Editing Paul Simon (album) (section)

==Release and reception==
{{Album ratings
| title = Retrospective professional ratings
| rev1 = [[AllMusic]]
| rev1score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/paul-simon-mw0000197568 |title=''Paul Simon'' – Paul Simon |website=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=May 15, 2010 |last=Ruhlmann |first=William}}</ref>
| rev2 = ''[[Blender (magazine)|Blender]]''
| rev2score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Back Catalogue: Paul Simon |magazine=[[Blender (magazine)|Blender]] |location=New York |issue=53 |date=November 2006 |last=Powers |first=Ann |author-link=Ann Powers}}</ref>
| rev3 = ''[[Chicago Tribune]]''
| rev3score = {{Rating|4|4}}<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1990/10/14/the-evolution-of-simons-diverse-solo-career/ |title=The Evolution Of Simon's Diverse Solo Career |newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]] |date=October 14, 1990 |access-date=January 22, 2018 |last=Kot |first=Greg |author-link=Greg Kot}}</ref>
| rev4 = ''[[Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies|Christgau's Record Guide]]''
| rev4score = A+<ref name="CG70s">{{cite book |chapter=S |chapter-url=https://www.robertchristgau.com/get_chap.php?k=S&bk=70 |access-date=March 12, 2019 |via=robertchristgau.com |title=Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies |title-link=Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies |last=Christgau |first=Robert |author-link=Robert Christgau |publisher=[[Ticknor and Fields]] |year=1981 |isbn=0-89919-026-X}}</ref>
| rev5 = ''[[The Encyclopedia of Popular Music]]''
| rev5score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref>{{cite book |chapter=Simon, Paul |title=[[The Encyclopedia of Popular Music]] |last=Larkin |first=Colin |author-link=Colin Larkin |publisher=[[Omnibus Press]] |edition=5th concise |year=2011 |isbn=978-0-85712-595-8}}</ref>
| rev6 = ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]''
| rev6score = A<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://ew.com/article/1991/01/18/rating-paul-simons-albums/ |title=Rating Paul Simon's albums |magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]] |location=New York |date=January 18, 1991 |access-date=February 17, 2016 |last=Browne |first=David |author-link=David Browne (journalist)}}</ref>
| rev7 = ''[[The Guardian]]''
| rev7score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2004/aug/06/popandrock1 |title=Paul Simon, ''Paul Simon'' |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |location=London |date=August 6, 2004 |access-date=September 18, 2020 |last=Sweeting |first=Adam |author-link=Adam Sweeting}}</ref>
| rev8 = ''[[Record Collector]]''
| rev8score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Paul Simon: ''Paul Simon'' |magazine=[[Record Collector]] |location=London |page=97 |quote=[H]is hunger to explore different musical styles is evident on his eponymous 1972 release...}}</ref>
| rev9 = ''[[The Rolling Stone Album Guide]]''
| rev9score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref>{{cite book |chapter=Paul Simon |last=Sheffield |first=Rob |author-link=Rob Sheffield |title=The New Rolling Stone Album Guide |title-link=The Rolling Stone Album Guide |editor1-last=Brackett |editor1-first=Nathan |editor1-link=Nathan Brackett |editor2-last=Hoard |editor2-first=Christian |editor2-link=Christian Hoard |publisher=[[Fireside Books]] |edition=4th |year=2004 |isbn=0-7432-0169-8 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac/page/736 736–37]}}</ref>
| rev10 = ''[[Uncut (magazine)|Uncut]]''
| rev10score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref>{{cite magazine |title=St. Paul's Gospel |magazine=[[Uncut (magazine)|Uncut]] |location=London |issue=89 |date=October 2004 |last=Torn |first=Luke}}</ref>
}}
Released on January 24, 1972, the album arrived at a time when, following the dissolution of the duo that made him famous, Paul Simon was considered to be at a disadvantage, with many seeing him as the [[underdog]]. This sentiment was echoed by [[Columbia Records]] president [[Clive Davis]], who told Simon, "[Simon & Garfunkel] is a household word. No matter however successful you'll be, you'll never be as successful as S&G", to which Simon responded, "Yeah, like [[Dean Martin]] and [[Jerry Lewis]]".<ref name=":0" /> Despite these doubts, the album became a major commercial success against all odds, peaking at number 4 on the [[Billboard 200]] on April 1, 1972,<ref>{{Cite web |title=April 1, 1972 |url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/billboard-200/1972-04-01/ |access-date=12 February 2025 |website=Billboard}}</ref> and eventually earning a [[Platinum certification]] by the [[Recording Industry Association of America]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=American album certifications – Paul Simon – Paul Simon |url=https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=default-award&ar=Paul+Simon&ti=Paul+Simon&format=Album&type=#search_section |access-date=12 February 2025 |website=Recording Industry Association of America}}</ref>

In a 1972 review for ''[[The Village Voice]]'', [[Robert Christgau]] stated, "this is the only thing in the universe to make me positively happy in the first two weeks of February 1972."<ref name="CG">{{cite news |url=https://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/cg/cg24.php |title=Consumer Guide (24) |newspaper=[[The Village Voice]] |location=New York |date=March 2, 1972 |access-date=May 15, 2010 |last=Christgau |first=Robert |author-link=Robert Christgau}}</ref> That same year, writing for ''[[Rolling Stone]]'', [[Jon Landau]] described it as Simon's "least detached, most personal and painful piece of work thus far — this from a lyricist who has never shied away from pain as subject or theme."<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/paul-simon-19720302 |title=''Paul Simon'' |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |location=New York |date=March 2, 1972 |access-date=May 15, 2010 |last=Landau |first=Jon |author-link=Jon Landau}}</ref> In a 2022 article written on the occasion of the album's fiftieth anniversary, [[Rob Sheffield]] called it "the funniest, nastiest, leanest, meanest, and possibly weirdest masterpiece of his great career", adding that, "for some fans, including this one, it’s the best album he’s ever made, with or without [[Art Garfunkel|the other guy]]".<ref name=":0" />

Critical praise for the album was widespread, though some reviewers were less enthusiastic. Noel Coppage, writing in ''[[Sound & Vision (magazine)|Stereo Review]]'', called it "undistinguished" and added, "I gather...this album is merely Simon's way of keeping his hand in while Garfunkel makes movies....I'm now wondering if Garfunkel's arranging work doesn't include sending Simon back to rewrite some of his songs before recording them."<ref>STEREO REVIEW, July 1972, Vol. 28, #1, p. 84.</ref> Despite Coppage's critical panning, other ''Stereo Review'' critics went on to award the album one of its "Record of the Year" honors.<ref>[[Stereo Review]], February 1973, Vol. 30, #2, p. 81.</ref>

The album was ranked number 268 on ''Rolling Stone''{{'}}s 2012 list of the [[Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time|500 Greatest Albums of All Time]], and number 425 in the 2020 update.<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-albums-of-all-time-1062063/paul-simon-paul-simon-2-1062808/|title=The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|date=September 22, 2020}}</ref> It was ranked number 984 in ''[[All-Time Top 1000 Albums]]'' (3rd. edition, 2000).<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/virgin_1000_v3.htm |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20060811222706/http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/virgin_1000_v3.htm |url-status= usurped |archive-date= August 11, 2006 |title=Rocklist  |access-date=October 13, 2018}}</ref>