How's the new live S & G CD?

How's the new Simon and Garfunkel CD? I just saw it at Costco. An article in Ice said it was the most likely S & G CD to be released on SACD first. Is the CD worth getting?

 

It's a great peformance. I'd tend to say the sound is good too. However, I do have one quibble with it - they left off Red Rubber Ball, despite the fact that the CD only runs about 58 minutes or so. No word yet on why that was left off, or if anything else was left off.

 

Red Rubber Ball

>>>Did they really?? Hell, that would have ben the coolest part!! They never recorded that in the studio, to my knowledge.


Mikey

 

This is the one on Old Friends, right Luke?

Oh, and Mikey5987, my avatar says hello to (and extorts $5,000,000 out of) yours.

-D

 

Yes, Red Rubber Ball is on Old Friends.

Great song...

 

That is kind of strange. Why not release the whole concert? Why excise Red Rubber Ball?

I wonder if anything else was deleted....

 

There seems to be an unwritten record-industry rule that you should always leave something off as bait for completists to purchase another title. In this case, Old Friends.

 

yes, that makes sense.

it's more about revenue than providing an accurate, historical account of the live performance.

surely, simon and garfunkel were involved in this release, and authorized the deletion of the track. shame on them.

 

I recall seeing an interview back in the 80's, where Paul Simon said that if he were given the opportunity to strike one song from his catalogue, it would be "Red Rubber Ball". Perhaps this was partly behind the logic of omitting it from the new CD.

Does anyone know at what point in the show RRB would have appeared?

I noticed as well that some stores are carrying the CD in a jewel case (Best Buy), and others in a digi-pack package (Border's), with the only difference seeming to be the metal flake ink used to print the picture and text on the cover of the digi-pack. I went with the jewel case, Best Buy had it for $13.99, and I don't care for digi-packs, funky ink or not.

 

Where was "Red Rubber Ball" in the set list ?

 

Went with the jewel case too over the digi-pack. No-brainer there when given a choice - always afraid of ruining the digi-pack.
The CD sounds exactly the same as the live stuff in the Old Friends Box - which was very very good.
This is a great CD to listen to.

 

I had the new S&G live CD in my hand at Costco today, but put it back when I noticed it was the digipak. Costco uses those generic long boxes, so it almost faked me out. I'll get it somewhere else.

Where does Red Rubber Ball fit in the track list? I hear everyone warming up their CDR burners waitng to slip it into the correct spot.

 

This is a great CD, wonderful sound considering nearly 35 years old. You really do feel a part of the audience, and if issued on SACD, you WILL feel a part of the audience. Liner notes are correct in saying that "nights like this-nights that brimmed with the promise that so much was possible, that seemed as if they could last forever, and that survive in this music and all it continues to mean".