Search - Simon & Garfunkel :: Bridge Over Troubled Water (Spkg)

Cele D. (sk888888) from PENNSAUKEN, NJ
Reviewed on 9/18/2014...

This album, cassette, and CD have been a part of my life since, well, I can't remember that far back. I know every song, and love the whole thing. THE WHOLE THING.

Simon & Garfunkle go out on top with their final studio albu

Lawrance M. Bernabo | The Zenith City, Duluth, Minnesota | 04/12/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"When they put out "Bookends," Simon & Garfunkle provided evidence that they were trying to move up to the next level from the pleasing folk-rock duets such as "Scarborough Fair" upon which they had made their reputation. But even the growth shown in that album could hardly prepare listeners to the quantum leap forward represented by "Bridge Over Troubled Water." You listen to the title song and you just think that Art Garfunkle had been waiting his entire life to sing this song (I know that Garfunkle always maintained that Simon should have sung the song, but I will never ever want to live in that alternative reality). The opening piano part and the crescendo strings at the end could have been ostentatious, but instead the result is the greatest final "chord" this side of "A Day in the Life," which is pretty heady company, boys and girls. I might never work out the entire list, but I have no doubt that "Bridge Over Troubled Water" is one of the ten most beautiful "pop" songs of all-time.



But what makes this album great is that the title track is not the only epic song: What would we be thinking of "The Boxer" if it was not overshadowed by "Bridge Over Troubled Water"? Then you throw into the mix the simple elegance of "So Long Frank Lloyd Wright," the synoptic fun of "Cecilia," and the poignancy of "The Only Living Boy in New York" and the emotional palette of the album is as broad as you could ever want. The live cover of "Bye Bye Love" reminds us of the duo's roots while "El Condor Passa" hints at what was to come with Paul Simon's interest in third world music. There are a pair of bonus tracks on this Japanese reissued CD. Listening to Simon & Garfunkle sing in French for "Feuilles-O" is okay, and the semi-stripped down demo version of "Bridge Over Troubled Water" is of some interest, but neither bonus track is a major addition and you might want to program your CD player to skip them after the first time around so the album can end with "Song for the Asking" as was intended.



Yes, I was stunned that Simon & Garfunkle broke up after this album, but then when you win six Grammys maybe there is no place left to go but down and you should just quit while you are ahead (or in this case, way, way ahead). You can look at what the pair have done separately in the decades since then and even Simon's "Graceland" album or Garfunkle singing "All I Know" still fall short. You can get Simon & Garfunkle's greatest hits collection and get all of the early stuff you want, but as far as I am concerned you need to have their last two albums in their entirety in your music library."