Simon & Garfunkel Album: “Bookends”

BOOKENDS (released in 1968) is the greatest of all Simon & Garfunkel albums, and one of the best records made in the 1960s.

When this review was first published on the night of 12/25/06, I'd been pondering Christmas of 1968. I was 14 back then. It was an awful year to live through for anyone, especially a kid. The Vietnam War, the assassination of public figures, and seeing part of my city burn the previous summer during riots; it was a lot to handle.

The song "Save The Life Of My Child" from BOOKENDS was in my head during most of 1968. I identified with that frightened boy standing on the ledge, while a crowd below urged him to jump. His final thought as "he flew away" was "...I got no hiding place." That was exactly how I felt in those dark days.

What a powerful and unforgettable way to begin an album. The moods of BOOKENDS reflect so well the troubled times of the late '60s, with its anti-war sentiments (Punky's Dilemma), and its tales of love and love lost (America, Overs). The original first side of the record ends with the sad longing and fears of Old Friends, who sit on a park bench and reminisce together. But this bittersweet song has a deeper message. These old men were survivors-- if they were supposed to be elderly in 1968, then they made it through the Depression, and two world wars, and if they were the youth of 1968 projected into the future, well they too made it through trials by fire.

And so have I made it through! I'm in my late 50s now and headed for that park bench one day. The fears and sadness of 1968 are long past, but a final memory remains:

As I lay in bed early that Christmas Eve, the colored glow of tree lights seeped into my room. Off in the distance were disembodied television voices of Apollo astronauts circling the moon-- they read a passage from the book of Genesis, and wished well the "people of the good Earth." It was a peaceful and hopeful ending to a terrible year.

Very few albums truly encapsulate a moment in time. Even fewer connect deeply with listeners in ways they may not realize until decades into the future. Simon & Garfunkel's BOOKENDS is one of those rare examples. It is paradoxically timeless and a reflection of its time.

You know an album is good when one of the worst songs on it is the band's biggest single.

"Bookends" is Simon & Garfunkel, and 60's folk-rock, at their absolute best. While other bands were exploring complicted concepts and rock operas, S&G created a side-long song cycle about the simplest of ideas; growing up and growing old.

The album opens with a soft acoustic guitar line of the "Bookends Theme" which explodes into the psychedelic blast of "Save the Life of My Child", then fades into the glorious land and soul-searching ode "America". "Overs" deals with the subject of relationships reaching a stalemate, and "Old Friends" takes an elequent look at old age with beautiful vocals and melodies and stirring strings, and fades back into the original opening guitar line with ending coda "preserve your memories, they're all that's left you." Brilliant. And that's just the first half.

The second half, merely a collection of songs, is one of their stongest collections. The moderate hit "Fakin' It", the wry "Punky's Delemma", the rocking "A Hazy Shade of Winter" and the poppy Orwellian-with-a-twist "At the Zoo". The monster hit of "Mrs. Robinson" although brilliant in its own right, sounds almost out of place here, and ranks up as one of the weaker tracks.

The album covers a great deal of ground, musically and emotionally, and transports the listener...and does so in about a half an hour. Simon & Garfunkel do in 30 minutes what most bands can't do with a full-length cd.

At long last, this gem of an album is getting the credit it so deserves. This is (arguably) Simon & Garfunkel's greatest work as a duo, and perhaps one of the greatest albums of all time. Absoulutely essential.

The first half of this mainly mellow album (originally one side of a vinyl album) is based around life experiences from childhood to old age. Beginning and ending with the bookends theme, the outstanding song in this half is the reflective America. Save the life of my child, Overs and Old friends are all great songs though I'm not too keen on Voices of old people.

The second half of the album has no obvious theme but is stronger overall, containing Mrs Robinson (the biggest hit here), Hazy shade of winter (revived in the eighties to good effect by the Bangles), Faking it (a minor American hit), Punky's dilemma (an excellent philosophical song) and At the zoo (a great song with which to close the original album). Some say that Mrs Robinson (which originally appeared in the soundtrack of The Graduate) doesn't really blend in with the rest of the album. Maybe not, but I'm glad it's here.

Two bonus tracks are nothing to get excited about, but the re-mastering gives a far superior sound quality. There are also some informative liner notes.

If you only want the famous songs, you can find them on any number of hits compilations - some double CD's, some single CD's. However, if you wish to explore further, this album should be a high priority.

Perhaps S & G here were trying to tell a life story between the BOOKENDS from birth "Save the Life of My Child" to the near end "Old Friends"...One line from the latter song "How terribly strange to be seventy", I have remembered from time to time when seeing older people over the years,but now,of course,the age of 70 does not seem strange at all! "America",tells a fine road story,and has always been one of my all-time favorites. I still don't know if "Mrs. Wagner's Pies" is a real brand! "Overs" has a folk-jazz feel that makes it,and many of S & G's tunes, more interesting by far than much folk/pop of the time,or since."Fakin It",and "Punky's Dilemma", a whimical look at the serious topic of draft dodging at the time,are equally good."Hazy Shade of Winter" is one of the few fast moving folk-rockers that I've ever enjoyed. "At the Zoo" is amusing,but not the type of song you'll want to hear over and over. Ditto for "Mrs. Robinson", a phenomenal hit at the time,but not one of my favorites. It is for me the only dud on the record,but did it ever get this duo into the big-time!! Bottom line,a timeless pop masterpiece,which I would put right next to the Beatles' REVOLVER, and the BeachBoys PET SOUNDS as the very best late 60's pop/rock!

Bookends is far and away one of the best, if not the best, album that Simon & Garfunkel ever released. Their sounds on this recording are phenomenal; the remastering job is superlative. This is a must-have CD for any Simon & Garfunkel fan; and we get two bonus tracks here that were not on the original record album release. Great!

The album begins with the "Bookends Theme." The guitar work stuns me with its beauty; it's all THAT good. "Bookends Theme" is a strong number with which to open the album, too. "Save The Life Of My Child" features great guitar and percussion work as Simon & Garfunkel perform this to perfection--and beyond! This is solid proof that these two masterful artists could handle complex tempo and key changes like the true pros they were and still remain. I'm very impressed. "America" is a much more mellow number with Simon & Garfunkel harmonizing faultlessly; "America" has a terrific flavor to it and the music fits in perfectly with their vocals. How's about that woodwind playing, too?

"Voices Of Old People" isn't exactly my favorite number on this album; but I can tell it has artistic value. It's just not my style; but many people will like this nonetheless. "Old Friends" stuns me with its beauty. "Old Friends" sports a lush musical arrangement and it all holds it own very well. The "Bookends Theme" comes back to complete the cycle of life with people growing old from being very young; and that's special.

"Fakin' It" has a mellow rock sound that strikes me with its beauty; this is Simon & Garfunkel at their best and just one listen will tell you why. They perform this without ever letting go of a superfluous note--impressive! "Fakin' It" is one of my favorite numbers on the entire album; it's really quite strong and the music fits beautifully with their vocalizing. In addition, "Punky's Dilemma" sports a mellow flavor that showcases the talents of Simon & Garfunkel; Punky's Dilemma" is indeed somewhat unusual--but it works every step of the way. Of course, "Mrs. Robinson" is an extremely popular number; all the stars in all the heavens were aligned in just the right places when Simon & Garfunkel wrote this tune. "Mrs. Robinson" worked well in the film "The Graduate;" and it's a classic ballad that will always remain incredibly special in its own right.

"A Hazy Shade Of Winter" uses the percussion and guitars well; even the brass sounds perfect! "At The Zoo" uses creative percussion while Simon & Garfunkel turn this out like champs! The guitars in "At The Zoo" couldn't have been any better sounding, either. We then get two bonus numbers, "You Don't Know Where Your Interest Lies" and "a demo version of "Old Friends." Simon & Garfunkel make these memorable with their impeccable delivery; and that's grand.

Simon & Garfunkel could never be forgotten; they gave us so much and we are all better off for their sharing their talents with us. I highly recommend this album for their fans especially since it has two bonus tracks. This is equally good as a starter CD for people just getting into Simon & Garfunkel.