35 of 35 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Concert Compilation, April 10, 2008
This review is from: Live 1969 (Audio CD)
This disc,presently offered exclusively through Starbucks(or through Amazon Marketplace merchants selling promo copies) is a compilation from shows recorded on the duo's late 1969 tour,where they were combining familiar hits with a preview of songs from their forthcoming "Bridge Over Troubled Water" album.It is the only Simon & Garfunkel 1960's tour to employ a backing band,who are heard on a few songs in the middle of the show,though on a typical show,the added musicians were heard on more of the show than on this composite compilation show.
Simon & Garfunkel varied the set list from one night to the next,and unfortunately,this composite show doesn't feature all of the songs performed on this tour.Amongst the missing songs are "America","Fakin' It","Bye Bye Love","Poem on The Underground Wall" and the controversial,never-released "Cuba Si,Nixon No".
In some ways the unofficial "Back To College" CD(recorded direct to 2-track,during a filming at a University in Oxford,Ohio) provides a more accurate snapshot of this tour,a better set list and generally better performances.
Still,"Live 1969" is a decent addition to your Simon & Garfunkel Collection.Don't overpay for it though.By the mid-fall of 2008,it should be available from Amazon.com itself.You have two options at present:Starbucks Coffee dealers(or their website) or Amazon marketplace merchants.
I resent Sony/BMG for holding back the release of this disc for a year after the promo copies were sent out,just for the sake of setting up this pointless exclusive for a coffee shop.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Simply Spectacular, September 22, 2010
This might be the best Simon and Garfunkel ever. They are at their absolute peak and one listen to this CD will remind you of just how massively talented both of these performers are - tremendous vocal range, brilliant song-writing, and near perfect harmony even while live. Oh, and the sound quality is shockingly crisp, clear and dynamic. It sounds like it was recorded last week. A true testament to their talent is hearing them call songs like Bridge Over Troubled Water and The Boxer a "song from our new album (about to come out)," hear the audience reaction of politely enthusiastic applause and then hear how moved the audience was after hearing that song for the very first time. Happening upon this CD on Amazon was like discovering a diamond mine. Buy it. Buy it. Buy it.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Before the egos went under the bridge, February 18, 2010
One can only hope other surviving members of the 60's singers had the forethought to record a live record of such awesome beauty before the onset of ego separation pervades their output as the Simon & Garfunkel handlers did. This is the definitive live recording for this influentially social conscious duo to date. The addition of such senior stalwarts as Joe Osborne(base), Hal Blaine(drums), the late Larry Knechtel(keyboards, Mamas & Papas et al.)and Fred Carter(guitar)adds to the enjoyment very subtlely. Here, the gents are freely jubilant and in perfect pitch and soaring vocally like Torvil and Dean on ice through some of the early hits and soon-to-be-released gems like "Bridge Over Troubled Water," that are met in that case with tremendous roars upon completion. Get it while you can, because that kind of vocal gold is rare indeed, diminishing with each rappin' Grammy. Lordy.
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