Paul Simon - There Goes Rhymin' Simon (1973) [Remastered 2015]

In the early '70s, Paul Simon sounded old before his time: while his harder-rocking peers were hanging on to themes of youthful rebellion and romantic obsession, Simon, already a pop veteran who'd notched records since his teens, focused on the smaller details and defining quirks of real life. His second solo album finds him regarding the passage of time and the fragility of relationships with his usual mix of smart-aleck observations and gentler, more deeply felt melancholy. "Kodachrome" was a breezy delight upon its release that now sounds prescient in its backwards glance at myths of youth, "An American Tune" sustains its mood of graceful maturity against a Bach-inspired guitar arrangement that's still gorgeous, and "Something So Right" remains Simon's most luminous declaration of love. Actually produced in varied studios with shifting session bands (including the chameleons in the Muscle Shoals Sound section), the set also introduced the Roches and notched Simon's first plunge into gospel on "Loves Me Like A Rock."