Comments on: Paul Simon to Embrace His Legacy

By: Simon Officially Rhymin’ for Legacy in 2011 « The Second Disc

Simon Officially Rhymin’ for Legacy in 2011 « The Second Disc — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 19:13:59 +0000

[...] own Joe Marchese reported in June that Simon had planned to move his back catalogue from Warner Bros. back to Columbia, the home of [...]

By: Short Takes: Legacy’s First Paul Simon Release, James Taylor Goes Gold, and Spector Set Due « The Second Disc

Wed, 22 Sep 2010 13:48:40 +0000

[...] the first CD release of Simon’s catalogue back at its original home, Columbia, since Simon turned over the license from Warner Music Group. It’s very likely, though, that this is a merely a straight reissue with [...]

By: Mike Toase

Mike Toase — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 21:10:33 +0000

Well, my wife calls me a ‘completist’. If I hone into anything or anyone then I have to have or know everything about the person.etc.
If Pauls catalog is moved to CBS/Sony/Columbia then I will probably (don’t tell the wife; certainly) purchase the reissues. Why?? Well I will be looking out for any deviation from the ‘original’ issue, or if the track is longer/shorter ar re-modified in any way. It’s a sad life EH!
AND it will be on a different label!
What more could one want.

By: Denny

Denny — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 05:17:34 +0000

I guess the move is now under-way. Many Paul Simon albums have disappeared from MP3 download stores in the UK and Amazon.com, too.

By: Jacob

Jacob — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 23:38:31 +0000

I just want remastered versions of Simon and Garfunkel’s “The Concert in Central Park” and “The Graduate” soundtrack.

By: Phil Cohen

Phil Cohen — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 05:51:06 +0000

But, the Sony reissues may only be for people who have never owned the albums before. I’m quite satisfied with the Warner Bros. expanded remasters. As for the future Sony reissues, if they have no bonus tracks, or merely the same bonus tracks as the Warner discs, there will be no reason to buy the albums again.
Today, with the music biz in bad shape, getting people who already have the albums to buy them again, is crucial, and, undoubtedly, the record companies who pay big money to get a license to reissue an artist’s entire back catalogue are insisting on some new content as part of the deal. No doubt this was the case when Concord got the Paul McCartney catalogue, when Universal got the non-U.S.A. rights to the Queen catalogue, when Sony got the Hendrix catalogue and when Universal got The Rolling Stones post-1970 catalogue. Initially, unenhanced reissues are a way to rapidly get the albums back into stores, but on a long-term basis, it won’t sell many discs.(As Universal discovered with verbatim Rolling Stones reissues).
As for Paul Simon, even if he wants to cooperate with deluxe reissues with new content, he was never very prolific in the outtakes department. But there is another possible explanation of why Simon would want to take his solo catalogue back to Columbia: to get more restrictive over what Columbia can do with Simon & Garfunkel outtakes, over which Simon & Garfunkel have previously had little or no veto power.
A month after Simon & Garfunkel’s summer 1970 disbandment, the duo were back in Columbia Studios cutting traditional folk songs to fulfill a contractual committment. Simon must have cringed when Sony actually issued a few of these one-take live in the studio performances(one of which contains an audible mistake) as bonus tracks on “Sounds of Silence”.