Paul Simon's Negotiations and Love Songs 1971-1986

I'm currently listening to a compilation album of Paul Simon titled Negotiations and Love Songs 1971-1986.  In listening to this, I've discovered that the title ("Negotiations and Love Songs") is actually a line from one of the songs - "Train in the Distance."

I don't really have anything in-depth to say about this, but I do think it's really interesting that the title of a compilation album is a line from a song and not a song title.  A decent number of the compilation albums I have are titled after one particular song, so it seems that the whole collection is being sold on the strength and popularity of just the one song.

But here, with the title being a line from a song instead of the title, it seems to be more about the songs and what they say rather than just trying to sell an easily-recognizable song.

The Everly Brothers' "Roving Gambler"

I’m listening to a compilation album of the Everly Brothers titled Bye Bye Love.  (I actually have two compilation albums of the Everly Brothers titled Bye Bye Love.)  In any case, this album includes their version of “Roving Gambler.”  The other musical group I associate with “Roving Gambler” is Simon & Garfunkel.  It’s a bonus track on their Sounds of Silence album.

I’d always attributed Paul Simon’s interest in English folk music to his having been in England.  But I think the Everly Brothers may have had something to do with it too.  Simon & Garfunkel were greatly influenced by them (they even included “Bye Bye Love” on Bridge over Troubled Water), and since the Everly Brothers’ repertoire includes some other folk songs, it’s possible that that is what affected Paul Simon (or was at least a partial cause for his interest).  For instance, both also recorded versions of “Barbara Allen,” although the Simon & Garfunkel version (also found in the bonus tracks on Sounds of Silence) is titled “Barbriallen.”

Bob Dylan's "North Country Blues"

Recently, I’ve been reading a book by Andy Gill about Bob Dylan’s songs from 1962 to 1969, so after I read about a particular album, I listen to it.  Gill mentions that some of the melodies that Dylan uses are from older folk songs.  For example, he says that “Girl from the North Country” and “Boots of Spanish Leather” bear some melodic resemblance to “Scarborough Fair.”

I’m in the midst of listening to The Times They Are A-Changin’, and I realized that the melody of “North Country Blues” is similar to the melody of the folk song “Barbara Allen.”

Gill also mentions that an-other musician who was inspired by folk songs - and “Scarborough Fair” in particular - is Paul Simon.  One of the bonus tracks for the Sounds of Silence album is “Barbriallen” - a variation of “Barbara Allen.”  So it seems that “Barbara Allen” was as important as “Scarborough Fair.”