Popsheep

When I was a child I loved Simon and Garfunkel... but I really didn't like Paul Simon's solo work. I continued to have this opinion for some time, then I fell in love with Paul Simon's early Solo work, specifically 1972's Paul Simon. I adore this album, much more than I adore any Simon and Garfunkel album in fact. Soon after I discovered my admiration for his first solo album I fell for his second, There Goes Rhymin' Simon, with the glorious song "Kodachrome". This is where my interest waned, I couldn't apreciate any of the album he produced after this time period.

When I finally succumbed to Graceland I started to develop a theory that as I get older the more and more I appreciate later and later Paul Simon. He is just ahead of me, knowing what I'll like years before I do. Today's post is about 1997's Songs from Capeman, the album from Simon's failed musical. Though the musical may have been a failure, this album is really great.

The musical is based on the story of the 16 year old Salvador Argon who, in 1959 stabbed two other teenagers to death. At the time he was wearing a cape and thus became known as the "capeman". He was the youngest person ever to be put on death row in New York State's history. The name of his gang was the Vampires.


The Vampires