Bridge Over Troubled Water

Two of my favourite songs of all time on this super album 👌

Beautiful album 😍

Amazing songwriting. Genius.

what a pleasure to listen to this through again. i think there's only 1 song i don't like but even then, just songwriting at it's best. 9/10

Obviously talented but boring for me

Bra album. Vil høre igjen

It's Simon and Garfunkel, what can I say?

Like they tried to write a classic album by focus group. Aside from "Only living boy in New York" it has no conviction, and left me cold.

The end of an era. Dream is over. And the record is brilliant

“Bridge Over Troubled Water” by Simon & Garfunkel (1970) There are no dull moments in this musical smorgasbord of aural delights; and no serious listener of recorded music should fail to become familiar with this well constructed album. One would be hard pressed to come up with any other album in the history of recorded that has such a universal scope. Styles include gospel, reggae, rockabilly, Latin jazz, Andean folk, and a superbly recorded live cut (Ames, Iowa) in which the audience actually knows how to clap. The engineering/mixing alone cements this work as a classic. The leadoff title track “Bridge Over Troubled Water” is a powerful lyric of love. Its selfless, giving message is rendered in perfectly pitched angelic tones by Art Garfunkel, and energized with an ever-expanding intensity, utilizing echo-enhanced percussion and a superlative orchestral arrangement. The recording of the bass lines is unequalled. Play it loud. The second track, “El Condor Pasa” invites the listener to take a (needed) deep breath, becoming entranced by the ethereal, wooden sounds of Peruvian instrumentals (performed by Los Incas, or “Urubamba”). Carango and dueling quena flutes never sounded so good on an American album. Next, for a shift in mood, “Cecilia” raises silliness to art, taking heartbreak to a comic level through the ingenious use of percussive sounds that defy identification. The only thing it’s missing is cowbell. Great song. On the rockabilly pot-dealing lament “Keep the Customer Satisfied”, pay attention to the nonstop build. And prepare yourself for the bombastic horns on the outro, splayed out before your ears from stomping bass trombone to the sky high wailing of the lead trumpet. Wonderfully mixed. Then just when you need to rest your hands from clapping, bossa nova slides in with the weirdly evocative “So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright”, a moving eulogy to a genius (in architecture, of all things). Is there any genre Paul Simon can’t creditably perform on acoustic guitar? Bongos, jazz flute, and string quartet flavor this mellow reflection. Obituaries don’t get any better than this. Side two (remember, this is an album) begins with “The Boxer”, in the ‘old’ Simon & Garfunkel vocal/guitar style of folk duo, flavored with sultry baritone sax and muted bass drum providing an anxious heartbeat—and that shudder-inducing snare crash in the chorus. The orchestral arrangement and recording technique on the first part of the extended outro are paralyzing. Simon presents here a dramatically poetic first person ballad that transitions to the third person in the final verse for the knockout punch, the surprise of which I will not spoil. The comical “Baby Driver” is up next, which rivals anything The Beach Boys put on vinyl, with stepping, thumping bass and a swingin’ baritone & tenor sax duet in the bridge. Here, at the age of 16, I discovered the synthetic nexus between sex and drag racing. Vroooom! Then we settle in again to a quietly reflective “The Only Living Boy in New York”, the first song I chose to learn to play and sing for performance (in a bar in Subic City, Philippines—There’s a story there that I won’t go into). “Hey, I’ve got nothing to do today but smile”is a line everyone needs to hear more often. (By the way, “Tom” is Garfunkel, who had gone to Mexico to film “Catch-22”, a career move that contributed to the split up of S&G later in 1970.) “Why Don’t You Write Me” is back to more musical whimsy, with teasing internal rhyme and the cleverest baritone sax duet in the bridge you’ve ever heard. A wild and live cover of the Everly Brothers hit “Bye Bye Love” follows, with deft mix of electric bass and muted drum, segueing into the all-too-brief “Song for the Asking”, with Paul Simon closing out the album with his signature acoustic stylings accompanied by delicate Garfunkel harmonies and tasteful strings in the background. Makes you want to play the album over again, which I just did. Twice. If you can’t fall in love with this album, you should give your heart to someone who can make better use of it. 5/5

Gran descubrimiento estos

BAITA ÁLBUM, MÚSICAS TOP

Me ha sorprendida de algunas canciones que no conocian que eran ellos.

Great album for the time period. 7/10.

Solid folk album, favorite track was The Boxer.

I don't need to listen to this album (for the 5 millionth time) to give it 5 stars. Every song is a winner.

Folk

Good old ones

A near-perfect album. So good.

Eclectic album. Starts off with the slowest, most emotional song, and gets you comfortable with the idea that the rest of the album will carry that catharsis forward. It doesn't; it becomes largely cheery and folksy, dipping back down into more introspective territory occasionally as welcome breaks. It shouldn't work, but it does. Recommended season: Autumn

2.5 | Es un excelente disco de Simon & Garfunkel. Muestra de verdad la maestría como compositor que tiene Paul Simon, también recuerda que la voz de Art Garfunkel daba una mucho mejor dimensión a sus composiciones. La canción titular es una excelente canción que hoy en día podría hasta considerarse como dentro de los estándares americanos. El detalle en mi visión es que musicalmente no soy un gran fan del folk rock, toda la primera mitad del disco, a pesar de ser tan bien hecha y de ser buenas canciones es muy lenta para mis gustos. Termina siendo un disco que a mi me suena demasiado dulce... demasiado a música para tumbar búfalos que tomaron cafeína. Hay solo unos topes en Keep the Customer y Baby Driver para despertar y volver a bajar el ritmo. Muy buenas letras, música incluso original en su arreglo y muy bien hecho pero no es para mí. Ah! y nememen con El Condor Pasa... Si entiendo que era 1970 y nadie la conocía en EE.UU. Igual nememen.

Loved it. One of my dad's favorite albums. I remember him blasting Cecilia from the back of his van. I'm happy to hear it again.

Es un disco bonito. Muy bonito. Se escucha perfecto y tiene muchos instrumentos y sonidos distintos. Las letras me gustaron mucho, pero quitando las canciones 'movidas', las demás son demasiado lentas. Entiendo que no es mi estilo y por eso me parece demasiado lento el disco. Aún así se disfruta fácilmente. Songs: Keep the Customer Satisfied, The boxer, Baby Driver

Every song on here is great

I liked every song on this album, and I think the organization of the album was really good, too.

Never have really loved Simon & Garfunkel. Can appreciate their hits every once in a while. "Baby Driver" was the most enjoyable track for me this time around, for whatever reason.

Amazing that I've been hearing these songs for over forty years and that first one can still make me cry. The percussion and instrumentals on Cecelia are delightful. Each time I order a lager I sing "I'd rather be a lager than an ale" to the tune of El Condor Pasa. The range on this album is impressive as hell. I love how many songs are quiet with only guitar, some have choir backing vocals, some have horns or flutes, and each fit the song perfectly, and the songs flow together in an album so well

Don't hate it, just don't care and have heard some of these songs too many time in 55 years

All good songs on the album. Favorite Song: The Boxer.

Yes please! Such a great record. Just classic.

Is a classic but not totally my jam. Holly says, too country for her. Favorite song was If I could.

Not a huge fan of this one, very hit or miss tracks.

One of the best albums of all time.

I feel like this is supposed to deserve an automatic 5-star. But I didn’t like it. It was sad, boring, and lame. Sorry.

Beste album van een geweldig duo, zitten zo veel hits op

Great one!

doesnt really hit for me- but still a classic

They went out on top here.

I get why people like S&G, but most of the songs are boring to me. Bridge Over Troubled Water is a prime example, lots of people like it but I'd rather listen to something like "The Boxer". There are a few Simon & Garfunkel songs that I really like, but there are a lot on this album I don't care for at all. Nothing is bad here, but personally listening enjoyment is a 3.

nunca me ha gustado mucho y menos ahora que se que coverean el condor pasa, 3 rolas a la lista de rolas de los 1001 discos y ya

"Bridge Over Troubled Water" es una obra de arte apenas manchada por las exageraciones al final de la canción. Pero además están "The Boxer", "Cecilia", y "Baby Driver" que también rifan. Y me animo a darle las 5 estrellas aunque "El Condor Pasa" no es lo mío, pero incluso en esa el arreglo musical es una chulada.

Some of the all-time best pop songwriting of all-time. Lovely and gentle lovely Paul. I love it, so sue me.

Familiarity: 7/10 Notes: Acoustic joy and playful harmonies. This is the way Real Rating 7.5/10

A lovely album that hits its stride moreso on the uptempo tracks than the broodier ballads. Whether sparse or wall-to-wall in production, the foot-stompers like "Cecilia" have an undeniable genuineness and joy that's hard to find nowadays

Knew I liked this one already

Decent mellow singer-songwriter album.

Quando eu vi a capa do album do dia meu cérebro fez "yessss". Metade dele já estava na minha lista.

Iconic, important, wonderful

It's 50 years old and I could still listen to it anytime.

Classic

Very good album. It had known hits and was rounded out with other catchy songs. Good time all around.

Well that was an absolute joy from start to finish. Haven't listened to this album since schooldays and it hasn't aged or waned an iota. Stunningly beautiful.

Also easy listening. Pretty folksy. I like it though. Had heard a couple of these prior

3.7

2.5

That wasnt too bad

All of their songs have this underlying melancholia, and I do love some melancholy. Quite a lovely listen, nice and relaxing, familiar sounding, safe and comfortable.

Beautiful smooth album. Lovely to work on homework with or chill on the couch

Lots of great hits, including the title song, "The Boxer", "Cecilia". Love it.

Lots of classic hits. Mellow album that's safe for an open office environment

Awesome

I love Simon and Garfunkel

This album has a lot of old favorites. I love singing Bridge over Troubled Waters and frankly everything else.

I liked it a lot. But some songs not as much

There's a lot in this album. So many soft, sweet, sad songs interspersed with upbeat toe-tappers. Some of the best S&G songs are on this album, along with a few songs that easily could have been singles 4/5

Better than I thought it would be but didn't stand out that much

Fantastic!

timeless classic

Fantastic album, had not listened I. A while. Will again very soon.

Lots of songs I knew.

Blah....

Ihan nättejä biisejä. Ei varsinaisesti sitä mitä yleensä kuuntelee niin vaikea arvioida, mutta räväytetään kolmonen.

Some classic songs

Maybe not the best album for surgery day....but good nonetheless.

What a monster of an album. So many huge tracks. Bridge Over Troubled Water, The Boxer, Cecilia, The Only Living Boy in New York, Baby Driver... Huge. There's one weird duck in the mix (So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright is SUPER weird) but, other than that, it's pretty much folk-banger after folk-banger.

A stone cold classic. I almost gave a demerit for the horrific live song, but the rest of the album is perfect. Best track: The Only Living Boy in New York

Hieno levy täynnä klassikoita!

Relaxing listen

Sounds more like a collection of songs than an 'album'. But the songs! Besides the all-timers, Keep the Customer Satisfied and Only Living Boy are additional standouts.

I sensed some kind of religious undertone from the jump. That promise was fulfilled, and well, with string arrangements galore and a disarming, beautiful, succinct closer. I've mentioned the striving for a religious experience before; Here the album succeeds at it. The songs are not yet sticky in my brain, but it's the kind of project I can see myself considering perfect.

9/10

Love this album, it's been a favorite of mine for years

great album

4,5/5

Dull. If you put your thumb over Paul Simon's face, it makes Art Garfunkel look like he has massive moustache

I’m going to get the kids a new 🆕 car 🚗 for them so that I have them on their own so that we have the same thing as my parents house 🏠 for a few months so they won’t get a lot to go on their cars 🚗 but I’m just wondering 💭 how many miles a day is a good 👍 thanks 😊 have you had any of these drugs

5: The moustache that appear on Art if you put your thumb on Pauls face on the album cover. 5: The songs.