Paul Simon

I was dreading another Paul Simon album!! I really like me and Julio down by the school yard and mother and child reunion. apart from that the songs are very similar and the album is very similar to graceland. Which some wold think is a good thing!! Favourite song: Mother and Child reunion Least favourite: Duncan, I was not a fan of this at all. Album artwork: Great jacket

Simple, folky music. Pleasant to listen to while working. I like Armistice Day, mainly because the guitar breakdowns. Almost a heavy vibe on them, but acoustic. Peace Like a River is probably my favorite, also because of the guitar work. Great tune. Paul Simon isn't someone I would typically ride around listening to, but his music makes me smile.

I did NOT expect a reggae opener--or anywhere for that matter--on this album; I guess I assumed it would be acoustic guitar and voice. This is a refreshing surprise. Let's see what else this album has to offer. There it is, track 2: "Duncan", and pretty much every song afterwards. They are more indicative of what I'd expect from "Paul Simon." This road was paved by Leonard Cohen, but Paul certainly has his own worthwhile musings. "Run That Body Down" is coffee-shop jazz that resonates with me with it's casual approach and odd-meter. I can hear similar stylings in the works of M. Ward and Elliot Smith decades later. I like how "Peace Like a River" flows (pardon the pun), and the guitar work is well-honed, especially the precise finger-picking. These are my two favorite tracks. Similar song titles like "Papa Hobo", "Hobo's Blues," and "Paranoia Blues" stretch the credibility of inspiration and appears more like a thematic rut that is all the more painfully obvious being sequenced back-to-back. Next up, "Papa's Paranoia"?? It's a bit nit-picky, but that's how criticism goes at times. These are supposed to be the greatest albums of all time. "Congratulations" is a somber and reflective way to close out the album; its impact would be greater if the previous songs demonstrated more variety. In all, there are some playful changes in meter and a relaxed sophistication on "Paul Simon," but it is suffers from lack of variation in the style and instrumentation and is perhaps too easy-listening and quiet.

This sounded like what I'd expect a Paul Simon album to sound like. It wasn't my favorite album by him (I really only knew "Julio" before today, and nothing else took my breath away), but it's perfectly fine. It shows his interest in folk, and also with world music with the Jamaican and Brazilian elements. 3.5

I'm a big Paul Simon fan so I was glad to see this one come up. Paul Simon has such a clear and clean voice. His singing always sounds so effortless and uncomplicated. He really has a way of painting pictures with his words while at the same time keeping things musically interesting. This was a pretty chilled out album. I like 'Me and Julio...', 'Duncan' and 'Mother and Child Reunion'.

Safe album from a good guitarist

Great songwriting. 3 stars

6.5/10

I like Simon because of his open minded and exploratory approach to music. Like all the best artists he is good at stealing and making something of his own from it.

Ganska stabilt album.

Verrry low key. Fine.

B- Mother And Child Reunion 3 Duncan 4 Everything Put Together Falls Apart 3 Run That Body Down 4 Armistice Day 3 Me And Julio Down By The Schoolyard 3 Peace Like A River 3 Papa Hobo 3 Hobo's Blues 3 Paranoia Blues 3 Congratulations 4 Good job fella

Not bad, not great

Not his best but i love this petty little guy

Paul Simon always had an interesting take on music. With the ability to ring other cultures into his music he makes things fun. This album shows that with the various styles in instrumentals. The overall lyricism is pretty good and of course the Detroit red wing shoutout is pretty cool. Overall this album has a major hit but the whole thing isn’t that spectacular, just overall good. 7.2/10

Catchy folky pop. Not unpleasant.

Highlight: Mother and Child Reunion

Never heard the album before. It had a couple of good songs but overall not great. I won't rush out to listen to it again. 3 stars, but closer to 2 than 4. "I was born in the boredom and the chowder"

Nice album. My favorite album of his is Graceland.

Iconic

I felt like the hits are some of the greatest songs ever written with a bunch of middling stuff in-between.

Paul Simon has a ton of great skills. All the instrumentals and mixing and stereo work here is fantastic. I miss the impact that Garfunkel brings. For a debut solo album it has some solid work and he does get better in future releases

He is so good at the science of putting together a snappy, catchy song. That being said there are a lot of very Underwhelming songs on here. I hope making an Armistice Day song was just a joke or a test, because just saying the title is upsetting.

Hoy toca otro artista clásico. Debo decir algo similar al día de ayer: no recuerdo haberlo escuchado como solista pero sí a Simon and Garfunkel. El disco empieza con un dejo ¿reggae? y la voz súper dulce de Paul Simon. Disco tranquilo. Caigo en la cuenta de que conozco "Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard" porque está en la banda sonora de "The Royal Tenenbaums". Bueno para bajar decibeles (o intentar hacerlo).

- Me and Julio Down By the Schoolyard is a great song - the rest of it was okay, nothing extraordinary but still a good listen

- quality singer/songwriter - great voice and guitar

I really wanted to love this album, especially being a fan of some of Paul Simons work. Unfortunately though this ended up as a snooze fest for much of the time

I really like his lyrics but the instrumentals are so boring to me.

Paul Simon is an astonishing songwriter, but his voice has never been super appealing for me. Me & Julio is a great song & memorable performance, but the rest is pretty bland for me to really stand behind & be excited about.

oh this guy again. hes cool tho. chill duncun: couple next door oughta win a prize theyve been going at it all night is crazysdghsjdsh stopped at Paul Simon Track 6 - Me And Julio Down By The Schoolyard

This thing opens with reggae?! I was not expecting that. Decent, not my favorite of Paul Simon's. 3/5

Not his best album, but yet nice to listen to.

Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard goes hard but the rest are fine or kinda boring

Pretty run of the mill. 2.5/5.0: Mixed

In Steamboat Willie, this is the album mickey mouse is whistling along to.

Not great, not bad.

Good

Some cool guitar stuff, but he can do better!

Delightful. Haven’t heard the vast majority of these songs beforehand but very easy to listen and vibe out to

Pleasant but not super memorable

Perhaps not the most exciting but quite pleasant and I love Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard. A surprise for me to learn that this was #984 out of the original 1000 when I know of at least 16 albums from our project that are worse than it

Paul Simony

Early experimental paul Simon that feels very raw…and I can see the seeds of Graceland growing in the melodies and the experimentation. It’s a very good album…just not as good as some of his others.

Pretty good. Nothing that special, but an entertaining album.

Not my thing at the time, but an impressive album, coming on the heels of the monster BOTW, and the breakup. Too cute for me, but I get the appeal. My wife thinks he’s got little-man issues.

Honestly, pretty bored. I need a little more oomph for a Monday morning.

Some interesting songs but not something I see myself revisiting

You can’t call me al

Well, this is exactly what I figured a Paul Simon album would sound like. Peaceful, hippy, smoke a joint, dance poorly and not give a shit about life for a moment. I like that ideology but not to this soundtrack. This isn’t terrible but it doesn’t get me moving like it should . I don’t have a choice cut because it all sounds the same

It's Paul Simon for goodness sakes

Seems quite inessential in his overall album output besides 2 songs...

Beautiful Album so many classics love these jams! But not my style. Mad respect tho!

Good album.

Ok, but repeating tunes

Cool bluesy album – enjoyed

Classic Paul Simon. This effort likely cemented his status as a solo artist which left Garfunkle in the dust.

ну он норм, но мелодичности для меня недостаточно и вокал чуть сладкий, чуть с подъездами, всё не то

A fun listen!

Generally enjoyable soft but quirky songs.

I like Paul Simon's voice and some of the songs that stood out, but overall the album felt a little disjointed and a little too mellow for my taste. Really liked Me and Julio.

A little too quiet for me. Mother and Child reunion is great but everything else is just passable

The hits are untouchable on this album. The rest of it is pretty boring unfortunately. Armistice Day is pretty groovy too. I’d argue he put out much better albums after this one.

wasn't a huge fan on first listen, but a few good tracks. 2.8/5. listened 3x

Not my usual type of music but I recognised a few tracks, folky and bojoey.

I listened to this one through but I was distracted. It was more chill than I expected. I see why I only know the hits off of this one. Me and Julio is an all-timer but a lot of the rest is meh.

It has his distinctive voice and is very nice but gets a bit samey on side 2

Not as good as Graceland.

Hmmm. Genesis of an iconic career but didn't find it all that arresting

Better than hearts and bones but prob won’t revisit

Obviously, the radio hits are the standouts, but the album is overall a favorable step in Simon’s post-Garfunkel era.

Is a good album, very simple maybe a little boring.

It has “Mother and Child…..” and “Me and Julio..”, so it’s already ahead of the game. The remainder is, as you would expect, lyrically clever and worthy of the listener’s time not least because it also features a passable Django Reinhardt impression on “Hobo’s Blues”..

Pretty listenable, a few great songs.

I feel like I have two very opposite impressions of Paul Simon, and this plays out with this album. On the one hand, I often enjoy his sound and style (perhaps not as much as his work with Garfunkel), especially on his earlier solo stuff, but I also find his whole world music thing kind of annoying and pretentious (more so than, say, Peter Gabriel or David Byrne's (obviously much later) world music explorations). Thankfully, this album has less of the global sound (except of course his ubiquitous pan pipes), and while I miss the Garfunkel/Simon harmonies, most of the songs are pretty solid, although not particularly distinctive. I also enjoyed how much this album reminded me of some of Leo Kottke's stuff.

I remember checking this album out from the public library when I was a kid and even then I was a little disappointed by it

El primer disco en solitario de Paul Simon tras la separación de Garfunkel abre con un sorprendente tema grabado en Jamaica, "Mother and Child Reunion", en el que se aventura con ritmos reggaes (un estilo musical en auge en aquel 1972) y sigue con los aires sudamericanos de "Duncan" (quizás con el recuerdo del gran éxito que tuvo el dúo con "El cóndor pasa"). El resto del disco son canciones sencillas, íntimas e incluso divertidas entre las que cabría destacar la exitosa "Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard" o "Peace Like a River".

Paul coming into his own exploring musical styles that he will lean into for the rest of his career. There's the fade between Simon & Garfunkel, world music, blues and jazz. It doesn't quite coalesce as a whole album, but the single are great.

Recognize "Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard".

this marks the beginning of my folk awakening

Fine. Seems a little overrated. I like Simon and Garfunkel songs more

Never been a big fan of Paul Simon's solo stuff, but this album isn't bad.

Sorta like Simon and Garfunkel, I like some of it, but not all, particularly the upbeat stuff. Weirdly sounds like old folky Beck

intro to paul simon, some gems in here. fun storytelling.

Inoffensive but didn’t really grab my attention other than a couple of songs. “Armistice Day” and “Peace Like a River” were highlights.

Ну не. Ну типа да, душевно, мужик в аляске что-то понял о жизни и радужным голосом под проникновенную гитару нам рассказывает о бомжевании и вообще о мире. Но не. 3

Enjoyable chill early 70's album, others would exceed this

Not my favourite Paul Simon but the man is always palatable

Big fan of Paranoia Blues

Too old but also ok for background music at work

A couple of really good songs, but didn't care for the rest that much. Talented, but just not my cup of tea.

Not too bad

Ma and Julio always a banger

Cozy as shit - Not my particular vibe though. Papa bear type music.

Probably the best singer song writer album i’ve heard so far and I hate the genre

Classic yet not my fav

3.5* Folky, good acoustic guitar jams

I don’t think I’ve heard a bad Paul Simon song. Here, Simon mixes just about everything (jazz, blues, reggae, Latin) with his traditional folk and it works. He has the ability to make anything he’s singing about sound light and airy, sometimes maybe too much. 4 stars would be fair, buts Side B after Me and Julio isn’t as strong as the rest. 7.8/10

Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard Congratulations Paranoia Blues (I prefer thedemk version)

Intro on Mother and Child Reunion kicks off the album in a very cool way. Guitar solo on Run That Body Down is great.

• Gullig bild på Pål, stor luva • Lite reggae? • Lite tråkigt? • Saknar lite mer av allt, lite oumph eller nått, inte för Paul Simon är känd för det, med eller utan Garfunkel •Julio kanske är den bästa av dem, mestadels för den har lite fart o lite rytm, har aldrig varit min favoritlåt dock Betyg: 3/5

Några riktigt bra låtar. Älskar Julio. Lite konstig reggae i början typ. Bra album

I appreciated some, especially Me and Julio. Overall, not what I choose to listen to, but I'd sing along with a song or two if it was on.

Good actually

Bien. Sin más. Un poco rollo.

Again, two memorable tracks ( because they were overplayed on the radio at the time ) and a listenable album. Pleasant enough for 3*

Liked it. Not enough to come back but it was easy listening.

The music is better than the album cover

Not bad

Paul is definitely a storyteller, but most of these stories are somewhat tedious and boring. On one hand I like songs that play along with pictures in my head, but I'm not sure I'm really invested in what happened to someone else's chow fun, or about a hobo that maybe tied his shoes with 3 loops that one time. I do happen to like the unreleased version of "Paranoia Blues" better than the original. These may be the kind of songs that grow after a couple of listens so you Can Still follow along if you miss a verse, but I found my imagination drifting away from the plot. Could be something good to fall asleep to. Favorite track: "Hobo's blues" 2.5/5

Has some good tracks, not my favorite.

It was very chill.

Couple of big, big songs, but it lost its hold on me in places.

Lounge music at times...but a nice lounge

Haven't heard this one before. Pretty good.

Simon without Garfunkel just doesn't hit the same way. 'Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard' is a banger though.

The first half of this album I really enjoyed, but the second half for me was a bit boring!

👍 7 van. 10

Could songs I like but wasnt enough for 4 stars to me.

Came in expecting a sleepy album and although it is easy listening, its quite engaging. I'm pretty unfamiliar with Simon but I do know he's a great song writer and this album is a showcase. Not going to be in heavy rotation but I appreciate it.

Ok, not my style.

1.21.24

Magpie songwriting with bits of reggae, Andean pipes, jazzy folk, Django jazz, overdriven electric guitar, bluesy finger picking, to go along with the main strummy acoustic sound. The recording and mixing is crisp and balanced - every part sits just right and there's a ton of breathing room making this very relaxing and unobtrusive background music verging on boring. That said, there's a lot of subtle songwritery stuff going on in the chord changes, voice leading and all that if you tune in and pay close attention. Favorites: run that body down, peace like a river

Decent enough album, some tunes better than others but nothing terrible here. There were some interesting sounds worked in that kept things interesting. Hobo’s Blues definitely stood out as a great track. I don’t see myself returning to the album. It was fine, 3 stars

Okay

It was fine, nice old-fashioned background music. The type of thing I'd hear in a walmart.

This is a very good album that has the drawback of being to reminiscent of other Paul Simon works. I felt like I *almost* liked most of these songs, and that he figured out whatever nebulous lack these had later. Honestly though, whenever I hear a non-hit by Simon I always think it's kinda meh so maybe this is a me thing. Also, I would have bet money that "Me and Julio" came out in the 80s. 3.5 stars

enjoyed this blast from my childhood--remember checking it out. Still, not a great album. I think even then I was a little disappointed by it.

Bien. Sin más. Un poco rollo.

Little bit slower more mellow vibes from paul here. I enjoy a couple of his other albums more.

I listened to this three times at work. I love Simon and Garfunkel and listened to their greatest hits growing up. That said, I was a bit disappointed in the songs that I hadn't heard before. But the songs I knew were great. Me and Julio is a banger.

Includes two well known songs that are fun to listen to again.

Very poetic

Sqee

3.2. Now I know what supermarkets sounded like in the 70’s.

One star for Me and Julio, one star for Mother and Child Reunion. One star for nice guitar playing. Otherwise this was an annoying album.

Nice folksy album. Good vibes

Decent! Not as good as Still Crazy or Hearts and Bones

Bra album med bra melodier

This is a direct continuation of Simon & Garfunkel, only without Garfunkel. It's quite good. 3/5

Lyrically very smart. Beautiful songs. Very solid for what it is.

I’m a big fan of “You Can Call Me Al” which is not on this album, but that’s the sort of upbeat Paul Simon I was hoping for and to be fair, there are a few on here that fit that style. However, those track that aren’t upbeat are a bit of a drag on what was a chilled listen. Also didn’t know that Me and Julio song was done by Simon, also didn’t know this is the Simon from Simon and Garfunkel. The stuff you learn eh?

My mind was elsewhere this morning. But let's try and give it a go. 3 well known tracks here, mother & child, Duncan, and me and Julio. M+jdbts was an updated version on youtube but still a good track. Now for the rest of the album. Got off to a slow start,but picked up. Wasn't as upbeat as I expected seeing m+jdbts and m+cr in the listing, but still ok. Would I buy it? No, it's no graceland. But still worthy of a 3.

Yet another album labelled 'Folk- rock'. Shit album cover. Thought I'd hate this. I didn’t. Paul Simon again proves he can write a decent song or 10. I bet if you gave him a kazoo and a xylophone, he still would create a masterpiece. I'm not a fan of acoustic guitars, but what did did with it was excellent, plus all the other instruments to back it up worked really well. A low 3 as I probably won't listen to it again, but it was very good for what it was.

It was ... nice.

I like this album, Me and Julio, Mother and Child Reunion, and Duncan in particular. Paul Simon is a wonderful songwriter, better than Dylan in my opinion and they are always compared for some reason. Maybe just beacuse they were doing similar things at the same time? Anyway - as good as Paul Simon is, I feel like eveerything he did with Garfunkel is better than his solo stuff. It's odd because Garfunkel by himself was not stellar (to be generous), but the records they made together were so much better than either of their solo endeavours. I can't give this record more than 3.5/5.

wow fun guitars

The first post-Troubled Water album from Paul Simon. A sort of eclectic mix of folksy songs, perhaps invigorated by the fact that Garfunkel wasn't there to ground him. Some songs work especially well but there are a few that don't quite land. The clear highlight is the bouncy Me and Julio which never fails to make me feel a bit better.

Not my type but also not bad

"I'm living on gatorade, planning my getaway" I enjoyed this album a lot more than I thought I would, which is always a pleasant surprise. I found myself smiling, and in a relaxed trance while listening to it, and I think it came to me in the perfect moment. It's cool to hear some solo work from the notorious Simon of Simon & Garfunkel. Really pleasing and soft voice, paired with nice acoustic guitar and round bass lines, and soft drumming. Lots of the songs are groovy, and I particularly liked "Run that body down" for the reasons aformentioned (playlist track). I disliked "Me and Julio down by the Schoolyard" because of how poppy it sounds, and it reminds me of a Jack Johnson song (not a bad thing, but not what I want from a song). I also disliked "Paranoia Blues" because of the screeching slide guitar. In an ideal world, this album would get a 4, and although I could imagine myself throwing it on after a tough day, I don't think it quite deserves that rating. 3.4/5

Fairly calming

Paranoia blues best song

Yeah a couple songs are pretty good 6.5/10

The first track gave a glimpse of the sound Paul Simon would eventually establish as a solo artist, but most of the album felt like Simon and Garfunkel without Garfunkel, but that’s still some pretty good music

ok, chill and comfy

Ok 3.5

J'ai vraiment aimé ! 3,5

Trevligt. Mycket kvar från Simon and Garfunkel, och inte än i utforskandet med Graceland några år senare. Lite jazziga toner dock.

I like Paul Simon, found this a little passive compared to some of his other stuff though

Solo

Enjoyed this. I'm surprised that I actually wasn't familiar with any of the songs off this album, including "Me & Julio" where I only kind of recognized sections of it. Really enjoyed the guitar work on this record, as well as the range of songs that added a ton of diversity from one song to the next.

When this record started I got lured in by the reggae-like sound and thought it was someone from Jamaica singing. Didn't recognize Paul Simon's voice at all! Paul Simon is a pretty clever guy when it comes to creating interesting stories and wordplay. But for some reason it just isn't quite hitting home for me, it doesn't stand out enough somehow and I can't explain. As interesting as some songs are lyrically, equally as uninteresting some songs are as well. 'Run That Body Down' has a nice mellow vibe to it, but the lyrics feels like filler lyrics someone would come up with on a napkin while sitting on the commuter train. Same thing goes for 'Armistice Day'. And I just expect a bit more from Paul I guess. All things considered it will have to be a 3 for me, though I realize this could be a 'me' thing and it deserves more.

This was pleasant but I prefer Simon & Garfunkel honestly. Standout for me was Peace Like a River but I hated the first song. The writing was very beautiful.

Relaxing, Smooth. Feeling like a cowboy in a bar, but with a relaxed vibe

an enjoyable oldies album. nothing that blows me away though

Not my fave Paul Simon

Some good jingles here for mellow times. It's nice hearing where melodies and phrases, that you were familiar with, came from.

It was fine. Nothing stood out for me, but it was pleasant to listen to some old familiar songs and many I had not heard before

3 stars

Pleasant

The album works best when Simon allows himself to experiment and be weird. It's sometimes dragged down by an unwillingness to move away from his past work, but does get better on the back half of the album.

Did listen to few songs

Aika medium pimputusta. Kivaa taustamusaa, tosi melankolista

This album is easy to listen to. Soft vocals, heavy use of acoustic guitar, and folksy percussion. Some of the chord changes were standard (I-IV-V), or bluesy and others were even slightly jazzy. The songs sound like they would be fun to play on the guitar. There was definitely some down-tuning and steel guitar usage. Nothing was catchy. Overall, the highlight of this album is the creative and technical guitar work. Would I listen to this again? Probably not, but I think I would recognize it if I heard it again. I don't think I have a favorite song off this album.

I groaned when I saw this album pop up because, while Simon and Garfunkel is one of my all-time favorites, I am not a fan of Simon's solo career. I think he lost something when he lost Garfunkel, and YES! I know that Simon was the driver behind the band. I remember in grad school making an off-hand comment about how I don't like Simon post-Garfunkel to a stranger and ended up in a huge argument. I think this album has a little more of the S&G magic than his others, probably because it came out shortly after they split. While I haven't listened to the album before, I have heard many of the songs - and insofar as I like solo Simon songs, it turns out they're from this album (with the exception of Graceland). There is one song that I hadn't heard before and I absolutely love: Peace Like a River. So the album was worth listening through for that alone - plus getting to hear the demo version of Duncan, which I actually like a lot better than the released version. But otherwise, eh.

It was fine, nothing that really caught my eye

Paul Simon is purely okay, The songs aren't really anything too special but they aren't terrible either. Some times the songs could be relaxing but then the instrumentation becomes too much at points. I believe that this album is decent but nothing more than that Best Song: Duncan Worst Song: Paranoia Blues (I wish the unreleased version was the main version of this song because it sounds quite a bit better)

My first impression is that this is gentrified reggae for white people. This is ok I gues. Not really my thing, but I can see the merit. Production was pretty good at least. A low 3/5

Not really my fav but ok

Nice

I only knew Me and Julio from this album which is a great song. the rest of the album is very good but nothing remarkable so nothing got added to the playlist, but a nice listen.

Me and Julio really sticks out from this set of kind of sleepy songs. I really liked a couple of songs over the others, Duncan for example, but there’s not enough to rate the album higher as a whole.

Pleasant and relaxing. Not quite my thing anymore but I’d be happy to listen to ti again some day. I haven’t finished it.

Par fora hilibili stvari, a to volim jer sam seljačina. Ove depresivne bluzeve malo manje.

All I’m gonna say is it’s not my favorite Paul

Not a huge fan of the sound. Too singsong-ey for me.

Nou, hier had ik vrijdag dus écht geen zin in. Vrijdagen zijn voor gezelligheid en energie en ik had zo'n vermoeden dat ik dat niet zou krijgen van Paultje Simon. Nou, dat was correct. Dit is SPP(Of SPF?) In optima forma. Oftewel: een prima maandag ochtend album. Gebeurd er iets spannends op het album? Nee, maar Paul Simon komt op mij altijd een beetje over als het soort man die zwarte peper eigenlijk al te pittig vind en in het weekend spa rood drinkt als ie los gaat. Misschien is dat inherent aan folk rock hoor, dat zou prima kunnen. Dan heb ik nu al zin in alle Bob Dylan albums die we nog gaan krijgen! Dit is wel prima te pruimen op de maandagochtend. Ik wil easy listening achtergrond muziek, en daarin levert Paulus dan wel weer. Pantera zou ik op dit moment bijvoorbeeld niet kunnen trekken. Jeetje Paul gooit het opeens op de uptempo tour met Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard. Dat is ook meteen 1 van mn favoriete nummers op dit album. Er gebeurt tenminste iets! All in all is dit een album dat je aan kan zetten als achtergrond muziek en waarvan niemand ooit gaat klagen dat het kut is. Het is de ultieme background noise, en dat bedoel ik redelijk positief. FAVO: Duncan, Run That Body Down,Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard

Good, a little slow for me but had some classics like Me & Julio.

I was expecting this album to be a standard 70s folk album, and that’s kind of true for some of the tracks. Can get a bit boring at times, but I really enjoyed the tracks with a clear reggae or blues influence, gave the album as a whole a funky feel. The production was also pretty solid, I enjoyed the instrumental choices.

pleasant, low key, started off with more of a downer song then I wanted.

Decently good, will have to relisten but I found myself losing interest about midway through

Really miss Garfunkel's harmony. Still okay

Solid 3.5/5-it’s pleasant and like the original John Craigy. Will download

Definitely a landmark album and had huge influence on a lot of people. Not my jam but the album is great enough for me to be able to enjoy most of it regardlessa

Not my favorite work of Paul Simon, but it’s passable as an influential album.

Mellow

It's not a bad album, but it's probably not something I'd return to. The melodies remind me of Jamaican rasta music in a way, and the acoustic guitar steals the show. Paul's personality cuts through the record, and he's a very good singer. I enjoyed it!

Personal bias but I just can’t get there with Paul Simon. Songs are all objectively well composed but he’s boring.

Nice - but a bit dull for mine

Starts off really strong with Mother and Chile Reunion but then kind of goes downhill from there being way too slow for my liking. I have heard covers of Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard, but never this original. That song was good.

It was ok nothing special. I was listening to it as background music so that may have played a part. Definitely love Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard though.

Good. Elevated by a few good songs, weak depth. First half stronger than second.

I love Paul Simon but this album is just ok. There are a few good tracks and Me and Julio is amazing, but most of the time I was just wanting to listen to Graceland.

I love Paul’s voice and this album is classic

A very pleasant and easy album to listen to, hard to find many faults except from that it lacks some real standout songs outisde of Julio. Could listen to Paul Simon sing for hours though, great voice and guitar playing throughout. Probably worth a relisten in future.

ok!

Perfectly pleasant but with Bob, Bruce, Neil, Nick and Leonard, I don't feel the need for another white, western male singer-songwriter in my life

I liked it, some great tracks, but this is Paul Simon's fifth best solo album, not sure why it is a must listen.

Paul Simon is pretty good. Just gets a bit old after 5 or 6 songs.

This is decent folk music but nothing special. No Graceland that's for sure.

Really joyful album, really enjoyed this.

Songs just didn’t quite grab me. Ofcourse Julio did

I've listened to this album plenty of times before, and it was interesting to return to it this weekend. Simon definitely has some ability in his DNA to on occasion write a pearl of pop song, and other times I find him quite unbearable. This album maybe sits in that gulch between the ambitious but simple sounds of his not too distant past - in the wake of Bridge Over Troubled Water where he hit the nail on the head, and his future records that get a little too twee at times for my taste. There's a great flow on this album, and it offers a wide range of sounds to engage with. Not everything here grabs me as much on repeat; some tracks seem to be missing an edge or freshness, and some songs are at this point just annoying (Me and Julio had to be skipped on this listen). It's a fairly good album, and on another day could rate it higher. Probably some tracks that could benefit from Art Garfunkel's sensibilities, though maybe I'm missing the point by comparing this album to his work in the duo. Plus, it's hard to deny tracks like Run That Body Down, which is the standout for me by a mile. Three and a half.

The hits are good. The rest is forgettable.

dont like folk-rock. Boring. 3.6/10

I understand why this album is on this list. Paul Simon's solo music has rarely done much for me. I find it interesting to an extent, but I've always struggled to get into it too much. The solo album from an artist that Boomers like so much is bound to be on this list. So, an album arguably worthy of inclusion, but there are better albums that are left off of this list. I think if it didn't have "Paul Simon" on the cover then it wouldn't have made this list.

sure is paul simon

Garfunkel must write all the hooks, because there aren't many here. Me and Julio is good.

First time I’ve heard him without the Funk, and I need the Funk (2.5/5)

Everything solo Paul Simon I’ve heard pales in comparison Simon & Garfunkel. But it’s not unpleasant. A few interesting instrumental moments.

Almost a 4

nice singer-songwriter stuff, some good ones there

Een beetje gezapig allemaal. Ik ben niet kapot van z'n stemgeluid. Hekel aan bontkragen, zowel echte als imitatie. De openingstrack is een soort misplaatste blanke reggae en daar komt normaliter alleen Matisyahu mee weg. Ik kan dus wel wat minpuntjes bedenken maar al met al is dit gewoon een veilige 3 sterren. Ik herken de cuica in "Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard" dankzij dat Jorge Ben Jor album dat ik eerder had. Ik leer nog.

A bit simple, but shows how much of a talent Paul Simon was even when he we just starting out on his own. Most if not all of the songs had been recorded for years before being released. Nothing mind blowing, but an important piece of musical history. A bridge between his days with Garfunkel and his future sound

i still dont understand why this record is so beloved but "me and julio down by the schoolyard" makes me really really happy

👍

Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard, une chanson que j'ai écouté très souvent. Comme d'habitude, Paul Simon a une voix agréable et ses chansons sont comme de petits bijoux couchées sur du velours.

I wonder if Garfunkel heard this album and thought, "Well, it's all over for me." Good folk-rock album. Not every song is a winner, but there's some real good stuff here.

Some fire singles here I think. Still just a 3.5 overall imo.

I don't know. This was ok, but it felt like it was missing about 50% of what it needed to be truly great.

Simon finally unshackled from Garfunkel. A lovely little slice of mellow goodness that simultaneously introduces a lot of comfy-cozy instrumentation while reminding us that Paul Simon was going through... quite the ride at this point in his life. The latter half of the album gets a bit too silly with it, but songs like "Duncan really do remind you that the guy's a songwriting legend for a reason. I stole his chow fun, by the way. It's the least he deserved for that haircut. A cute lil' ol 3.5/5.

Very chill vibes. Not my style but can respect the soft folk rock.

A mix of different styles and messy direction wise. Paul Simon is talented and it shows throughout the album.

Me and Julio... is one of my all time favorites. Paul SImon has a long history of using different instruments. I had to look up what the howling/yipping instrument on that song was. It's a cuica: a type of drum where they adjust the head tension to make that noise. "Papa Hobo" was fun and used a Bass Harmonica like Simon & Garfunkle's "The Boxer" Mother Child Reunion is very good too. The rest of the songs are good, but not terribly memorable.

Paranoia Blues was my favorite.

Me and Julio is a great song. I generally enjoy Paul Simon, but this album is a lot sleepier than I’d hoped for. I like it better when he’s more melodic and upbeat.

Just ok. Loved "Julio" forever but not allot more here and some songs are below average

Inoffensive

A pretty good first record after his thing with Garfunkel! I love saying, Garfunkel! A couple of really great songs, Mother & Child.... Me and Julio... and of course, "Duncan"!!! :)

Mostly pretty milquetoast and forgettable. The second half is definitely more interesting and has a few pretty good songs, but I don’t need to go back and listen again.

Parfait pour un lundi ! Un vendredi la vibe aurait pas été bonne !

Fun little soft rock album. The 2 blues songs are weirdly not very bluesy but as a whole, it was inoffensive and heartfelt

Nice little folk record. I did recognize the more popular songs on the record, and for the most part they are my favorites and most catchy to me (Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard, Mother and Child Reunion. Also really enjoyed Papa Hobo/Hobo Blues, Paranoia Blues, and the demo of that one as well.

avg

1. potentially this could make me feel so sick abt Mother 2. SWAG STORYTELLING SONG 3. short & simple 4. maybe this should be a more regular song on the rotation.... 5. meh 6. swag 7. meh 8. meh 9. Jaunty little tune! 10. ok 11. meh 12. swag 13. SWAGGGG 14. a little swagger than the non-demo version

I liked this more than Graceland, and maybe more than most S&G stuff. It was stripped back but interesting, calming but fascinating. Solid 3.

This is a step down from Graceland, which we had near the beginning of this project. It's very stripped back, very singer-songwriter, and although the lyrics and storytelling are really good, they aren't great enough to hold up an album like this on their own. And Paul Simon's voice isn't that strong - he's at his best with Art Garfunkel, or working with something a bit more musically complex. 3/5, just.

it was okay, decent bit of folk, i liked it, nothing spectacular but it was okay!

I liked it, but there was something about it was too "light" for me. Then halfway through, I realized it's because there's no bass and no typical percussion!

I dig a lot of Simon & Garfunkel stuff but his solo stuff is a bit weaker to me. Just a bit all over the place and often too saccharine for me. Still lots of great moments and songwriting in this though.

Maybe the first solo effort? Some memorable songs.

Nice guitar stuff on here - not a big fan of the guy’s voice and style overall, but this was easy to listen to.

Some really good tracks on this one

Great voice and musician. Just not my tempo. “Me and Julio…” is good though. 5.5/10

Not massively familiar with Paul Simon's solo work besides "You Can Call me Al", however I enjoyed listening to this album a lot. The traditional Folk and Blues influence combined with other genres at points like Gospel end up giving a very nice and relaxing listen. The lyrical content is quite dark in points which provide a good juxtaposition from the fairly peaceful and sweet melodies he plays on the guitar. I liked the use of storylines within the album too - highlighting the tale of Papa Hobo, and all of this coming together to carve out a kind of narrative. I ended up listening to the demos on the expanded version and I enjoyed them more than the album counterparts - the stripped back underproduced acoustic sound adds to the vibe I reckon Favourite Track: "Mother & Child Reunion" or "Peace like a River"

Não tive uma audição muito atenta. De qualquer forma, a voz agradável e folk deixou uma atmosfera de calma.

Bien. Sin más. Un poco rollo.

Solid

Nice, easy listening folk.

some good stuff in here

Very good background noise. I almost forgot I was listening.

Not as good as Graceland but still pretty good 3.5

Some really good songs, mostly boring songs.

Ok album. Hard to listen to when you've been hearing the best of S&G the whole time

Paul Simon is likely in the running for greatest songwriter of all time and that's absolutely on show here, there's a few duds like Papa hobo but even those are pretty impressive songs, they just don't hold up to some of the stronger songs on this album, Run that Body Down and Me and Juilio Down by the Schoolyard stand out as highlights for me. The criticism id have of this album is that it can feel a little bit directionless, it is obvious that this is Simon striking out on his own and looking to figure out what's going to define him as a solo artist. Some of its just more of what he was doing with S&G, some is reggae, some is more blues but he doesn't seem to have figured out quite where he wants to go yet. Which is fine of course, it would take another 14 years for him to hit on the sound that would define his solo work with Graceland. But it does mean this particular album doesn't particularly sound like the same work at the end than the beginning.

Its fine. He's a talented musician playing music I don't really care about.

it was fine, just generally boring. i wasn't able to get into the vibe. 3.

Giving county

I like the use of non traditional instruments on this lp. Simon used Caribbean and South American instruments and music liberally. Duncan and Papa Hobo are my favorite tunes

I listened to a few songs and I enjoyed what I heard.

3.7/5 good

Paul Simon doing what he does best.

I will probably be one of the few people here to think this, but this for me is a major step forward after the records he made with Garfunkel. I enjoyed listening to this, both lyrically and musically.

whoa, I have that exact same parka Paul Simon is wearing on the album cover. I stole it from a thrift store when I was 16 and, while I haven't worn it regularly in about 20 years, I can't bear to get rid of such a rad parka. That's all I have to say about this album. ok, Me and Julio is a pretty great song.

Bardovsky festival

Never really a fan of folky kind of music but this was at least a bit pleasant to hear. Nothing crazy but was fine. 7/10.

Great album, reminding everyone that Paul Simon was a much better songwriter than Art Garfunkel, but also that without Garfunkel, the songs just don't sound as good.

Not as good as Hearts and Bones

Not quite as immediately catchy as some of the other Paul Simon records on this list, his flirtations with a myriad of genres from reggae to jazz is still anchored by Simon’s peerless ear for pop melodies. That said, the real standout track on this record, “Me and Julio…”, isn’t really matched by the largely sparse arrangements on this record. It’s hard to explain what makes Paul Simon such an incredible songwriter, so just stick on his records and find out.

He likes to mix up the styles and has many international influences clearly, but it leads to some of it feeling a little "inauthentic" for want of a better word.

Goeie muziek. Ik mis een beetje de energieke nummers die ik zo mooi vind, dus dit album is niet mijn favoriet, maar zang en muziek van Simon blijft gewoon erg goed. ***

Classic

I enjoyed this. Would have loved some added instruments and vocal harmonies.

I have this one on vinyl. I think it was actually my dad's or uncles. Paul Simon is a great writer, but his music itself isn't always for me. A lil twangy for my tastes

It was fine, no more

Didn't know any of the tracks on this album, and whilst mostly decent there is a reason for that

Sings like he looks.

😴

I really love Paul Simon, but I was expecting more. He's such a clever and cheeky lyricist and a deft musician and composer. And yes, that is here in his hits like Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard (one of my alltime faves) and Mother and Child Reunion (wonderful blending of different sounds and vocals); even in lesser knowns like Duncan ("couple in the next room bound to win a prize, they've been going at it all night long") or Peace Like a River (his folksy plucking combined with other instruments is great) or Paranoia Blues (quintessential up-tempo Paul Simon). But I felt like there were a bunch of ho-hum songs (Everything Put Together Falls Apart, Congratulations) or others with clever lyrics but that sound like regurgitation of his work with Garfunkel (Papa Hobo). I'm torn on others with simple strumming and easy vocals (Run that Body Down, Armistice Day); sometimes I find them a bit boring, other times just right. He has some absolutely killer albums but this one felt average to be honest.

Twee-dull- well, not dumb, it's obviously well done, it's just not very interesting

Quite like the 2 “blues” songs, album a bit too sedate for my liking, kinda expected from Paul Simon though

Never listened to this front to back but I am a PS fan - pretty great! Inspires me to go even deeper on Solo Simon.

Great musician, good songs but just not for me.

PS's second solo album. 2 big tracks in Julio and Mother/Child Reunion. The rest are less memorable but have a sense of purpose. It all sounds chilled but can come across a bit lightweight. 3.5

The guitar is certainly lyrical, but I was falling asleep after a few songs.

This album had so much range across genres. I really liked the different instruments used.

Quality album. Not a lot of his better known hits but representative of the story telling and guitar playing that made half of a dynamic duo famous

Really really long, really really proud of my mediocre stir fry

Would listen again as background music

Overall, pretty good. Never thought I'd be a huge Paul Simon fan and I'm still kind of not, but it was a nice change of pace from what I usually like. Standouts: Duncan, Me and Julio Down by the School Yard, Peace Like a River, Paranoia Blues

Paul Simon is great - opening track is nice, then a lot of boring. “Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard” saves the album IMO, and I also really liked “Peace like a River”. 2.5 and rounding up for Julio.