Paul Simon - Still Crazy After All These Years

The third new studio album of Paul Simon's post-Simon & Garfunkel career was a musical and lyrical change of pace from his first two, Paul Simon and There Goes Rhymin' Simon. Where Simon had taken an eclectic approach before, delving into a variety of musical styles and recording all over the world, Still Crazy found him working for the most part with a group of jazz-pop New York session players, though he did do a couple of tracks ("My Little Town" and "Still Crazy After All These Years") with the Muscle Shoals rhythm section that had appeared on Rhymin' Simon and another ("Gone at Last") returned to the gospel style of earlier songs like "Loves Me Like a Rock." Of course, "My Little Town" also marked a return to working with Art Garfunkel, and another Top Ten entry for S&G. But the overall feel of Still Crazy was of a jazzy style subtly augmented with strings and horns. Perhaps more striking, however, was Simon's lyrical approach. Where Rhymin' Simon was the work of a confident family man, Still Crazy came off as a post-divorce album, its songs reeking of smug self-satisfaction and romantic disillusionment. At their best, such sentiments were undercut by humor and made palatable by musical hooks, as on "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover," which became the biggest solo hit of Simon's career. But elsewhere, as on "Have a Good Time" (written for but not used in the film Shampoo and perhaps intended to express the shallow feelings of the main character), the singer's cynicism seemed unearned. Still, as out of sorts as Simon may have been, he was never more in tune with his audience: Still Crazy topped the charts, spawned four Top 40 hits, and won Grammys for Song of the Year and Best Vocal Performance. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide

Name Credits Art Garfunkel Producer, Vocals Barry Beckett Keyboards, Piano, Piano (Electric) Bob James Keyboards, Piano (Electric) Burt Szerlip Engineer Chicago Community Choir Vocals, Choir, Chorus, Vocals (Background) Dave Mattacks Drums David Hood Bass David Matthews Horn Arrangements David Sanborn Saxophone Eddie Daniels Saxophone Edie Baskin Photography Glenn Berger Engineer Gordon Edwards Bass Grady Tate Drums Hilary James Piano (Electric), Woodwind Arrangement, String Arrangements Hugh McCracken Guitar (Electric), Guitar, Guitar (Acoustic) Jerry Friedman Guitar, Guitar (Electric) Jerry Masters Engineer Jessy Dixon Singers Vocals (Background), Vocals Joe Beck Guitar (Electric), Guitar John Berg Design John Tropea Guitar, Guitar (Electric) Ken Asher Piano (Electric), Organ Kenny Ascher Piano (Electric), Keyboards Leon Pendarvis Keyboards, Piano Michael Brecker Saxophone, Horn Patti Austin Vocals, Vocals (Background) Paul Simon Guitar (Electric), Producer, Guitar (Acoustic), Horn Arrangements, Composer, Vocals, Main Performer, Guitar, String Arrangements Pete Carr Guitar (Electric), Guitar Phil Ramone Engineer, Producer Phil Woods Saxophone Phoebe Snow Vocals (Background), Vocals Ralph MacDonald Percussion Richard Tee Vocals, Keyboards, Piano Roger Hawkins Drums Simon & Garfunkel Vocals Sivuca Vocals, Accordion Steve Gadd Drums Ted Hughes Liner Notes Tony Levin Bass Toots Thielemans Harmonica Valerie Simpson Vocals, Vocals (Background)