Random BOOMER Journalist Says WHAT About Paul Simon???
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- Опубліковано 4 кві 2021
- In this episode I discuss an NBC News Think article that attempts to predict the historical importance of Paul Simon, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Bob Dylan and The Beatles 200 years from now. And Fails!
The article:
www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion...
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“Most rock journalism is people who can't write interviewing people who can't talk for people who can't read.”
Frank Zappa
Yup.
Yeah, but that is also true of the good things said about a lot of artists. Look around on You-Tube at how many songs that are posted from artists where people in the comment section are always ... musical genius, best musician that ever lived, etc. True or not?? ;-)
@@justgivemethetruth exactly, and even among the same artist/band catalog of music will be a comment like "most underated song" in almost every song, even the ones who clearly arent "underated" per se
And only Frank Zappa has near 100 albums and more in the vault.
Only Frank Zappa won awards in three distinct genres...rock, jazz and classical.
Only Frank Zappa was asked to be "Minister of Culture" for a nation.
Only Frank Zappa has statues all over Eastern Europe.
@@jimgriff5540
> Only Frank Zappa has statues all over Eastern Europe.
That's Karl Marx Jim! ;-)
Zappa was a good musician, no doubt, but he could not ever write a song that was not dripping with sarcasm or creepiness. Much as I like some of his instrumentals I just cannot take the sour attitude.
Rick not only paid tribute to Paul Simon, Joni Mitchell, and JS Bach but he also honored Prince by his face turning purple in exasperation.
That made me LOL.
Funny as...
Aren't Prince's cheek exposing pants already in the Smithsonian?
@@TheEleatic They were until Jeff Slate stole them so he could wear them on his head,..
😂😂😂🙏
Paul Simon is one of the best songwriters that have ever walked this planet.
Has been and will be forever.
I am a great Beatles fan and I praise John Lennon. Paul Simon blew them out of the water. A friend played Simon and Garfunkel for me and I could not believe how great they were right at that moment.
Amen brother
Michael Jackson worked with him. That's enough proof for me. (And Elvis sang his work also)
AMEN
Paul Simon’s opening line, “The Mississippi Delta shining like a National Guitar”, may be one of the most evocative first lines ever written. He is a genius in my book.
I just don't understand why people think Dylan is more of a poet than either Simon or Mitchell. I suspect these are people who have not actually read poetry. Simon and Mitchell have much more in common with the great poets than Dylan does.
My traveling companion is nine years old, he's a writer for NBC.
It’s a still life water colour of a now late afternoon, as the sun shines through the curtain lace and the shadows wash the room…..’The Dangling Conversation’ the guy is a poet…
I like his music solo and with Garfunkel !
@@Supashoppa69 and as he said in the video, great lyricist just not on the samelevel vocally
“Maybe the best day of his life was his wedding day!” Love the humanity Rick. Artists have lives outside of the public careers.
Absolutely agree
not the wedding with Carrie Fisher 😁
Such a brilliant line. How would a snotty wannabe reviewer know what's the best day of ones life?
Paul Simon is married to Edie Brickell for almost 40 years now and have 3 kids together.
Maybe Mick and Keith would sneak in there as well?
Theatre historian here... In the early 1800s, August von Kotzebue was the most popular playwright in all of Europe. His plays were EVERYWHERE. Now he's almost totally forgotten. There is no predicting what future history is going to look like.
Thanks Kevin!
It is interesting how one composer that was a bit of an outsider in his day became the "symbol" for the music of that period. I mean, there are a lot of great baroque composers, but they all sound more or less the same, and any of those could very well represent what the "typical" baroque is. On the other hand, you can recognize Bach with just a few bars.
I agree there is no predicting, and I am certain PS will never be forgotten. But to be fair, your point here does support the possibility PS COuLD be forgotten and that Slate COULD be right. .
@@edd2771 That's true, but this guy speaks as though it's a certainty. Honestly, I'm not as offended by what he says as Rick is, but the guy's tone in this piece is just way off. It seems like Paul Simon killed his dog or something.
@@kevingates3494 Not to mention how many folks who watched this video were even aware of this article? On one hand, props for Rick for calling this guy out, but at the same time I'm sure he's getting more attention than he ever would have dreamed of. It's all a clickbait writer could ever hope for.
The line “Hello, Darkness, my old friend” is going to outlast all music.
Its how I begin certain magickal rituals
Simon has a knack for incredible opening lines for his poems. Like: "One and one-half wandering Jews/free to wander wherever they choose..." or my personal favourite: "The Mississippi Delta was shining like a National guitar.."
"The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls"
@@rewscott I'm just another scribble on the sub stream walls.
And the sign flashed out its WAR ning
With the words that it was FOR ME ng
WAR FOR ME (flash) More For Me (flash) WAR FOR ME (flash)
Absolutely brilliant
At sixteen, after buying several Frank Zappa albums, I wasn't sure it was possible, that a human could play an instrument with such amazing technique. Was it all engineered in production? Then, Zappa came to Philly.
Most major bands would have people camping out in front of the ticket office to get the best tickets, so I went early.
When I got to the Ticket Master office at 9am, I was utterly disappointed that there wasn't one person in line and all the tickets were probably sold out. But I went in anyway.
I said, "Is there at least one ticket left". The woman behind the glass said, "You're the first person here...I have front row, center stage".
Then it got BETTER.
That night, Zappa came out on stage, stood about 17 or 18 feet in front of me and said, "I'm recording this show for my next live album". Then he played his guitar in front of my face for two hours.
Great story!!!
Did he do "Help! I'm a Rock?" - his send-up of S&G? Zappa would be on my short list of the greatest 1960s rock artists, along with Dylan, the Beatles, and a couple others; Simon would not.
If Rick ever decides to do a series called RANT I would gladly watch it and probably bring popcorn
I love a good Beato rant! 😂
I love his rant on Apple products
I'll third this!
A rickrant
@@logankeilty4529 Well-said, Logan; well-spoken!
When he called out Joni mitchell...thats when Rick pulled out the camera and pressed record lol
OK, I admit that’s true :)
My blood was boiling when I began to read that piece over the weekend. When he included Joni I had enough. The guy is a fool.
Too funny. That article showed up in my news feed this weekend - I thought the headline was just too stupid to investigate any further. Rick, thank you for reading it and responding appropriately.
I am not really much of a Joni Mitchell fan, but even I understand her value to the music community long term. Some of her live concerts with Pat & Jaco are the best performances you'll ever experience.
What a tool.
@@RickBeato *applauds*
Paul Simon and his music helped guide me in my teens (1960’s) to become a decent person. As great a poet and musician that he is, one of my favorite Paul Simon moments was when he won a Grammy award, and while accepting the award, he thanked Stevie Wonder for not making an album that year!! Some of the greatest people of all time know how to be humble! Great poet, musician, and amazing human.
Paul Simon’s poetry has always been a favorite of mine. His lyrics are impecable and his music is otherworldly…
“Pay no attention to what the critics say. A statue has never been erected in honor of a critic.” -Jean Sibelius
Genius comment!
Maybe he was born a little too late but in Germany we do have statues for journalists.
Belta.....nice one Jean.
I cited that quote to someone recently and they replied with a picture of a statue in honor of some literary critic. What is this world coming to! hahahaha
christgau
This video is the best day of Jeff Slate’s musical career.
Well said!!
Unfortunately it may bring him publicity without first being brought to account for his writing.
Already enough said...
Perhaps once this is out of Rick’s system, this video should just be purged from the internet.
100% sure last week there weren't 300k people who knew him!
That's gold Jerry! Gold I tell ya!
I saw Simon & Garfunkel @ the Hollywood Bowl in 1967. It was my first music show ever! Paul asked everyone to take out their cameras so the audience could flash a picture of them all at the same time as he counted us down. I was hooked on this music thing and became a life-long musician. I still have the photo. I was eleven years old. Great memories for a 66 year old music man.
Paul Simon's music still continues to amaze me. An underrated genius.
50 Ways to Leave Your Lover = 5 ways to play the Andalusian Cadence.
Me and Julio has to be one of the great pop songs ever written musically and lyrically. Not only is it true to its Latin rhythms the lyrics are a reflection of the times. How does it get any better than this? Right out of the pages of Newsweek at the time..
In a couple of days they come take me away
But the press let the story leak
When the radical priest come to get me released
We was all on the cover of Newsweek..
Refering to the "writer"
A wise man once said:
"You will never be criticized by someone doing more than you. You will be criticized by someone doing less."
So true!
Best comment.
Oh wow. That is deep.
If it's any consolation, most of us have probably watched more Rick beato in the last 5 years than NBC.
(raising hand, or hands)
Bravo!
I certanly have.
PG-Mtl Give yourself 100 points!
Amen, I definitely don't watches the "Nobody Cares" fake news network anymore, lol!!!
As good a songwriter as Dylan is, nothing he's written moves me half as much as The Boxer.
On Dylan's Self Portrait album, he covers The Boxer. (It's bad)
I think Graceland alone will be a historically noted album, and Rhythm of the Saints deserves to be. Sound of Silence is a song that could last forever.
Hear hear re ROTS. Reassuring to see I'm not the only one that thinks that!
@@johnpeace971 Perhaps you should stick with KISS. 😁
Even as a child, The Sound of Silence and I Am a Rock stopped me in my tracks. I was raised on this stuff.
No one can predict the future but I think I can safely say that the day Rick Beato bothered to respond to something Jeff Slate wrote will be the greatest day of Jeff Slate's life.
And that day was a.. Damnit I wish it was Tuesday
Hey don't mention that nobody's name!
Perfect!! 😁👌
Terrible reference to a terrible movie. Everyone will totally get it
@@puxtbuck6731 It is a Tuesday. 👍🏼
Every time I hear guys like this “journalist’ speak, I remember what my mom used to say, “it’s better to be thought a fool than speak and remove all doubt.”
Abraham Lincoln, said that! True as always!
@@TomBelknapRoc way to go Abe!
@@TomBelknapRoc Wasn't Abe, but it's not really certain who coined it
He’s not a journalist, he’s a musician and this article appears in the opinion section. It’s a really bad hot take, and it’s probably going to get roasted in next week’s opinion section.
@@enginerdy my bad
Paul Simon: one of the monster songwriters of the 20th Century. Such a stunning catalog of brilliant compositions, on every level. Great lyricist, melodist, harmonist, arranger, guitarist, singer. Paul, you have my unfailing devotion. Your music is a gift to the world, and especially the Boomer generation who got through high school listening to your albums. Thank you, Rick, for ranting the truth.
I've always thought that entertainment 'journalism ' is 90% socially accepted bullying
Paul Simon called Art Garfunkel one evening to tell him that he thought he just wrote the most important song I've ever written - Sound of Silence - and he had to come over and play it for Art. The message of that song is as applicable today as any other time in history.
more so, IMO...
Disturbed did a great job
Why do we have to compare artists to each other and debate who is better? Why can't we just enjoy their music for the beauty it really is?
A thousand times, this. Do people give "review scores" to Leonardo da Vinci and debate whether the _Mona Lisa_ is "better than" Michelangelo's _The Creation Of Adam_ ? Of course they don't, that would be silly. So why do people insist on doing that to current artists and newer art forms? Not everything in life has to be a contest, people.
Better question is, why does anyone care what a washed up nobody indie rocker from New York writing for spec has to say about anything?
Nicely said. Also, art is subjective. What is good or relevant depends on who you're talking to.
@@TheGreatAtario To be honest, the Mona Lisa is very over-rated while The Creation Of Adam is visually stunning IMHO.
Because people think music is a sport. everything to to them is a competition...they are victims of this USA profit/popularity contest culture brainwashing crap. Music is a contest, The Voice, America's Got Talent, etc. A culture where ignorance for profit is cultivated.
I don't know the future, either. But I can see "Bridge Over Troubled Waters" moving people emotionally for centuries.
I saw Simon only once on his “Graceland” tour. He worked with some wonderful South African musicians and singers on the record and tour. He showcased them before apartheid ended. He is a humble and supremely talented man!
Wouldn't it be funny if every gig he played at from now on, everyone shouted: 'give us some Paul Simon!'
Doubt it will happen. .but it would be just desserts for him.
Consider it done.
He probably can’t play it
I’ve heard that Jeff Slate smells like cat food.
Won't happen. No one knows where he's playin'.
Graceland album by Simon is taught in music conservatories, talking about music history and historians
Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes!
AND It's from the 80's. 2 decades after Paul Simon's supposed peak according to the author.
Really besides Sting one of the only mainstream 80s musicians delving into world beat, polyrhythms, and rediculous African drumming. It framed our childhood...
Bach is the reason I picked up a classical guitar 50 years ago. Paul Simon is the reason I picked up a steel strung guitar three years after that. And why I still play today.
I watched Paul Simon at the Glastonbury legend slot, he had thousands of us in the palm of his hand, a gig I’ll never forget!
This is one of Beato's best modes - he mixes his musical knowledge, professorial instruction, and knowledge of multiple periods of musical history to prove his point. Well done!
VEERY well done Rick!
To quote a great Master: “I've been all over the world and I've never seen a statue of a critic.” ― Leonard Bernstein.
what a fantastic quote!
Not music, but a critic nonetheless, Roger Ebert has a bronze statue in Chicago. Of course, he may well be just about the finest critic of anything ever. Never sought to puff himself up by denigrating the artists whose work he reviewed. He just loved movies and loved talking about them, and that enthusiasm was infectious. So, yes, it is possible to be a great critic - even statue-worthy - but most are failed artists themselves, lack any genuine gift for fair criticism, and so just come off as smarmy and pretentious. Ebert would be the exception that proves Bernstein's rule.
@@davidjorgensen877 That statue was built after Bernstein died.
@@Attmay Sure, but I'm saying either way Bernstein's quote is still valid, because Ebert didn't earn the statue for being a critic, he earned it by elevating movie reviews to an art form; in that sense, he had more in common with the artists he reviewed than with other critics.
@@davidjorgensen877 there is not such thing as the best critic, everyone has an opinion, this overestimation of critics amazes me.
Paul Simon is brilliant. The stuff he wrote for Simon and Garfunkel was amazing, and the stuff he wrote for his solo career was equally amazing! Songs from Graceland and Rhythm of the Saints are incredible, musically and lyrically. Frankly, his lyrics are just as relevant as Dylan's and more so IMO!
Meaning no disrespect to Bob, but can anyone imagine him putting something like Graceland together?
How right you are there. Intelligent comment.
Graceland..WAY overrated!
No disrespect to Paul who I love but can you imagine him putting out Blood on the tracks or Blonde on Blonde?
I'm 60, my record collection and CDs are slowly disappearing into my 16 year old son's room. Last night he asked me if I ever heard of a song called 'ventura highway' my America greatest hits album is now gone.the Doobie brothers, steely Dan, Neil young blaring from his room. I'm like my father telling him to turn the music down except this time it's my music collection.
Lucky you, you must be a proud father!
Ha Ha, great story. At least I'm sure you're not saying, what I'd reckon your father said to you. Something along the lines of, "turn that crap your listening too down, how can you even call that noise music?!!"
Yep, lucky you..
Good job being a Dad!
My son did the same thing, except I even had some original Elvis 45s and a British pressing of the Magical Mystery Tour set by the Beatles. I collected those back rather quickly and told him to listen on Spotify! ;)
This is the most attention that writer will ever get.
Or probably has ever got!
It's why he wrote it. What a dipstick
He even harms the reputation of the news channel because at least people with music interests will know about their editing qualities now.
In 1997/1998, when I was 48 years old, my wife and I drove from Southern Oregon, to Portland, Oregon with our 3 preteen daughters, where Dylan and Simon were performing. Dylan did the 1st half of the concert, and Paul Simon performed the 2nd half. I thought my three daughters would enjoy these artists, and two of them did (the third fell asleep during the Dylan segment) . At the end, the remaining four of us agreed that Simon's performance was the better of the two. I say this even though one of my favorite albums has been "Bob Dylan & The Band--Basement Tapes". One other thought: Simon's musical fecundity after the Simon/Garfunkel split was both surprising to me, and incredible to behold.
We saw that same tour at the Hollywood Bowl...I agree. Paul Simon had the better show.
Apparently Paul Simon said that it was pretty unusual and interesting to do concerts with Dylan because he's usually performing with singers who can hit their notes, haha.
I saw a 75 year old Simon play a few years ago and not only did he sound like he was 25, but he had the energy of a young man and his band could play with ANYONE. Art really does keep you young.
Lol, Don't say...Art!?! 😀
Eh.. I'm sure Art aged Paul a few years with all their fighting
I'm a singer, it's the one thing I can confidently say I do very well. But when the Boxer comes on I keep my mouth shut and just listen, take it all in.
beautiful comment
Yep, me too. I just listen.
Exactly.
This is not a rant. This is a well-articulated takedown of malinformed (if not ill-intentioned) clickbait **sigh** "news". Thanks Rick and keep being awesome.
I often wonder, “what happened to all the cool, insightful members of my generation? Why does no one challenge the growing spread of mediocrity? Where are the soulful artists calling out bullshit?” Here. Thank you so much Rick Beato!Keep doing it!
I'm 10 or 15 yrs older than Rick which means I got to experience and enjoy the 60s and he didn't. On the flip side he'll be around long after I'm gone. It all works out.. 🤠
The fact that Disturbed recently made a successful and excellent cover of The Sound Of Silence tells you how relevant Paul Simon is and will continue to be.
The Beato Rant, a genre which will without a doubt never lose its relevance.
Even 200 years from now...
Rick Rant
When I was about 23/24 in 2013 or 2014 Art Garfunkel had a small solo show in Savannah, GA where i was studying. It was probably 100 people max. His manager and friend came out and asked us to please put away our phones, and just enjoy the experience we were about to have. I was hugging my girlfriend at the time. Art started singing bridge over troubled water, and I just started bawling my eyes out. He looked at me and mouthed “love” in between lyrics. Born in 91, I barely got to grow up to Simon & Garfunkel.. and thats the effect they have on me: One of my most cherished memories.
Standing ovation for Rick!!!
Paul Simon is in the Olympus of songwriters and he'll always be
Lovely and justified rant. On a side note, it would be interesting to hear you talk about lesser known musicians, producers, or composers who you suspect may end up being admired in a distant future.
This Boomer musician saw Simon on his last tour and, honestly, thought I was watching Not only one of the best shows I’ve ever seen, but history before my eyes. The reverential appreciation of him by the audience that spanned people in their early 20s to folks older than me was truly something to behold
I got to see him on his Homeward Bound tour a few years ago. What a performer. Unfortunately, some drunken idiot about 20 feet from the sage kept whistling and cheering. I still enjoyed the concert, though.
Was that the tour with Chris Botti and Andy Snitzer?
Crushing band!
@@bobstark6190 I don't know. It was right after Hugh Masekela had to return to Africa to die.
To say that attending a Paul Simon concert is an event of singular revelation, is not an overstatement.
I got to see him with Garfunkel on their very last tour. The guest performers were the Everley Brothers...Simon and Garfunkel's sonic role models. Nothing short of miraculous. They played and sang together. If there's a recording...it will be played and worshiped 200 years from forever.
I’m a kid born in the inner city. I grew up on everything from Motown to P-Funk, we also grew up on Simon and Garfunkel. That’s how much of an indelible footprint Paul Simon had on our lives. This writer is nuts! Paul Simon has touched the entire world across all spectrums of humanity.
Thank you for being angry! My 16 year old daughter has Paul Simon in her Spotify top 10 next to Billie Eilish, Scruffpuppie, Lana Del Rey and Måneskin. Her grandma and I saw Paul Simon at his Homeward Bound The Farewell tour in Amsterdam in 2018, goosebumps... That's 3 generations in awe is this man's songs. Hoping for many more years of sharing our love and passion!
The analysis here is spot on, especially when you mention Bach. Music history is full of composers who weren’t known in their time.
You know the irony of all this is you talk about Simon's musical sophistication in terms of Harmony but he's probably one of the most cosmic poetic lyricists of the 20th century,... his lyrics are phenomenal.
They used to teach his lyrics in New England university English literature classes, perhaps still do. 'And we note our place with book-markers that measure what we've lost' or the fact that 'America' doesn't rhyme at all...
I agree. Insanely insightful lyrics
Agreed, and look at what some of the current covers are doing with some of it even now (recently), like the 'Disturbed' singers take, with a good percentage of a billion people tuning in on that. Talk about musical relevance decades later. That article writing dude is an idiot, and not relevant even now, except as an ankle biting troll. Some of it was humorous though, albeit likely unintended...that logic, Spock would cringe!
great point. The boy in the bubble still boggles my mind as does most of his stuff...." A turn-around jumpshot... " still give me goose bump, literally
Treu but I think the point Rick was making (if I understood his intention correctly) was that he is a musical genious on top of being Dylan's equal as a lyricist.
Standing ovation. Rick Beato is possibly the best voice for music and musicians today. His understanding of music from both the musician's and listener's point of view is incredibly rare in this day and age, and he crosses all styles, genres, and even subgenres. He is the hero music needs, and we are all better for it.
Yes Rick is a true musicologist, with a seemingly encyclopedic knowledge of music. I truly appreciate the fact that he referred to Joni Mitchell as a Jazz composer arranger, the same could be said of Ricky Lee Jones.
Hear hear!
This isn't simply a rant, this is a defence of meaning, throwing so much light onto what really constitutes merit, exploring the qualities/attributes of genuine relevance. Yes he justifiably humbled Jeff Slate in this piece, but he used this to do so much more that elevates the level of discourse about the musical arts.
Love you Rick! You're point about Joni Mitchell is so right on. Wayne Shorter, who passed yesterday RIP, performed on 10 of her songs. Her art was so pure all the best were lining up.
Paul Simon has two albums in the National Recording Registry, so as long as the Library of Congress exists, people will remember him.
I still think “Sound of Silence” is one of the finest songs ever written. Musically, lyrically, timely, with depth and importance. It has it all.
Agreed. That's a true masterpiece. An unbelievable perfect song.
His song "America" has always spoken to me at a very deep level.
I remember singing Sound of Silence at a HS talent show a capela in three part harmony with a three part harmony kazoo interlude. History will remember...
Amen, brother. Reminds me of the point of the Pixar movie Ratatouille - the critic concedes he does not have much to offer in reality. It's the chef or the artist or the songwriter who are the ones with talent. Really enjoy your channel, Rick.
Some people don't get Paul Simon. I wasn't a huge fan until I heard Graceland. Never heard an album like that before or since. Now I love his whole catalog. And by the way, Graceland is archived in the Library of Congress. Pretty sure that means it, and Paul Simon, won't be forgotten...
I'm here, in my house, giving Rick a solo standing ovation. Well done, Mr. Beato, well done.
I saw Paul Simon live in Manchester on his farewell tour aged 76 and he did almost 3 hours without a real break! Legend.
Paul Simon is on UA-cam singing Homeward Bound on a talk show with just an acoustic guitar. Very impressive. Amazing talent even in his old age. Bob Dylan has nothing that can match Homeward Bound in terms of melody, lyrics and harmonic structure. I'm judging it from a musicians perspective, so I ignore trendy image gimmicks.
Im Indonesian. Back in the 80's my dad bought me Simon n Garfunkel video of their full concert in Central Park. He sang me Mr. Robinson and The Boxer as my lullaby with his guitar. Thats in Jakarta 20 yrs before the age of UA-cam and internet, half-way across the world from US.
just recently discovered you and I learn so much about music, music business, from you. Much appreciated.
I'm so glad Rick specifically brings attention to Bridge Over Troubled Water. That is the best song written in my lifetime. Even Paul Simon knew it was brilliant when he wrote it. Art Garfunkel encouraged Paul to sing the song because Paul was so excited about having written it. Paul said no, I wrote it for you to sing. A true masterpiece.
That song can bring me to tears.
That song is better as a performance than any Dylan song by far, and I love Dylan too. But man, Bridge Over Troubled Water is it. Period.
Bridge Over Troubled Water is one of those songs that made me cry the first time I listen to it alongside Jeff Buckley's cover of Hallelujah, The Beach Boys' God Only Knows, and The Beatles' Yesterday & She's Leaving Home. The lyrics are timeless, the chord changes are sophisticated, and the melody is one of the most beautiful I have ever heard.
Paul Simon is an absolute songwriting genius, and even 200-300 years from now his music will not be forgotten. What this writer wrote about Paul Simon and Joni Mitchell is absolute travesty.
Totally agree. I just wrote a comment about it before the video was 2 minutes in. Didn't even know he was going to talk about it lol
I agree a hundred percent with all that you have said about this masterpiece. But I think the record producer would have to be given a lot of credit for this song. The drums and the gospel piano playing will always make me stop what I am doing just to hear them play.
“Guy without an editor”
That has to be the hardest put down of a writer ever. Ha ha ha.
My late brother, a huge Beatles fan, but also HUGE S & G fan;...thought of Paul Simon as the greatest songwriter EVER!!!
Was anybody here at Paul Simon’s 1987 Graceland concert at Jones Beach- I think it was July 5 or 6? Please indicate if you were! I was there, almost by accident, one of the ultimate perfect “serendipities” of my life. I made the fatal error of not learning the album ahead of time, to better appreciate the live performance. I’ve regretted this ever since and determined never to repeat the mistake. It was apparently the final performance of the tour, and to end such a tour through a sunset beach-front summer concert inherently made it an incredible event, and Mr. Simon seemed to perform it that way. A final concert of a tour is always special (think Elvis in Indianapolis, 1977…), but a sunset concert at Jones Beach to close out the tour, majestic moment. And the encores, “The Boxer” and “Sounds of Silence” to end not just the concert but the tour, Darkness having fully set in and Silence coming, an extraordinary moment. Confirming what that song says: music is but one phase in a cycle of sound and silence, and music’s job is not just about sound, but its role in this partnership with pure inner experience of the soul and imagination. The touchstone of the best music perhaps being what it does for silence.
1. Mr. Slate is harboring a terrible, poisonous thing : grievance. I wish him the courage to learn from his ghastly writing.
2. Great recap of Bach. Beato’s argument is overwhelming, and honors all the musicians’ strengths. Well done.
The Worst thing about your 1. Point is that he is somewhat famous/integrated in the industry according to his Bio on his Homepage.
He Probably had some kind of personal problem with Paul Simon, therefore wrote this biased and uninformed article.
An Article that is now being read by many many people. So much Negativity. :-(
I double the thanks for the Bach history briefing! Thanx
"Toss me a cigarette, I think there's one in my raincoat"
"We smoked the last one an hour ago"
So I looked at the scenery, she read her magazine
And the moon rose over an open field
"Kathy, I'm lost", I said, though I knew she was sleeping
I'm empty and aching and I don't know why
Counting the cars on the New Jersey Turnpike
They've all come to look for America
All come to look for America
All come to look for America
These lyrics make me weep. That line: Kathy, I'm lost", I said, though I knew she was sleeping. It describes that moment when you need to be strong for someone but inwardly want to confess your heart.
My second favourite after Kathy's Song🙂first aid kit did a wonderful performance of this for Paul Simon it's beuatiful .✌️
I prefer the YES version. Some dude named Anderson 😎
@@artkane6546 thanks bro there pretty good . Nice sound .👍
They were/are all fantastic lyricists really
I HAD to sing those words in my head as I read so it took a while longer
Hey, Rick - Ithaca 5-Year Non-Degree program here from 81-86 - I think you studied with Steve in the Jazz program perhaps?
Anyway, the best experience I had with Paul Simon was the Central Park Concert in 92, I believe -
1 Million People in Central Park and nary an incident - when peace was present in the City...
Thanx for your channel, man!
There’s something very satisfying about righteous anger when it’s unleashed by someone who really knows what they’re talking about. I’m sure in 200 years they’ll still be watching RB vids for the privilege of sitting at the feet of the prophet. As an aside, if anyone used the words ‘Joni’, ‘Mitchell’ and ‘irrelevance’ in my company I’d come out swinging too. Very enjoyable - thank you. 👍
Another classic "rediscovered" artist is Antonio Vivaldi, who was modestly popular in his own time, then completely forgotten for 150 years, and now, is so synonymous with his era that every movie you ever see set in the early 1700s has Vivaldi in it. The Red Priest was a true genius, and we still learn from him today.
The 'La Stravaganza' two-disc set is one of my favorite handful of classical works of all time. (I maybe only own a dozen or so such albums so am just a dabbler. But it really strikes a nerve)
Ditto Shakespeare. The bad, derisive reviews of his day are all on record at your local library. We all need to be careful whose work we crap on thinking we have a handle on what the remote future will regard as genius. It's totally up to artists of the future, not critics -- thank God.
"basically he's an unknown singer-songwriter" - right in the liver.
In other words, a no talent hack! 😉
@@TrashWerewolf Yup.
@@TrashWerewolf ironically, even if this guy was talented (it’s possible) it’s people like himself that are to blame for why songwriters like him are unknown. People unwilling to give other singer songwriters a listen because “everything is just a footnote to Dylan and the Beatles.”
I too, was thinking liver shot before I got to your comment. Did you think the guy will get off the canvas?
Again, bringing the status of the writers profession is irrelevant. That's just as much as a cheap shot as the writer was taking w paul.
Not just a rant, but a well-reasoned argument based on evidence. Well done, Rick.
Thank you for putting “random boomer” in his place! I’m still dancing from the last concert of his that I went to. The man is a brilliant musical artist!
“Respected” L.A. Times music critic, Robert Hilburn once described Dark Side of the Moon as a “formula album” and Robert Plant as a “shrill falsetto” in the same article. He was passing himself off as a rock authority at the time. I don’t know what he’s doing today since I haven’t read anything he has written since. It’s fun to hear the stupid things journalists say.
Exactly! And Christgau of the Village Voice wrote that TDSOTM was "cliched lyrically" and "musically pretentious" however a "kitsch masterpiece". Rolling Stone said the "The Great Gig In the Sky" should have been "shortened or dispensed with". I can't exactly cite the source but I remember one review I read at the time calling TDSOTM "quaalude rock". What credentials did these guys have? I'm sure they are not musicians but made their living trashing other people's work.
I have many disagreements with Christgau but he was spot on about TDSODM... It has nothing of the Syd era brilliance 🤷🏻♂️
Rick, I just buried my dear mother- her dying wish was to play Bridge Over Troubled Water at her funeral. I smiled all the way through it thinking "good choice mum".
My condolences Eli, your mum had great taste.
My father-in-law made the same song request when we buried his beloved wife after 63 years of marriage. Every time I hear BOTW, it tears me up.
When I think about songs I would like to have on my resume as having written, I always think about Bridge Over Troubled Water. Just to be able to say, yeah I'm the guy who wrote BOTW, that would be so amazing.
condolences friend. thats a beautiful farewell
My dad brought me up on Paul Simon, he is still my favourite musical artist to this day and imo the greatest song writer ever. We played St judy’s comet at my dads funeral..Trust me people will still be listen to Paul Simon in 200 years time and one thing I can guarantee is no one will have a clue who Jeff “massive loser” Slate is.
Bob Dylan was a great folk poet. Paul Simon was great musical poet. Dylan was thought provoking. Simon was mesmerizing. ... I'm still playing Simon and Garfunkel 55 years later on the original vinyl. I'm pretty sure there's a Dylan album around here somewhere.
Paul Simon's genius is indisputable.....One example of Simon's brilliance is that his lyric to his song ''America'' contains not a single rhyme! and is basically a conversation set to music yet it sounds completely natural...Extraordinary.
"I'm empty, I'm aching, and I don't know why..."
In the clearing stands a boxer
And a fighter by his trade
And he carries the reminders
Of ev'ry glove that laid him down
Or cut him till he cried out
In his anger and his shame
"I am leaving, I am leaving"
But the fighter still remains
“The Boxer”, Simon and Garfunkel
Written by Paul Simon during a time when he felt unfairly criticized
This lyric has been stuck in my head for 40+ years and has inspired me
I thought The Boxer was about Dylan.
Our English teacher played us this song in gr 11 in 2014. I already knew who Paul Simon was but most kids didn’t. Amazing song. Paul Simons albums are simply amazing.
I’m 25 years old, and I was literally talking about how much of an idol Neil young is to me TODAY. I love Neil young, bob dylan, and Paul Simon.
You're not the only. I'm 18 years old and I hava a freaking tattoo in honor of Bob Dylan. I'm teaching guitar for 11 years old niece and one of the first songs she ask me to teach her was Sound of Silence. No one can say that this artist are irrelevant to me, they made me love music!
Edit: Sorry if I have some english mistakes, I'm brazilian 😅
@@elmv1987 your English is great, and you type better than a lot of native English speakers online lol. Tudo bem!
I don't a single person i have ever met who likes Dylan. And I am 50. I know 100s of people who know Paul Simons work. And 1 of the biggest bands in all of Rock just did a remake of Simon's The Sound of Silence. A song that still make people tear up.
Paul Simon has not simply written music, he's painted landscapes and stories about life, its moments of love and loss, as people experienced the 20th Century. Who else gathered all of us Poor boys and pilgrims with families, and drove us up to Graceland? Tie a chain around the pen that wrote such words, and sink it in the Mississippi.
“Definition of rock journalism: People who can't write, doing interviews with people who can't think, in order to prepare articles for people who can't read.” Frank Zappa.
Frank knew it, called it exactly how it is.
Spot on!
Good quote. Doesn't stop them having influence, and some of them are pretty great frankly, even if this guy Rick's talking isn't good. Anthony De Curtis, Lester Bangs, I mean there are tons of good ones. This comment of Zappa's reminds me of Lou Reed's antagonism towards journalists. A bit too defensive to seem like they can move past it.
I would add 'about people who can't play...'
@@sleepyfinger It makes more sense to say they can't play han they can't think. But what, if any of the variations, is a real FZ quote I won't research for a YT comment.
The author of this article: "I've made a terrible mistake..."
::Hello darkness my old friend::
Don't hold back Rick, tell us how you really feel! Great piece, great examples. Keep it coming.
i am 20 not from his period i cried listening to bridge over troubled waters , i had lost that friend for whom i wanted to be there all the time and thats when i first listen to that song
The journalist sounds like one of those people that you accidentally sit down next to and then immediately try to escape from as they tell you their expert opinion on everything
I have an acronym to describe the people you talk about in your comment. I term them, “WOFA,” which means, “World’s Foremost Authority.” They know everything and nothing at the same time.
Unbridled self-importance with no research.
ahaha sounds like 99% of modern journalists to me. Bunch of clowns
@@douglasskaalrud6865 Yessss :-D
You know (KNOW) where I’m going right now-
"It's hard to write a song with bitter fingers..." - Elton John
What an album that is. Tell Me When the Whistle Blows, We All Fall in Love Sometimes. None were hits, all incredible IMO.
Ah, but who wrote those lyrics?
Roger Waters would probably disagree.
I do believe those were Bernie Taupin’s words - for what it’s worth!
Elton would know.
Rick, THANK YOU for ripping just one of the way too many "music journalists" who spout garbage for the sake trying to sound knowledgeable or insightful and to provoke a reaction. You said it so well!
Amazing poetry: "For Emily, Whenever I May Find Her"
What I dream I had
Pressed in organdy
Clothed in crinoline of smoky Burgundy
Softer than the rain
I wandered empty streets
past the shop displays down
I heard cathedral bells
Tripping down the alley ways
As I walked on
And when you ran to me
Your cheeks flushed with the night
We walked on frosted fields
of juniper and lamplight
I held your hand
And when I awoke and felt you warm and near
I kissed your honey hair with my grateful tears
Oh I love you girl
Oh I love you
Thank you for the comments about Joni Mitchell. She humbles us all.
She is a genius.
I don't think I'll ever come across any music that will impress me more than hers.
One of the amazing things about Scorse's documentary on Dylan's Rolling Thunder Review was Joni Mitchell playing "Coyote" solo at a party at Gordon Lightfoot's house.
You go Rick!
Smartest thing anyone said today on UA-cam.
Fabulous and absolutely spot on rant Rick. Where have you been all my life!
Being born in 1965 and listening to my mom's record collection plus growing up listening to radio in the 70's Simon and Simon and Garfunkel left much more a mark in my life and memory than Dylan or the Beatles. It came later listening to both the Beatles and Dylan in the 80's and beyond. I have a huge appreciation for their talent. Still, they don't sway me like Paul Simon. The Beatles next and Dylan 3rd.
The writer has some serious bias issues for whatever reason. This seems to be a really big issue with many musicians. Maybe it was outside their environment? More than likely someone passed it on to him. I've seen many times guitar players putting down other extremely talented guitarist because of a genre or style they don't play. I don't always like all music but I do love and appreciate talent no matter what.
The sheer amount of lyrical metaphor that Paul Simon can weave in 8 bars is staggering.
He has, and has had, a way overly exaggerated opinion of himself.
- So, what have you done that I may have heard of?
- Well, I don't wanna gloat, but I once pissed off Rick Beato. So there.
- Umm... Sure.
😂😂😂😂. Hang on I'll have to piss off Rick so I can be famous for 15 seconds too LOL 🤣
Rick who? ;-)
@@KenSpassione not 15 seconds.
It is 11:20.
The fact that we're all referring to the reporter as "this guy" and Paul Simon as "Paul Simon" says a lot. Hes just another frustrated musician
Brother, I'm right there with you a hundred percent. I wouldn't worry too much, though. I doubt there's a single person on the planet that thinks this guy Slate can predict what's going to happen 200 seconds from now, let alone 200 years. Like you said, "No editor." So, this dude's just bloviating.
Just wanna say, I'm really loving this channel. It's great that you communicate in a way that's both insightful and engaging, about something that pretty much everybody loves, music. Please, keep it up.
Rick, I'm 42 and Sound Of Silence and Mrs. Robinson alone are enough to prove this guy is full of it. Especially us musicians who love to backtrack. Great music doesn't have an expiration date that I'm aware of.
"The 59th Street Bridge Song" passed it's expiration date.