The Studio Recordings 1972-2000 [Box] (CD - 2004)

Personnel: Paul Simon (vocals, guitar, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, nylon-string guitar, sitar, Synclavier, 6-string bass, percussion, drum programming, background vocals); Paul Simon; David Hidalgo (vocals, guitar, accordion); Cesar Rosas (vocals, guitar); Naná Vasconcelos (vocals, berimbau, congas, triangle, percussion); Sivuca (vocals, accordion); Richard Tee (vocals, piano, Fender Rhodes piano, keyboards, synthesizer, tambourine, background vocals); Teana Rodriguez, Myrna Lynn Gomila, Ladysmith Black Mambazo (vocals, background vocals); Cissy Houston, Deidre Tuck, Ednita Nazario, Gasa Sisters, Frankie Negron, Joseph Shabalala, Maggie Roche, Marc Anthony, Milton Nascimento, Rubén Blades, Sara Ramirez, Simon & Garfunkel, The Everly Brothers, Terre Roche, Linda Ronstadt, Renelie Stafford, Von Eva Sims (vocals); Mitch Frohman (tenor); Arlen Roth (guitar, acoustic guitar); Harper Simon (guitar, harmonica); Adrian Belew (guitar, guitar synthesizer); J.J. Cale (guitar, percussion); Paul Livant, Daniel Xilakazi, Chikapa "Ray" Phiri, Wallace Richardson, Cornell Dupree, David Spinozza, Armandinho Macedo, Tommy Bilson Ogoe, Kofi Electrik, Jerry Puckett, Al di Meola, Ray Phiri, Ringo Starr, Sherman Robertson, Steve Cropper, Hux Brown, Alexander Gafa (guitar); Hugh McCracken (acoustic guitar, electric guitar, slide guitar); Saturnino Laboy, Diomedes Matos (acoustic guitar); Eric Gale (electric guitar, nylon-string guitar); Mark Stewart (electric guitar, dobro, cello); Nile Rodgers (electric guitar, drum programming); Dean Parks, George Seba, Hiram Bullock, Sid McGinnis, Martin Atangana, Jeff Mironov, Jerry Hahn, Jimmy Johnson, Joe Beck , John Tropea, Jerry Friedman (electric guitar); Raphael Rabello (classical guitar); Jerry Douglas (dobro); Anthony Jackson (contra guitar); Edgardo Miranda (cuatro); Nelson Gonzalez (tres); Los Incas (charango, flute, percussion); Dan Duggan (hammer dulcimer); Skip La Plante (harp, bowls); Jay Elfenbein (vielle, vihuela); Stéphane Grappelli, Marin Alsop, Krista Bennion Feeney, Paul Peabody (violin); Janet Hafner, Juliet Haffner, Jill Jaffe (viola); Laura Bontrager, Jesse Levy, Frederick Zlotkin (cello); Oriente Lopez (flute, Fender Rhodes piano, organ); Carol Wincenc (flute); Morris Goldberg (pennywhistle, soprano saxophone); Howard Levy, Kim Wilson, Toots Thielemans (harmonica); Alton Rubin (accordion, drums); Jimmy McDonald, Forere Motloheloa, Joao Soares DaSilva, Jonhjon Mkhalali, Michael Ramos, C.J. Chenier (accordion); Evan Ziporyn (bass clarinet, soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone); Pablo Calogero (bass clarinet, baritone saxophone); George Marge (bass clarinet); Marcia Butler (oboe); Michael Brecker (saxophone, synthesizer, percussion); Teaspoon Ndlela, Johnny Hoyt, David Sanborn, Eddie Daniels, Lourdes Delgado, Phil Woods, Ratau Mike Makhalemele, Steve Berlin, Barney Rachabane, Alain Hatot (saxophone); Andy Snitzer (soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone); Bob Franceschini (soprano saxophone); Charles Doherty, Alex Foster, Mark Rivera (alto saxophone); David Mann (tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone); Bill Holloman (tenor saxophone, trumpet); Leonard Pickett, Jude Bethel, Chris Eminizer (tenor saxophone); Ronnie Cuber (baritone saxophone, bass saxophone); Randy Brecker (trumpet, piccolo trumpet); Jon Faddis (trumpet, flugelhorn); Ronald E. Brecker, David Rodriguez Jr., Irwin "Marky" Markowitz, Phillipe Slominski, Clyde Mitchell, Errol Ince, John Walsh, Alan Rubin, Lew Soloff, Marvin Stamm, Ray Vega , Earl Gardner (trumpet); Hugh Masekela (flugelhorn); Peter Gordon , Stewart Rose (French horn); Clifton Anderson, David W. Bargeron, Jacques Bolognesi, Kim Cissel, Luis Lopez (trombone); Dave Bargeron (euphonium); Fred Lipsius, Onward Brass Band, Steve Turre, John Schroer (horns); Oscar Hernandez (piano, celesta, synthesizer, vibraphone, glockenspiel); Larry Knechtel (piano, electric piano, harmonium, organ); Barry Beckett (piano, electric piano, keyboards, vibraphone); Alain Mallet (piano, reed organ, Wurlitzer organ); Robert Sabino (piano, synthesizer); Horace Ott, John Beal, Leon Pendarvis, Paul Griffin (piano); Clifford Carter (celesta); Ken Asher (electric piano); Greg Phillinganes (Fender Rhodes piano, synthesizer); Carson Witsett, Neville Hinds (organ); Bob James (keyboards); Rob Mounsey (synthesizer, vocoder); Don Grolnick, Justin Tchounou, Michael Boddicker, Michael Riesman (synthesizer); David Nichtem, Tom Coppola, Wells Christy (Synclavier); Mike Mainieri (vibraphone, marimba); Michael Manieri (vibraphone); Richard Davis (acoustic bass, acoustic bass guitar); Peter Herbert (upright bass); Bob Cranshaw (electric bass, bass guitar); David Hood, Bernie Minoso (bass guitar); Steve Gadd (drums, percussion); Vusi Khumalo, Isaac Mtshali, Petrus Manile, Groupo Cultural OLODUM, Grady Tate, Hal Blaine, Isaac Assante, Felix Sabal-Lecco, Jeff Porcaro, Louie Pérez, Rick Marotta, Robert Ameen, Victor Montanez, Winston Grennan, Richard Crooks, Shannon Ford, Steve Ferrone (drums); Sidinho Moreira (bass drum, congas, bongos, tambourine); Mingo Araujo (bass drum, talking drum, cymbals, shaker, triangle, percussion); Don Chacal (congas, bongos, bata); Jimmy Sabater (congas, cowbells); Marc Quinines (congas, timbales); Johnny Montalvo, Francisco Aguabella, Giovanni Hidalgo (congas); Milton Cardona (bongos, claves, maracas, background vocals); Pablo Nunez (bongos, cowbells); Bobby Allende (bongos, cymbals); Anthony Carrillo (bongos); Remy Kabocka (talking drum); Wilson DasNeves (cowbells, percussion); Dave Rubin (washboard); Crusher Bennett (shaker); Lulu Masilela (tambourine); Johnny Andrews (timbales); Babacar Faye, Assane Thaim, Makhaya Mahlangu, Steve Sheham, Canegal, Marçalzinho, Beloba, Luna, Pedro Sorongo, Airto Moreira, Ralph MacDonald, Uakti, Youssou N'Dour, Denzel Laing (percussion); Diane Garisto, Angelo Aponte, Elolongue Mbango Catherine, David Davila, Renee Connell-Adams, Ed Vasquez, Hechter Ubarry, Sean Pulley, Derrick James, Briz, Charlotte M'bango, DeWayne Snype, Bobby Bright, Dionte Sutton, Hans Giraldo, Trent Sutton, Luis Marrero, Robert Vargas, Djana'd, Florence Gnimagnon, Edgar Stewart, Kevin Harrison, Karen Bernod, Kia Jeffries, Lani Groves, Nestor Sanchez, Patti Austin, Angel Ramirez, Jr., Ray de la Paz, The Harptones, Jessy Dixon Singers, Valerie Simpson, Phoebe Snow, Michelle Cobbs (background vocals); Vincent Nguini (guitar, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, claves); Pete Carr (guitar, electric guitar); Stefan Grossman (bottleneck guitar); Steve Gorn (bamboo flute); Bobby Scott (piano); Don Elliott (vibraphone); Roger Hawkins, James Straud (drums); Jamey Haddad, Steve Shehan (percussion); José Feliciano.

Audio Mixers: Roy Halee; Andy Smith.

Audio Remasterers: Dan Hersch; Bill Inglot.

Audio Remixer: Roy Halee.

Recording information: A&R Studios, New York, NY; Amigo Studios, Los Angeles, CA; Atlantic Recording Studios, New York, NY; C.B.E. Studios Paris, France; columbia Studios, NY; Dynamic SOunds Studio, Kingston, Jamaica; Malaco Recording Studios, Jackson, MS; Master-Trak Enterprises, Crowley, LA; Mediasound, Inc., NY; Morgan Studios, North London, England; Muscle Shoals Sound Studios, Muscle Shoals, AL; Ovation Studios, Johannesberg, R.S.A; Power Station, Inc., NY; Regent Sound Studio, NY; Sigma Sound Studios, NY; The Agora Club, Cleveland, OH; The Hit Factory, New York, NY, Unites States; Warner Bros. Recording Studio, North Hollywood, CA; Western Studios, Los Angeles, CA.

Photographers: Lynn Goldsmith; Louis Goldman; P.A. Harper; Arthur Elgort; Sigrid Nama; Nitin Vadukul; Bruno Barbey.

Translator: Lizzie Bravo.

Unknown Contributor Role: Marc Quinines.

Arrangers: Paul Simon; Chikapa "Ray" Phiri; Stanley Silverman; Marco Antônio Guimaraes.

Look closely at the title to this nine-disc box set -- it's Studio Recordings, not the complete studio recordings, which means there are things missing, and they will be things that you will miss. Naturally, the emphasis on studio recordings means that neither of Paul Simon's two live albums -- 1974's Live Rhymin' or 1991's Concert in the Park -- are here, but this also doesn't contain all of Simon's released studio recordings, somehow bypassing "Slip Slidin' Away," the Top Five single originally released as one of two new songs on his 1977 compilation, Greatest Hits, Etc. Since that single was not on a proper album, it has been overlooked on this box, which serves up remastered and expanded digipack reissues of Simon's nine solo albums from 1972's Paul Simon to 2000's You're the One. Since these reissues not only sound terrific -- the clarity, particularly on the first two albums, is startling -- but are graced with genuinely interesting bonus tracks, the omission of the original version of "Slip Slidin' Away" is a little easier to forgive, particularly since an excellent, loose-limbed alternate version is added to Still Crazy After All These Years and "Stranded in a Limousine," the other new song on Greatest Hits, Etc., finally reappears on CD as a bonus track on One Trick Pony. These are only two bonus tracks of 30 that are spread over these nine albums. With the exception of "Stranded in a Limousine," "Thelma" on Rhythm of the Saints (an outtake originally released as part of 1993 box set 1964-1993), and three live tracks on You're the One, all of these bonus tracks are previously unreleased. While there is a handful of rare songs, the majority of these are either demos or works in progress, and they're fascinating, such as a radically different version of "Duncan" with an entirely different narrative, different final verses on "Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard" and "Loves Me Like a Rock," and a skeletal working version of "Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes" containing little more than Simon's vocal and a fretless bass. By and large, these are significant additions to Simon's catalog, and combined with the terrific remastering, they make this essential for any serious Simon fan (although it would have been nice if either the individual albums or the overall box were given new liner notes, particularly since Rhino's similar Jerry Garcia box set, All Good Things, had such a stellar booklet). For the less dedicated, a better bet will be cherry-picking from reissues of the individual albums, which are scheduled to go on sale in the month after the release of this box set. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Paul Simon's nine studio albums are herein offered in expanded form, appended with previously unreleased demos and live tracks. From his emergence in the mid-1960s as the songwriting half of Simon & Garfunkel, Simon has created songs imbued with a craftsman's sense of thoughtful articulation, coupled with a vibrant curiosity for the breadth of musical possibilities to be found in non-pop genres.

This beautifully remastered set features Simon in top form--the quiet portrait "Armistice Day" positively sparkles, while the pop-smart "Kodachrome" and subsequent hits possess a true sonic wallop. Listening to Simon's output chronologically makes clear both his changing musical inclinations, as well as the core constants. The African and South American forays (as heard on GRACELAND and THE RHYTHM OF THE SAINTS, respectively) are the logical conclusions to songs that appeared over a decade prior. In addition, albums that were originally met with some bewilderment (ONE TRICK PONY, SONGS FROM THE CAPEMAN) can now be heard for their strengths, separated from the commercial expectations of their initial releases. minimize