Disco de Simon & Garfunkel: “The Best of Simon & Garfunkel”

At first glance the S&G completists will note--Where is "Kathy's Song"?

First, let me explain. This collection features the S&G songs that were released as charted singles. The evidence in that is that the songs are listed in the order they debuted on the singles charts. Therefore, "The Sound of Silence" kicks it off (released 11/65) and "My Little Town" closes it (released 10/75).

Kathy's Song never charted. One may also note that the applause from "For Emily..." crossfades into the intro to "America." The reason for this is to hide the crossfade ending of Save The Life Of My Child which is underneath the fade-up of "America." The songs are not out of order ("America" was one side of the "For Emily" single).

Lastly, "Fakin' It" is the mono single mix. There is nothing wrong with its inclusion here. This single version has as yet to be released. How does it compare with the stereo remaster on the Old Friends boxed set? Different! The intro doesn't fade up, and the ending is faded out a little early. Also Paul's last verse and chorus (used before the fade-out) comes up a few seconds early after the door chime and the little girl sound effects) Thus the mono single is shorter than the stereo album mix by about eight seconds. The stereo mix is good on the drums near the end and on those sound effects (crossing from one speaker to the next) to give it a spacy, airy feel. However, the mono mix also has more punch, the drums are louder, the vocals without echo seem clearer. I guess, it's a toss up between the two. Both are good in their own way.

The remastering is excellent! This is far more superior than its predecessor. One wonders though where the remastered live "Kathy's Song" will end up. So far, it is only available on Paul Simon's boxed set!

A truly great best-of that lives up to its name. However, I would have welcomed more than two pages of liner notes! Buy this though and start feelin' groovy all over again!

Simon and Garfunkel have that unique sound that just makes you want to listen to more. I was pleased with the amount of music and the quality of this recording over the other Greatest Hits. I did not grow up in the 60's; I'm just 15. But their music carries a flavor of that era that nothing else I have seen does. I knew some of the great hits before I bought it, "Bridge over troubled water," "Mrs. Robinson," and "Sounds of Silence," but was pleasently surprised to find I soon loved all the other "new" songs. This is, to use an overly-used expression, a must-have-CD for all lovers of the 60's music and culture.

Which one of these songs don't you know? And, better yet, which one of these songs didn't strike a poignant poetic part of you?

I learned to write, in some ways, by hearing the meter and phrasing of these songs. Pop music? Sure, but it is great pop music.

From the lonesome "Homeward Bound," to the desparate, "Boxer," to the cogent "My Little Town," to fun, "Feelin' Groovy" to the rocking "Hazy Shade of Winter", S & G are all the way in the song. The music is perfect for the song, yet doesn't overcome the lyrics.

Their cover of the old Celtic folk song, "Scarborough Fair" has become to most people the definitive version.

There really is no better collection of Simon and Garfunkel's tunes. This is the one. I fully recommend "The Best of Simon & Garfunkel" by Simon and Garfunkel.

Anthony Trendl

editor, HungarianBookstore.com

DON'T FORGET GARFUNKEL! Hey, Paul Simon has had a great solo career, but you need a greatest hits album that includes Garfunkel also, for this harmony has been oft-imitated but never duplicated in such grandeur.

Garfunkel adds that extra special something that made MRS. ROBINSON, CECELIA and 59TH STREET BRIDGE SONG sing-along favorites, and revived the traditional favorite SCARBOROUGH FAIR.

Of course, Simon still gets top billing for his phenomenal singing and songwriting skills and works his solo magic on two of the album's greatest cuts, FOR EMILY WHEREVER I MAY FIND HER and BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATER.

It's a real testament to the duo's tremendous appeal that a 20-song "greatest hits" CD can only marginally capture their music. Still, the selection is one that will keep old fans happy and win over a few new fans along the way. It's too bad that their inspiring cover of THE TIMES ARE A'CHANGIN' wasn't included. This album is still guaranteed to stay in your player for a long time.

I purchased this album because I noticed that all of the songs had been digitally remastered. What a difference that makes! Compared to the Columbia "Greatest Hits" CD which was unlistenable, this album is far superior. Moreover, this album has many more songs which better represent the talent of Paul Simon, as songwriter and musician. As for the songs themselves, they are timeless, such as "The Sounds of Silence" (which, thankfully, is clearer and absent that annoying tape hiss), to "The Dangling Conversation" (with its snippets of poetry), to "Mrs. Robinson" (I have never heard more detailed guitars and better stereo separation) to "Bridge Over Troubled Water" (which was clearer but still a disappointment in the arrangement, with its Spector-like wall of sound). By definition, any greatest hits album will omit songs that one thinks are critical to such a compliation, but on the whole, this is a fine effort.