Customer Reviews

Tales from New York: the Very Best of Simon & Garfunkel

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There are umpteen Simon and Garfunkel compilations out there, all vying for your money. And for those of you that are a little shy of forking out for a boxset, there's 2003's `The Essential Simon and Garfunkel' being amongst the strongest efforts. So what makes this as this effort stand out from the crowd???....well, this is one of those compilations that occupies a slightly weird middle ground, by being suitable for those that probably want to buy just the one purchase of a Simon and Garfunkel compilation, that not only contains the hits, ("Mrs. Robinson," "The Sound of Silence", "The Boxer", "I am a Rock", "Bridge over troubled water", "Cecilia") but also goes a little further that all the biggest hits, and includes albums tracks, and lesser know tracks that stand up as admirably as the most popular work: ( "The only living boy in New York", "Fakin' It", "Scarborough Fair/Canticle", "A Hazy Shade of Winter", "My Little Town", Kathy's Song").

This (with the exception of picking up a boxset), is arguably the most comprehensive compilation of the duo's work. It tops the `Essential Simon and Garfunkels' 33 tracks, by having a impressive 40 tracks, spread over two disks. Obviously this wouldn't mean much if those extras tracks where merely forgettable, and might merely drag the standard of the compilation down, but thankfully this is a masterfully compiled selection of tracks, that will surprise those that, only know the hits, by making a superbly rounded summary of the Duo's career, encapsulating their early bittersweet and sentimental folk numbers with the mainstream friendly amiable and reflective pop songs, that brought them a much larger audience. And it's here that this compilation really comes into its own, because unless you have the majority of the Duo's work, there's likely to be a fair bit of material that you either (A) Haven't heard in Years, or (B) Is completely new to you, and startles at its brilliance.

Several things, that I feel are important to note, is that the musical fidelity of the recordings is brilliant....sure, it's not been mastered in a relatively cutting edge music format (SACD, etc..), but few will complain with the mastering that has been done here, with every note and word, perfectly sequenced and mixed, it's gratifying to hear that the label actually put some effort into the mastering process for this release. Which leads me onto the next point, which is more significant....the majority of the tracks here, almost sound like brilliantly edited `Live' versions of the tracks. They're probably not...but there certainly a more muscular sound and resonance to the tracks, that I simply don't remember the regular studio albums having (I put on a couple of tracks from the "Bridge over Troubled water" studio album, and it seemed far weaker in comparison). Some tracks in particular, sound noticeably fuller and more prominent than usual. Maybe it's just me...but I simply wouldn't want to trade in this compilation for any of the other dozen or more Simon and Garfunkel compilations knocking around out there, for fear of getting (by comparison) muddy and muffled versions of these songs.

But, Irrespective of that, it has to be said, that this really is the most comprehensive and impressively compiled compilation of the Duo's work. It's goes beyond just given the causal listener the hits, and has enough material to satisfy those that might already own a couple of the Duo's studio albums, and yet remains accessible enough for those that want to dig into the Duo discography a little deeper, without having to shell out bucks for a boxset, and the sound is brilliantly mastered. It's entirely possible, that even if you're a big fan of the Duo's work, you can pretty much get all you need from just owning this truly superlative effort.

Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel were better together than apart, because they had such different talents. Paul was a brilliant songwriter - certainly one of the best of his generation - and a good singer without being anything special. Art was not a songwriter, but he had a superb voice which brought out the best in Paul's songs.

So, here we have 40 of their finest recordings, digitally remastered to sound better than ever, with most of the songs written by Paul and Art doing most of the singing. Of course, all the obvious tracks are included - Bridge over troubled water, Mrs Robinson, Homeward bound, Sound of silence, The boxer, Cecilia, Feeling groovy, I am a rock, America and El condor pasa (If I could) - but this collection contains a further 30 tracks which are all of a very high quality.

Among them are Hazy shade of winter (a song revived brilliantly by the Bangles in the eighties), the upbeat but rueful Keep the customer satisfied, Baby driver - another upbeat song, a live cover version of Bye bye love, not forgetting the superb Scarborough fair/Canticle.

After the split, Paul and Art each had some success as solo singers, but despite some great individual moments, they never achieved the level of consistency separately that they achieved together - and this is the best collection you'll ever find, unless you want to go for the boxed set from which these tracks were selected.

I have bought many Simon and Garfunkel CD's over the years but this is the best sounding ever. A great helping of all the singles plus a generous helping of LP tracks this is the compilation to get. Released as a double in Canada as well.

This excellent compilation includes all of this famous duo's best-loved classics. They had a flair for combining poetic lyrics with unforgettable melodies and ruled the charts for most of the late 1960s and early 1970s.

The Bridge Over Troubled Water album - a greatest hits collection in itself - stayed on both the USA and UK charts for years. Sound Of Silence articulated a particular late 60s urban youth feel in its images of subway walls and graffiti, while Homeward Bound is filled with loneliness and redemption.

Mrs Robinson appeared on a movie soundtrack and El Condor Pasa with its lovely Amerindian flutes remains quite unique. All these songs are classics, but my favourites include The Boxer, America, I Am A Rock and the lively, upbeat Cecilia. You can't go wrong with this album where every track is worth its weight in gold.

Yes it IS! Paul Simon is a lyrical and musical GENUIS and Art Garfunkel has a voice like no one else, kind of fragile and girly but sexy too. There is hardly one bad song on this entire album which is a total BARGAIN for its price. All the favourites are there, Sound of Silence, Mrs. Robinson, Bridge Over Troubled Water, America plus hundreds of hidden gems that seem eve better due to their rareity such as Only Living Boy in New York or You Dont Know Where Your Interest Lies. Simply the best pop-folk album ever everyone should own a copy of this

Considering how popular Simon and Garfunkel were, there don't seem to be an awful amount of hits collections out there. Maybe I'm wrong. Anyway, although their career together seemed pretty short, their production of hits was indisputable. I looked at a single-disc collection of their "very best" and found it wanting. I specifically went to the web to find this two-disc collection that I found was much more indicative of their career together. I am no Simon and Garfunkel expert. I cannot spout about certain tracks left out or others added that to someone else do not make the grade. I found this collection to contain all the hits I could run off in my head. I could find no obvious ommissions. I'm sure others, more observant fans of the group, could. I like the collection: its selection of songs and the sound quality of those songs.

This set of CDs along with Sounds of Silence provide what I consider the overall Best of Simon & Garfunkel. You will not be disappointed with this album.

The lyrical genius of Paul Simon and the melodic tones of Art Garfunkel are what makes Simon and Garfunkel, and this compilation album of their greatest hits is a fantastic addition to the folk-lovers music collection. Stand out songs include "Sound Of Silence", "Scarborough Fair", "We've Got A Groovy Thing Going", "Bridge Over Troubled Water", and of course, "Mrs Robinson".