Review
After 1997's three-CD compilation Old Friends and 1999's single Best of, the seemingly final way to milk the last drops out of Simon & Garfunkel's slim studio catalog is to reissue their individual albums in this inclusive set. Meticulously remastered from the original tapes and presented in non-jewel case cardboard mini-reproductions of the sleeves, the packaging is cute but ineffective since the already tiny type now becomes headache-inducingly miniscule. Each adds a few rare tracks, some of which already appeared on Old Friends, yet all except Bookends' "You Don't Know Where Your Interest Lies" (the B side of the "Fakin' It" single; it sounds it), are innocuous demos. Unlike Buffalo Springfield, S&G obviously didn't stash tracks in the vault, and what extra material there is remains of interest to diehards only. However, the four live songs included on 1972's Greatest Hits and the duo's 1975 reunion track, "My Little Town," could easily have fit on these discs, some of which don't even break 35 minutes. The music remains essential as a time capsule of mid-'60s innocent folk morphing/maturing into late-'60s pop/rock with traces of Simon's world-beat awareness. Additionally, it's encouraging that Sony has made the individual albums available in pristine sound. But this box, while historically indispensable, is advised primarily for those who need to wrap only one big gift for their folk-rock loving friends.
Hal Horowitz
BMG Contributing Writer

DISC 1
WEDNESDAY MORNING, 3 A.M.

1. You Can Tell The World
2. Last Night I Had The Strangest Dream
3. Bleecker Street
4. Sparrow
5. Benedictus
6. The Sound Of Silence
7. He Was My Brother
8. Peggy-O
9. Go Tell It On The Mountain
10. The Sun Is Burning
11. The Times They Are A-Changin'
12. Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M.
13. Bleecker Street
14. He Was My Brother
15. The Sun Was Burning

DISC 2
SOUNDS OF SILENCE

1. The Sound Of Silence
2. Leaves That Are Green
3. Blessed
4. Kathy's Song
5. Somewhere They Can't Find Me
6. Anji
7. Richard Cory
8. A Most Peculiar Man
9. April Come She Will
10. We've Got A Groovy Thing Goin'
11. I Am A Rock
12. Blues Run The Game
13. Barbriallen
14. Rose Of Aberdeen
15. Roving Gambler

DISC 3
PARSLEY, SAGE, ROSEMARY AND THYME

1. Scarborough Fair/Canticle
2. Patterns
3. Cloudy
4. Homeward Bound
5. The Big Bright Green Pleasure Machine
6. The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)
7. The Dangling Conversation
8. Flowers Never Bend With The Rainfall
9. A Simple Desultory Philippic (Or How I Was Robert McNamara's Into Submission)
10. For Emily, Whenever I May Find Her
11. A Poem On The Underground Wall
12. 7 O'Clock News/Silent Night
13. Patterns
14. A Poem On The Underground Wall

DISC 4
BOOKENDS

1. Bookends Theme
2. Save The Life Of My Child
3. America
4. Overs
5. Voices Of Old People
6. Old Friends
7. Bookends Theme
8. Fakin' It
9. Punky's Dilemna
10. Mrs. Robinson (From The Motion Picture 'The Graduate')
11. A Hazy Shade Of Winter
12. At The Zoo
13. You Don't Know Where Your Interest Lies
14. Old Friends

DISC 5
BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATER

1. Bridge Over Troubled Water
2. El Conder Pasa (If I Could)
3. Cecilia
4. Keep The Customer Satisfied
5. So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright
6. The Boxer
7. Baby Driver
8. The Only Living Boy In New York
9. Why Don't You Write Me
10. Bye Bye Love
11. Song For The Asking
12. Feuilles-O
13. Bridge Over Troubled Water

DISC 1

1. BLEECKER STREET
2. THE SOUND OF SILENCE
3. THE SUN IS BURNING
4. WEDNESDAY MORNING, 3 a.m.
5. HE WAS MY BROTHER
6. SPARROW
7. PEGGY-O
8. BENEDICTUS
9. SOMEWHERE THEY CAN'T FIND ME
10. WE'VE GOT A GROOVY THING GOIN'
11. LEAVES THAT ARE GREEN
12. RICHARD CORY
13. I AM A ROCK
14. THE SOUND OF SILENCE (Single Version)
15. HOMEWARD BOUND
16. BLUES RUN THE GAME
17. KATHY'S SONG
18. APRIL COME SHE WILL
19. FLOWERS NEVER BEND WITH THE RAINFALL

    DISC 2

20. PATTERNS
21. CLOUDY
22. THE DANGLING CONVERSATION
23. SCARBOROUGH FAIR/CANTICLE
24. THE 59TH STREET BRIDGE SONG (FEELIN' GROOVY)
25. FOR EMILY, WHENEVER I MAY FIND HER
26. 7 O'CLOCK NEWS/SILENT NIGHT
27. A HAZY SHADE OF WINTER
28. AT THE ZOO
29. A POEM ON THE UNDERGROUND WALL
30. RED RUBBER BALL
31. BLESSED
32. ANJI
33. A CHURCH IS BURNING
34. FAKIN' IT
35. SAVE THE LIFE OF MY CHILD
36. AMERICA
37. YOU DON'T KNOW WHERE YOUR INTEREST LIES
38. PUNKY'S DILEMMA
39. COMFORT AND JOY
40. STAR CAROL

    DISC 3

41. MRS. ROBINSON
42. OLD FRIENDS/BOOKENDS
43. OVERS
44. A MOST PECULIAR MAN
45. BYE, BYE LOVE
46. THE BOXER
47. BABY DRIVER
48. WHY DON'T YOU WRITE ME
49. FEUILLES-O
50. KEEP THE CUSTOMER SATISFIED
51. SO LONG, FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT
52. SONG FOR THE ASKING
53. CECILIA
54. EL CONDOR PASA (IF I COULD)
55. BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATER
56. THE ONLY LIVING BOY IN NEW YORK
57. HEY SCHOOLGIRL/BLACK SLACKS
58. THAT SILVER HAIRED DADDY OF MINE
59. MY LITTLE TOWN

1. BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATER
2. EL CONDOR PASA (IF I COULD)
3. CECILIA
4. KEEP THE CUSTOMER SATISFIED
5. SO LONG, FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT
6. THE BOXER
7. BABY DRIVER
8. THE ONLY LIVING BOY IN NEW YORK
9. WHY DON'T YOU WRITER ME
10. BYE BYE LOVE
11. SONG FOR THE ASKING

1. MRS. ROBINSON
2. FOR EMILY, WHENEVER I MAY FIND HER
3. THE BOXER
4. THE 59TH STREET BRIDGE SONG (FEELIN' GROOVY)
5. THE SOUND OF SILENCE
6. I AM A ROCK
7. SCARBOROUGH FAIR / CANTICLE
8. HOMEWARD BOUND
9. BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATER
10. AMERICA
11. KATHY'S SONG
12. EL CONDOR PASA (IF I COULD)
13. BOOKENDS
14. CECILIA

1. THE SOUNDS OF SILENCE
2. LEAVES THAT ARE GREEN
3. BLESSED
4. KATHY'S SONG
5. SOMEWHERE THEY CAN'T FIND ME
6. ANJI
7. RICHARD CORY
8. A MOST PECULIAR MAN
9. APRIL COME SHE WILL
10. WE'VE GOT A GROOVEY THING GOIN'
11. I AM A ROCK

SIDE 1

1. YOU CAN TELL THE WORLD
2. LAST NIGHT I HAD THE STRANGEST DREAM
3. BLEECKER STREET
4. SPARROW
5. BENEDICTUS
6. THE SOUNDS OF SILENCE

SIDE 2

1. HE WAS MY BROTHER
2. PEGGY-O
3. GO TELL IT ON THE MOUNTAIN
4. THE SUN IS BURNING
5. THE TIMES THEY ARE A-CHANGIN'
6. WEDNESDAY MORNING , 3 A.M.

SIDE 1

1. SCARBOROUGH FAIR/CANTICLE
2. PATTERNS
3. CLOUDY
4. HOMEWARD BOUND
5. THE BIG BRIGHT GREEN PLEASURE MACHINE
6. THE 59TH STREET BRIDGE SONG (FEELIN' GROOVY)

SIDE 2

1. THE DANGLING CONVERSATION
2. FLOWERS NEVER BEND WITH THE RAINFALL
3. A SIMPLE DESULTORY PHILIPPIC (OR HOW I WAS ROBERT MCNAMARA'D INTO SUBMISSION)
4. FOR EMILY, WHENEVER I MAY FIND HER
5. A POEM ON THE UNDERGROUND WALL
6. 7 O'CLOCK NEWS/SILENT NIGHT

SIDE 1

1. BOOKENDS THEME
2. SAVE THE LIFE OF MY CHILD
3. AMERICA
4. OVERS
5. VOICES OF OLD PPEOPLE
6. OLD FRIENDS
7. BOOKENDS THEME

SIDE 2

1. FAKIN' IT
2. PUNKY'S DILEMMA
3. MRS. ROBINSON
4. A HAZY SHADE OF WINTER
5. AT THE ZOO

SIDE 1

1. BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATER
2. EL CONDOR PASA
3. CECILIA
4. KEEP THE CUSTOMER SATISFIED
5. SO LONG, FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT

SIDE 2

1. THE BOXER
2. BABY DRIVER
3. THE ONLY LIVING BOY IN NEW YORK CITY
4. WHY DON'T YOU WRITE ME
5. BYE BYE LOVE
6. SONG FOR THE ASKING

   ---

7. GREATEST HITS COLUMBIA PC313501972

   SIDE 1

   1. MRS. ROBINSON
   2. FOR EMILY, WHENEVER I MAY FIND HER
   3. THE BOXER
   4. THE 59TH STREET BRIDGE SONG (FEELIN' GROOVY)
   5. THE SOUND OF SILENCE
   6. I AM A ROCK
   7. SCARBOROUGH FAIR/CANTICLE

   SIDE 2

   1. HOMEWARD BOUND
   2. BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATER
   3. AMERICA
   4. KATHY'S SONG
   5. EL CONDOR PASA
   6. BOOKENDS
   7. CECILIA

   ---

8. SOUNDS OF SILENCECOLUMBIA CL2469

   SIDE 1

   1. THE SOUNDS OF SILENCE
   2. LEAVES THAT ARE GREEN
   3. BLESSED
   4. KATHY'S SONG
   5. SOMEWHERE THEY CAN'T FIND ME
   6. ANGIE

   SIDE 2

   1. RICHARD CORY
   2. A MOST PECULIAR MAN
   3. APRIL COME SHE WILL
   4. WE'VE GOT A GROOVEY THING GOIN'
   5. I AM A ROCK

A to Z

Go back to main menu