Collected Works [BOX SET]

Simon & Garfunkel

Product Details

• Audio CD (January 5, 1990)
• Original Release Date: January 30, 1990
• Number of Discs: 3
• Format: Box set
• Note on Boxed Sets: During shipping, discs in boxed sets occasionally become dislodged without damage. Please examine and play these discs. If you are not completely satisfied, we'll refund or replace your purchase.
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B0000026VB
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #21,590 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Simon & Garfunkel recorded only five albums of studio material during their reign in the 1960s. Pop perfectionists, increasingly they sculpted records with extensive arrangements that made songs like "The Boxer," "The Dangling Conversation," and "America" more than mere pop songs, but compositions submerged in the delicacy of the art song. This collection is everything from those five albums, from the earnest early folk to the folk-rock that spawned their initial success ("The Sound of Silence") to the layered, methodical approach of their complex later work ("Bridge over Troubled Water"). The duo recorded music among the most successful of its era. No extra tracks were included. --Rob O'Connor

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sounds of Simon & Garfunkel, February 15, 2000

By	Steve Vrana (Aurora, NE) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This is the most cost effective way to own the entire Simon and Garfunkel catalog. From 1964's Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M. to 1970's Bridge over Troubled Water you get every track from the five studio albums recorded by the most successful duo of the rock era. And the sound quality is fantastic. Even for casual fans of folk-rock, this is an essential addition to your music collection.

Granted, this is not a perfect collection. There are stray tracks that didn't make this set that eventually found there way onto 1997's Old Friends box set--which is what makes that collection such a disappointment. If you own Collected Works, you're asked to shell out an additional $45 for about a dozen hard-to-find or previously unreleased songs on Old Friends along with a lot of duplication.

If you have to choose between between the two--stick with Collected Works. The only real disappointment (and it's a minor one) is that Columbia didn't go the whole nine yards with the 43-page booklet. Sure, it includes each album cover and lyrics (a nice touch), but where are the additional photos? Where are recording dates and musician credits? Where's the essay and history of the group? Where are the interviews? For a group as influential as Simon and Garfunkel, you would have thought Columbia would have treated this project with the same thouroughness as the Old Friends box set. I guess they figured the music would speak for itself--and it does. ESSENTIAL

28 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Almost everything but quality sound, December 5, 2000

By	David Reff (Dallas, TX USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The 5-star reviews below -- and some of the accompanying comments -- only tell part of the story.

Although "Collected Works" includes all the recordings from S&G's 5 original studio albums, other tracks -- such as B-sides of singles and previously unreleased material -- are missing. Additionally, the sound quality of this collection is simply wretched.

In contrast, the "Old Friends" box set features virtually every essential album cut (sans a couple of disappointing omissions from the "Sounds Of Silence" and "Parsley Sage" albums). Plus bonus live tracks, rare B-sides, and unreleased studio material. It also includes "My Little Town." Best of all, everything's been impressively remastered. It's a joy to listen to.

Of course... if my math is correct, with 3 CDs each holding up to 79 minutes each... ALL the studio tracks could have fit into the "Old Friends" box set, along with all or nearly all the bonus tracks. But why give fans everything in one package when you can make them buy two or three multi-disc sets, right, Columbia?

Purely on the basis of quality of material -- I mean, come on guys, these are some of the best songs and records ever -- this set easily rates 5 stars. As a "complete" S&G collection, 4 stars. But -- and this is a big but -- in terms of sound quality, 2 stars.

What to buy? If you can only afford one 3-CD set, go with "Old Friends" instead -- that collection merits a 5/4/4 rating. Then wait for the individual albums to be remastered, hopefully sometime in 2001.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars YES--This is what I Like to See on a Compilation, January 30, 2003

By	Emily (MA) - See all my reviews

Are you a big S&G fan? I know I am...an hugely avid one in fact. Well then my advice to you is NOT to buy some silly compilation with only the big hits and a few "unreleased extras " *cough-oldfriendsboxset-cough*. This is a great resource, a good solid 3-disc set with ALL FIVE complete S&G albums. Think of it as a CONSOLIDATION of all three in a more affordable format. (It's also great if you have all their albums on your old LPs and you want to switch over to CD but not break the proverbial bank.) Obviously, this set contains all the hits, as well as all the album tunes, many of which are dazzlingly unappreciated. The best part of this set is that it includes the least-known album "Wednesday Morning 3AM," which is a beautifully simple, accoustic, and earnest album. (Without being painfully earnest--it's great music too!) SO, if you're looking for the definitve S&G resource, start here with this set of ALL the ALBUMS. Maybe later someone will give you some "unreleased stuff" for your birthday or something if you really pine for it.