Paul Simon – The Rhythm Of The Saints

This exceptional album is that rare record that combines brilliant music performed by musicians of the highest caliber with performance that is sonically spectacular, thanks to the legendary Roy Halee and a mastering job for the ages at Sterling courtesy of Greg Calbi. It should be ed that this is the album that followed Graceland and therefore featured some of the same musicians. I have difficulty imagining that there is any Discogs customer with fairly expensive kit who doesn't own this album already because it certainly checks all of the audiophile boxes. But 1990 is a long time ago now. Anyone who wonders should rest assured that this is an exceptional product, highly highly recommended.

My favourite record. Some music charms you to move, not just physically but spiritually too.

Supposedly Paul Simon had a preferred running order for this album, as follows: "The Coast”; “She Moves On””; Proof”; "Born at the Right Time”; "The Cool, Cool River”; ”The Obvious Child”; "Can't Run But”; "Spirit Voices”; "Further to Fly”; "The Rhythm of the Saints".

Out of tens of thousands of music albums I have listened to and owned over the last 33 years, spanning over an infinite field of genres and subgenres, epochs and trends etc. this specific album is probably my most important album and the one album that would describe ME best. I'm not comparing myself with Paul Simon, just trying to express that what this piece of art represents comes very close to what is me by nature and nurture. I'll try to describe how and why.

First of all - I was introduced to TROTS at a very crucial period in life. 21 years old and at the very "peak" of my revolt against my upbringing and background. Paul Simon's gentle yet deep voice, and this warm and colorful sonic canvas, comforted me in my daily grief and anger. I've read that people find Simon's lyrics too vague or too "collage-like" - but at least for my case I took fragments of his poetry and made it meaningful for me.

The only song that I was thoroughly listening to the lyrics in was "Spirit Voices", where Simon sings about his own experiences in the Brazilian Amazon drinking Ayahuasca. Fast forward a four years, and I myself arrived in the Amazon to become initiated into the mysteries of this divine brew, something that became deeply ingrained into my spiritual practice for a few years, living and traveling Peru/Ecuador/Colombia every winter. In short, this album was always on repeat during those years. and I was able to introduce this music to a lot of people. Strangely enough, I found a 12" copy of this album in my father's record collection, that I obviously will keep always, and is on a constant rotation.

Anyways - the music and it's magic...
1 - It's a full album experience, an epic ride through a majestic, almost angelic, landscape. No matter how catchy and "poppy" some of the songs are, in the album context they still "only" become a part of the whole. Compare it to the rainbow - no matter how bright Yellow is shining, it's not until it's part of the whole color spectrum it reveals it's true depth. Geez, there's New Age metaphors for you...
2 - It's more Ambient than Pop. Perhaps that Ayahuasca experience opened up Simon to the world of Spirit. Although he was always a "be-spirited" artist and singer, something deeply profound must've happened to him prior to these recordings. Because there's something deep, ancient and eerie moving under the surface over the whole album. In that sense, it's also a technical masterpiece, as the engineer truly captured something extraordinary here.
3 - The amount of sensational moments in this album are countless. I'm certain that if Paul Simon had chosen a more traditional drum-guitar-bass-piano route this album could've become even more commercially successful than Graceland. This truly was the peak of Simon's creativity - every single song are simply pop masterpieces. But probably due to the "exotic" nature of the songs, and the Ambient-like subtleness, the common man wouldn't notice it's genius.

And that's I guess why I connect so deeply to this music. The combination of first hand experienced wisdom, indigenous influences, intellect, spirit, playfulness, subtleness, melancholy, warmth - all aspects of what is my nature and nurture - filtered through one of the most talented songwriters in recorded history. There you have it - my desert island record.