn’t help but agree, this was as dull as dishwater. Cars are cars up there as worst song on this generator so far. You’re better than this Paul

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.

Ben al geen fan van het duo. Dat is me al veel te saai. Maar als je het dan nog eens uitkleedt naar één persoon, dan wordt het tergend. 1,5 ster.

Paul Simon is typisch het soort muziek dat je in een snoblijstje mag verwachten. Gek genoeg hebben we nog niet zoveel van Simon (of zijn muzikale broeder Art) mogen beluisteren. Ik heb het dit keer een keer niet opgezocht. Ik neem aan dat we sowieso Graceland nog wel krijgen. Van Paul Simon solo krijgen we ook gewoon precies wat we verwachten. Rustige singer-songwritermuziek, een akoestische gitaar, wat zwevende pianomuziek, zoetgevooisd stemgeluid. Het zit allemaal prima in elkaar, maar ik veer nergens echt op. Het kabbelt een beetje voort. Ik mis zoals gewoonlijk weer eens een hitje, die dhr Simon toch zeker wel kon fabriceren. Er komen al wat Afrikaanse geluiden voorbij op dit album, waar hij later op Graceland nog meer gebruik van zou gaan maken. Bij Think Too Much (b) hoor ik zelfs geitengeluiden, of althans ik heb daar de associatie mee. Dan veer ik alsnog even op, maar niet in positieve zin. Bij versie (a) hoor je dan weer het typerende gitaartje van Nile Rodgers, maar verder is het een ietwat overgeproduceerd 80s nummer. En dan vind ik het dus wat mager, dit album. Hij wilde Aart er niet bij hebben, wat het begin van het einde van het iconische duo bleek te zijn. Misschien mis ik Aart toch nog wat in de composities. Ik hou het op een helaas vergeetbare 3.

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

Ekki hans besta verk, en eftir fjórar hlustanir hef ég hækkað dóminn úr þristi í fjarka. Hann er enda afskaplega ljúfur flytjandi og lunkinn lagahöfundur, hér sem annars staðar. Verst að hann gat ekki deilt sviðsljósinu betur en raun ber vitni.

Good!

Some low’s…Cars, Allergies and high’s …train in the distance, Rene and Georgette.

Very low key, but soothing and interesting. "Train in the Distance" is incredible.

Love PS. Was waffling between a 3 and 4 on this one. Feel it’s like a 3.5. Lovely album.

This was pretty good, but I have had better Paul Simon...its a high 3

The album feels thoughtful and easygoing. The writing is upfront, like he's sharing his journal. It has a very quirky edge too. It’s good for a quiet afternoon, even if it doesn’t all hit the same way. It’s chill and it’s definitely got heart.

Kind of a deeper cut from Simon. Not his best IMO but some lovely songs amongst the meh.

paul simon zenei mindig ugy megnyugtatnak, nagyon szeretem, bar van a tarsolyaban jobb album ezert csak a negy csillag:)

Kedvenc/Favourite: When Numbers Get Serious Kedves kis album, volt egy-két felejthető szám, de összességében tetszett. A szövegek szépeket mesélnek, a dallamok is fülbemászóak. Kéne még bele valami kis umpf, akkor még jobb lehetne. It was a nice little album, there were a couple of forgettable songs, but overall I liked it. The lyrics tell a nice story, the melodies are catchy. If it had a little more oomph, it could be even better.

Probably should have kept Garfunkel around. This feels like a skeleton...all bones and no heart.

Wanted to like this, I generally like Paul Simon. But really? I feel like most of these songs are just things he say (Cars, Allergies) and went with it. Annoying sounding on top of the weak lyrics...

Wassokay

Not too bad, not his best but some solid stuff

I was excited to see Paul Simon today but I was a bit let down with this one, I typically enjoy his songs more than I did these. They were okay tracks, just no real big hits.

Not a fan

Not my jam, but respect..

Paul is a genius and has so much quality output through his career. Hearts And Bones is not my favourite of his solo albums but even a middling Paul Simon record is clear of much of the competition. Cars Are Cars seems to be the butt of a lot of jokes in other user reviews but I've always liked its commentary - it's not about cars at all but people - although it's not exactly a lesson in subtlety. It's one that I don't have many favourite tracks from but Paul weaves his poetry throughout and his ear for a melody is timeless. He's even able to turn 80s production into a thing of beauty, which takes some doing.

I love Paul Simon, but did not love this album. Was middle of the road for me.

No hits

Esto es algo que solo entienden los gringos

This is certainly a Paul Simon album.

Three tracks in and I feel almost nothing about any of it. Why is this here? Really irritating when fascinating one off albums by newer people are excluded or deleted in favour of unexceptional records from massive artists with multiple other entries. And those other entries all have a few fantastic tracks to go to bat for them, whereas this has none. He wants to write a song about the moon. Write a song about a face. Was Wes Streeting and his satellite dish face conceived to this song?

Very listenable but not memorable

I wasn't expecting much but surprised....

i don't drive but i can imagine this being fun to have on in the car during a commute or something. satisfactory 3/5

3.5

Pleasant. Not that I listened to a lot of his records, I did listen a lot to 'Graceland' so my expectations were skewed. Now I've got an 'allergies' pop song in my head, establishing that we don't explore every day issues enough in art. Will I some day come across a catchy tune about my charley horse woes?

Paul kinda snapped on this hoe

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.

It's kind of amazing that Paul Simon had a career outside of Graceland and Simon and Garfunkel and Eddie Brickell. But here it is, somehow this album is proof.

It's fine, I guess. Don’t pay attention too much, don’t think too much, and it feels very Paul Simon-y and fades into the background. And then you wonder if you were thinking too little, because is it repeating that “Think Too Much” song? No wait, just trying to cleverly reprise the song in a different style, while naming the first one (b) and the second one (a). Maybe Simon thought too much about how clever he thought that was. I’m not gonna think too much, and just settle on the conclusion that this was one Paul Simon album too many for the list.

This album feels kind of like the quirky Aunt or Uncle at a family gathering. Good in short bursts, but overall you just don’t get it. “Cars are cars all over the world,” really?

Several songs intended for this album were previewed on tour, and Art Garfunkel worked on some of the songs with Simon in the studio, with an intention that the finished product would be an all-new Simon & Garfunkel studio album. Unfortunately, that was not to be as Paul Simon felt the album was too "personal". He decided to make it a solo album instead, and Garfunkel left. Paul Simon scrubbed all of this work from the album. I have to wonder if the album is on the list because of this, and the speculation as to what the album would have been. Because honestly, I don't see any other reason it's on here. Don't get me wrong, it's a good album. It's the album before his masterpiece "Graceland," which is on the list as well. And it has three of his classics: "Train In The The Distance," "Hearts and Bones," "The Late Great Johnny Ace." "René and Georgette Magritte with Their Dog after the War" I particularly liked. I think it would have been even more effective if that song and the closing song "Johnny Ace" had been switched. "The Late Great Johnny Ace" lacks finality for me. The strings just... stop playing. It gives the album more of an abrupt ending than I was expecting. Let's talk about the other songs, the ones that are NOT high in his repertoire. "Cars Are Cars"... what the heck was THAT about? I felt similar about "Allergies", but as an opening track that isn't terrible. But "Cars Are Cars" is just... yikes. I liked both versions of "Think Too Much," but (b) I probably liked slightly better. "When Numbers Get Serious" felt like it was trying to be a 'cute' song, and the novelty wore thin after a while. "Song About The Moon" is a solid b-side of a song. So we have 4 really good songs, the two versions of a song which were decent, and "Solid About The Moon". Three songs were just... poor, IMO. I still want to know why these album is as important as "Graceland" for them both be in the list. Otherwise, it's good enough for me to say a 3.5, rounded up to a 4. But it's no "Graceland"

I think can confidently say that I don't recognize a single song on this album. And I like Paul Simon and have listened to some of his stuff (some albums, lots of radio, streaming). Maybe not surprised that this album didn't fare as well - only because otherwise singles from it would've been all over the radio for years and years, like off his next album Graceland, and surely I'd recognize one. Still, I think it deserved better. I put this album on at the end of a long day while I was trying to finish something up and it was decent. But i knew I wasn't paying close attention. I got up early the next day and put this on first thing. And that's when you should listen to Paul Simon - when it's a bit dark but the sun is about to come up. It was just right. It's slick, it's melodic, it's upbeat, it's sometimes tender and sometimes goofy but always clever. Cars are Cars is a great example - an uplifting tune with what seem like silly lyrics until you realize one of the song's messages is if cars are the same wherever you go in the world, why do we/countries fight about other things? He is great at wordplay and matching his cadence to the beat, which you see in the quizzical Allergies and both Think Too Much songs, the tongue in cheek When Numbers Get Serious, and the sweetly arranged title track. Listen to this album a few times so it can grow on you; it will.

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.

Un album vraiment étrange. Il y a des morceaux quand même bon (Ex : la chanson éponyme), mais en même temps il y en a d'autres qui sont tellement ordinaires avec des paroles complètement stupides (Allergies, Cars are cars). C'est probablement le moins bon de tous les projets que j'ai entendu à date de Simon en solo ou avec Garfunkel. Beaucoup trop éparpillé, on dirait que ça a été fait à l'arrache pour respecter un échéancier. 4/10

My first thought when I got this album was, does the list need yet another Paul Simon album, one that I don’t even know a single song from? Yes it does. Favorite song: allergies.

This was awful. 80s Paul Simon is the worst Paul Simon.

music for vampires. hated. (⌐■_■)

This is spiritually better than Graceland because it doesn’t feature Paul Simon trying really hard to be African. But it’s musically worse because it doesn’t feature all the cool African musicians. Basically an irrelevant point though, overall it’s another Paul Simon record and it sucks.

Seemed like a muted version of a Simon and Garfunkel album. It was ok, but I don't need to listen to it again.

Thought I was gonna hate this but didn't!

It's alright for a bit, but tracks like Cars are Cars just feel like filler on a short album.

I like Paul Simon. This one is ok.

🎧Some good songs, some not so good songs (like Cars Are Cars)

54 minutes of boredom

I don't know what the original idea for this project was, I just know that it didn't really work for me. When "Hearts And Bones" doesn't sound like a children's album, it sounds like an album for seniors. I have nothing against it, especially since the production is still impeccable. But the lyrics seem too silly to be taken seriously, and this project is a mess. This "album project" doesn't seem to do justice to Paul Simon's reputation as an artist.

Not bad, but it's not nearly his best.

Not his best work

I love Paul Simon. But this was almost unlistenable. It felt very much like a commercial, especially cars are cars.

A good album, I liked Allergies the most.

Kakspual.

Not as into this one. More meandery songs

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

Good. Not really my thing.

This is kind of a dreary album, almost like half of it is missing... It could use a little Garfunkle, I think. Favorite track: "Song About the Moon"

So many other albums they could have picked from 1983 instead of this dreary load of old cobblers. Clearest case of boomer bias so far.

Everyone knows that the solo careers of Simon & (maybe) Garfunkel were underwhelming. This album by Simon proves that. I can understand why people might like it though. "Hearts and Bones" was almost a Simon & Garfunkel album but it wasn't. That was one of music's greatest disappointments. (Thanks, Paul) 2 stars for "Hearts and Bones".

Once you realize most of these songs are about the breakdown of Simon’s marriage to Carrie Fisher, it adds a new layer of weariness and heartbreak. The John Lennon tribute is a nice closer.

Tiedän, mitä odottaa Paul Simonilta, mutta silti aina yllättää, kuinka Paul Simon Paul Simon on. Mitä nää sanoitukset on? Ja aina pehmeet kitarat päälle. Tykkään tästä, ei-ironisesti täydellä sydämellä.

Tämän artistin ongelma on tavoitteellinen mauttomuus, jonka tavoitteellisuus ei tee siitä sulatettavampaa. Kuinka moni kykenisi Cars Are Carsin hirveyteen? Ja samalla Simon kirjoittaa halutessaan suvereeneja balladeja. Song About the Moonin huumori puree, jopa.

non mi ha colpito..

a decent listen, but pretty forgettable as far as paul simon goes

Obviously, Paul Simon has got a deeply lovely voice and is a magnificent songwriter. However, by his own impeccable standards, I would say this just felt a bit lightweight to be honest. It's unusual for a Paul Simon or S+G album that I'm not interested in the bonus tracks and so on, but with this one, I was more than happy to leave it. It's above average, because of course it is, but it's not way up there.

Very underrated album.

Il y a des moments, dans la carrière d'un artiste, où le public et la critique se plantent. Des moments où un disque, aujourd'hui considéré comme un chef-d'oeuvre, se prend un gadin monumental à sa sortie. 1983, le monde de la pop est une fête fluo, dominée par Michael Jackson, Madonna et Prince. Deux ans plus tôt, Paul Simon, lui, triomphait avec Art Garfunkel lors d'un concert de reformation légendaire à Central Park et tout le monde attendait le retour du duo d'anges folks avec un nouvel album qui allait sceller ces retrouvailles. À la place, ils ont eu "Hearts and Bones" et ils n'ont rien compris. Il faut dire que l'album a une genèse chaotique. Il devait être le nouvel album de Simon & Garfunkel, il s'appelait "Think Too Much". Mais les tensions entre les deux hommes sont revenues au galop, Garfunkel n'aimait pas les paroles trop personnelles de Simon, et ce dernier a fini par tout effacer, ne gardant que sa propre voix et sortant le disque sous son nom. Commercialement, ce fut un suicide et le disque a à peine frémi dans les charts, devenant l'un des plus gros flops de la carrière de Simon. Et pourtant… putain, quel disque. Moi, en 1983, j'avais 13 ans. J'étais en plein dans la pop synthétique, et pour être franc, Paul Simon, c'était la musique de mes parents. Cet album est passé complètement sous mon radar et c'est des années plus tard, en bossant à la boutique, en fouillant dans les bacs à la recherche de trésors cachés, que je suis tombé dessus et la claque fut immense. "Hearts and Bones" est le disque le plus courageux, le plus intime et peut-être le plus brillant de Paul Simon. C'est l'anti-Graceland. Là où "Graceland" sera une explosion de couleurs, une fête mondiale et un succès planétaire, "Hearts and Bones" est une toile en noir et blanc, une conversation nocturne dans un appartement new-yorkais. C'est avant tout un album de rupture, celui qui chronique la fin de son mariage tumultueux avec l'actrice Carrie Fisher. Et rarement une autopsie de couple a été menée avec une telle finesse littéraire. Les paroles sont d'une précision chirurgicale, à la fois drôles, cruelles et déchirantes. Le morceau-titre est un chef-d'oeuvre absolu de narration, une nouvelle de Raymond Carver mise en musique, qui suit deux amants sur la route, mêlant l'intime et le mythique. Mais là où le disque devient fascinant, c'est musicalement. Simon, au lieu de se réfugier dans sa folk habituelle, décide de faire le grand écart. Il convoque le pape du funk-disco, Nile Rodgers de Chic, pour produire des rythmes d'une modernité folle pour un "folkeux". Écoutez "Allergies" ou "When Numbers Get Serious" : on est en plein dans le son new-yorkais du début des années 80, entre le jazz-fusion et la new wave. Et comme si ça ne suffisait pas, il va chercher le compositeur minimaliste Philip Glass pour une collaboration sur "The Late Great Johnny Ace", un hommage poignant à John Lennon. Le mec mélange le doo-wop de son enfance ("René and Georgette Magritte with Their Dog after the War", un titre surréaliste pour une chanson sublime), le rockabilly ("Cars Are Cars") et des expérimentations électroniques. C'est un grand écart permanent, mais qui ne tombe jamais. C'est audacieux, c'est cérébral, mais ça reste incroyablement touchant. Alors pourquoi le public a-t-il boudé ce joyau ? Parce qu'il était trop honnête et trop complexe. Il ne donnait pas aux gens ce qu'ils attendaient. Ils voulaient la nostalgie de "Bridge over Troubled Water", ils ont eu l'anxiété d'un quadragénaire en pleine crise existentielle. Ils voulaient des mélodies simples, ils ont eu des structures alambiquées et des paroles à tiroirs. L'album est tombé dans la crevasse entre la reformation de Simon & Garfunkel et la révolution "Graceland". C'est le destin des grands albums maudits. C'est le chef-d'oeuvre que personne n'a acheté, le secret le mieux gardé d'un des plus grands songwriters du XXe siècle. Un échec commercial, peut-être, mais une victoire artistique totale. Un 4 sur 5, sans l'ombre d'une hésitation.

I love Paul Simon, but this wasn't my favorite album of his.

Simon's songwriting is so good all of his albums could probably be on here. But I'm guessing he already has a few and this one could go off the list. I liked it, but wouldn't consider it a must listen.

chicken soup for the soul

Too many things are happening at the same time.

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

So awesome, and I had never even seen this cover before! Love mr. Simon duh.

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

Paul Simon is great. Unmistakable voice and unique melodies. The instrumentation on this album (all of his albums, really) is really interesting. This definitely isn't my favorite album of his, but it's good.

Boring

Great artist

Overrated little art project from a wee lad with large ego.

Thoughtful, adorable, mellow songs about love. As usual for Simon, the shining jewel are the lyrics that make unexpected turns. What a shame he kicked Garfunkel off the album, that might have made it great. Still, it is pleasant enough. 3.5/5

Favorite Paul Simon album.

I'm not apologizing, I love Paul Simon. 4/5

I am resolute in my love for Simon & Garfunkel and my disdain for solo Simon. But I do like Rene and Georgette Magritte with Their Dog after the War so the album gets a 1-star bump.

Not for me

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!

perfectly pleasant if unremarkable set of songs, nicely played, well sung. I am not at all convinced that it is strong enough or special enough to be on this list.

Całkiem fajne, ale z drugiej strony nic się nie wyróżnia gdy tak leci w tle

I’ve heard some Paul Simon but this isn’t his best

3.5

I love Paul Simon but this is an odd one to have on this list. Some classic Simon song writing but just feels like it didn’t age well musically.

bleh

Dull.

#Daily1001Albums I must confess this is yet another artist I'm not very familiar with. I’ve given it a listen a couple of times today and it’s done absolutely nothing for me whatsoever. The only other album I’ve heard by him besides this is Graceland, and this really doesn’t have a patch on that. Not an important album as far as I’m concerned

poor

Nice vocals, a bit dull but enjoyable

As exciting, attractive and memorable as oatmeal raisin cookies

This is pretty great but it should not be on this list. The other paul simon albums definitely deserve their place, but this was slightly unsuccessful, doesn't have any big singles on it, it's not an important cultural touchstone. Just a pretty decent listen. Think too Much is brilliant

I think a lot of Simon’s worst tendencies come out on this album, both production wise and lyrically, so I found this a little irritating.

this was just ok. 70’s paul simon > 80’s paul simon.

I was just bored.

Kind of a yawner for me.

Paul Simon goes contemporary on Hearts and Bones with all the "80s Steely Dan feat. Steve Gadd"-infused soft rock that entails. It's really not a suitable sound for him, and it desperately yearns for the African impressions that would drench the follow up, Graceland. That being said, Simon still stays true to his roots and at the core of every song is a strong sense of melody. The constant juxtaposition of sense and sensibility is intriguing - most notably on 'When Numbers Get Serious' and the beautiful 'Song About the Moon'. 'The Late Great Johnny Ace' is also a perfect closer. PS: did not expect the Nile Rodgers jump scare on 'Think Too Much (a)'

Paul Simon’s inevitable contemporary pop album. The genre itself is perfectly non-offensive - and so is this album. It’s still Paul Simon though, so there’s enough strong songs and melodies to not make it dull. During the otherwise bland “Cars Are Cars”, Simon proclaims that “cars are cars all over the world”. I would really like it to be a commentary on racism - but there’s a real possibility that it’s just about cars.

I think I hate Paul Simon.

Paul has a very unique style but it's not one that I enjoy. It's got too much 80s vibes and slow songs for my taste. But I do appreciate the variety he mixed in here. He writes some pretty guitar melodies.

It sounds like every other Paul Simon album. Which means excellent but he sets a high bar.

I felt a bit confused by this album. On one hand it's Paul Simon, so it's going to be good, but on the other hand many of the songs sound like they were written for Sesame Street. Cars are Cars could have been sung by Elmo or Grover. Allergies could be a public service announcement by Big Bird. Song About the Moon? What about the dish, what about the spoon? Title track was good though.

Нежнятина

This album was largely overlooked when it came out in 1983. but has garnered some critical respect in subsequent years. Other than an interesting take on the death of John Lennon, I am not sure I see the turn.

4.5

I didn’t know a single track from this album. It was ok, it sounded exactly as I’d expect a Paul Simon album to sound.

Another long solo album from an artist that's better known as part of a more well rounded group effort. The songs were good, the album was long, and the whole thing just kinda flopped. It all felt like the same pop-fueled thing.

Good pop album but I liked Graceland a lot more

sounds like a nice fella

some great songs but others could have been left out as well

Paul Simon has been well represented on this list with his work in Simon & Garfunkel and his solo work, many of which are deemed classic recordings. To include, Simon's 1983 album, Heart And Bones is a stretch and a head-shaker at best.. This isn't quite scraping the bottom of the barrel for Paul Simon solo albums (there are several that are not worth a listen), but it sets the bar a little lower and questions who or why is this considered "essential"? There aren't any standout songs, most of them are okay, but the lead-off track, "Allergies" is horrible and the lyrics of, "Cars Over Cars" is embarrassing, especially considering, Simon is a Hall of Fame songwriter and inducted into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame twice!. I guess even mediocre Simon is better than most stuff out there, but it's hardly Simon's best moment...not even close.

I do like Paul Simon but this isn't my favorite -- though there are a few songs here that I love, the album as a whole is just mediocre.

I don't mind a bit of Paul Simon, without or without Garfunkel, but as far as albums go. I would question its essential status. Nice, but certainly not his best.

Paul Simon is really talented. Enjoyed this album.

An opening song about allergies is definitely a choice. So is cars are cars. Nice Paul Simon though, 3* Highlights: heart and bones

I think 'Allergies' is a terrible song. Honestly, I believe only 'Hearts and Bones', 'Train in the Distance', and 'The Late Great Johnny Ace' are songs that should've made it on any album. It's Paul Simon in a (boring) transition phase. "Cars Are Cars" should've gotten lost somewhere if only to avoid the jarring transition with "The Late Great Johnny Ace."

(G) Si algo he aprendido de Paul Simon es que los coches son los coches

I'm surprised this album made the cut 'cause honestly, Paul Simon can do better than this... and he did, on many occasions. Not to say that this album's bad—it's still pretty decent as it is—but I would not choose it for an example of his best work. 2.5 - 3 stars

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.

Enjoyable and upbeat, but with a very calming and reserved vibe throughout. Do wish there was some more variety throughout but still not bad.

listened to again great album

it's Paul Simon! Beautiful voice and guitar and instrumentation as always - but I didn't find anything really special about this album. A solid 3 from me. As the blurb notes the follow-up to this is Graceland and that record is monumental - in comparison this one is pretty weak but as albums go I think it's fine.

Wonderful album. Paul Simon is a gifted songwriter. The melodies on this album are so warm and comforting. But there are also little complications in the music that keep it interesting. And for every line that’s heartfelt and direct there’s another one that makes you think a bit. The exact meaning isn’t always obvious. Here are two lines I like from “Train in the Distance” that are simply written but also make me think: “Everybody loves the sound of a train in the distance. Everybody thinks it’s true” “Negotiations and love songs are often mistaken for one and the same”

This record could have literally anything for lyrics or compositions and I would still really enjoy it and listen so intently- because the production is AMAZING. When "Allergies" breaks at 0:36, that is a really special sound. I'm blasting this in my studio at 8:23 in the morning on a Friday. There is a silly and kind of nerdy sound to his music that I always find myself having to embrace and play into a bit; if I don't then I think it's an easy part of his sound for me to dislike and let it discolor the rest. It's this whole image of him in his "You Can Call Me Al" video as he's this guy who is dancing around while mimicing playing a tin whistle and saxophone. It stops me in my tracks when I hear this sound in his music because it brings me to that visual and I find it kind of silly, when I don't think he intends his music to come across as that silly. I don't know why I'm brought there so often but I am and it's interesting. I'm finishing my review at around 7:30am on a Monday, and I appreciate how the sound got a little more chill after track 1. The next few generally take it a little bit easier. Cool album cover. Looks like a screenshot from an old VHS.

Brutal

Incredibly boring songs about trains and cars. Paul Simon is capable of better than this.

Puh. Nichts für einen Steigerungslauf. Etwas seicht.

Hearts And Bones is a pretty decent album for what it is. You can still easily tell that Paul Simon brought everything he learned from his career with Art Garfunkel and while it might not be as well executed here, what's here is still pretty good. The songs had a very pleasant feel to them even if they could be about some pretty dark topics. Simon's voice also helped make the songs feel alive too. The songs here could be forgettable due to following fairly similar formulas but i didn't find a single one to be all that bad. This is just a solid album through and through. Best Song: Rene and Georgette Magritte with Their Dog After the War Worst Song: Allergies

inerte

Hmmm ... difficulto rate. Somehow I like it but then again it sounds partly boring. Not really sure, therefore it will be a "3"

Decent - some really good tunes and some dull as can be. Middle of the road

Never got to grips with his solo stuff. Nothing on here to make me want to listen again (snooze).

Would have been a 2 but the late great Johnny Ace added a point.

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

...

Cars are cars, all over the world. This is an album of a man who seems unhappy with his relationships, and also lacking inspiration for what to write about outside of that. Doesn't quite get going, definitely could have cut the songs about cars and allergies. Not great. Paul Simon has some great songs but none of them are on this album, arguably not even notable enough for this list.

Good. His voice is one of my favorites. I didn’t know any songs on this album, but that doesn’t make it any less good.

In which one of the greatest American songwriters (whose sensibility has stymied his contemporaries but endear him to those seeking a "secret third thing" to Bob Dylan or Leonard Cohen; not that Paul Simon doesn't have a literary sensibility, he certainly does) offers a universally-derided work about pushing 40. Honestly, I would say that 'Hearts and Bones' from 1983 represents a critical moment in Paul Simon's career in which he owns up to being an older person in the world with older-person-problems (ie. divorce, death of peers, allergies) and in doing so ages better than all of the other 60s boomer songwriters combined. Perhaps this style of sophisti-pop dreadfully awash in stiff and dated 80s sonics isn't Paul's bag. But the highlights on this albums could maybe stand with Paul's best solo work? Maybe? If I'm creating a compilation of Paul Simon's best tunes, the title track absolutely deserves a spot on the back half. And "Think Too Much (A)" is another stunning lyrical showcase from one of the greats: "I had a childhood that was mercifully brief." Sometimes I think Paul Simon could've made a great novelist or short story writer, but then again, the top-line melodies he is able to construct clearly show he is a born musician. B+

Second album de Paul Simon. J'avais trouvé le premier profondément ennuyeux. Le premier morceau (Allergies) est intéressant (chorus d'Al Di Meola), mais le soufflé retombe vite, et le niveau d'ennui remonte tout aussi vite. => toujours 1/5

Great song writer

I didn't expect to love this as much as I did. There's some beautiful songs in here. I can't wait to listen to this album even more. Cars are Cars is definitely the weakest track.

Paul Simon es una figura capital de la música , tanto en solitario como con Art Garfunkel. Esta no es su mejor obra, de ningún modo, ni el mejor disco de 1983. Sin embargo no es una obra que carezca de valor. Publicado entre el The Concert in Central Park de Simon & Garfunkel en 1981 y el mayestático Graceland, este disco debería haber sido la nueva y última obra de Simon & Garfunkel, así estaba pensado y trabajado (con total implicación de Art), si bien Paul Simon decidió publicarlo como disco en solitario (debido a lo íntimo de su contenido, relacionado con su matrimonio con Carrie Fisher). Art dijo basta, sus voces fueron eliminadas y nunca más se supo del duo. El disco supuso un tremendo fiasco a nivel de ventas, aunque en retrospectiva ha ganado mucho con el paso del tiempo. Comienza con Allergies, que tiene el sello de Simon & Garfunkel e incluye una guitarra que podría firmar perfectamente Carlos Santana (en realidad es el genial Al di Meola). Hearts and bones, es una delicada balada. When Numbers Get Serious, sube el ritmo pero no emociona. Podría ser la más floja del álbum, a pesar de la contribución de Steve Ferrone de los Heartbreakers) y una letra surrealista. Think Too Much (b) presenta una marimba (y el balido de una oveja), que tampoco eleva el tono general del disco. La cara A concluye con Song About the Moon, con el mismo pulso del resto de la obra. Abre la segunda cara del disco con Think Too Much (a), mucho mejor que la (b) y con Nile Rodgers aportando su buena mano con la guitarra. Train in the Distance con Jeff Porcaro a las baquetas es de la mejor de todas, con unos coros magistrales (la voz de Simon multiplicada). Supone el puente hacia lo que será Graceland... René and Georgette Magritte with Their Dog after the War, con un extraño video en el que aparecen Paul y Carrie (sus efectos especiales obviamente han quedado muy desfasados), mantiene el tono bucólico del disco. Es el mejor tema del lote, y un clásico de Paul Simon. Cars Are Cars, de ritmo alegre y una buena sección de viento que mira hacia Graceland, pero está lejos del nivel de lo que compondrá en apenas unos años. Termina el disco con The Late Great Johnny Ace de nada menos que Philip Glass, sobre Lennon, Johnny Ace y JFK. El final es maravilloso. Hubo discos mucho mejores que este: Excelentes debuts de REM, Aztec Camera, Madonna, The The y The Waterboys. Y excelentes obras de THE CHAMELEONS - Script of the bridge, Eurythmics- Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This), STEVIE RAY VAUGHAN & DOUBLE TROUBLE - Texas flood, Tom Waits - Swordfishtrombones, U2 - War , Talking Heads - Speaking In Tongues, New Order - Power, Corruption & Lies, ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN - Porcupine, David Bowie - Let's Dance, Cyndi Lauper - She's So Unusual, Metallica - Kill 'Em All, e incluso Mike Oldfield- Crises, UB40- Labour of Love, Huey Lewis and The News- Sports, ZZ Top- Eliminator o The Police - Synchronicity...

Fell asleep on the train listening to this, so it's relaxing at least. Heat and Bones is a great song! But a lot of 80s shite pop etc on here and awful topics for lyrics (numbers, cars and allergies). Looking forward to listening to Graceland, Allergies by The Lovely Eggs is a better song.

i really vibe with paul simon’s vocal quality and general musical aura so i enjoyed the vibe of listening to this album (especially the first half). hearts and bones is so good (saved on my spotify tyvm) but the song writing in other tunes really made my eyes roll (cars are cars?? and song about the moon???). really simplistic writing that i did not care for. however! i really did enjoy some of the admittedly very 80s production and keyboard, only if it’s because it’s nostalgic to me. the beatles and john lennon mention on johnny ace was so silly to me… but i digress. overall an enjoyable listening experience!

3.5 rounded down there’s something about paul simon which is very larry numb3rs coded i think highlights: hearts and bones, when numbers get serious, train in the distance (sep 7 2024)

This was distinctly average for me. No tracks really stood out. That meant i didnt love or hate any. Felt like a very safe one dimensional album. Wasnt offensive, it just didnt connect with me at all. I could happily put it on in the background but thats as far as i would go. I think a low 3 would be fair.

Not a favourite

Typical Paul Simon.

-according to rateyourmusic this is not really even a fan favorite Paul Simon album. Interestingly enough I thought it was super good. I love the variety in style and influences between the tracks, it never really got boring for me -Favorites are Allergies, Think Too Much (b) and Song About the Moon

Very nice!

I guess this album is most notable for the being the one that finally broke up Simon and Garfunkel. Apparently, it started as their next album (following their first break up and long hiatus) before Paul Simon decided it would be better as a solo album. Art Garfunkel got offended and quit and Paul Simon removed him from the recordings. Given the significance of that group, I suppose it's a fairly important moment in music history. But I confess that I find the actual album to be a bit boring. It strikes me as a moment in time the long gap between 'Bridge Over Troubled Water' and 'Graceland'. Slightly interesting background, but it's hardly Paul Simon's best work.

2 stars

Very typical Paul Simon sound, but no real standout song to note.

Ni fu ni fa

beetje kabbelend, maar het is altijd fijn kabbelen met Paul...

"Hearts and Bones" is the sixth solo album by singer-songwriter Paul Simon. It was written and recorded following Simon & Garfunkel's "The Concert in Central Park" in 1981. There were a few songs previewed and intended for a new Simon & Garfunkel record, "Think Too Much." Simon thought those songs were a little too personal about his relationship with Carrie Fisher and should be on a solo album instead. Well, that ended that and there was not another Simon & Garfunkel album. The album had mixed reviews, mostly positive, and, commercially, hit #35 in the US and #34 in the UK. "Allergies" begins the album with a stark synth. The hand-clap percussion kicks in. A pop melody comes. This is very 80's sounding. Electric guitar and horns. He has allergies to women he loves. "Hearts and Bones" is softer with an acoustic guitar, percussion and even Simon's singing. Marimbas are used, maybe, hinting at where he would go on his next album. Simon looks back at doomed relationships. Simon stresses that dreams and expectations often exceed the real life in "Train in the Distance." A vibraphone changes the melody vibe as does a bluesy guitar in the background. Simon was inspired by a picture "René and Georgette Magritte with Their Dog After War" he saw in Joan Baez's living room to write a song of the same name. There's doo-wop backing vocals and strings are finally added. The album closer "The Late Great Johnny Ace" has Simon reflecting on his life in 1954, 1964 and 1980 as some big musical news happens. One happy, two sad..a very unique lyrical approach. Strings add to the emotion of the events. I really connected with this album after a few plays. It is very stark, personal and 80's sounding at times. But, you start to notice rhythmic hints of very he would go next with "Graceland." Not all the songs are downbeat; in fact a few are pretty meaningless omes which are fun. He changes the pace with strings and horns. I would not put this album at the top of Simon's discography but it has some good moments and worth a listen.

not my thing, not bad

Paul Simon is a funny little man Has a strange way of writing but I love it Good music

One of my (even potentially in my top three) albums of all time is Paul Simon's Graceland. It is a wonderous work of art. But this was no "one off" album and Hearts and Bones proves that. This is very well written and of course performed. Not sure why it got panned, but than again, so did certain Fleetwood Mac albums and no doubt many many others that the critics had no idea what they had at the time. Paul Simon is a gem. He is one of those people in a specific field that others just fundamentally understand is a GOAT. There is no feasible argument. Just shut up and listen.

some fine moments, some unpleasant ones. mostly inoffensive!

Feel good easy listening from Paul Simon Well crafted, but also a bit boring..

Pretty weak. 2.5

Gotta be one of the worst album openers of all time. Are the lyrics on this album for real? Allergies, 2x2=22, cars are cars? This is one of the best songwriters lol. 2.0.

What a sweet voice.

I love how it's inspired by modern classical compositions and African music that would be to the forefront on Graceland.

Very nice, non-hysterical album. Homogenic and heterogenic at the same time

It’s a lovely album. Whether it’s a great album is a different matter. Minis points for terrible car lyrics and ending the Art Garfunkel collaboration for good.

This is in the category of really good album but not sure 1001 worthy. Thought the song writing was solid and musicality enjoyable. Just didn’t see it pushing the needle or being a particularly unique record in its genre.

He's so silly 🤪

Sounds really plain and I enjoyed it less and less as I went on

Man, I just never get tired of Paul Simon's sound. His voice is just so pure and perfect, and this album was a lot of acoustic and melodic pieces, without too much dynamic range. I loved it, but it was a little long and I had trouble keeping all of my attention on it the whole way through. Four stars.

I got bored of it pretty quick

So much Simon sauce in here, but still left me cold. An opening song with an allergy metaphor. I mean, a bold choice for sure. Song About the Moon had some magic in it but aside from some terrific playing not much for me here.

I was savage when reviewing Graceland - but this? Much better. It's not swamped in chintz and synth schmaltz, the songwriting is sharp and I don't even mind Simon's non-event of a voice. Best song on here is 'Train in the Distance', which would sound at home on a Donald Fagen solo outing. The title track is also quality. 'When Numbers Get Serious' annoyed my girlfriend.

Stars are Stars. And Paul gets three of them.

Started out really nice but became flat

Not a bad album, added a few to my playlist, but can’t see myself going back to most of the other songs any time soon or ever honestly. Good sound though.

Really good singer songwriter stuff.

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.

2.3/5 listened 1x. not great

Probably the weakest of the 3 Simon solo albums I've gotten so far. More proof there should have a been a limit of how many albums an artist is allowed on the list.

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.

This will be my second Paul Simon album to review, after Graceland, which is one of my favorite albums of all time. At a quick glance, I don't think I'm familiar with any of these songs, but I'm excited listen to this. One thing I’ve learned about my musical tastes over the course of this project, is that I really enjoy certain people as songwriters, and Paul Simon is one of those people. I’ve had a love of Graceland for a long time, thanks to the original 1001 albums book, and I’ve listened to a couple of Paul Simon’s more recent albums as well. I thought this album was great, especially from a songwriting perspective. I loved the exploration of heart verses mind, and how that impacts our relationships and our views of the world around us. The two “Think Too Much” songs stood out to me as being the best songs on the album from a songwriting perspective, and the title track wasn’t that far behind. Musically, I could feel the rumblings of the sounds of Graceland, and I loved the use of the vibraphone and marimba, along with the synthesizers, Fender Rhodes, and Synclavier. I think Paul Simon does a great job at utilizing Caribbean and African influences in his music. For my money, the album was at its peak musically when the melody got carried away and experimental, like in "When Numbers Get Serious," or in "Cars Are Cars.” Paul Simon is excellent at layering sounds to create rich textures, and there was plenty of that to go around on this album. I really enjoyed listening to this album, and the only drawback in my opinion was that a few of the songs were a tad boring. Still, this album was fun to listen to, and the overall theme lent itself to some outstanding songwriting.

Mukavaa akustista ja jotkut kappaleet enemmän rock. Enemmän rock kuin aikaisempi Simonin levy. Ensimmäisestä kappaleesta tuli ehkä jopa joku Eric Johnsson mieleen. Simonin ja Garfunkelin Simon tässä kyseessä tietenkin. Parhaat: Think Too Much (b), Rene and Georgette Magritte with Their Dog After the War (Original Acoustic)

Always love me some Paul Simon.

Farts and Phones.