Simon & Garfunkel

   Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M. (Columbia, 1964)
    Sounds of Silence (Columbia, 1966)
     Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme (Columbia, 1966)
     The Graduate (Columbia, 1968)
     Bookends (Columbia, 1968)
      Bridge Over Troubled Water (Columbia, 1970)
      Greatest Hits (Columbia, 1972)
      Collected Works (Columbia, 1981)
    The Concert in Central Park (Warner Bros., 1982)
     Old Friends (Legacy, 1997)
      The Best of Simon and Garfunkel (Legacy, 1999)
     The Columbia Studio Recordings 1964–1970 (Legacy, 2001)
     Live from New York City 1967 (Legacy, 2002)
      The Essential Simon and Garfunkel (Legacy, 2003)
     Live 1969 (Columbia/Legacy, 2007)

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/songwriters. Ironically, it was a role the duo fell into almost by accident, having split up after releasing a fairly conventional folk album, Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M. But "The Sounds of Silence" became a massive hit after Tom Wilson dubbed electric guitar and drums onto that album's acoustic arrangement, and Simon and Garfunkel reunited to record an album of similarly flavored folk rock. 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.

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 drawing room, as Simon's songwriting moves toward the increasingly personal perspective of songs such as "The Dangling Conversation" and "For Emily, Whenever I May Find Her." Of course, as the Dylan-savaging "A Simple Desultory Philippic" makes plain, there's a world of difference between the personal and the solipsistic, and Simon's buoyant sense of melody ensures that these songs are pop-friendly; indeed, "Homeward Bound" was a Top Five single. 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 melodies of "Fakin' It" and "America" seem just as straightforward.

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 craft, it finds hooks in the most unlikely places—the Peruvian folk tune that was the basis for "El Condor Pasa," say, or the way Garfunkel's angelic tenor contrasts with the gospel piano of "Bridge Over Troubled Water," or the bass-harmonica groove that fires up the last verse of "The Boxer"—and remains one of the most irresistibly tuneful albums of its day. It, 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.

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. "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.

Portions of this album guide appeared in The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (Fireside, 2004).

likely places—the Peruvian folk tune that was the basis for "El Condor Pasa," say, or the way Garfunkel's angelic tenor contrasts with the gospel piano of "Bridge Over Troubled Water," or the bass-harmonica groove that fires up the last verse of "The Boxer"—and remains one of the most irresistibly tuneful albums of its day. It, 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.

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. "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.

Portions of this album guide appeared in The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (Fireside, 2004).

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