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Book: “Truth, Lies & Hearsay: A Memoir of a Musical Life in and out of Rock and Roll”
- Voted #5 on Billboard Magazine’s list of the Top Ten Music Books of 2018
- Read about The Band, Janis Joplin, Leonard Cohen, Mama Cass, Blood, Sweat & Tears, Gordon Lightfoot, Leon Russell, Eric Clapton, Wilson Pickett, Peter Yarrow, Gil Evans, Elizabeth Taylor, Joni Mitchell, Les Paul, Bob Dylan, Muddy Waters, Steve Forbert, Michael Franks, Marshall McLuhan, The Beatles …
“When John Simon joined the band’s brotherhood he fit like a glove. I can’t imagine another record producer in the whole world who could’ve matched John’s work on “Music From Big Pink” and The Band.” — Robbie Robertson
“Imagine being stuck on the tarmac for six hours, you turn to the stranger next to you and he begins to tell you the most interesting tales you have ever heard … Time goes by and you never even realize it. That is this book. I couldn’t put it down.” — (An Amazon review)
Please specify if you’d like your book signed and if you’d like a special inscription.
Shipped anywhere in the U.S. for $30 un-signed, $35 signed.
Poster: “How To Make A Record”
This humorous, colorful 11” x 16” poster entitled “HOW TO MAKE A RECORD” is a must addition to the wall of any serious musician or music fan. An excerpt from John’s upcoming memoir, it depicts the record-making process as a board game, with squares such as “Manager Visits: lose turn” and “Magic Happens: go ahead one space”. Please specify if you’d like your book signed and if you’d like a special
inscription.
Shipped anywhere in the U.S. for $25 un-signed, $30 signed.
- The Song Of The Elves
- Nobody Knows
- Tannenbaum
- Davey’s On The Road Again
- Motocycle Man
- Rain Song
- Don’t Forget What I Told You
- The Fool Dressed In Velvet
- Annie Looks Down
- Did You See?
- Railroad Train Runnin’ Up My Back
Excerpts from ‘John Simon’s Album’ John Simon’s Album
Original 1970 Warner Bros. album Re-released in Japan. Album includes recordings with Delany Bramlett, Harvey Brooks, Rita Coolidge, Rick Danko, Richard Davis, Cyrus Faryar, John Hall, Paul Harris, Garth Hudson, Richard Manuel, Leon Russell, Grady Tate and others) The sample just contains snatches of a few of the songs to jog your memory. You’ll hear members of The Band and John Hall and Harvey Brooks.
- Livin’ In A Land O’ Sunshine
- Slim Pickin’s In The Kitchen Don’t Make It At All
- Open Up, Summertime
- Vagabond
- The “Real” Woodstock Rag
- Poems To Eat, Big City Traffic Jam, Joy To The World
- King Lear’s Blues (Cordelia)
- Short Visit
Excerpts from ‘Journey’ Medley of Excerpts
Album includes recordings with Dave Bargeron, Randy Brecker, Amos Garrett, Dave Holland, Howard Johnson, Billy Mundi, Dave Poe, Bill Rich, David Sanborn, and others.) This sample strings together a few excerpts from this album which was recorded, for the most part, in 3 days in NYC, Phil Ramone engineering.
- Two Ways Of Looking At The Same Thing
- Rock and Roll Is An Open Wound
- Overpop
- Dreamland
- Lost
- That Lovesong Is Gonna Have To Wait
- Out On The Street
- Just A Play
- Escape
- Hummin’ A Summersong Hummin’ A Summersong
- We’re All In This Together
Album includes recordings with Michael Brecker, Randy Brecker, Cornelius Bumpus, Ron Carter, Rick Danko, John Hall, Levon Helm, Garth Hudson, Paul Ramsey, Terry Silverlight, Lew Soloff, Toots Thielemans, Diane Wilson, George Young and others. This was the first album set up by Yoshi Nagato and the first release of the Pioneer/LDC label in Japan (catalogue number 0001). It was voted one of the 3 best albums of the that year along with albums by Clapton and Peter Gabriel. On the sample you’ll hear Cornelius Bumpus on tenor and Rick and Levon from The Band singing.
- Everybody Thinks That I Left Town
- Touch Your Heart
- Nobody Knows Her Like I Know Her
- Rural Rhythm
- If At First (Just One Lucky Break)
- Psalm 91
- Uh-oh, Here Comes The Blues
- The Good Samaritan
- Biography
- Little Acts Of Faith
- Piano-playing Fool
Excerpts from ‘Harmony Farm’ Harmony
Album includes recordings with Harvey Brooks, Junior Brown, Cornelius Bumpus, Jon Burr, Jackie Cain & Roy Kral, Peter Ecklund, Dave Holland, Doug James, Paul Ramsey, Laura Seaton, and Terry Silverlight,. “Harmony Farm” was the 2nd release on Pioneer in Japan and was recorded live in John’s living room. It’s his favorite album. You can hear Cornelius again on this sample, along with one-of-a-kind guitarist Junior Brown.
- Door Jam
- Maple Trees Maple Trees
- Home
- So Goes The Song
- Little European Waltz
- Slow Dancin’
- Spoon Me Spoon Me
- Can’t Get Enough Of You
- Cumquats And Apricots
- Trust Like A Child
- My Name Is Jack
This is a more subdued album than any of the others. More laid-back. No loud jams. Some of the songs, like MAPLE TREES with its Beach-Boys treatment at the end, of MAPLE TREES, had been around for awhile patiently waiting in line for their chance to be recorded. But these are quite interesting songs, from LITTLE EUROPEAN WALTZ (which uses the very Chopin waltz of its title as a countermelody) to MY NAME IS JACK, a hit for Manfred Mann which the record company insisted be on the album. But it appears here with new, self-referencing lyrics.
- Hummin’ A Summersong
- Maple Trees
- Everybody Thinks That I Left Town
- Lost
- That Lovesong’s Gonna Have To Wait
- Overpop
- Psalm 91
- Dreamland
- Nobody Knows Her Like I Know Her
- Door Jam (instrumental version)
- Old Folks At Home (live)
- Home (live) PLAY EXAMPLE
- Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child
A “greatest hits” compilation from the 2 Pioneer albums, plus 2 concert cuts and 2 selections from the 3rd Pioneer album.
- Lazy River (instrumental)
- Lazy River (Miche Braden – vocal)
- Ol’ Buttermilk Sky (John Simon – vocal)
- The Nearness Of You (Terry Blaine – vocal)
- Georgia (Cornelius Bumpus – vocal)
- Skylark (Steve Forbert – vocal)
- Baltiore Oriole (Hirth Martinez – vocal, John Sebastian – harmonica)
- Judy (John Simon – vocal)
- Small Fry (Amos Garrett – vocal)
- Heart & Soul (John Simon, Peggy Taphorn – vocals)
- Stardust (Jackie Cain, Geoffrey Muldaur – vocals)
- New Orleans (Terry Blaine – vocal)
- When Love Goes Wrong (Alicia Tyree – vocal)
- In The Cool, Cool, Cool Of The Evening (Hirth Martinez – vocal)
- Rockin’ Chair (John Simon – vocal)
Excerpts from ‘Hoagyland’ Medley of Excerpts
Album includes recordings with Steve Forbert, Geoff Muldaur, Jackie Cain, Amos Garrett, Cornelius Bumpus, Garth Hudson, Terry Blaine, Miche Braden, Hirth Martinez, Dave Bargeron, Jon Burr, Jerry Dodgion and others. This album is fantastic! It’s just amazing that no US distributor has picked it up yet. On the sample you can hear Forbert sing a little of “Skylark” and Cornelius sing a little of “Georgia”. But no sample this short can do this justice. It’s a wonderfully rich and loving tribute to Hoagy Carmichael on his 101st birthday!
- Piano-playing Fool
- Two Ways of Lookin’ At The Same Thing
- Open Wound
- Why Do The Bad Guys Do What They Do
- Motorcycle Man
- Nobody Knows Her
- Spoon Me
- Old People With Spunk
- Lost
- Time Stands Still Medley of Excerpts
- Irresistible
“In the Spring of 2005 I played a series of solo performances. I thought a lot about which songs to include in my set list. A few of them (“Motorcycle Man”, “Two Ways of Lookin’ At The Same Thing”…) I wrote quite a while ago. A few had never been released. So I decided to record them. The result is this new CD. I like it a lot. These recordings aren’t studio-slick. There’s no pitch-correcting machine for my voice. You can hear me stomp on the floor or mumble along with the piano solos. I added a little echo from time to time but basically it’s just me at home with some microphones and my old Mason and Hamlin piano. No band.”-J
- Old Friends
- 5/4 Samba
- I’m Not Like I Was Before PLAY EXAMPLE
- Sometimes /Always
- The Girl
- Busy Man
- For The Moment
- These Days
- Somewhere In the Power Of Her Love
- Lonely and Blue
- Slowly
- All Things Possible
Old Friends, 5/4 Samba, I’m Not Like I Was Before, Sometimes/Always, The Girl, Busy Man, For The Moment, These Days, Somewhere In The Power Of Her Love, Lonely And Blue, Slowly, All Things Possible (with Dave Sanborn, Ron Carter, Will Lee, Garth Hudson,Cornelius Bumpus, Randy Brecker, Jon Burr, Jeni Muldaur and others.) This is a wonderful album, recorded in the summer of 1998 after Hirth had a hit with his song, “Slowly”, in Japan. He has never sounded better and the collection of songs are first-rate. As Hirth calls it in his notes, “… a perfect flower, a perfect sky of poems and music.” This album is highly recommended by Donald Fagan of Steely Dan.
John speaks candidly about some rare gems and special collaborations recorded throughout his career.