BY MIKEY MIGO
One of the things I love about being a music fan is discovering new music. That new music can be from many sources like the internet, from friends, at a concert, or even from the past. As time goes on if you're open to music you'll find that you've missed the boat on certain genres, styles, and bands that you should have been listening to your entire life. Over the past few years I've had this experience with the likes of "Talking Heads", "Faith No More", and a few other bands that were never on my radar before but are now in my Top Ten of ALL TIME. You don't have to grow up with good music, but growing old with it is a must. So every so often, I'll take a chance. Today I'm exploring the world of folk rock with a group that I've never thought about or have been fully exposed to, Simon and Garfunkel.
Why Simon and Garfunkel? I really don't know. It's a band I've never given a chance to. I'm a fan of good lyrics and tone and I've heard they're good with that. I barely know any of their music and it'll take just over 2 and half hours to listen to their entire discography... so why not?
Since getting on the Woody Allen train, I've grown to have a fascination with 70's era NYC. The late 70's with Talking Heads and the CBGB crowds, Andy Warhol, and just the culture in general. They represent a part of the era that I haven't explored.
When I was going my presearch before my research, I found an interesting fact about the due. 3 of the 5 Simon and Garfunkel albums are under 30 minutes long. The other two only come in at 32:07("Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M.") and 36:29("Bridge over Troubled Water"). So really, what do I have to lose?
Maybe this column should be dedicated to the lovely Zooey Deschanel. I remember her from the awesome movie "Almost Famous" being a huge fan. So I actually will light a candle, listen in the dark, and be open to the music. Let's see where it takes me…
Album: Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M.
Release: 1966
"You Can Tell The World" is the first track of the album and the first time I've ever purposely listened to a song by "Simon and Garfunkel". I truthfully had no idea they had a Christian overtone to their music. At least that's how it seems on some of the tracks on this album. I can honestly say I don't know any of the songs on the album by name except for a "Go Tell it on the Mountain" and I pretty sure it's not even an original. (ha ha) The tracks are all short and to the point with the longest being the 3:07 "The Sound of Silence (1.Version)". I took a few songs to get into anything, but I enjoyed track four, "Sparrow" for its lyrics and the guitar playing. Wow! I DO vaguely know "The Sound of Silence (1.Version)"! I knew I'd hear songs I've heard before, but I was taken off guard by it. Oddly enough, I never matched the title with the song. I've heard "The Sound of Silence (1.Version)" many times, but never really listened to it. It's a really good song, maybe even great. The vocal harmony of the duo sounds great, I dig the lyrics, and I love the tone of the song. Nothing really stands out to me again until the title track "Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M." at the very end. The harmony is similar to "Sounds of Silence", but a bit more upbeat tempo.
Album: Sounds Of Silence
Release: 1966
I jump right into the second album, released the same year as the first. It's déjà vu as we get "The Sounds of Silence (2.Version)". It sounds the same for the most part, but has a full band backing it. I want to say THIS is the version I'm more used to hearing. I like the first version better for it's more stripped down and haunting feel to it. I politely bounce my head until "Somewhere They Can't Find Me". It's got a bluesier and familiar guitar riff. I think it's the same riff from The Stray Cat's "Stray Cat Strut". Whatever it is, it woke me up from being calm and put a little groove into the album. I instantly like "Richard Cory" because of the opening guitars and harder tempo. It's not a happy song, but about working for a guy who's successful who killed himself. At least I think so. It ends with "I Am A Rock", a slower tempo song that kicks in with guitars. Once I hear the chorus, I think that I may have heard this before. It sounds familiar, but not really distinguishable. Not a bad song at all, but this album didn't impress me nearly as much as the first.
Album: Parsley, Sage, Rosemary And Thyme
Release: 1967
It opens with "Scarborough Fair/Canticle" and I do recall hearing this song in places, probably in a movie or something. It seems that's the most connections I make with the music so far. Oddly enough, as much as I love film I've NOT seen "The Graduate", which I hear is basically a Greatest Hits album for the band. I dig "Patterns" because of the hand drum backgrounds that give what would be a normal song an extra little kick. We skip a little get to "Homeward Bound", a good song about touring and being on the road. It's different than the majority of the other songs so far over the two and half albums. I find myself enjoying "The Big Bright Green Pleasure Machine" a lot. This should have been a song I knew already. We close out with "A Poem On The Underground Wall" and "7 O'Clock News/Silent Night". I dig the flow of "Poem", but the "Silent Night" version is intense. The duo beautifully sing the classic song, but overlaid is a news cast about Nixon, Martin Luther King, the war, and other issues and events faced with the youth at the time.
Album: Bookends
Release: 1968
It starts off with a nice intro titled "Bookends Theme" and jumps right into what seems to be the most experimental of all the Simon and Garfunkel I've heard so far with "Save The Life Of My Child". There are a lot of complimentary layers involved that makes it a very interesting listen. "America" follows and is a great tune that caught my ear and sounds familiar. "Voices of The Old People" isn't a creative name, it is what it is. It's 2:07 of old people talking. It's pretty trippy. We get to "Mrs. Robinson" and of course I know this song. It was in "Wayne's World 2" for crying out loud! I think I have heard "A Hazy Shade of Winter" as well. At least I think I should have. The guitar riff is very familiar as is the chorus. I would of never guessed this was "Simon and Garfunkel" in a million years. The last track is "At The Zoo" and it's a very charming and fun song about stereotypes of different people placed upon the animals as a metaphor for the melting pot town.
Album: Bridge Over Troubled Water
Release: 1970
It starts with the self titled track. It's a slow track with a lot of good piano behind it. The harmony and build doesn't come until the very end. To me this feels like it would have been a good way to close to album as opposed to opening it up. We'll see as it goes on. A friend told me to listen for "Cecilia" and it's not bad. It's got that drum-clap sound going over pleas for "Cecilia to come home". "The Boxer" and "Baby Driver" are both different songs, but are the same in terms of being pretty good. I really like the track "Why Don't You Write Me" and its foot tapping melody. There are a lot of songs about being on the road and facing off against the world. Did they even like touring? There's a "Bye Bye Love" cover second to last. I've heard this song before and this is a good cover. The last Simon and Garfunkel album ends with a slow fade out with "Song for the Asking".
The First Impression
After FIFTY EIGHT SONGS IN UNDER THREE HOURS, I can honestly say that I don't feel like I missed out all that much. I think their music is great for what it is, but folk rock isn't my cup of tea. There are a handful of songs that I enjoyed, but I don't realistically see myself listening to their entire discography again anytime soon. I could make a mix CD with "Sounds of Silence", "Mrs. Robinson", "Save The Live Of My Child", "A Hazy Shade of Winter", "At The Zoo", "Why Don't You Write Me", "Scarborough Fair", and "The Big Bright Green Pleasure Machine" be done with it. So basically, I did like them but they're not on my current wave length in life. I'm not against a second impression, but that'll be something for the distant future.
What Simon and Garfunkel tracks do you think I missed the boat on?
Do Art Garfunkel's friends call him "Garf"? That'd probably make me like them just a TAD bit more. lol
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