The Essential Simon & Garfunkel [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED]

Simon & Garfunkel

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 14, 2003)
• Original Release Date: October 14, 2003
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B0000DD79B
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #3,772 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Japanese Blu-Spec CD pressing of this classic album. The Blue Spec format takes Blu-ray disc technology to create CD's which are compatible with normal CD players but provides ultra high quality sound. Sony. 2009. --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

121 of 140 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Only if you already own their classics..., November 5, 2003

By	Michael D. Kelley "Ex-Genius" (Leesburg, Florida) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is one *weird* CD.

First of all, do not believe the other reviewers here who tell you that, for the most part, you get the original versions of the S&G songs. For the MOST part what you get are NOT the original versions of the songs. You get a lot of live versions but, what is worse, you get a whole lot (perhaps 80%) of "new" versions of the classic songs.

This isn't a bad thing if you already own the S&G classics -- but if you own them, why in the heck do you want this CD? Yes, the sound quality is superb, but the two CDs here by and large sound like some sort of S&G "cover" band: a very good cover band, but nowhere near the original music.

This is not the first time someone has put together a "collection" of what is supposedly their greatest hits, but it's the first time I've ever heard one with such odd reorchestrations. "Cecilia" is done at half speed, "Baby Driver" with such over orchestration it goes from being cute to pretentious, "The Only Living Boy In New York" goes from intimate to overblown. And so on.

Anyone who grew up with S&G (or anyone who wants the best) needs to own "Bridge Over Troubled Water" and "Parsley, Sage, Rosemary & Thyme". These two essential S&G CDs will give you both nearly every song in this "essential" collection, but give them to you in their pristine, S&G classic sound versions. Then if you want to hear new versions of these classics by all means go ahead and buy this collection. But don't buy it thinking you're getting the essentials -- this, as Robin Williams once said, is not essence, it's pee-pee-ca-ca.

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Better Off With The Single Disc Collection, March 23, 2006

By	Anthony Nasti "Tony" (Staten Island, New York United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

Simon & Garfunkel are one of my all time favorite groups. They rank right up there with Zeppelin, Dylan, The Beatles, The Who, the Stones, Queen and all my other favorite musicians.

I loved my very first S & G cd, "The Best Of Simon & Garfunkel". Since that collection had but a mere 20 songs and had a somewhat short running time of only 64 minutes, I felt I hadn't gottent the full extent of their work. I thought I'd get a far greater view with the two cd, 31 song "The Essential Simon & Garfunkel". Unfortunately, I was wrong. Why? Read on for the positives and the negatives.

Positives:
-You do get the most well known hits from the band. "The Sound Of Silence", "Homeward Bound", "I Am A Rock", "Scarbourough Fair/ Canticle", "Hazy Shade Of Winter", "The 59th Street Bridge (Feelin' Groovy)", "Mrs. Robinson", "The Boxer", "Bridge Over Troubled Water" and all the rest of the band's biggest hits are here.
-A few underrated gems are included as well, such as "Keep The Customer Satisfied", "So Long Frank Lloyd Wright" and "Baby Driver".
-Good sound quality.
-Affordable enough.
-Easy to locate.

Negatives:
-As many reviewers pointed out, several of the songs are different than the original versions, most notably "Homeward Bound", "The Sound Of Silence" and "I Am A Rock".
-Too many live versions! If they wanted to make a far more concise S & G collection that could've perhaps been definitive, they should've put the original versions.
-Neither disc fills up the eighty minute time limit. Stuff like "He Was My Brother", "7 O'Clock News/Silent Night", "Save The Life Of My Child", "Punky's Dilemma", not to mention the studio versions of the live tracks, could've easily been included.
-"Old Friends" and "Bookends" are separated. I've always preferred them together, like on "The Best Of Simon & Garfunkel".
-Sound quality is good, but the earlier "The Best Of Simon & Garfunkel" is better IMO.

Overall, this is a decent collection, but I feel that the single disc "The Best Of Simon & Garfunkel" is BY FAR a better bet. I hope to one day acquire the "Columbia Studio Recordings" boxed set, but until then, "The Best Of Simon & Garfunkel" is the best I can do. I prefer it to "The Essential Simon & Garfunkel", which I find pretty weak.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A new collection from "Old Friends"., October 19, 2003

By	H3@+h (VT) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

Well, the "Greatest Hits" was recently improved upon by the "Best of Simon and Garfunkel", and now that gets the big upgrade here. A great 2-disc collection that these two deserve as much as anyone. It includes every single song that was on both previous "hits" albums, and at least 13 more. The biggest songs are here like "The Sound of Silence", "The Boxer", and "Bridge Over Troubled Water", as well as "I Am A Rock", "Homeward Bound", and "El Condor Pasa (If I Could)". I'm really happy to see both "Bleecker Street" and "Sparrow" from their debut finally on a collection. Both are great. A handful of songs are live, but most are the originals, and all sound good. If this 2-disc set is not in your budget, I would surely go with the 20 track "Best of". Either way, you've got to have "Mrs. Robinson".