Songs for the Asking: Paul Simon Announces “In The Blue Light,” Previews Rarities Collection “Alternate Tunings” (UPDATED 7/12)
ORIGINAL POST (6/18/2018) – UPDATES IN BOLD: Paul Simon may be retiring from the road, but the conclusion of his acclaimed Homeward Bound – The Farewell Tour on September 22 won’t be the last we’ve heard of the legendary musician. On tour, he’s currently previewing two upcoming projects: Alternate Tunings, a long-awaited collection of previously unreleased material (date TBA), and an album entitled In the Blue Light, due on September 7 on CD and vinyl.
In lieu of a traditional tour program, Simon is offering a lavish “Limited Edition Folio” for purchase at each evening’s concert (price: a reasonable $30.00). This clothbound, hardcover, roughly LP-sized book is a fitting souvenir, but moreover, it includes a six-song MP3 download “from the forthcoming rarities collection Alternate Tunings.” The download card promises, “Drawn from Paul Simon’s vast archive of recordings, this collection spans his entire career.” This anthology has been mooted for years now; a quick online search reveals discussion of the project as far back as 2003. It’s finally becoming a reality, with the following previously unreleased songs available now for download to purchasers of the folio:
- Song for the Asking (Solo Demo) (released version from Simon & Garfunkel, Bridge Over Troubled Water, 1970)
- Papa Hobo (Solo Demo) (released version from Paul Simon, 1972)
- Learn How to Fall (Solo Demo) (released version from There Goes Rhymin’ Simon, 1973)
- Silent Eyes (Film Score Outtake) (released version from Still Crazy After All These Years, 1975)
- Hearts and Bones (Solo Demo) (released version from Hearts and Bones, 1983)
- Citizen of the Planet (Solo Demo) (released version from Simon & Garfunkel, Old Friends: Live on Stage, 2004)
These six beautiful acoustic tracks, bookended (pun intended) by solo versions of compositions associated with Simon & Garfunkel, augur well for the high quality of the complete release. (“Citizen of the Planet” was originally intended for Hearts and Bones – the album that itself began life as Think Too Much, the S&G reunion album that never was.) “Silent Eyes,” noted as “Film Score Outtake,” is a particularly fascinating offering, with Simon’s ethereal, wordless vocals and guitar joined by subtle, baroque orchestration.
Alternate Tunings isn’t the only project on the way from Rhymin’ Simon, however. The folio promises that In the Blue Light will arrive this September from Legacy Recordings. Though no further information about the album is printed in the folio or otherwise available, we do know that the album title derives from a lyric in “How the Heart Approaches What It Yearns” from 1980’s One Trick Pony. Additionally, Simon mentioned from the stage of Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo Center on Saturday night that his longtime guitarist Vincent N’guini (who died last December at the age of 65) played on In the Blue Light – his final collaboration with the artist. N’guini was first heard on a Simon album in 1990 The Rhythm of the Saints and has been featured on each of Simon’s LPs since. With Alternate Tunings also on the way and the farewell tour occurring now, it’s evident that Simon has been in a reflective mood. Perhaps In the Blue Light will find him looking back to the milieu or style of the past as well? In a 2016 interview with American Songwriter, Simon divulged that he and veteran producer-engineer Roy Halee had been re-recording new versions of old songs. The fruits of those sessions, including the possibility of a reworked “How the Heart…,” could finally see the Light of day this September. Whatever the case, Simon assured the enthusiastic Philly crowd that he wouldn’t be turning away from music despite his onstage retirement.
Legacy has now confirmed that In the Blue Light is, indeed, an album of reimagined music from the Simon songbook. Co-produced by Simon and Halee, the album features ten lesser-known selections drawn from There Goes Rhymin’ Simon (1973), Still Crazy After All These Years (1975), One-Trick Pony (1980), Hearts and Bones (1983), The Rhythm of The Saints (1990), You’re The One (2000) and So Beautiful Or So What (2011). Jazz luminaries such as Wynton Marsalis, Bill Frisell, Jack DeJohnette, and Steve Gadd join Simon on these new recordings as does yMusic, the chamber music sextet currently appearing with him on tour. You’ll find the complete 10-song track listing (with personnel) below!
Watch this space for more news on Alternate Tunings as it becomes available. Paul Simon’s Homeward Bound – The Farewell Tour continues through September 22, when it will wrap up at Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Queens!
Paul Simon, In the Blue Light (Legacy Recordings, 2018) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada TBD)
01 One Man’s Ceiling Is Another Man’s Floor
Paul Simon: Vocal, Percussion
Joel Wenhardt: Piano
Nate Smith: Drums
Jim Oblon: Guitar
John Patitucci: Bass
Edie Brickell: Finger Snaps
CJ Camerieri: Trumpet
Andy Snitzer: Saxophone
02 Love
Paul Simon: Vocal, Acoustic Guitar, Percussion, Harmonium
Bill Frisell: Electric Guitar
Steve Gadd: Drums
Renaud Garcia-Fons: Bass
03 Can’t Run But
Paul Simon: Vocal
With yMusic
Arrangement by Bryce Dessner based on the original arrangement from Rhythm of the Saints by Marco Antônio Guimarães
04 How The Heart Approaches What It Yearns
Paul Simon: Vocal
Sullivan Fortner: Piano
Nate Smith: Drums
John Patitucci: Bass
Wynton Marsalis: Trumpet
05 Pigs, Sheep and Wolves
Paul Simon: Vocal, Percussion
Wynton Marsalis: Trumpet
Marcus Printup: Trumpet
Dan Block: Clarinet
Walter Blanding: Saxophone
Wycliffe Gordon: Tuba
Chris Crenshaw: Trombone
Marion Felder: Drums
Herlin Riley: Tambourine
Arrangement by Wynton Marsalis
06 René and Georgette Magritte With Their Dog After the War
Paul Simon: Vocal, Electric Guitar
With yMusic
Arrangement by Robert Sirota
07 The Teacher
Paul Simon: Vocal, Percussion
Odair Assad: Guitar
Sérgio Assad: Guitar
Renaud Garcia-Fons: Bass, Percussion
Walter Blanding: Saxophone
Jamey Haddad: Percussion
08 Darling Lorraine
Paul Simon: Vocal, Percussion
Bill Frisell: Electric Guitar
Vincent Nguini: Electric Guitar
Mark Stewart: Acoustic Guitar
Steve Gadd: Drums
John Patitucci: Bass
With yMusic
Arrangement by Rob Moose
09 Some Folks’ Lives Roll Easy
Paul Simon: Vocal
Sullivan Fortner: Piano, Celeste
Jack DeJohnette: Drums
John Patitucci: Bass
Joe Lovano: Saxophone
10 Questions For The Angels
Paul Simon: Vocal, Acoustic Guitar, Bass Harmonica, Percussion
Bill Frisell: Electric Guitar
Sullivan Fortner: Harmonium, Chromelodeon
John Patitucci: Bass
Skip LaPlante: Percussion
yMusic:
CJ Camerieri: trumpet, piccolo trumpet
Alex Sopp: flute, alto flute
Hideaki Aomori: clarinet, bass clarinet
Rob Moose: violin
Nadia Sirota: viola
Gabriel Cabezas: cello
You Might Also Like
2 thoughts on “Songs for the Asking: Paul Simon Announces “In The Blue Light,” Previews Rarities Collection “Alternate Tunings” (UPDATED 7/12)”
Leave a Comment
I just don’t understand why the last tour was not a Simon & Garfunkel tour.
Because they don’t speak to each other anymore?
OK, that hasn’t stopped them before. But I think their falling out has gotten too deep for them to ever play together again. Regardless, Simon’s still a great artist. How nice a guy he is, however, is a matter of debate.