The Rhythm of the Saints explained

The Rhythm of the Saints
Type:studio
Artist:Paul Simon
Cover:Rhythm Of The Saints.jpg
Released:October 16, 1990
Recorded:December 1989 – June 1990
Genre:Pop, rock, worldbeat
Length:44:49
Label:Warner Bros.
Producer:Paul Simon
Prev Title:Negotiations and Love Songs
Prev Year:1988
Next Title:Paul Simon's Concert in the Park
Next Year:1991

The Rhythm of the Saints is the eighth solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Paul Simon, released on October 16, 1990, by Warner Bros. In much the same way that Simon's previous album, Graceland, released in 1986, drew upon South African music, this album was inspired by Brazilian musical traditions.[1] Like its predecessor, the album was commercially successful and received mostly favorable reviews from critics.

In 1992, The Rhythm of the Saints earned two nominations for the 34th Grammy Awards – Album of the Year and Producer of the Year.[2] [3]

Reception

The Rhythm of the Saints peaked at No. 4 on the US album chart, while Graceland had peaked at No. 3, ranking them both among Simon's most commercially successful albums. The album was also successful across the Atlantic, reaching No. 1 on the UK album chart. However, with the exception of "The Obvious Child", none of its three singles—including "Proof" and "Born at the Right Time"—charted or received substantial radio play. "The Obvious Child" also failed to reach the US top 40, although it reached No. 15 in the UK, becoming Simon's last major hit there. The album was certified Multi-Platinum.

Central Park concert

Alongside various musicians, Simon performed live versions of many of the songs from the album at a free concert in Central Park, New York City on August 15, 1991, in front of an audience of around 500,000 people. The performance was recorded and later released as the album Paul Simon's Concert in the Park.

Track listing

All tracks composed by Paul Simon, except "The Coast" (music by Simon and Vincent Nguini) and "Spirit Voices" (Portuguese lyrics by Milton Nascimento).

  1. "The Obvious Child" – 4:10
  2. "Can't Run But" – 3:36
  3. "The Coast" – 5:04
  4. "Proof" – 4:39
  5. "Further to Fly" – 5:36
  6. "She Moves On" – 5:03
  7. "Born at the Right Time" – 3:48
  8. "The Cool, Cool River" – 4:33
  9. "Spirit Voices" – 3:56
  10. "The Rhythm of the Saints" – 4:12

Bonus tracks (2004 reissue)

  2. "Born at the Right Time" (acoustic demo) – 3:50
  3. "Thelma" (outtake) – 4:14
  4. "The Coast" (work-in-progress version) – 5:13
  5. "Spirit Voices" (work-in-progress version) – 3:49

Notes:

Personnel

withKeyboards

Guitars and bass

Drums and percussion

Reed and brass instruments

Vocals

Production

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1990–91)!scope="col"
Peak
position
Australian ARIA Albums Chart[6] 3
Austrian Albums Chart[7] 4
Belgian Albums Chart[8] 6
Canadian Albums Chart[9] 1
Dutch Mega Albums Chart[10] 2
European Top 100 Albums[11] 1
Finnish Albums Chart[12] 7
French SNEP Albums Chart[13] 22
German Media Control Albums Chart [14] 11
Hungarian Albums Chart[15] 13
Japanese Oricon Albums Chart[16] 87
Norwegian VG-lista Albums Chart[17] 6
New Zealand Albums Chart[18] 6
Spanish Albums Chart[19] 17
Swedish Albums Chart[20] 8
Swiss Albums Chart[21] 3
UK Albums Chart[22] 1
US Billboard 200[23] 4

Year-end charts

Chart (1990)Position
Australian Albums Chart[24] 36
Canadian Albums Chart[25] 26
Dutch Albums Chart[26] 29
European Albums Charts[27] 94
UK Albums Chart[28] 13
Chart (1991)Position
Canadian Albums Chart[29] 22
U.S. Billboard 200[30] 22

Notes and References

  1. Web site: When Paul Simon Took a Darkly Intriguing Turn on 'Rhythm of the Saints' . . October 22, 2015 . December 11, 2022 . DeRiso . Nick.
  2. News: The 34th Annual Grammy Nominations: Grammys Get 'Religion,' Nominate R.E.M. 7 Times . . January 9, 1992 . August 8, 2011 . Hunt . Dennis . Cromelin . Richard.
  3. Web site: Dennis Hunt and Richard Cromelin . Rock On The Net: 34th Annual Grammy Awards – 1992. 2011-08-08.
  4. Web site: 1996 Records to die for Page 6. 29 February 1996.
  5. Web site: Ask the Expert: The value of a Paul Simon vinyl jacket. 13 October 2020 .
  6. Web site: australian-charts.com Paul Simon – The Rhythm of the Saints . . 2011-08-08 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121103000410/http://australian-charts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Paul+Simon&titel=The+Rhythm+Of+The+Saints&cat=a . November 3, 2012 . dead .
  7. Web site: Paul Simon – The Rhythm of the Saints – austriancharts.at. 2011-08-08.
  8. Book: Inc, Nielsen Business Media. Billboard. 28 December 1989. Nielsen Business Media, Inc.. 16 January 2017. Internet Archive.
  9. Web site: Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada. collectionscanada.gc.ca. 16 January 2017. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20151118004944/http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?&file_num=nlc008388.9121&type=1&interval=20&PHPSESSID=lo0152od4caliufjkgh3mkphk6. 18 November 2015.
  10. Web site: dutchcharts.nl Paul Simon – The Rhythm of the Saints. dutchcharts.nl. MegaCharts. 2011-08-08.
  11. Web site: Billboard . books.google.com . 12 October 1991. 25 September 2011.
  12. Book: Pennanen, Timo . 2006 . Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 . 1st . Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava . Helsinki. 978-951-1-21053-5 . 263 . fi .
  13. Web site: Paul Simon . infodisc.fr . 2011-08-01 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20101228034713/http://infodisc.fr/Album_M.php . 2010-12-28 .
  14. Web site: Album Search: Paul Simon . de . Media Control . 2011-08-08 . https://archive.today/20110810022547/http://www.charts.de/search.asp?search=paul+simon&x=0&y=0&cat=a&country=de . August 10, 2011 . dead.
  15. Web site: Kereső - előadó/cím szerint - Archívum - Hivatalos magyar slágerlisták . lightmedia.hu . slagerlistak.hu . 16 January 2017 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120924070100/http://zene.slagerlistak.hu/archivum/kereso-eloado-cim-szerint . 24 September 2012 .
  16. Web site: Highest position and charting weeks of The Rhythm of the Saints by Paul Simon. ja. oricon.co.jp. Oricon Style. 2011-08-08.
  17. Web site: norwegiancharts.com Paul Simon – The Rhythm of the Saints . 2011-08-08 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121104165235/http://norwegiancharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Paul+Simon&titel=The+Rhythm+Of+The+Saints&cat=a . November 4, 2012 . dead .
  18. Web site: charts.nz – Paul Simon – The Rhythm of the Saints. Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. 2011-08-08.
  19. Book: Salaverri, Fernando. Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002. 1st . September 2005 . Fundación Autor-SGAE. Spain. 84-8048-639-2.
  20. Web site: swedishcharts.com Paul Simon – The Rhythm of the Saints. Sverigetopplistan. 2011-08-08.
  21. Web site: Paul Simon – The Rhythm of the Saints – hitparade.ch. 2011-08-08.
  22. Web site: The Official Charts Company – Paul Simon – The Rhythm Of The Saints . Official Charts Company. 2011-08-07.
  23. Allmusic – The Rhythm of the Saints > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums
  24. Web site: ARIA Charts – End of Year Charts – Top 50 Albums 1990. aria.com.au. Australian Recording Industry Association. 2011-08-07.
  25. Web site: Top 100 Albums of 1990 . RPM . December 22, 1990 . April 7, 2010 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20151018073620/http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?brws_s=1&file_num=nlc008388.9145&type=1&interval=24&PHPSESSID=mhe12pta2k83e08udtq66ot062 . October 18, 2015 .
  26. Web site: Dutch charts jaaroverzichten 1990. ASP. nl. April 2, 2014.
  27. 1990 REVIEW: Music & Media Year -End Awards . European Top 100 Albums 1990. Music & Media. December 22, 1990. Machgiel. Bakker. May 20, 2021. 29, 38. 7. 51.
  28. Web site: Complete UK Year-End Album Charts . 2011-08-07 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120519050548/http://chartheaven.9.forumer.com/a/complete-uk-yearend-album-charts_post21.html . 2012-05-19 .
  29. Web site: RPM 100 Albums (CDs & Cassettes) of 1991 . RPM . December 21, 1991 . April 29, 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140408213817/http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?brws_s=1&file_num=nlc008388.1702&type=1&interval=24&PHPSESSID=mhe12pta2k83e08udtq66ot062 . April 8, 2014 .
  30. Web site: Billboard's list reveals best sellers. Houston Chronicle Archives. Billboard. 2011-08-07.

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