Paul Simon – Stranger To Stranger

A very good album, and a very good pressing. Most of the songs are very rhythmic and percussion-driven. Standout tracks include "Wristband", "Cool Papa Bell" and "In A Parade". The vinyl sounds excellent, with rich and pure low end, crisp, clear percussion, and very detailed instrumentation. My copy was purchased new on clearance and plays nice and clean, dead silent, with zero surface noise.

Very nice pressing. Flat, centered as well as being ultra quiet. Highly dynamic with a wide soundstage.

I’ve had a couple copies of this from Amazon and have to disagree that it’s a quiet pressing. The music is well mastered and sounds great but the quality control is poor with small scratches causing repetitive clicks on several tracks on both copies.

The vinyl sounds fantastic, one of the best sounding records in my collection.

Great pressing, dead quiet (no clicks, distortion, etc.), super dynamic, highly recommended.

I was so excited about this disc, put it in the changer, and was disappointed. Each time I put it in the changer, I liked more things about it. Until the 4th spin, wow! I connected. Blast off with me and "Stranger to Stranger." I went through a period in my life when I was upsetting people because they didn't get my sense of humor. Paul Simon's humor is like mine, very dry. His lyrics abound in ironic twists like the opening of "The Werewolf," "Milwaukee man led a fairly decent life, made a fairly decent living, had a fairly decent wife; She killed him -- sushi knife; Now they're shopping for a fairly decent afterlife." Great irony there with a wry comment about the commercialization of religion. The first single "Wristband" seems to parallel a scene from Michael Keaton's film "Birdland" where the star gets hassled about getting into his own event, remarkable for its throbbing rhythmic track, much like the "Birdland" soundtrack. "Proof of Love" appeals to me with its melodic dirge and great acoustic guitar, "The road is steep; The air is thin; I hear a voice inside my skin, "Don't be afraid; Your days won't end with night; Feel the sun, drink the rain, let your body heal its pain, bathe beneath a waterfall of light." Lovely poetic images. "The Riverbank" is the track that's been in my personal top ten this summer, entrancing me with its marriage of melody and lyric, "Army dude, only son, nowhere to run, no one to turn to, he turns to the gun; It's a cross, it's a stone, It's a fragment of bone; It's a long walk home." "Cool Papa Bell" is a song about a Negro League baseball player which Simon laces with well-placed profanity. On the deluxe edition, Simon closes the set with a duet with classic rock singer Dion on "New York Is My Home." Gorgeous! Paul Simon's "Stranger to Stranger" sits well within his body of work, fresh, laced with wry wit and inventive arrangements. Enjoy!