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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Brilliant Last Collaboration Before They Separated!, August 18, 2000
While I don't share the breathless and hyperbolized estimation of Paul Simon as the "greatest lyricist of the last fifty years" like another reviewer (who evidently has never listened to the unbelievable poetry of Bob Dylan, Donovan, Leonard Cohen, or Harry Chapin, etc. Simon is an accomplished poet, yes, but just one of so many brilliant lyricists emanating from the sixties), I do agree that this blockbuster album that marked the highpoint of their collaboration showcases why they achieved such fame and popularity. Here they continue with the same innovative strands first initiated with albums like "Parsley Sage" etc. where they interspersed a newscaster's rendition of the nightly news with Garfunkel's almost angelic counterpoint of "Silent Night". The effect is devastating and dramatic. Here they also use traditional Incan melodies, race-car sound effects, and wider use of the kind of orchestral instrumentation they first employed on "Sounds of Silence", where they first used an electric guitar as a driving force behind their otherwise pristinely acoustic arrangement. Yet there is great "sturm und drang" here; the two could hardly inhabit the same studio, for the creative genius both brought to their collaboration was literally tearing the duo's long-standing personal friendship apart. Garfunkel at first refused to sing the lead in "Bridge Over Troubled Water", for he felt it was so uniquely Simon's work and so clearly headed for a huge hit that Paul should sing the lead. Only the intervention of their long-time producer made Art change his mind and agree to sing the lead. One can also feel the tension on the most brilliantly executed song here, "The Boxer', as well, although this is so well packaged and delivered that it seems more part of the internal structure of the song and its arrangement than the result of the vocal strains between them. Simon was headed in other directions with his work, and there are indications of it with songs like "Cecilia", which is an almost Bob Dylan-like play on words and circumstances than an effort at poetic workmanship. Likewise, in "Only Living Boy In New York", Simon vocalizes his sense of dismay and frustration as being left by Garfunkel (who was working on the movie "Catch 22" in Mexico) to work out the problems on the album alone. He urges "Tom" (Art) on, and wishes him well, but resents being left behind at the same time. He retorts that "he can gather all the news he needs from the weather report", another hint he is about to retreat into a life of more personal experiences and less concern for the world at large. In the same vein, "Keeping The Customer Satisfied" is meant ironically, Simon's way of announcing that, like the Beatles, he is finally sick of trying to meet popular expectations, and that he is about to quit the chase and pursue his own interests, which of course he soon did, leading to the release of the quirky but beautiful "Paul Simon album" a few years later. This is a farewell album that didn't announce itself as such, and was such an overwhelming success that it took years for everyone to realize Simon was serious about going solo. It is a brilliant last effort by a fabled pair of exceptional pop folk singers, and this album belongs on everyone's favorite music list. Enjoy!
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by Simon & Garfunkel 
