I love finding 7” singles at random record stores or thrifty locations. It’s a nice way to collect those classic songs if you can’t find the classic albums (and its often a cheaper option too). I found the Late In The Evening 7” single awhile back in a used book store and I had to pick it because, let’s face it, Paul Simon is an amazing songwriter.

The single, “Late In The Evening”, comes from the album One-Trick Pony which is a soundtrack for a movie of the same name that Paul Simon also wrote and starred in but only a few songs from the album made it into the film. The album didn’t sell as well as it could have because of a botched movie release combined with bad reviews. Still the album has done ok and the main single, “Late In The Evening”, still gets regular radio airplay today.

“Late In The Evening” gets played so much on the radio even today because it tells the classic story of being a young rebel into rock n roll and women. Plus its traditional blues chord progression helps it sound familiar to new ears. The one thing that really makes this song stand out is its spectacular horn line. You can get hints of Simon’s future endeavors through this horn line and the rhythm used in the song. Both have South American and African roots, two styles he really gets into later on the Rhythm of the Saints and Graceland albums.

The B-Side to the Late In The Evening single features the song “How The Heart Approaches What It Yearns” which really shows off Simon’s ability to write a great complex melody to go along with heart touching lyrics.

So all-in-all the total time for this morning’s vinyl only clocks in at six minutes and fifty-one seconds but I felt like I had to listen to some Paul Simon with my rainforest blend coffee and this 7” single felt like a good choice.

Have a good Sunday everyone.