Surprise
by Paul Simon
eBay
Condition: Very Good
Paul Simon bestography
Surprise is ranked 11th best out of 29 albums by Paul Simon on BestEverAlbums.com.
The best album by Paul Simon is Graceland which is ranked number 123 in the list of all-time albums with a total rank score of 10,456.
(N.B. Bestographies include all albums by an artist (and their variations), but do not include albums ranked outside the top 100,000).
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Surprise track list
The tracks on this album have an average rating of 79 out of 100 (all tracks have been rated).
Surprise rankings
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Surprise ratings
Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AVwhere:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.
Showing latest 5 ratings for this album. | Show all 56 ratings for this album.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Album ratings | Avg. album rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01/14/2026 10:06 | Leginlists | 3,618 | 83/100 | |
| 06/20/2025 19:36 | mostlymor | 6,947 | 79/100 | |
| 05/12/2025 14:26 | Pienk | 726 | 80/100 | |
| 04/19/2025 14:42 |  EyeKanFly | 8,756 | 65/100 | |
| 01/24/2025 08:29 |  NowhereMan | 1,443 | 77/100 |
Rating metrics:
Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some albums can have several thousand ratings)
This album has a Bayesian average rating of 72.1/100, a mean average of 72.1/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 72.1/100. The standard deviation for this album is 14.4.
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Surprise comments
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After the slight disappointment of the, you're the one, album, Paul Simon returns six years later with an excellent record. Surprise, is probably Simon's most challenging album to date, featuring, according to the credits, ' sonic landscape' by Brian Eno. There is certainly a more ambient feeling to the songs, especially on, everything about it is a love song, and, sure don't feel like love. Outrageous, is a funky track, and, wartime prayers, one of Simon's best ballads for years. Other standouts are opener, how can you live in the northeast, another galaxy, and, once upon a time there was an ocean. Father and daughter,was recorded earlier for The Wild Thornberries soundtrack, and was added onto the album after it became a minor hit. Even though it's a nice enough song, it feels out of place here amongst the more atmospheric tracks. Still, surprise, is an excellent Paul Simon LP.
This record took me by surprise. Mr. Simon's strongest material in years.
RoundTheBend 01/11/2012 00:05 | #34974
I actually really like this album because I feel like he wanted to try something new. I mean, when was the last time you heard distortion on a Paul Simon album.
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