Although Simon and Garfunkel made their name as America's most accessible folk act, in truth the duo's success represented something altogether different–acoustic pop's transition from the sing-along simplicity of folk music to the commercially savvy craft of the singer/songwrite... 

 With Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme, the duo's break with folkie convention becomes more pronounced. Although the album-opening "Scarborough Fair/ Canticle" maintains Simon and Garfunkel's attachment to tradition, the music's point of reference shifts from the coffeehouse to the... 

 In addition to the revamped version of its title tune, Sounds of Silence also includes "Richard Cory" and "I Am a Rock," but for the most part, the album downplays its pop ambitions, sticking close to the understated guitar-and-voice arrangements.  

 Bookends continues that progression, with a wider range of songs and even more ambitious arrangements than its predecessor. Yet its strength has less to do with the uncluttered appeal of songs such as "Mrs. Robinson" or "A Hazy Shade of Winter" than the way the duo managed to make the rambling me... 

 From there, it's an easy leap past the soundtrack album from The Graduate (which merely reiterated tracks from Sounds of Silence, Bookends, and Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme) to Bridge Over Troubled Water, the pair's final and most successful studio album. A stunning piece of pop cr... 

 Greatest Hits is a fizzy delight–and a good place for the uninitiated to start.  

 It [Bridge Over Troubled Waters (Anne)}, along with all of Bookends, Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme, Sounds of Silence, and Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M., is included in the set Collected Works.  

 "Wake Up Little Susie" is one of the few non-nostalgic moments on The Concert in Central Park, which documents Simon and Garfunkel's 1981 reunion show. The live albums cut in 1967 and 1969 may be for fans only, but they’re more interesting than Central Park.  

 Simon and Garfunkel never cut another album's worth of new material. Greatest Hits is a solid single-disc overview of their highlights, while The Essential Simon and Garfunkel is a two-disc set that includes all of the duo’s hits and more–including live cuts from the late Sixties.