Paul Simon - Hearts and Bones [Bonus Tracks]

Hearts and Bones was a commercial disaster, the lowest-charting new studio album of Paul Simon's career. It is also his most personal collection of songs, one of his most ambitious, and one of his best. It retains a personal vision, one largely devoted to the challenges of middle-aged life, among them a renewed commitment to love; the title song was a notable testament to new romance, while "Train in the Distance" reflected on romantic discord. Elsewhere, "The Late Great Johnny Ace" was his meditation on John Lennon's murder and how it related to the mythology of pop music. Musically, Simon moved forward and backward simultaneously, taking off from the jazz fusion style of his last two albums into his old loves of doo wop and rock & roll while also incorporating current sounds with such new collaborators as dance music producer Nile Rodgers and minimalist composer Philip Glass. The result was Simon's most impressive collection in a decade and the most underrated album in his catalog. [In 2004, Warner Strategic Marketing reissued Simon's studio albums as remastered editions with bonus tracks, packaged in a cardboard digipack. Like the other entries in WSM's Paul Simon reissue series, the remastering on this is excellent, giving it a warmth that this introspective album needs. The album is graced with four previously unreleased bonus tracks: the work-in-progress "Shelter of Your Arms" and solo acoustic demos of "Train in the Distance," "Rene and Georgette Magritte With Their Dog After the War," and "The Late Great Johnny Ace."] ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide

Name Credits Airto Moreira Percussion Al di Meola Soloist, Guitar Andy Hoffman Engineer Anthony Jackson Contrabass Guitar April Milek Project Assistant Arthur Elgort Photography Bernard Edwards Guitar (Bass), Bass Bill Inglot Reissue Supervisor, Remastering Brian Kehew Project Assistant Carol Wincenc Flute Cory Frye Project Assistant Dan Hersch Remastering Dan Nash Engineer Dave Matthews Horn Arrangements David Greenberg Engineer David McLees Reissue Supervisor David Nichtem Synclavier David Nichtern Synclavier, Programming Dean Parks Guitar (Electric), Guitar, Hi String Guitar Eric Gale Guitar Eric Korte Engineer Frederick Zlotkin Cello Gene Paul Engineer George Marge Clarinet (Bass) Georges Delerue Orchestration Ginger Dettman Project Assistant Greg Allen Reissue Art Director, Design Greg Calbi Mastering Greg Phillinganes Fender Rhodes, Synthesizer Hugh Brown Project Assistant James Dougherty Engineer Jason Corsaro Engineer Jeff Porcaro Drums Jeffrey Kent Ayeroff Art Direction Jeri McManus Design Jesse Levy Cello Jill Jaffe Viola Jim Santa Engineer Jimmy Santis Engineer Joey Helguera Project Assistant John Strother Project Assistant Julie Hooker Production Assistant Karen LeBlanc Project Assistant Kendrick Dean Engineer Kim Deane Engineer Kimberly Boyle Production Assistant Lee Herschberg Engineer Lenny Waronker Producer Marc Salata Project Assistant Marcus Miller Bass, Guitar (Bass) Marin Alsop Violin Mark Linett Engineer Mark McKenna Project Assistant Mark Rivera Sax (Alto) Michael Boddicker Synthesizer Michael Riesman Synthesizer, Conductor Mike Engstrom Project Assistant Mike Mainieri Vibraphone, Marimba Nile Rodgers Guitar (Electric), Guitar, Drum Programming Paul Simon Vocals (Background), Drum Programming, Guitar, Vocals, Producer, Guitar (Acoustic), Audio Production, Guitar (Electric) Paula Greif Art Direction Peter Gordon French Horn Philip Glass Orchestration Randy Perry Project Assistant Richard Tee Keyboards, Piano, Fender Rhodes, Synthesizer Rob Mounsey Vocoder, Synthesizer Robert Sabino Piano, Synthesizer, Keyboards Robin Hurley Reissue Supervisor Roy Halee Engineer, Audio Production, Producer, Mixing Russ Titelman Producer, Audio Production Sid McGinnis Guitar (Electric) Sid McGuiness Guitar Steve Ferrone Drums Steve Gadd Drums Steve Woolard Project Assistant Steven Chean Project Assistant Stuart Gitlin Engineer Terry Rosiello Engineer The Harptones Vocals (Background), Vocals, Vocal Arrangement Tim Scanlin Project Assistant Tom Bates Digital Engineer Tom Coppola Synclavier Vanessa Atkins Project Assistant Wells Christy Synclavier