All Simon (plus Freewheelin' Dylan)

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Date/Sat 17 April, 2010
Reviewed by/Denis Hill

Another Stop Neatly Planned
I remember being amazed one summer morning in 1965 when, for the only time, my headmaster abandoned the traditional school assembly hymn singing, in favour of a modern song with a message for youth, played on an old Dansette record player. The track was Leaves That Are Green by Simon & Garfunkel. Like most of my generation, I had been introduced to this duo some months earlier when its atmospheric “A side”, Homeward Bound, hit our charts, but this experience for me began a special affinity with the boys from New York.

Undoubtedly there are many others of a certain age for whom the S & G music legacy holds an unassailable and lifelong resonance. As I took my seat at Plinston in a rapidly swelling crowd, I wondered how many others felt the same mixture of expectation and apprehension. I was anxious that if Bill Lennon (alias Paul Simon) and the boys messed up tonight, it would feel as if they had insulted two of my oldest and best friends.

But first, another homage to a stateside giant of 60s popular culture went centre stage as “The Freewheelin Bob Dylan” whetted our considerable appetites with an eight-track cameo.

As we wafted through Blowin In The Wind, it was at once apparent that Lennon had the trademark quirky Dylan voice spot on. Another solo, Don’t Think Twice It’s Alright, was equally convincing and when the superb Dave Birnie on electric guitar joined the party for the anthem Mr Tambourine Man, I was already indulging in a few teenage flashbacks. Steady on there …. ! The highly authentic I Want You and Just Like A Woman exposed an engaging Dylan-esque rawness and immediacy and by Like A Rolling Stone, I was reminded how much the harmonica came to epitomise that decade, providing a sense of integrity in the days before studio over-production stole away so much of live music’s heart and soul. This had been an early hors-d’oeuvre served up with big stage panache, yet managing a delicious intimacy of living room proportions.

After a short break, during which the conversation at my table alighted on Lennon’s impressive eye for detail, All Simon burst in with the uptempo Hazy Shade Of Winter. Cecilia, then Me & Julio followed on, offering ample evidence that here was a five-piece who have added sweat to their obvious talent and got their product as near as dammit right on the money.

Sounds Of Silence further emphasized the quality of the oh-so-important vocal harmonies. These were handled sensitively - and a mention here to the indispensable Marc Rapson whose high quality delivery of keyboards, backing vocals AND percussion, often at the same time, was among the highlights of the evening - and the change of mood the song brought, I found captivating.

My eye ran impatiently down the setlist at this point, looking for Homeward Bound and The Boxer (two of my favourites) and I was not to be disappointed as Bill and the boys raised the bar still further with John Prynn on drums giving both numbers a faultless heartbeat.

This was turning into a real tour de force and the audience seemed to sense the emotional connection. Accuracy is of course important in a tribute show, but this outfit offered so much more than slavish mimicry, combining virtuosity and precision with a love for the subject which bordered on litany.

The delightfully playful 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover took us into a Graceland offering which did more than justice to the iconic album - the title track rendition being quite outstanding. It may be churlish of me to say this but Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes inevitably lost something without the essential velvety African vocals. Like black molasses, if you leave them out of the recipe, the cake doesn’t taste so good. Even so, the track was handled with great aplomb. And here, a nod to Alan Mian on bass, whose contribution throughout was a key element in the All Simon triumph.

All in all, a great night and a heady reminder of the days when poetry and popular music walked hand in hand through the cultural landscape, life was a delicate watercolour and artistry was the order of the day.