Vinyl Record
Paul Simon - In The Blue Light
Paul Simon - In The Blue Light on LP vinyl. A 2018 record available from Kilmorna Collection in Listowel, Ireland.
LP ยท 2018
Available from Kilmorna Collection in Listowel.
Buyer notes: 2018 LP, currently available from the Kilmorna Collection vinyl shelf. Pay for pickup in Listowel or ship within Ireland for EUR 5.50.
In The Blue Light is Paul Simon's 2018 act of self-revision, made at a point when his catalogue was already fixed in public memory but not, apparently, fixed for him. Instead of recording a standards-style retrospective, Simon revisits songs he felt could be opened again, many drawn from the less obvious corners of his solo work. The album brings in musicians associated with jazz, new music and finely shaded ensemble playing, including Wynton Marsalis, Bill Frisell, Steve Gadd and Jack DeJohnette, with Roy Halee back in the production conversation. That cast matters because the record treats earlier compositions as living scores. One Man's Ceiling Is Another Man's Floor gains new architectural space; Some Folks' Lives Roll Easy becomes more fragile; Can't Run But, Questions For The Angels and Rene And Georgette Magritte With Their Dog After The War are recast with late-life patience. Released in the year of Simon's farewell tour, it sounds like an artist arguing that deep cuts can still change shape.
In The Blue Light matters because it resists the normal legacy-artist route. Rather than polishing the hits again, Simon chose overlooked songs and rebuilt them with serious musicianship, making 2018 feel like a conversation with his own catalogue rather than a victory lap.
For collectors, this album is valuable as a late-career lens on Simon's standards for his own writing. It pairs especially well with Hearts And Bones and You're The One, since several selections come from records that devoted listeners often defend most passionately.
Late-career chamber pop with jazz players, revised arrangements, acoustic detail, brushed rhythm, orchestral colour and Simon's older voice set inside quieter, more reflective spaces.
Recommended for: Paul Simon fans interested in deep-cut reinterpretations; Collectors of late-career songwriter albums with jazz-adjacent arrangements; Listeners who enjoy familiar songs rebuilt with restraint and craft.
What is the idea behind In The Blue Light? Paul Simon revisits and rearranges selected songs from his catalogue, focusing largely on material beyond the biggest hits. When was In The Blue Light released? It was released in 2018, during the same period as Simon's farewell tour. Who plays on In The Blue Light? The album features notable musicians including Wynton Marsalis, Bill Frisell, Steve Gadd and Jack DeJohnette.