Customer Reviews

Bridge over Troubled Water

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Bridge Over Troubled Water is an outstanding, classic rock album from Simon and Garfunkel. These guys knew music and they played and sang so well that they remain very famous even after their split so many years ago. The sound quality is excellent and the artwork is very thoughtfully done.

The CD starts with the title track, "Bridge Over Troubled Water." They sing this beautifully and there is such a soothing quality to this rock ballad that you just can't resist it! "Bridge Over Troubled water" has an especially fine arrangement for the piano and this helps the melody along quite a bit. "El Condor Pasa (If I Could)" has another very pretty melody for this considerably shorter ballad; Paul Simon sings this flawlessly and the flute is gorgeous on "El Condor Pasa (If I Could)." Great!

"Cecilia" rocks! This tune gives us Simon and Garfunkel singing out loud about a girl who can break a man's heart and not feel terribly bad at all about it. The beat is quite good for this song and it all holds its own very well. "So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright" is a lesser known ballad but it's really very well done; and the use of both major and minor keys enhances the natural beauty of this ballad.

"The Boxer" is one of their greatest hits ever--I always enjoy this even if I know there may be hidden meanings in the lyrics that I still don't understand. Simon and Garfunkel harmonize to perfection and the percussion helps to mark the best very well. I predict that you'll enjoy "The Boxer" very much if you haven't heard it already.

"The Only Living Boy In New York" puzzles me because despite its beauty it's not a song that gets the full; recognition it deserves. Simon and Garfunkel sing this without a flaw and "The Only Living Boy In New York" is clearly a highlight of this album.

Just as Amazon notes, we also get a live cover of The Everly Brothers' "Bye Bye Love." Simon and Garfunkel put their own stamp on this great ballad by changing a few keys here and there and it works wonders for this number. I love it!

"Feuilles-O" is an excellent bonus track on this album; and listen for a bonus track of another slightly different recoding of "Bridge Over Troubled Water." This demo works well but I think the final version worked best.

Overall, Simon and Garfunkel fans will want this for their collections; and people who enjoy classic rock and even some of the "oldies" will cherish this CD for years to come.

The fact that over half of the songs on Bridge Over Troubled Water are included on The Best of Simon and Garfunkel is a testament to the strength and consistency of this marvelous album. The album's hits, the South American flavored "Cecilia," the genuinely moving title ballad and the greatest rock epic ever written, "The Boxer," among them, are all unquestionable classics, but Bridge's less celebrated tracks, including the devilish "Baby Driver," and the euphoric gust, "Keep the Customer Satisfied," and the cover of The Every Brother's "Bye Bye Love," a notable step up from the original, are also very impressive. The excellence of this album was well recognized upon its release, as Bridge was one of the top-sellers of its decade and was showered with awards (including Album of the Year) at the 1970 Grammys. More than thirty years later, Bridge Over Troubled Water has lost none of its power to charm and move listeners. Truly, this album stands as a major achievement.

In my opinion, there are no albums better than this one in pop music. This, everyone, is the limit. It is the only album I can think of where every single song is a joy. The worst, in my opinion, is "Bye bye love," and it is better than 95% of the songs out there anyway. The title song is a glorious, pure piece of loving artwork for Art Garfunkel to shine on, while Art also gives a moving performance in the beautiful "So long, Frank Lloyd Wright." Simon writes two slightly avant-garde but musically perfect songs, the Brazilian "El Condor Pasa" and percussion-driven, frantic romance "Cecilia." Two excellent soft-rock songs, "Baby Driver" and "Keep the Customer Satisfied" may be just for fun but they are fantastically written and incredibly catchy. "Why Don't You Write Me"'s enjoyable tune and sax solo make it more than worthwhile, while the serenade "SOng for the Asking" is touching and sweetly sung. The best of all of these (maybe tied with the title track) is the heartrending ballad, "The Boxer." Listen to the harmonies of the up-and-down guitars with the saxes and violins. This is an extraordinary cd, and the bonus tracks are interesting as a comparison.

Not being a child of the Simon & Garfunkel, Beatles, The Who, and the sixties generation, many believe those my age (ah, the children of the ninties...) cannot truly have an appreciation for the beautiful lyrics and ideas of a duo such as Simon and Garfunkel. Well, first of all, the music is so incredibly dynamic and unforgettable by itself. Second, the poetry found in it is applicable and warmly welcome in these turbulent times today. A song like "Bridge Over Troubled Water" is just the saving grace that our generation, and all generations after us need.

Every time I play this album, this unexplainable happiness and relaxation comes. I find myself dancing in my car to "Cecilia" and "Baby Driver" and unable to frown during "The Boxer," "So Long Frank Lloyd Wright" (which, is, by the way, the most beautiful tribute I have heard) and "Only Living Boy in New York." I guarantee that any true appreciator of music will feel the same way and I strongly suggest that you play this album for your kids forever... This classic must survive the generations!!!

Both the Beatles and Simon & Garfunkel released their final albums in 1970. However, while LET IT BE documented the fragmentation of band members heading in different directions, no such tensions are evident on BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATER. The title track is a majestic tour de force and spent six weeks at No. 1 and sold over a million copies. "Cecelia" was another million-seller. But my favorite track is the melancholic "The Boxer." And just for the sheer joy of the song, "Baby Driver" runs a close second--even though I still don't have a clue what the lyrics mean! And they pay homage to one of their biggest influences with a rendition of the Everly Brothers' 1957 hit, "Bye Bye Love." Simon & Garfunkel were the most successful duo of the Sixties for a reason: Simon was a superb songwriter and they could sing the hell out of a song. It doesn't get any better than this! ESSENTIAL

The new remaster of "Bridge Over Troubled Water" finally puts this CD on a pedestal it rightly deserves. The new remastering, by Bob Irwin, captures all of the subtleties and bombast of the original LP issue - moreso than the 1996-vintage MasterSound or 1999-vintage Millennium Collection CDs. The sound is rich, vibrant, and full of life. Each song breathes in a most organic way - from the light samba of "So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright" to the climax of the title track, to the thump of "Cecilia," this remastering can be accurately called THE BEST EVER. The new 2001 remasters of the Simon & Garfunkel catalog are long overdue. That said, the new discs are stunning, and worth the purchase.

The Beatles and Simon & Garfunkel will always be tied to the 60's, being that both groups broke up in the opening year of the next decade. But whereas the Beatles went out with a bit of a whimper ("Let It Be"), S&G went out with a big bang. "Bridge Over Troubled Water" is arguably Simon & Garfunkel's finest hour; a brilliantly written and performed collection of songs immacualtely produced.

Although there is no concept here, the album contain a bit of a tension as the personality conflicts seep into the songs ("So Long Frank Lloyd Wright" - a farewell to an architect, and Garfunkel once being an architect student - and "The Only Living Boy in New York" being thinly veiled goodbyes). Plus, Simon takes control with this album, Garfunkel many times seemingly an afterthought. Conflicts aside, the performances are equal parts grand and majestic, low-key and fun.

Songwise, a great deal of ground is covered here. "The Boxer" is stunning in its Spector-like production and moving in its lyrics, yet never loses sight of its simplicity with the trademark S&G harmonies and acoustic guitar. Quite possibly the grandest song S&G ever did as a group. But the big production numbers are balanced by simple and fun ditties like "Cecilia", "Baby Driver" and "Why Don't You Write Me". "El Condor Pasa" is Simon's adaptation of a old Spanish traditional song, pre-dating his world music experiments of "Graceland" & especally "Rhythm of the Saints" by a decade and a half. A live take of the Everly Brothers' "Bye Bye Love" shows just where Simon & Garfunkel got their harmonies from. "Keep the Customer Satisfied" is a rocking little number with empassioned vocals and a goospimple-inducing horn coda at the end. And Simon offers up two of his most beautiful numbers ever with "The Only Living Boy in New York" (my personal fav by them) and the album closer "Song for the Asking"

But although Simon was in charge, Garfunkel gets his moments to shine, with a great vocal on the aforementioned (and ironc) "So Long...". And he quite possibly deliveres the greatest vocal performance ever recorded in history with the astounding title track. A beautiful song in its own right, Garfunkel's stunning interpretation sends it through the stratosphere.

Whereas "Bookends" may be the better album as a whole, "Bridge Over Troubled Water" is their strongest and most accessable collection, and solidifies Simon & Garfunkel's legendary status. They went out at the absoulute top of their game. A must own album of epic proportions.

I was born 10 years after this album came out. My parents were still in high school on its release date. But they knew it was good. It stuck with them. And they raised me on it. Countless trips to Grandma's house, giggling at the rumbling low-end notes of the baritone saxiphones in "Why Don't You Write Me?" Just like a rebellious teen raised in a morally strict family, I tried to run and deny my love for these songs . . . but for many years now I have loudly proclaimed it. "The Only Living Boy In New York" is, to this day, my favorite song of all time. "The Boxer", "Keep the Customer Satisfied", and "Bridge Over Troubled Water" still move me emotionally like few songs can. The only song I don't like is "So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright." First of all, the purpose of the song doesn't warrant either songwriting or inclusion on an album in my opinion. But when all we had was this album on cassette, that song was the last one on side one, so we could just fast forward to the end. Now with CD's, it's even easier to continue disliking that song by never listening to it. When an album such as this is labelled as a classic, there is a very good reason for it. Those reasons can be seen as just plain ol' good songs, powerful social commentary, Billboard-topping singles . . . but for me, its the fact that I, primarily a fan of punk and independent rock, love this album that proves that it's a timeless classic.

You don't have to be a baby boomer to love this album, but if you do remember when it first came out, that makes it all the more wonderful. The title track is one of my favorite songs of all time, and the acoustic demo track at the end, never before released, is awesome. It lacks the gorgeous orchestration and the two-part vocal harmonies of the final version, but has a somewhat different set of lyrics that are breathtakingly beautiful. I don't know why Simon changed them. However, the more familiar lyrics are also lovely, so I'm not complaining. But it's great to have both.

A defining album in folk/rock history. A defining American album. BOTW is a wonderful journey. This uber-talented duo have never sounded better, or written better than here. The melacholy vibes just pour off of "So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright" and "The Only Living Boy in New York". Gorgeous songs that captivate the spirit and imagination. Then throw in hoots like "Baby Driver" and the heartfelt "Bye, Bye, Love". This is an album that spoke many things for many people. It spoke for a generation of Americans disturbed by economic distress and wars and rumours of wars in far away places. A powerful snapshot of American history.

Essential.