If I had been listening to it on vinyl, I don't think I would have been able to muster the wherewithal to cross the room and flip over the record. In fact, it kind of scared me how much of an impact the first seven tracks of Bookends had on my psyche. Simon & Garfunkel hit on so many elements of music that I am naturally drawn to - simple instrumentation, thought-provoking lyrics with narrative leanings and arrangements that allow both to shine.Īnd that's what I've come to discover that I love about Simon & Garfunkel - they are absolute masters of emotive, transformative lyricism. Listening to Bookends was like reuniting with an old friend I didn't know that I had: only after hearing the album start to finish did I recognize that these songs have been around me all along. "America" breezed right by me in Almost Famous, and I never quite understood why the song surrounding a particularly poignant scene in 500 Days Of Summer was called "Bookends."īut now, my narrow cinematic context of Simon & Garfunkel has been broadened. Robinson," I've never seen The Graduate in its entirety. From there, my knowledge of Simon & Garfunkel continued to be informed solely by incomplete pop culture encounters with the duo. Some cuts are perhaps too ambitious, such as Voices Of Old People (which is literally just voices of old people), but for the most part, Bookends is a rare slice of genius.My musical relationship with Simon & Garfunkel began with an influence that any self-respecting, music-loving twenty-something would now be ashamed to admit: The Garden State soundtrack. It’s a hallmark of 60s perspective and contains some of the duo’s most celebrated material, right before the eventual decay of their relationship. Overall, the creative range and adopted perfectionism for this record make it a timeless listen for any folk-fanatic. It moves quickly with impeccable vocals, percussion, drums and an acoustic riff that drills into the brain. S&G are equally powerful on the punchy folk-rock favourite A Hazy Shade of Winter. “ How terribly strange to be 70″ is perhaps the record’s strongest observation, conjuring goosebumps most listens. A tasteful string accompaniment, some gorgeous falsetto from Garfunkel and some incredibly immersive lyrics. Simon’s musical genius is supported in all the best ways here. It was the attention to detail and the high standard of perfection that the duo held themselves to. And the moon rose over an open field.” Moving down in the tracklist, how long do you reckon the 2 minutes and 13 seconds of Punky’s Dilemma took to record? If for some reason you guessed a whopping 50 hours, congratulations! It wasn’t merely the extension of instrumentation that made this album a masterpiece. It’s warm, cold, epic and lonely all at the same time. Written in a 6/8 time signature, it tenderly tells the story of a couple searching, yearning for America, in both a literal and metaphorical way.
Bookends simon and garfunkel professional#
Although their professional beginning was rocky, the duo earnt widespread popularity with their emotionally crushing single, The Sound of Silence.Īnother standout is America.
Thankfully, he knew the pair had to get signed. Tom Wilson, a staffer from Columbia records caught ear of S&G’s angelic harmonies back in 1963. Photo – Jim Marshall Simon & Garfunkel’s Bookends topped the US charts, solidified the folk duo’s high stature and became a key record in defining the 60s cultural movement. Why should it? ‘”There’s no times at all, just the New York times,” Simon wittingly states on the records fourth track, Overs. So, let’s return to the folk-era of the 60s and delve into why the beautifully pioneering Bookends must not be overshadowed. Its short runtime didn’t stop the album from receiving critical praise and high stature. This wasn’t a cursory effort though, taking most of 1967 to finish recording. Released in 1968, it’s undoubtedly one of the most eclectic folk records of the decade, despite only clocking in at 29 minutes.
0 kommentar(er)
