Paul Simon

Missed opportunity

Overall, I enjoyed learning more about Paul. I am a big fan of his. And, the narrator did a good job reading the material. Where the big fail is here, is the lost opportunity to embrace audio as a story-telling platform. Every time I heard the narrator read lyrics referred to in the story, I felt a snippet of the actual song, (with Paul, or in some cases, Art or another vocalist) should have been played instead. This is especially frustrating when the narrator talks about the music, and the music isn't presented. Fortunately I know all the references and could sing them in my head. But audiobooks shouldn't be just a person reading a story, especially a story about about music, since music is also a widely recorded medium.

15 sur 16 personne(s) ont trouvé cet avis utile.

Paul Simon the music

This book is mistitled. It is not about Paul Simon's life (including friendships and other personal relationships) in any but a superficial fashion. If what you're looking for is a well-researched, detailed chronology of the evolution of Simon's music, this is the book for you.

18 sur 20 personne(s) ont trouvé cet avis utile.

A must for fans of Paul Simon

I've had a subscription to the LA Times most of my adult life. Robert Hilburn was the rock music critic for the Times for 35 of those years. His biography, Paul Simon: The Life, is a loving and unblinking portrait of one of the greatest songwriters of my generation. In his book about Simon's life devoted to writing songs and making music, Hilburn describes Paul Simon's struggles to balance professional life with a stable and happy personal one. He details Simon's close but antagonistic relationship with Art Garfunkel, finally ending in an irreparable split. But the best parts of the book are about Simon's creative process in songwriting. These passages are deeply personal and wonderfully insightful. Simon's struggle to always improve through learning from and collaborating with other musicians sets an example for any striving novice. As a 50-plus year fan of Simon's music, Paul Simon: The Life was a sublime read (or listen) and deeply affecting. Kudos to the narrator, Dennis Boutsikaris.

5 sur 6 personne(s) ont trouvé cet avis utile.

Enjoyable Listen

I am sure that you aren't looking at this book unless you are a S&G fan, and I bought it for the same reason. I enjoyed it most in unexpected ways, however, as Simon's description of the work that went into writing some of his songs had me going back to listen to them again with a new perspective. Much of his newer stuff has had little interest for me, as it lacks the hooks found in his earlier stuff. After hearing about his thought process, I found the songs much more interesting. Highly recommended biography.

3 sur 4 personne(s) ont trouvé cet avis utile.

Great story of Paul Simon's journey through life.

I really loved it.
It was a great story of Paul Simon's journey through life.
This minimum number of words for my review is dumb.

3 sur 4 personne(s) ont trouvé cet avis utile.

Great!

Bob Hilburn brings insights into Pail Simon like nobody else can. His access and long history covering music is invaluable.

5 sur 7 personne(s) ont trouvé cet avis utile.

What an incredibly talented man

This is my second time through the book and enjoyed it just as much as the first time. I disagree with the reviewer who mentioned they didn't like lyrics being read. I thought it added an interesting view of the lyrics. As he read them I remembered the song but enjoyed them on a different level, being read instead of sang. I have been a lifelong fan of Paul and this book has helped me enjoy his lifes work even more.
The narrator was great for the story, he was engaging with the writing. I highly recommend this for any Simon fan. Thanks.

a must-read for any Paul Simon fan

the oceans of information in this book never ceased to be fascinating. the storytelling felt a little choppy, especially the way each chapter ended but the wealth of information made up for what was lacking on the literary front. The reading was easy to follow but somewhat flat in intonation.

Not so good

Actually I was dissapointed with the story and the narrator troubled me to spesally when reading Simons lyricsb

1 sur 2 personne(s) ont trouvé cet avis utile.

All about the music and more.

Very interesting bio of a favorite artist. Great discussions about his music and his love/hate relationship with Art Garfunkel. Complex person. Fine reader!

1 sur 2 personne(s) ont trouvé cet avis utile.