TEAM SIMON a Hit

have with the James Taylor /Carole King album won the 1970 album of the year Grammy Award, say, 'Hey, that's as good as Graceland. "' Live at the Troubadour, which sold 557,000 copies it was the B -side to "Cecilia." Simon has spent the last 10 years picking up in 2010 and 58,000 units so far this year. " Thatsong ,atthetimeofthealbum,was almost awards -among them Rock and Roll Hall of A tour of venues in the 4,000- to 7,000- capac- TEAM SIMON a hit. If they would have released it, it would have Fame induction as a solo artist (2001), a Lifetime ity range should also bump up sales. On Oct. 17, been a hit," Simon says. "At the time, before Mi- Achievement Grammy Award and Kennedy four days after Simon turned 70, he began a 31- chael Jackson, the record company would say after Center Honors (2002) and joining the American MANAGEMENT: date tour that wraps Dec. 6. It's his second since Jeff Kramer at three or four singles, 'That's all we can put out. We Academy of Arts and Sciences in October. All of the release of So Beautiful or So What: The first OK Management don't want to look like we're greedy.' So they didn't which suggest he knows a good song when he roundofl3 shows- bookedintheaters and clubs BOOKING: Brian Greenbaum at put out a fifth single. Time goes by and then comes hears one. Despite his roots in the Brill Building in April and May-grossed $2.6 million with a Creative Artists Agency 'Garden State.' It's the first time fora [new] genera- style ofwriting potential hits, Simon says he no dozen sellouts, according to Billboard Boxscore. tion [to hear it], so I put it back in the show." longer feels connected to the current pop world, PUBLISHING: Paul Simon Music, England's Glastonbury Festival, Israel, Italy and Another song restored to the set list is "The Ob- sharingmoreofaconnectionwith indie rock acts. Ireland were among his 21 international stops BMI (U.S), Universal Music vious Child," the lone single from The Rhythm of "It's very hard for one generation to under- during the summer. Publishing Group (rest of the world) the Saints, an album Simon says "was most un- stand another generation, so take whatever I say Simon's show includes a half-dozen songs PUBLICITY: Joel Amsterdam at derestimated at the time it was released. Now it's with a grain of salt," he says. "I find pop music from his new album, a few Graceland classics and Concord Music Group almost at the level of Graceland. At the time people doesn't come from the heart. There's sparser in- the gospel -influenced "Gone at Last," plus other were a little disappointedbecause itwasn't as acces- strumentation, not a lot of top end and the drum ATTORNEY: Don Passman at Gang hits and covers. "My favorite part of the show," he sible. I understand that. Graceland feltvery aldnto sound is different because it's mostly a machine says, referring to Junior Parker's "Mystery Train," Tyre Ramer & Brown '50s rock'n'roll -three chords, major chords, 4/4 sound. Same with the bass. It's compressed to which he uses as a coda on "Hearts and Bones" TOURING: Oct. I7-Dec. 6 (U.S.) time -but the guitar parts were different and they jump out on the radio. and the Beatles' "Here Comes the Sun," which a SITES: PaulSimon.com, divided the symmetry of the patterns. Rhythm of "Records have short life span and people are he performed with George Harrison on a 1976 the Saints was all percussion polyrhythms expected to have short careers, so they hit and Facebook.com /paulsimon -the episode of "Saturday Night Live." were much more different and I started to write then move on and do whatever it is they do," he Two of the oldest songs in the show are in- that hasbeencoveredby Spoon and Elvis Costello. changes that were much more adventurous than adds. "That makes record companies shape their cluded because of new life breathed into them: "The Only Living Boy in New York" was part the three -chord South African stuff. business to do those kinds of records.' "The Only Living Boy in New York" (the only of the successful "Garden State" soundtrack and "It took a while [to appreciate] and it came out of Simon & Garfunkel song in the set) and "Peace appeared in Honda's most recent TV campaign. the musicians' community, drummers first and Los Angeles -based Phil Gallo is senior correspondent Like a River," a ballad from his self -titled debut Released on Bridge Over Troubled Water, which then guitarists and then songwriters who would at Billboard, covering film and TV. NOVEMBER 5, 2011 I www.billboard.biz I 17 .

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