Simon and Garfunkel's Bookends (Rock of Ages) [Hardcover]

Pete Fornatale (Author)

Book Description

Series: Rock of Ages | Publication Date: October 30, 2007

Released just 24 hours before the Martin Luther King Jr. assassination in April 1968 and inseparable from the tumultuous events of that time, Bookends is essential Simon and Garfunkel, featuring "A Hazy Shade of Winter" and the finished version of "Mrs. Robinson," the classic #1 hit that had its beginnings on the soundtrack of the milestone motion picture The Graduate.

Writing from on-hand experience and exclusive interviews with the duo, Pete Fornatale reveals never-before-disclosed details of the love-hate relationship between the two musicians and offers a unique perspective on each of them. Bookends captured the duo at the peak of their personal, professional, and artistic partnership in the '60s. The dark clouds and troubled waters that broke them up were still a year and a half away.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

PETE FORNATALE has been a New York radio institution since the '60s. He can be heard on WFUV and on "The Loft" on XM Satellite Radio. His previous books include The Story of Rock and Roll and Radio in the Television Age. He lives in New York.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Rodale Books; First Edition edition (October 30, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1594864276
• ISBN-13: 978-1594864278
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 4.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #488,721 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a great read, November 18, 2007

By 

B. Nisman "musiclover" (Plainview, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Simon and Garfunkel's Bookends (Rock of Ages) (Hardcover)

Like Mr. Fornatale's style on radio, the book is written in a light, breezy, uncomplicated manner, that informs, broadens and enlightens. While needing some time to get to the album itself, Mr. Fornatale brings us back to the 60's, where and when other signature albums of that historic period were introducing themselves, such as Sgt Pepper's and Pet Sounds. In fact, any fan of music is surely going to move from the book to the turntable or cd player, and experience Bookends, and the other albums.
Clearly, Mr. Fornatale is not merely a historian of the rock era, nor just a radio personality, but rather, an avid fan of the music and that makes the essence of the book fairly simple; read it, learn from it, and appreciate the genius of S and G, the Beatles and the Beach Boys......Mr. Fornatale, bring us more.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I Love it!!, December 9, 2007

By 

Patricia M. Bernstein "Patty" (Queens, New York) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Simon and Garfunkel's Bookends (Rock of Ages) (Hardcover)

If you are a music lover with the keen awareness that music is not created in a vacuum, this book is for you. Mr. Fornatale informs his readers of the very tumultuous times that influenced the creative consciousness of the beloved duo, Simon and Garfunkel. A new level of awareness was reached, found and brought to the airwaves by Simon and Garfunkel's intelligent lyrics and beautiful harmonies. Read this book and learn about a very important shift of consciousness in American culture and music.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars More of an Essay Than a History Book, January 20, 2008

By 

Michael J. Smith (White Plains, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Simon and Garfunkel's Bookends (Rock of Ages) (Hardcover)

As a child of New York rock radio in the 70s and 80s, the preeminent FM radio station of its time for me was WNEW-FM. One of the most intelligent and insightful voices on that station of those days was Pete Fornatale.

Since that time, I have heard the author's Mixed Bag radio program over many years. Pete Fornatale simply is a wonderful storyteller and lived in the midst of this golden age with a bird's eye view of the goings on. Accordingly I came to this book with very high expectations.

This very brief book captures the feeling of the times and places a context for Simon and Garfunkel's seemingly short recording career. Pete Fornatale recounts several interesting stories about the partnership, but unfortunately tells the story too often from an outsider's perspective without real insightful details into this prominent duo's history.

It is almost as if this book was written in such a manner as to not offend either of the partners in this duo. I'm hard pressed to believe that either Mr. Simon or Mr. Garfunkel would look unfavorably upon this book.

It is a quick read, it does provide some interesting stories and it refreshes your memory as to Simon and Garfunkel's place in music history. If Pete Fornatale, were to write his next book in his magnificent storytelling style, pulling back the curtains a bit more and telling more of the stories, even the uncomfortable ones, it would make for a better read.