Album by
Paul Simon released in
1997.
The album is the music (duh!) from the musical The Capeman that Paul Simon
wrote together with Derek Walcott - yes, that Derek Walcott. (Ok...it wasn't noded, he's the Nobel Prizes: Literature winner.) The
musical is based on the true story that took place on the evening of August 29,
1959 in Hell's Kitchen New York when Salvador Agron, a 16 year old
Puerto Rico immigrant kid, in killed two white teenagers. Salvador was a
member of the gang The Vampires, and the attack was a gang releated revenge.
The killed boys were not affiliated with any gang, so the killings received a
lot of attention. Salvador, who was wearing a cape that night, became known as
the Capeman and a massive manhunt lead to his and 6 fellow gang members
arrest and murder charges.
Salvador Agron pleaded guilty to the two murders, and shocked the public by
his apparent cold-bloodedness. When asked by the police why he did it, he
answered "Because I felt like it" and he also said that "I
don't care if I burn. My mother could watch me." He was sentenced to
death, but it was changed to a life-sentence later on.
Anyhow, the album. Paul Simon, who was of the same age as Salvador Agron,
obviously followed this story when he was young. I haven't seen the musical
myself, but the album is very nice and compelling. It's easy to follow the
story and events through the songs. The music is latin inspired and light
and easy, with a very recognizable Paul Simon touch to it. Simon does the most
of the singing himself, but the musical singers Ruben Blades, Marc Anthony
and Ednita Nazario also appear on the album.
The following songs are on the album:
- Adios Hermanos
- Born In Puerto Rico
- Satin Summer Nights
- Bernadette
- The Vampires
- Quality
- Can I Forgive Him
- Sunday Afternoon
- Killer Wants To Go To College
- Time Is An Ocean
- Virgil
- Killer Wants To Go To College II
- Trailways Bus