I’m afraid I was a bit harsh in my description of Paul Simon’s Songs From The Capeman yesterday. While it was certainly a letdown following a seven year wait after his two best albums, and it’s something of a half-baked affair, it isn’t without special moments.
If I hadn’t already posted the wonderfully profane centerpiece track, ‘The Vampires,’ I wouldn’t be able to resist highlighting it on Christmas morning. That song alone is worth the price of the Capeman album.
Other highlights include the glorious doo-wop romanticism of ‘Satin Summer Nights’ and the hopeful closing track, ‘Trailways Bus,’ which contains echoes of ‘America,’ the greatest Paul Simon traveling song.
And you’d be hard-pressed to find a lovelier piece of writing than today’s SOTD, ‘Bernadette,’ with its shifting time signatures and elegant horn section. Even at his “worst,” Paul Simon is pretty fabulous.
Merry Christmas!
Whoa – I got time on my hands tonight
You’re the girl of my dreams
When I’m near you, my future seems bright
I want you to be my girl
I want you to be my movie
I am Sal Mineo, and I need you so
Sweet Bernadette
Whoa – you got style from your hair to your heels
Though my words may be jumbled
Still I’m telling you how it feels
I love you
SAL AND BERNADETTE
I love you
And the breeze that wraps around you
SAL
Satin summer nights
BERNADETTE
A night I can’t forget
SAL
Whoa – you’re the smile of the moon, Bernadette
DOO-WOP
Dom dom dom zoom
Well-a well, I’m home
Dom dom dom zoom
Well-a well, I’m home
Wop, wop, wop, wop, wop
SAL AND DOO-WOP
Come with me
There’s a place I want you to see
When the leaves are dark
I’ve got a hiding place in Central Park
SAL
And the sky is a coat of diamonds
There’s a wooden cross over my bed
The city is lit with candles
They’re shining for you, Bernadette
Whoa – you’re the smile of the moon
SAL AND DOO WOP
Dom dom dom zoom
Well-a well, I’m home
Dom dom dom zoom
Well-a well, I’m home
DOO –WOP
Wop, wop, wop, wop, wop
Meet Me In Montauk 
Well, as I indicated on yesterday’s post, I wholly concur that “The Vampires” is worth the price of this record alone.:) I went and looked back on your post of that song, and my comments that day. At that time, I mentioned today’s SOTD as one of the highlights, and I stand by that.
On the other hand, I went on to suggest that Simon had done nothing of great interest or value since Saints, and I feel I need to retract that statement. You’re The One had some decent stuff on it and I really need to explore Smile further, but, beyond those albums, there is his latest effort, So Beautiful or So What. I wasn’t immediately blown away when I first heard the album, but I recently played it a few more times through and I now am ready to go on record as saying that Simon very much still has got “it” and he is still making compelling music at the tender age of 70.
As you were kind enough to give your parents the new record for Christmas, I hope to persuade them to play it at some point today so we can all enjoy it together.
Please change the last paragraph for historical accuracy to say as follows:
As you were kind enough to give your parents the new record as a gift, and we were then kind enough to give them a second copy for Christmas, I hope to persuade them to play at least one of the CDs at some point today so we can all enjoy it together.