Customer Reviews

Simon and Garfunkel's Bookends (Rock of Ages)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

This was a nice insiders look at the genius of Paul Simon, and the magic that was and is Simon & Garfunkel.

It also shows how much luck and serendipity are still needed for genius to succeed...Tom Wilson's decision to "electrify" "Sounds of Silence" helped propel the duo to national prominence.

A nice little book crammed with information on the rise to fame of the wonderful duo Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel.I especially liked the end where the author shares my own view that they will indeed meet up on a park bench at 70 just like in their song "Old Friends" A must for Simon & Garfunkel fans everywhere.

First of all author Pete Fornatele has been a fixture in my life and in the lives of many New Yorkers for over 3 decades as a DJ on a legendary NYC FM station and now WFUV-FM with a weekly themed radio show.

So he knows of what he writes.

I have always had an afinity for S&G's music; Pauls thoughtful, literate lyrics and underrated guitar playing and Art's angelic voice.

This book traces their career, from it's early beginnings, obviously focusing on the title, the Bookened album, which Fornatele deems the apogee of their career. There are a lot of information in here about the duo that even if you are major fans and know something of their history together, you will learn some new things.

It is a very short book, a quick read, but I think it is essential reading for any S&G fan in particular and any music fan in general.

If you know practically nothing about Simon and Garfunkel, this book might be of some use to you. Otherwise, it's not worth the time. The book runs 125 pages or so, which is, I think, about right for a book about a single album. And Bookends is a great album, plenty worthy of the attempt. But Fornatale spends the first 80-something pages writing about S&G's lives and career up to Bookends. There is barely anything of interest in those pages that can't be found in the liner notes to the CD box sets.
And Mr. Fornatale, to put it kindly, is not a particularly good writer. He writes in a style I would expect from some 2nd-rate rock music magazine.
I suspect this "Rock of Ages" line of books is inspired by the great "33 1/3" series. Editors for the latter series would never, ever, have allowed this one to see print.