Ever heard of a band called Tom and Jerry or a song called Hey Schoolgirl which went on to be featured among the US top 50 hits way back in 1957 ? Well , I presume unless you are an absolute music buff , the answer would be ’no’ . But if I ask , even the minimal listener whether they heard of Simon and Garfunkel , the answer I bet would be an overly enthusiastic ’yes’ .
For those of you , who haven’t figured out yet , the band I’m talking about were soon to be renamed Simon and Garfunkel made up primarily of Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel , the two men who might as well walk around with a signboard saying ’The Best Folk-Rock Band Ever’ .They released their debut album ’’Wednesday Morning, 3AM’’ in 1964 which included an acoustic reading of The Sound Of Silence . The album was nowhere close to success and the guys split up , only to be reunited in a short time. It was that time in England when folk-rock boom was in the ascendant and producer Tom Wilson made the presumptuous but correct decision to overdub The Sound Of Silence with electric instrumentation . The song reached No. 1 slot in the US charts . Following this Simon and Garfunkel were hastily reunited in 1966 and released an album called ’’Sounds of Silence’’ which featured several huge hits like Homeward Bound , I am a rock and a couple of songs based on the theme of suicide viz. A Most Peculiar Man and Richard Cory , in keeping with the social commentary that permeated their mid-60s’’ work .
They were hugely accepted by audiences , specially the college crowd who took an instant liking to the duo who certainly looked the part with their college scarves, duffel coats and cerebral demeanour . The Dangling Conversation was their next single followed by the release of the album’’Parsley, Sage, Rosemary And Thyme’’ which again featured the elegant hit Scarborough Fair .In the succeeding years the band churned out a number of hits like Mrs. Robinson , America , Homeward Bound , Hazy Shade of winter and Boxer released in 1969 and soon featured in the 1970 album ’’Bridge Over Troubled Water’’ arguably the best S & G album and our case in point today .
The album was the swansong of the band which came to an abrupt cease after the release of this album following the irreconcilable differences between Paul and Art .Throughout this album there are indications that lead to this plain fact .But we’ll be talking about that in a while . The splitting up of
S & G has been one of the most unfortunate breakups of rock history . What was previously known as the music of farmers and villagers , was taken to new heights by them . They used the medium of folk-rock to raise politically relevant issues which gave a new status and impetus to the genre .
The title track of the album Bridge Over Troubled Waters is to my mind the best S&G song ever written and composed .Art’s voice is tremendously heart-searing and it always seems he uses more than his voice to sing . Soothing, intimate, sentimental, reflective, searching.........accolades really fall short . The song is sheer poetry .....
’’When you’re weary, feeling small
When tears are in your eyes,
I will dry them all
I’m on your side
When times get rough
And friends just can’t be found
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down
When you’re down and out
When you’re on the street
When evening falls so hard
I will comfort you
I’ll take your part
In darkened roads
When pain is all you find
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will ease your mind ......’’
If there were nothing else on this album worth listening to, you might buy it anyway just for this song .But thats not the case . The album rolls over to El Condor Pasa , Paul’s translation of a Spanish song. Rich with comparisons, it stresses a desire to rise above mediocrity and depart from the mundane.
’’A man gets tied up to the ground
He gives the world its saddest sound...’’
Cecilia and Baby Driver are the catalysts to the overall sombre mood reflected throughout the album . Both songs are rowdy and suggestive . The former having a Latino feel and the latter clearly inspired by the Beach Boys .
So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright and The Only Livin’ Boy in New York are both farewells from Paul to Artie .An ode , a farewell to a friendship that started way back in high school . Towards the end of So Long..... you could hear Roy Halee and Paul calling ’’So long already, Artie!’’ . Boxer ....one of Simon and Garfunkel’s most wildly successful songs finds a slot in the album as well . This again has vocals worth bragging and lyrics to cherish .Making excellent use of the tight harmony they had so long ago established, the harmony which was so evident in their first hit The Sound of Silence , they tell a tale of hard city life and the determination which allows one to rise above it. Boxer has often been described by Paul as autobiographical.Why Don’t You Write Me is another very energetic tune with a distinctly exotic flavor . A foot-tapping number at the best . Keep the Customer Satisfied is a loud song complaining about a life on the road in which hard work goes grossly unappreciated.
’’Everywhere I go, I get slandered, libeled, I hear words I never heard in the Bible...........’’
That brings us to The Everly Brothers cover Bye Bye Love which at times seems more sincere than the original. The album is nicely closed by Song for the Asking which brings everything poignantly together for us one last time.
Between the record’s overall quality and its four hits, the album held the number one position for two and a half months and spent years on the charts, racking up sales in excess of five million copies. The irony was that for all of the record’s and the music’s appeal, the duo’s partnership ended in the course of creating and completing the album
Before I end this discussion its safe to admit that my personal favourites in music are usually the Floyds or the Zeppelins . But when you hear something so different yet so beautiful and soothing its a pleasant change . Sure , the songs are extremely moody and not really uplifting . But the melancholy strain of the songs is almost certain to have a soothing impact over your heart and head alike .