Simon & Garfunkel Album: «The Best of Simon & Garfunkel»

- Customers rating: (4.6 of 5)
- Title:The Best of Simon & Garfunkel
- Release date:1999-11-16
- Type:Audio CD
- Label:Sony
- UPC:074646602225
- 1 The Sound of Silenceimg 3:53
- 2 Homeward Boundimg 2:30
- 3 I Am a Rockimg 4:23
- 4 The Dangling Conversationimg 3:02
- 5 Scarborough Fair/Canticleimg 6:20
- 6 The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)img 3:13
- 7 A Hazy Shade of Winterimg 2:19
- 8 At the Zooimg 2:24
- 9 Fakin' Itimg 3:19
- 10 Mrs. Robinsonimg 4:04
- 11 Old Friends / Bookendsimg 2:32
- 12 The Boxerimg 5:09
- 13 Bridge Over Troubled Waterimg 5:31
- 14 Ceciliaimg 2:56
- 15 The Only Living Boy in New Yorkimg 4:01
- 16 Song for the Askingimg 2:00
- 17 El Condor Pasa (If I Could)img 3:08
- 18For Emily Wherever I May Find Her
- 19 Americaimg 3:37
- 20 My Little Townimg 3:53
Now that this Best Of has been released, one has pretty much all the Simon And Garfunkel one truly needs. This is not to say that the rest of the songs they recorded were bad--for the most part, they weren't--but nearly every vital cut is here. The collection ignores their interesting but formative debut folk album (not a big miss, except perhaps for the bittersweet title track "Wednesday Morning 3 AM"), and skimps a little on the sophomore effort "Sounds Of Silence" (I would definitely have included "April Come She Will" and "Kathy's Song") but every other major classic on the next three groundbreaking releases is here, including a bonus live version of the incandescent "For Emily" and the lost mid-70s reunion "My Little Town". Listening to all these songs in one shot--with superb remastered sound quality--reminds one of just how important these two guys were to the face of American pop music, no matter how many times you've heard the songs on classic-rock radio. Even supposedly dated cuts like "59th Street Bridge Song" and "At The Zoo" come off as joyous and essential. Of course, if you're a Simon And Garfunkel buff you'll probably want to get all of the albums plus the 3-disc box set, which would not be a bad idea. But with the exception of the two or three missing early songs listed above, this is one of the finest "Best Of" collections one can purchase, and supercedes 1972's Greatest Hits by some way (ah, the bonuses of 77-minute CD running times!).
While this is a great album, nodoubt about that, spend a few dollars more and get ALL their best songs (40 on two CD's) on the import "Tales from New York". It has the same cover art, but twice as many songs.
I know that relative to the other Greatest Hits album, the sound quality here is better but it's still very poor compared to what other remastered albums out there sound like. To be fair to the record company, nowhere on the cd does it say "remastered". It just says mastered by Vic Anesini. Let's hope they truly remaster this album soon by unearthing a much better master tape from the vaults. Volume levels are very low and although cleaner than the old versions, the overall sound is quite ordinary. Other than that, the track selections are very good and truly represent the best work that this dynamic duo have done. Simply great harmonies and great examples of brilliant songwriting on every track.
I purchased this CD in August the day after I heard Art Garfunkel in concert at Croton Point Park. Parenthetically, I had quite a summer for great duos, having also seen the Everly brothers in concert. As the "voice" of the duo, Art gave a comprehensive retrospective of Simon & Garfunkel's greatest hits and this CD does the same. Unless your favorite song is some obscure album track, your favorite is sure to be included here. My own particular favorite is El Condor Pasa. However, I know some people who literally choke up when they hear "Sounds of Silence." Whichever Simon and Garfunkel song moves you is likely to be included here. To be sure, there is a double CD and I suppose (but don't know for sure) there's a boxed set, however, if you are looking for their top 40 hits, go no further than here. Simon & Garfunkel are very evocative for many baby boomers and I believe that those who remember the duo in their heyday will find the particular cut, on this CD, that brings a lump to their throats. This is a fine, single CD collection and I highly recommend it.
This cd is a must for any simon and garfunkel fan. I am only 15, and i love them. My parents introduced me to simon and garfunkel. This cd offers a new sound. It is wonderfully remastered, replacing some live versions with studio versions. This gets rid of loud applause. This all blends nicely with S&G's terrifically talented singing and songwriting. If you love simon and garfunkel, you should own this cd.

