The Paul Simon Collection: On My Way, Don't Know Where I'm Goin'

Disc 1
1	Mother and Child Reunion
2	Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard
3	Kodachrome
4	Something So Right
5	Loves Me Like a Rock
6	50 Ways to Leave Your Lover
7	Still Crazy After All These Years
8	Late in the Evening
9	Slip Slidin' Away
10	Hearts and Bones
11	Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes Single Version
12	The Boy in the Bubble Single Version
13	Graceland
14	You Can Call Me Al
15	Spirit Voices
16	The Cool, Cool, River
17	Adios Hermanos
18	Love
19	Hurricane Eye
Disc 2
1	American Tune Live / previously unreleased / Bonus Track
2	Duncan Live / previously unreleased / Bonus Track
3	The Coast Live / previously unreleased / Bonus Track
4	Bridge Over Troubled Water Live / previously unreleased / Bonus Track
5	Mrs. Robinson Live / previously unreleased / Bonus Track

Barnes & Noble

The title On My Way, Don't Know Where I'm Going echoes a line in "Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard" from Paul Simon's first solo album, and it's an apt label for this retrospective of Simon's two-decade solo career. Simon has always been a restless musical explorer, and it's a treat to follow his journey. This generous, nearly 80-minute collection showcases his talents both as an articulate singer-songwriter and as a dabbler in a wide world of pop music. One of Simon's greatest talents is crafting accessible, catchy songs out of seemingly any style of pop music. As early as 1972's "Mother and Child Reunion," he began to integrate a reggae beat into his music. With the help of the Dixie Hummingbirds, Simon had a hit with the gospel-flavored "Loves Me like a Rock" in 1973. For 1987's Grammy-winning Graceland, his travels in Africa inspired some of his best performances, including "Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes" and "The Boy in the Bubble," and 1990's "Spirit Voices" and "The Cool, Cool River" employed Brazilian rhythms. Throughout his journeys, Simon never abandoned the well-crafted songwriting and the casual, easygoing vocal style of an archetypal singer-songwriter, and he consistently returned to his own roots, too, with songs such as "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover," "Slip Slidin' Away," and "Hurricane Eye" (from 2000's You're the One). It's hard to imagine a better-selected single-disc sampling of this great artist. As a bonus, the limited-edition package adds five live tracks, reaching back to performances of "American Tune" and "Duncan" from 1973, a duet with Aaron Neville on "Bridge over Troubled Waters" from 2001, and a lively "The Coast" from 2002. Steve Klinge

All Music Guide

Most of Paul Simon's great songs and singles of the '70s and '80s are on The Paul Simon Collection: On My Way, Don't Know Where I'm Goin', keeping this collection humming through its first 14 songs. Where it stumbles is in representing his '90s, where idiosyncratic choices take precedent -- the hit single "Obvious Child" from The Rhythm of the Saints is missing -- but this is merely a bad finish to a collection that is, overall, on the money. Stephen Thomas Erlewine