America song written by Paul Simon
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Topic: America song written by Paul Simon
Posted By: Kati
Subject: America song written by Paul Simon
Date Posted: March 06 2014 at 22:22
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All are so different and I really like all three. My personal favourite without a doubt is Bowie's version (if you have not heard it before,please do listen to David Bowie - America - Concert for New York, find the link below) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggTjqja8bRQ&list=PLMyHPEAFkfwOUitOZjeDTu5msYbP3FsXK&index=27
Hugs to all 
P.S. This was for benefit the concert for New York after 9/11. xxxx |
Replies:
Posted By: Kati
Date Posted: March 06 2014 at 22:25
Nevermind my spelling mistakes at the end what I meant to say is that David Bowie sang his own version during and for Concert for New York. hugs again 
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Kati wrote:Posted By: Dean
Date Posted: March 07 2014 at 01:20
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OOOOooooo, you're going to get in trouble with the 1-2-3/Clouds webarmy for not putting their version in the poll. This version is remarkable because 1-2-3 played it live on stage months before Simon&Garfinkel released it...  Anyway, I voted Bowie ------------- What? |
Posted By: Chris S
Date Posted: March 07 2014 at 01:26
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Always preferred Bowie's ------------- ...As I venture through the slipstream, between the viaducts in your dreams...[/COLOR] |
Posted By: Atavachron
Date Posted: March 07 2014 at 01:38
| That 1-2-3 version is incredible, I didn't know they were that good (and thank god for quiet English audiences) |
Posted By: Moogtron III
Date Posted: March 07 2014 at 04:39
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I love Yes' version, it's fantastic, with all the heavy soloing. Bowie's quite funny and cool, sitting cross-legged and playing the little keyboard in a minimalistic way. 1-2-3: never heard of them, but they're good and I like the organ riffs especially. Still, the winners for me are Simon & Garfunkel. Their version is so dreamy. Pure ear candy. America is my favorite song by them.
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Posted By: Dean
Date Posted: March 07 2014 at 07:14
some might say too quiet, even for English audiences  ------------- What? |
Posted By: Kati
Date Posted: March 07 2014 at 23:21
Hoh crap!  I never heard of 1.2.3 band before Dean. I always thought that this song was written by Paul Simon. Thanks for letting me know, I would add them on the poll above for sure if I had known and could :) anyway all the above I mentioned, I love them all, each is different and it's hard to compare one to another really considering that their approach is so different yet brilliant. I love Bowie's most too, I cannot imagine anyone else singing as he did and being able to pull it of too.  hugs
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Posted By: Kati
Date Posted: March 07 2014 at 23:23
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Posted By: Kati
Date Posted: March 07 2014 at 23:26
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In this poll the song choice preference seem to be equally levelled.
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Posted By: Atavachron
Date Posted: March 07 2014 at 23:33
I'd say any BBC studio sesh qualifies there-- just added this to my wishlist :  it does have 'America', though not the live version presumably |
Posted By: smartpatrol
Date Posted: March 07 2014 at 23:49
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all are good versions, but Yes, single version > Paul Simon > David Bowie > Yes, full version
------------- http://bit.ly/1kqTR8y" rel="nofollow">  The greatest record label of all time! |
Posted By: Dean
Date Posted: March 08 2014 at 02:48
You may need to hear more of it before you buy, 1-2-3 never recorded anything, by the time they'd become Clouds the music had become a lot less "prog". The version of America is on that box-set is the same one, it is the only one. I have very strong suspicions that their version is neither a modern recording, nor is it live. ------------- What? |
Posted By: Atavachron
Date Posted: March 08 2014 at 03:01
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^ Noted-- it's always a risk with that much music that much of it will be sub par. No samples, but the reviews match your sentiments. Musically and historically it looks interesting, and it's only twelve bucks. BTW, the guy on the right of the Clouds cover may be Allan Holdsworth ;   
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Posted By: Kati
Date Posted: March 08 2014 at 03:07
The guy on the pic at the back in the middle looks a bit like Bill Bruford hihihi   Bruford is funny and hot too! 
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Posted By: Dean
Date Posted: March 08 2014 at 03:10
BBC studio sessions are so great. Due to a Musician's Union clause in the BBC's corporation charter a certain percentage of the music played on the radio had to be live. The BBC live sessions were a means of getting around that clause - they are recorded live in a BBC recording studio without an audience, which is why there is no audience noise. ------------- What? |
Posted By: Atavachron
Date Posted: March 08 2014 at 03:13
| I seem to recall a Zep studio show or two that had an audience but I may be imagining that |
Posted By: Dean
Date Posted: March 08 2014 at 03:16
No, Paul Simon definitely wrote it. This 1-2-3 version is claimed by some to have been played in the Marquee in London in 1967 several months before S&G released Bookends and several years before Yes recorded their not dissimilar version. The claim is they had heard a pre-release copy of S&Gs Bookends and liked that track so much they included it in their live set. Miraculously this "tape" of 1-2-3 playing America suddenly appeared about 5 years ago. On hearing it I remarked that there was no way on this green earth that it was recorded in the Marquee in 1967. The sound quality and balance is far too perfect for the kind of "bootleg" equipment that was available at the time, there is no audience noise during the song (this is impossible in a small venue like the Marquee) and the teenage screams at the beginning and end were obviously from another recording, probably of a different band and certainly of a far larger audience than the 150-250 people that the Marquee could hold. I also find it remarkable that this is the only song that has surfaced from that recording - surely whoever tape it would have taped the entire performance. Having cast doubt upon the provenance of this recording I am now accused of focussing too much on the recording itself - which is in itself, rather odd. The official 1-2-3 website is now claiming that their version not only influenced Yes, it also influenced David Bowie's 2001 version. ------------- What? |
Posted By: Dean
Date Posted: March 08 2014 at 03:20
Some did, but not all. ------------- What? |
Posted By: BarryGlibb
Date Posted: March 08 2014 at 03:22
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C'mon you guys...get off your Prog/Prog-related high horses.....the Simon and Garfunkel version is the original and the best. The others are just adding twiddly bits to a song that was already perfection. Jon Anderson's voice always irritated me and Bowie has never really done it for me either. The 1968 Simon and Garfunkel's America is in the top 5 songs of all time.
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Posted By: Atavachron
Date Posted: March 08 2014 at 03:23
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Ah I love the shadowy recesses of rock history, I can smell the cardboard and vinyl now |
Posted By: Kati
Date Posted: March 08 2014 at 03:52
Cooee!! BarryGlibbb ermmm... C'mon guys and "girl" actually  Hey this is not a sexist topic however I must add that girls are hot too Back to topic, I have to disagree with you because your description of just adding twiddle bits (I am speechless really because I cannot even use exaggerated in this sentence lol) makes no sense especially considering that we are discussing YES and David Bowie here and what they contributed to the song. 
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Posted By: dr wu23
Date Posted: March 08 2014 at 10:33
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Yes does a nice version , but the original by Simon is still the best imo.
Didn't care for the Bowie version at all and the '123' version was just ok.
Didn't even know 123 became Clouds.  ------------- One does nothing yet nothing is left undone. Haquin |
Posted By: proggman
Date Posted: March 08 2014 at 18:24
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The original version.
------------- When he rides, my fears subside. For darkness turns once more to light. Through the skies, his white horse flies. To find a land beyond the night. |
Posted By: Polymorphia
Date Posted: March 08 2014 at 22:36
Original, not a hard vote either. Yes version is kind of nice, but overwrought. Don't really like the Bowie version. Too British ( ). In context, I can imagine it was a nice gesture, but, out of context, it doesn't really do anything for me.
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Posted By: BarryGlibb
Date Posted: March 09 2014 at 06:03
Sorry Kati...in the twenty tens "guys" includes females as well....I didn't mean to seem sexist. No hard feelings I hope. |
Posted By: Michael678
Date Posted: May 10 2014 at 14:35
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its YES for me, this should've been in one of the the prog polls or something but oh well, i did hear the original version of the song by Simon & Garfunkel once while listening to the Almost Famous soundtrack one day (didn't the movie though), so maybe i need to listen it again one of these later days ------------- Progrockdude |
Posted By: Blacksword
Date Posted: May 11 2014 at 02:13
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Never liked the Yes version.
Bowies version is ok, but the S&G's is clearly the best imo. ------------- Ultimately bored by endless ecstasy! |
Posted By: The Dark Elf
Date Posted: May 11 2014 at 08:04
I agree with your assessment. ------------- ...a vigorous circular motion hitherto unknown to the people of this area, but destined to take the place of the mud shark in your mythology... |
Posted By: Padraic
Date Posted: May 14 2014 at 10:32
| As many times as I've been up and down the Jersey Turnpike, I've never bothered trying to count cars. :) |
Posted By: Epignosis
Date Posted: May 14 2014 at 20:28
But you weren't on a bus! ------------- https://epignosis.bandcamp.com/album/a-month-of-sundays" rel="nofollow - https://epignosis.bandcamp.com/album/a-month-of-sundays |
Posted By: Padraic
Date Posted: May 14 2014 at 20:52
Nor was I ever romantically involved with anyone named Cathy. |
Posted By: SteveG
Date Posted: June 11 2014 at 12:00
| Did you know that Renaissance did a touching version of this song as a second encore after Ashes Are Burning in the 1980's with Jon Camp's treble turned up so high that he almost sounded as if was adding electric lead phrases after Annie's verses. Camp (unashamed) always credited Chris Squire for his sound. |