Posted on: August 14, 2015 Posted by: John B. Moore Comments: 0

Ever wonder who was the most pissed off guy in the 70’s? My money is on Art Garfunkel. Simon & Garfunkel had just left the 60’s behind with a few Grammys and a ton of stellar songs on their resume. After calling it quits, (apparently Garfunkel pulled the plug so he could embark on an acting career) Paul Simon took a year or two off and comes out with his amazing solo debut… meanwhile Garfunkel settles into his lifetime role as punch line to a slew of jokes for the next few decades, while sitting by the phone waiting for the occasional invitation from Simon for a reunion tour. But as a reminder of just how great the two were as a duo, Legacy has just re-released the Simon & Garfunkel collection on 180 gram vinyl, and it’s even better than you remembered. 

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  • Wednesday Morning, 3 AM – Admittedly this one is not going to make anyone’s list of best debut albums, but a decent enough start for the band. A bulk of the songs were written by Simon, including “The Sound of Silence,” a few traditionals and a so-so cover of Bob Dylan’s “The Times They Are A-Changin’.”

 

  • Sounds of Silence – Ok, now this is more like it. Despite inexplicably including “The Sound of Silence” (again), the album includes other Simon-penned tunes, including the brilliant “I Am A Rock” and the very-dated, but still solid “We’ve Got a Groovy Thing Goin’.”

 

  • Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme – The dreadful title track aside, this album is the first in a trio of brilliant albums the band would put out before imploding. Songs like “Homeward Bound” and “The 59th Street Bridge” are still hard to resist decades later.

 

  • Bookends – “Mrs. Robinson,” “Hazy Shade of Winter”… along with being a simply stellar album, Bookends also found the band moving further and further away from their mellow, folkie debut and on a more rock… or at least pop-infused path that would keep Simon on the music charts for the next couple of decades.

 

  • Bridge Over Troubled Water – If you have only one Simon & Garfunkel album, this is the one you own. And for good reason. Along with the title track, it includes  “Cecilia,” “The Boxer,” “The Only Living Boy in New York,” “Bye Bye Love”… there is not a weak track on this album.

 

  • Greatest Hits – Um, the title pretty much says it all.

Simon & Garfunkel – The Complete Columbia Albums Collection/6 Vinyl LPs/Columbia & Legacy/2015

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