ALBUM REVIEW: Paul Simon - One-Trick Pony

    Paul Simon took a prolonged break after Still Crazy After All These Years - no new studio album would come out for half a decade. Even with such a long gap between albums, Simon's legacy was secured - he left off with a chart-topping album complete with hits and all the critical acclaim in the world that he could ask for, built up from not just Still Crazy, but two preceding solo albums. When he finally came back, it was with his most ambitious project yet - a semi-autobiographic film that offered a satirical look into the music industry. The resulting project that was One-Trick Pony, however, was a flop for Paul Simon; the movie made less than a million dollars on an $8 million budget, and the coinciding album was met with the most mixed reception of any of his works yet. While I do find One-Trick Pony to be probably his weakest since the Simon & Garfunkel days, that isn't to say that what is here is a bad album - how could it be? It's Paul Simon. The music on One-Trick Pony does largely play like a continuation of ideas on Still Crazy, though, without a whole lot of musical distinction the album - perhaps a large reason for its critical indifference. Even still, Paul Simon still has the magic at his fingertips, and some moments on One-Trick Pony showcase a real energy from Simon that hasn't been present since his '72 album, even if it isn't his strongest solo endeavor.

    I don't think there is necessarily any "failing" of Paul Simon on this, but rather I believe that the lack of any major change from the style of Still Crazy led to the lukewarm reception of this album initially. While one could argue that there is no instrumental growth from the material on One-Trick Pony, it's still largely an effective continuation of the softer rock sound from his previous records, even if the stylistic bouncing around that occurred on Rhymin' Simon or his '72 self-titled album isn't nearly as present. The most we really get is a taste of salsa on the top-10 hit "Late in the Evening," an undeniably catchy and smooth song that serves as a great album opener. The rest of the album largely follows in the aforementioned footsteps of his previous solo record, albeit with some particularly energetic live cuts - see the title track and the galvanizing "Ace in the Hole" for some of the album's strongest cuts.

    Even with this spiritual succession to his previous work, Simon does create many a great song to be heard on One-Trick Pony. Now, despite the film being autobiographical in nature, One-Trick Pony isn't necessarily a conceptual album; just a collection of songs with an undeniable moodiness to the production and the usual rich lyricism and smooth production that was present from his last albums. From the mysterious nature of "That's Why God Made the Movies" to the bonafide Still Crazy leftover of "How the Heart Approaches What It Yearns," Simon shows that he clearly hasn't fizzled out or weakened in his time - in fact, I'd argue that his lyricism has only sharpened more since Rhymin' Simon back up to the great poetic brilliance of his '72 album, filled with insightful lines and quotes to live by - "The only time that love is an easy game is when two other people are playing it" is an impactful Simon line, found on Side A closer "Oh, Marion." The album shows that you can always count on Simon for some rich lyricism, and typically for a great hook along the way, too.

    I feel that if you take the best of Still Crazy and One-Trick Pony and distilled them into one album, you'd be looking at a 10/10 record that captures a more personal and reflective Paul Simon - many parts of this album still play off themes of loss of love from Still Crazy. Ultimately, what we have is a spiritual successor to the former whose heights don't quite live up to what came before it. This album also unfortunately began a commercial downturn for Paul Simon that lasted until a certain album in '86 that left Paul depressed - again, a review for another time. For being ranked as one of Simon's weaker albums, though, I found this to be a pleasing effort. It's smooth, lively, and contains the seemingly omnipresent brilliance of Paul Simon's writing. Far, far worse albums have come out of a turn of the decade than this.

RATING: ✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯

Listen to One-Trick Pony.