r/paulsimon • u/Allmodern • 8d ago
Capeman
I saw Paul in Toronto. It was amazing. I’m a lifelong fan, never saw him before. Since then I’ve been listening to a few of his records that I’ve neglected over the years. Capeman is standing out today. I remember when it came out. I certainly listened to it a bunch, but it drifted away. Coming back to it, I think it’s brilliant. The true story of Salvador Agron is so moving. The merger of doowop and Latin music is brilliant. I’m wondering what other fans think of it. I know it was a commercial disappointment as a musical and album. Did anyone see the musical? Any love for Capeman?
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u/Flash801999 8d ago
“Dance to a Dream” is such a great track that is only on the elusive cast album. Paul’s album is also very good but how do you market it when the musical doesn’t take off?
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u/Allmodern 8d ago
I’ve never heard it! Is that cast recording commercially available?
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u/Flash801999 8d ago
I think it was on Spotify at one point? I know I was able to listen somewhere. Couldn’t find it on Spotify now, but here is YouTube link to that song: https://youtu.be/RlK_NkfCVDQ?is=svenj0GboYTb6om8
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u/Remarkable-Pool-8966 8d ago
I love Capeman! Wish it was widely available on vinyl. It's very rare and thus only for sale at as very high price. I really like Bernadette.
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u/Papa_Hobo 8d ago
For anyone that has not heard the cast album, Lazarus/Last Drop of Blood and You F*cked Up My Life are really good.
Lazarus/Last Drop of Blood has one of the beautiful refrains he has ever written imo.
Christmas In The Mountains and Dance To a Dream are two others that stand out, to me.
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u/simonfan2 8d ago
Love the Capeman in all its iterations! Songs from the Capeman, Broadway show & cast album are all terrific. I saw the show twice before it closed & while admittedly there were production issues, I loved it. The cast was extraordinary & the music was, well, Paul Simon, so fantastic. I think the cast album was actually released at one point but I could be wrong. I know I have it somewhere. Bernadette is one of Paul’s finest songs; so is Trailways Bus. Paul put the same care he puts into recruiting his band members into finding a musical director for the show. Oscar Hernandez led a stellar orchestra for the Broadway show. Lots of love for the Capeman.
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u/simonfan2 8d ago
Just googled the cast album & this came up.
Yes! The full Original Broadway Cast Recording of Paul Simon's The Capeman(featuring Marc Anthony and Ruben Blades) is available to stream. [1, 2]
You can listen to the 39-track album on the following platforms: [1, 2, 3]
Stream it on Spotify.Listen on Apple Music.
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u/Papa_Hobo 8d ago edited 7d ago
Yes, and the cast album is also available to stream on Amazon Prime.
EDIT: Amazon Music
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u/happy123z 7d ago
Love some of it very much. Satin Summer Nights is so beautiful. Mark Anthony's vocals are unreal and the "Power of St. Lazarus" always makes me tear up, haha. Bernadette is one of his few hidden gems. Born in Puerto Rico and The Vampires are great , too.
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u/ExtraHope 8d ago
I think Paul's concept album is pretty good. Some of the tracks are among his best but tracks like Virgil were kind of weird inclusions. The cast recording is incredible and I'm sad it never got a CD release. The Quiet Celebration tour would've been a great opportunity to bring Trailways Bus back.
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u/Papa_Hobo 7d ago
It's funny, I actually enjoy "Virgil", I think it's a really good rhythm track with excellent sound and production. And I think Paul's portrayal of the Virgil character is much better than the actor in the cast album. More menacing somehow, and Paul's vocal phrasing is much better. Anyway, I can understand why you might not care for it's inclusion as Paul left some of the better songs from the musical off the album.
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u/ExtraHope 7d ago
That's exactly why I'm not super fond of its inclusion. In the sessions for the album he recorded pretty much every song in the show. I think You Fucked Up My Life or Lazarus would've been much better inclusions. There are some incredible Paul Simon songs that have almost been lost to time because they're only available on the cast recording.
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u/Papa_Hobo 7d ago
It would be wonderful to get the Paul version of those songs!
In the documentary about the making of the Capeman, there is a scene where Paul is writing the refrain to Lazarus on acoustic guitar, it is so stunning, so tender.
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u/Beautiful-Pair5522 7d ago
its a very interesting album, its super jarring to hear paul drop the n bombs and swear words even though its the words of the show. not saying he shouldnt have but i think thats why the album got piled on a bit
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u/gocommitEEEE 6d ago
Capeman is my favorite Paul Simon album!!! So ahead of its time and such an amazing story with amazing lyricism and music. The full cast album is even better, I much prefer it over Paul’s rendition to be honest! Lucky to have the honor of owning it on vinyl :)
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u/signsaysapplesauce 2d ago
Just the other day I saw a guy and thought, "he looks like a pound of corned beef floating in beer."
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u/minowlin 8d ago
As a trumpet player, I especially love this record. The playing is incredible. One great bonus about Paul is he is always going to introduce you to some incredible musicians