Bridge Over Troubled Water

A wonderful album, transporting me back to the very first time I heard this as a high school student, visiting a friend after school. Every song a gem, beautifully produced.

The end of an almost immaculate discography together, the title track should've been the closer!

"Simon and Garfunkel is poetry" "Yes it's poetry. It is a poetry of drugs and promiscuous sex." "Honey... they're on pot" -Detectorists My dad introduced me to S&F when I was fairly young, with Cecila. From there I took a liking to them throughout my life, and they've always been on the radar. This album is great, "Bridge over Troubled Water" is one of the best intro songs to an album.

I’d not listened to this in many years so this was a welcome joy. You really can’t argue against this being one of the greatest albums of all time, and it is worthy of the huge sales it generated. Alongside Let It Be, it signalled the end of the 1960s and a curtain closing on an era of music that change everything. There’s light heartedness which pervades all of Simon’s songs, but I can’t help but notice a hint of darkness here too. The hippy dream had faded by this point, and understandably given their fractured relationship, S & G allowed a sadness and an introspection into their greatest work. This only makes it stronger in my view, and the ride it takes you on from the monumental title track through to the end is wonderful. An easy 5/5 and a record I’ll listen to forever.

I have a real soft spot for this album. The blend of art and pop is well represented. Every little nuance feels very intentional.

I mean it's THAT Simon Garfunkel Album.

Det finns klassiker och det finns klassiker .... Vilka låtar, vilka röster! En femma så klart.

Simon and Garfunkel’s best album. I’m a sucker for those harmonies and you can see Simon growing towards the fascinating artist he would become when he went solo

I forgot how absolutely gorgeous this album is and I’m very happy to be reminded.

Truly one of the greatest folk albums ever made, just such a simple and yet wholesome and cohesive set of songs that work together absolutely perfectly. Their songwriting peaked on this album, as well as their brilliant performances showing how they are one of the most iconic duos in music history, as they feed off each other's energy so well. It's a real shame that they broke up after this, who knows what else they could have achieved after this.

Album 219. Bridge Over Troubled Water (https://open.spotify.com/album/0JwHz5SSvpYWuuCNbtYZoV?si=q4Z3JH1ERH2oQZK_RcQHSA) — Simon & Garfunkel (1970) Good timing because a couple of weeks ago I wanted to learn more about the Simon & Garfunkel discography and listened to dozens of their songs. Super melancholic and beautiful music & songwriting. It's that type of music you remember once in a while and trying to remember how to spell this artist's name while you're trying to type it in a search bar... "Simon and who???" you ask yourself and when you finally remember who, you're getting a little better. You've got it. This is music for a certain mood, so it's hard to give it a universal rating. But its own... 5/5 Liked: — Bridge Over Troubled Water — El Condor Pasa (If I Could) — Cecilia — The Boxer — The Only Living Boy in New York

I was just listening to this album the other day! Love me some S&G

Easy 5. Only qualm is putting poor Baby Driver is between The Boxer and Only Living Boy in New York, otherwise flawless.

A masterpiece of American songwriting

A favourite from my teens. The soundtrack of my Uncle and Aunt who I love dearly.

Really lovely and dynamic. I listen to these often in the morning and this was just right for that.

It's hard to deny what a classic this is when 10 out of 11 songs appear on a 2 disc The Very Best of Simon & Garfunkel album I got 25 years ago ("Why Don't You Write Me" is the only omission FYI). Listening now, I’m still blown away by the ambition and emotion here. From the soaring vocals and strings on the title track, which still gives me goosebumps, to the huge build-up in "The Boxer", Paul Simon is at the top of his game. It’s such a cool mix of styles, too, moving from the Andean vibes of "El Condor Pasa" to the energy of "Cecilia". Are there a couple of clunky moments? Sure. The live version of "Bye Bye Love" feels a bit out of place with all the crowd noise, and some of the slower stuff can be a little sleepy. But you also get hit with the perfection of "The Only Living Boy In New York" and those gripes just vanish. You can practically feel the tension of their impending breakup in the production, but it somehow makes the whole thing feel like a cathartic, triumphant send-off. Flaws and all, this is a masterpiece. Five stars, no question. Anything else would be slander, libel, words you never heard in the bible...

Great great album. Something about the dull thudding percussion lends so much to the title track and The Boxer. For a slightly deeper cut, only living boy in New York is beautiful

Nostalgia and bliss, possibly the easiest album to listen to 4.5

peak

Classic

When my second son was 9 months old he would wake up at 1am, when my wife and I would change his nappy, feed him and then I'd rock him back to sleep. He would also wake up at 2am, and 3am and we would do the same thing. At 5am it would slowly dawn on us, as I rocked him for the twentieth minute, that this might now be his morning; he's ready for the day. I would take him downstairs and watch Poirot as he scrabbled about on the floor. At 7 I would unload the dishwasher, make breakfast for everyone, and then try to eat my own breakfast while dealing with homework, a screaming baby and a toddler who has decided that school isn't really his bag today and he doesn't feel like going to the toilet or getting dressed. The toddler would refuse to leave the house, so I'd have to drag him from behind a sofa, eventually reaching a compromise where he wouldn't scream as long as I carried him to school. After lugging him up one of the steepest hills in London and dropping him off, I would run the 12 minute walk to the station in 6 minutes so I could just make the 9:02 train. I'd close my eyes for 10 brief minutes as I huddled in a corner, before walking the remainder of the way to my offices in Covent Garden. Work was theoretically the respite. But I had to deal with reports who weren't happy, who didn't like the directions the company was going in; managers who were both too ambitious and not ambitious enough; meetings in which everyone disagreed over trivialities while ignoring the cracks in our future; deep technical problems which ran through our codebases and no-one wanted to touch. Disagreements on slack would spill over into all-hands meetings. The CVPR deadline loomed ahead of us like a rock in the mist. At 5pm I would run out of whatever conversation I was in and sprint to Charing Cross for the 5:15 to Hastings. I'd change at London Bridge, then back to Forest Hill. Home at 6pm, I'd join a dining room which had become a dinning room; hungry children and a tired wife from a day of a stubborn 9 month old and belligerent toddler. The children would refuse the food she'd made ("but you ate this yesterday?!"). Bath would be a riot. Then bedtime, with screams, feeds and endless demands for yet another story, and a toddler playing mummy off against daddy in some kind of tri-state wind-up. I'd catch up on the work I'd earlier run out on, before a couple of brief hours of sleep. Then we would do it all again. At some point during this hellhole of an existence I heard the song "Keep the Customer Satisfied". And nothing summed up my lonely and servile life better than that. "It's the same old story Everywhere I go I get slandered, libeled I hear words I never heard in the Bible And I'm so tired, so tired But I'm trying to keep my customers satisfied Satisfied"

Surprisingly varied, surprisingly strong deep cuts. Unsurprisingly good harmonies and songwriting. Track 5 is the only weak one, and the highs are incredibly high. Great album!

Siempre lloro con el primer tema. Es hermoso. El disco muestra una banda que ya se conoce y está abriéndose al mundo: sonidos andinos, Bossa, etc

Peak song writing. Just need to get past Art’s yodeling

There are some less than great songs, but the best ones are so truly stunning

I have this on original vinyl from my parents' collection. All-time classic. Pitchfork: 9.4 (archival review) Rolling Stone: Top 500 Albums #172 Best Songs Bridge Over Troubled Water El Condor Pasa (If I Could) Ceceila Keep the Customer Satisfied The Boxer Baby Driver The Only Living Boy in New York

such a raw yet subdued masterpiece

Det går inte att komma runt, åtminstone inte för mig. Det är fortfarande enormt.

Mästerverk. Vackert så in i helvete. Tänk att öppna ett album på det där sättet och lyckas hålla lågan uppe.

En av dom största amerikanska låtskrivarna tillsammans med typ Stevie Wonder och Burt. Man glömmer också hur känslig Art är. Otroligt vacker pipa. Nästan så det här är en stark femma.

Snudd på sakral upplevelse

What makes this album so important is not simply the quality of the songs, but the historical position it occupies. It feels less like a culmination than a transfer point - one era of American pop consciousness handing itself over to another in real time. By 1970, the optimism and collective momentum of the 60s had started to fragment. Rock music was becoming more professional, more studio-shaped, more inward-looking and more adult. This record captures that shift almost perfectly. You can still hear the folk revival roots, the Everly Brothers harmonies, the collegiate intelligence and acoustic intimacy that made Simon & Garfunkel initially distinctive, but they now exist inside a much larger and more sophisticated sonic world. The future soft-rock and singer-songwriter decade is already fully visible from here. What struck me most revisiting it properly was the sheer confidence of the arrangements. Not simply their scale, but their range. The album moves effortlessly between monumental studio grandeur, loose pop buoyancy, urban melancholy and near-lounge sophistication without sounding fragmented. It treats the studio not as a place to document performance, but as an architectural tool capable of constructing entirely different emotional environments from song to song. At the centre of it all is Paul Simon’s writing, which now feels remarkably modern. Not because it is confessional in the blunt singer-songwriter sense, but because it refuses easy emotional simplification. His lyrics constantly search, qualify and recalibrate themselves in real time - “no, not quite that, closer to this.” The honesty comes from the visible effort of approximation. He understands that language is an imprecise instrument and keeps trying to reduce the distortion between lived feeling and verbal expression. That quality gives the album much of its emotional weight. Even at its most polished, it never fully resolves into certainty. The songs remain socially textured, awkward, moving, overthought, funny and slightly tired in recognisably adult ways. Relationships drift. Communication falters. Burnout becomes rhythm. Performance becomes identity. Yet the melodies remain warm and instinctively generous. And for all the sophistication, the record never loses contact with the simple emotional engine underneath it. Simon & Garfunkel originally recorded as “Tom and Jerry” - two harmony-obsessed teenagers shaped by Phil and Don Everly - and by the close of the album you can feel those roots quietly reasserting themselves beneath all the architecture and intelligence. The old dream of two voices locking together still survives inside the increasingly complicated adult world surrounding it. That tension is ultimately what gives the album its lasting power. It stands at the point where youthful folk idealism gives way to something more ambiguous, urban, arranged and psychologically complex, while still retaining enough melodic warmth to stop the transition becoming cold or cynical. A genuine pivot point for the coming decade.

Grew up with this album. One of the best nostalgia trips I've had.

This record is a banger. Maybe some of it is nostalgia and my mom loving Simon & Garfunkel. Or marching to Bridge Over Troubled Water at ASU. Half this record has songs played everywhere still for a reason.

A pretty stunning achievement. After years of listening to it, today I heard more than ever before, how much of a “breakup” album it is. While Simon, on reflection, does come across as an insecure egotist, he nevertheless fashions his feelings at the time into songs of often jaw dropping beauty. Universal beauty too which is the most impressive feat. It reads as an interesting example of the impossible power of self esteem. If anything, it should’ve been Garfunkel crippled with insecurity; he may have been seen as one with the looks and the angelic voice, but it was clear Simon was the creative driving force who could more easily survive a break up. Nevertheless it was Garfunkel who seemed comfortable giving up a cushy position to pursue acting and Simon who seemed devastated by it. This is cod psychology on my part though and I should really read a book about what really happened. However it came into being, we the listening public get to hear one of the finest acts of the 60s (big statement, but legitimate I feel) going out triumphantly with probably their best album. It says a lot that this feels like an album at all since attempting to follow the monumental title track could easily be seen as a fool’s errand. And yet not only is it ably managed, we are also presented with The Boxer to rival it in sophistication and timeless significance. One last thing I’ll mention is the breadth of scope. Though they never really seemed too penned in by the concept of folk-rock as their defining sound, by the time of this album, little was off the table and they explore plenty of interesting avenues. It’s a varied aesthetic that the songs genuinely deserve.

More Paul Simon… fun two day run. Fun fact the high school choir sang bridge over troubled water at the recent graduation. Cecilia! Boxer! Going back to back 4.7s!

Released the year I was born, I feel fortunate for my life to have been blessed by their Greatest Hits and this, the duo's final album. It contains two of the greatest recordings surely ever made in the title track and 'The Boxer' (featuring Hal Blaine's noisy drum), the move into world music with El Condor Pasa and 'Why don't you write me' (a direction Simon would take on his next album), Producer Roy Hallee's technical developments with loops for 'Cecilia' and the live claps for 'Bye bye love', Simon's break up song for Art in 'so long Frank Lloyd Wright, two bouncy up tempo tracks in 'Customer satisfied' and future movie theme 'Baby driver' and thoughtful timeless numbers in 'Only living boy' and 'Song for the asking'. A genuine masterpiece, their peak and retrospectively the best time to call it a day.

this was such a great album super soft and slow honestly a 10 i can’t believe i don’t know enough songs by them!

Golden El Classico obvs.

Me, seeing this album title: oh great, I know this is a classic album so I'm excited to finally listen to it Me, realising I already know every song because it is SUCH a classic album: 🤯

Essential album. One of the best three song stretches ever to open side two.

All timer. So much slapback! Love it. The hits are great, the sleepers are also freat

Fab

I love this album. It’s been a long time since I have listened to the whole album. Every track is excellent. Some of the tracks even sound a little poppy to me now. A fun listen.

Actually perfect. So much emotion packed into under 40 minutes. Bridge Over Troubled Water was my fav song of the album. The Boxer and The Only Living Boy In New York were my other highlights. El Condor Pasa (If I Could) was my fav first listen

Helt nydelig. Ikke et eneste kjedelig spor!

Klink 5. variert, passe kort og deilige låter på rekke og rad. En velfortjent klassiker.

Her e det ingenting å pirke på! Klink femmer

honestly, i loved this album. theyre all folky, funky-ish tunes. it's so refreshing to listen to old songs, especially 70s. i personally loved "keep the customer satisfied" because of its tune and funky words play. "so long, frank lloyd wright"'s melody and lyrics reminds me of a hole in my soul, the words "architects may come, and architects may go" is genuinely inspiring. "the boxer" reminds me of hometowns and close friends, families. and somehow i felt related to it. it's actually so heartwarming to hear something so home-ish, humane in any ways. reminds me of the movie home alone and the boy in charlie's chocolate factory. i love how they wrote their lyrics, it's just amazing and i felt the humaneness in it. it's just so nature and humane in the best way. it's a great start and reset for a monday. honestly love them so much. theyre amazing.

One of those albums where its appearance on the list brings joy to my heart and I look forward to listening it again, as I have done many times before.

Really great album, very chill, very heartfelt. This is probably in no small part due to nostalgia, but I love this album.

blissfully beautiful from start to finish, with one of the sweetest S&G songs ever, the only living boy in NY lovelovelove

Go big or go home. The past present and futures genius of Paul Simon is all present on this album. Songwriting, arrangement and production - it's all here. Since Sound of Silence S&G could no longer he seen as just a folk duo. And this album just raises the stakes and blows the roof off. Three all timers in the midst of an album full of great tunes. A absolute juggernaut.

No notes - a classic. Will never grow tired of it.

Not familiar with Simon and Garfunkel. First Listen, Bridge Over Troubled Water was a great track to lead and title the album with like, oh my goodness, surely It's downhill from here. Folk rock is yet another genre that I have trouble clicking with in its entirety however, following the opening track, the album seems to be continuing this certain charm or vibe I'm really enjoying. "Twos Twos my word broski this ain't no gerbert fam no family on my moms broski is fyya" El Condor Pasa and Cecilila are great follow ups. I really love the track So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright bringing in an elegant change of pace compared to the tracks previous to it. Highlight of the album, The Boxer is hitting something different. The instrumentals are insanely ambient; making feel as if I'm in the room with them as they perform. The echoing drums in the chorus sections are PEAK I TELL YOU! PEAK! That tuba bro. No No NO listen bro listen. The tuba is tryin talk to you bro! The track is my favourite and the follow up track Baby Driver brings back that rhythm I enjoy; my experience of the album is just so enriched at this point that the other few tracks I don't click with are made up by this section of the album. Not to say that the other tracks are poor in quality or don't match up well with my highlights. Why Don't You Write Me has a special vibe to it that contrasts well with the album. A different taste I guess. The Boxer is Dr Pepper Zero. Why Don't You Write Me is Coke Zero. I'm not familiar enough with the band to really get hit by the emotions the last two tracks offer. Still nice. Overall, This album is another example of, for me personally, certain tracks (The Boxer, BOTW, Cecilia, and WDYWM) completely washing away any grievances I could have with others the album offers. Other examples are This Is Hardcore by Pulp or Appetite For Destruction by GNR. Tracks that just hit and click so well for me that I can't help but have them overshadow the rest of the album. I was wrong before, it goes very very very uphill. T3: The Boxer, Why Don't You Write Me, Celcilia

Amazinggggggggggg

Beautiful.

Having gone through quite a few S&G albums now, I think this probably is as good as it gets. Almost all songs on the album are quite decent at worst, and stellar at best. The opening track of 'Bridge Over Troubled Water' is a real gem, and really showcase Art's vocal prowess. 'Cecilia' is probably the biggest hit on this album - and rightfully so. Not being one who usually cares for lyrics, even I must admit that this is very cleverly written and witty - especially the first verse. 'The Boxer' is another very well known and good song. Even 'The Only Living Boy In New York', which is probably my favourite song from S&G, is found on this record. This album simply contains the best of S&G. Slow songs, and more uptempo ones. Cheerful ones, and more moody ones. There is great variation between songs, and you're not left hanging between the real bangers either.

This is Simon and Garfunkel at their absolute best. If there was ever a song that could carry an album, then “Bridge Over Troubled Water” is it. Such a great song. The arrangements are fantastic, and Art’s vocals are magical. You can really tell the piece was written for him. The rest of the album contains other great songs like “The Boxer” and “Cecilia.” I particularly like “The Boxer” with its melancholic theme. “El Condor Pasa” is also great. Honestly, the whole album is stellar. Even the weakest songs never dip below mid-tier. Oh, and how could I forget “The Only Living Boy in New York”? Yeah, I’ve pretty much mentioned all the tracks on the album already. Absolute 5, no questions asked.

The harmonies in the last two minutes of Only Living Boy in New York might be as uplifting and sublime as this list gets.

Every song is beautiful, the voices of Paul and Simon were made to be together. Zero skips

Yeah okay

One of my favorite old school albums.

(Possible) CONTROVERSIAL OPINION: Garfunkel had the better voice, even though “The Boxer” might be a perfect song.

Glorious. Let down by Cecilia which is a bit ridiculous but the rest is soooooo nice

The best album ever.

The legendary "Art Garfunkel with a big mustache" cover. Album is full of classics. I forgot how stunning The Only Living Boy in New York is

Classic album. Didn't realize it was their 5th and final album. Also, it was released in 1970 which means all their music was from the 60s and not mid-70's. I was thinking this would just be slow songs and was pleasantly surprised by a few upbeat ones. Jenny, Lil Jenn & I saw Paul Simon headline Outside Lands and it was incredible. Him doing "The Sound of Silence" just him - Man & a Guitar - was an all-time memory. Also, I've met Art Garfunkel before! Helped him rent a car back in my ERAC days. Told him about Uncle Art and that my Mom & Dad called him "the voice of a generation." You could tell he was very pleased to hear the compliment.

Was Cecilia the invention of Millennial stomp clap? Simply put this is an all timer. Exceptional songwriting from front to back. Bridge Over Troubled Water is one of the finest songs ever written and I have never heard a cover do justice to the original (looking at you Jacob C******)

When to listen: anytime, all the time. I love this album and I love Simon & Garfunkel.

Absolute classics! And a great inspiration, too. I’ll sing one of their songs in my next family and friends concert next March!

música da natureza, ouço sempre. melhores artistas de folk pra mim.

Could almost be a greatest hits album, with a few filler tracks chucked in to keep us honest. The Boxer and The Only Living Boy in New York are peaks in 60s folk rock songwriting

God I love this album. Every song was so familiar except why don’t you write me. Another one I have on vinyl

Banger after banger. Hadn't heard the album in it's entirety before but twas a great time. "Keep the Customers Satisfied" is an all time banger. Great time!

love it

no skips

5 - mastapiece

El sonido es suave como folk, pero también posee instrumentales muy preciosos. Conocía "The Boxer" y no lo sabía, así que fue una sorpresa reconocerla. Parece un disco pensado para disfrutar en tardes tranquilas. Me hace acordar a los Beatles muchas veces.

Love this album, my father had it when we were kids, I still love it today

I knew I was going to give this 5 stars halfway through the album. Beautiful melodies, harmonies and orchestration. Absolutely masterpiece and right up my alley. Faves: Bridge Over Troubled Water, El Condor Pasa (If I Could), Cecilia, Keep The Customer Satisfied ,The Boxer, Baby Driver

The first song means a lot to me personally and the whole album is just goated overall. I love the tonal journey you go through with each track.

this was another album that was on steady repeat during my senior year of high school. i will always have incredibly fond feelings for it. when i got done at my stupid job at GameStop (horrible, terrible, truly very bad) i would start the album halfway (because i like the second half more) on my little cassette adapter while i drove to this friend's house or that friend's house to hang out for the rest of the night. love love love these two and love this album. for that reason it became kind of a nighttime album for me. favorites will probably always be "The Boxer" and "The Only Living Boy in New York", although "El Condor Pasa (If I Could)" is up there as well. really special album from two of my favorite singer/songwriters from the 60s/70s. i'd have to think more about this, but I might rate this, Sound of Silence, and Parsley Sage Rosemary and Thyme about the same. This is the first album I wish I could give like a 4.8, but whatever, let's round up, who fucking cares

Listen, I've never listened to this whole album before. Keep the Customer Satisfied for the first time was an incredible experience and it almost brought me to tears I was so overwhelmed with fun.

top tier album, one dud at most among absolute legends

In grade school, our music teacher organized a music show with young students singing to various degrees of success. Unfortunately I was amongst the failures, mostly because my voice was changing and breaking. I couldn't hit the high notes as I did 6 months earlier. So, our version of Bridge is, for me, a still uncomfortable memory. Amazingly, I still sing it in the shower without shame. 5 "cracking notes" stars.

Удивительной красоты заглавная песня и ещё множество замечательной музыки на этом альбоме. Пока не удалось поближе познакомиться с лирической составляющей в альбоме, но уверен, она не подкачала. По сути, альбом - лебединая песня этого дуэта, последняя работа, после чего их жизненные пути разошлись. Обязательно буду переслушивать его и дальше.

This may be the most dynamically spanning record so far, surprisingly. Song for the asking is underrated and criminally too short. High 4 I think, enjoyed this a lot

Listened to before? Yes Context of album? End of Simon and Garfunkel’s time as a duo, a clear departure from their usual sound, spawned countless hits that basically everyone has heard before, revolutionary production. *Reviewed in a song-by-song format* I don’t like when albums begin with the title track. It’s like being thrown into the deep end—a shocking plunge into the heart of an album rather than a journey along a narrative line of action. Sadly, this album does begin with the title track. However, it’s so good I can’t even be all that mad about it. The piano floats and swells perfectly—the vocals are careful, controlled, and technically impressive while also being incredibly raw. It’s just a perfect song. There’s nothing more I can say about it. El Condor begins with a similar feel, with its creepy intro, but the song becomes something bittersweet and thoughtful as the vocals start. The instrumentals are curious and thoughtful. The vocals are dreamy. Cecelia then begins with Afro-influenced drums, bringing the album’s danceability up significantly. It’s an amazing song, just like the previous two, but the transition into Keep the Customer Satisfied is entirely too sudden. It throws me off every time. Keep the Customer Satisfied is one of my favorites. The chorus is so satisfying and the fanfare trumpets add an excellent flare. Not to mention the lethal sarcasm. Just one hell of a song. So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright slows things down once more. It’s almost trance like, with the rhythmic vocals and the combination of mysterious flute, beautiful acoustic guitar, and rain-like drums. The melody of The Boxer is beautiful. The gentle arpeggios and “lie lie lies” paired with the crashing drum during the chorus and the occasional odd instrument are just fantastic, and allows the song to maintain a feeling of zoned-out thoughtfulness while remaining dynamic and interesting. The build up at the end is transcendent and the return to simple acoustic guitar makes for a perfect resolution. Baby Driver swings the emotional pendulum of the album back in the more Cecelia direction. It’s a fun, folksy song with a subtle biting undertone. There’s even the sound of a car amongst a jazzy solo, which escalates into the chaotic ending. Only Living Boy has a fantastic, introspective narrative with wonderful drum fills and background vocals that make for a perfectly dynamic song, with contrasting loud/quiet sections creating a middle ground between a nostalgia and a hope. Why Don’t You Write Me is physically impossible not to dance to. Despite the anger behind it, everything about it is relentlessly fun. It’s a perfect movie soundtrack song. Then there’s Bye Bye Love, which would be a sad song, except for the fact that it’s live, and the audience is beautifully energetic. Including a live take in an album—especially for a cover—is such a creative idea. The audience takes their cover from being good to being excellent. The fade out of audience cheers into the slow Song for the Asking beautifully summarizes the bittersweetness present throughout BOTW, with the ultimate ode to solitude and reflection amongst community and

Surprised me how good it was

Paul’s broken heart comes through so clearly on this .

Ahhh fuck it yeah it is that good couldn’t be happier to have finally listened to this I’ll be blasting this over spring I’m so sure.

A classic from Simon & Garfunkel; I used to listen to "Cecilia" all the time as a teenager, so Bridge Over Troubled Water brings back a lot of memories

IN THE CLEARING STANDS A BOXER AND A FIGHTER BY HIS TRADE. AND HE CARRIES THE REMINDERS OF EVERY GLOVE THAT LAID HIM DOWN OR CUT HIM TILL HE CRIED OUT IN HIS ANGER AND HIS SHAME "I AM LEAVING, I AM LEAVING" BUT THE FIGHER STILL REMAINS.

IM THE ONLY LIVING BOY IN NEWWWW YORKK<333

Uno de mis álbumes favoritos

I’ve heard this album a few times as I listened to it while reading a book about music in the late 60s. It’s a great album. I don’t need to tell you that. Or maybe I do. Simon & Garfunkel were a great team, but like most teams, they ended up kind of hating each other over time. Paul Simon essentially wrote all the songs, but Art Garfunkel had that voice. A legit voice of an angel. And there’s no better example of Art’s voice than on track 1, the title track, Bridge Over Troubled Water. It’s one of those songs that’s so beautiful it makes you want to cry, or at least it does that to me. The music is beautiful, but the lyrics are just amazing. They sum up what you want to hear from your friend and what you want to say to them, if we weren’t macho guys who only talked sports, that is. Bridge Over Troubled Water is one of the greatest songs ever written, and most of the cover versions are amazing as well. Check out Elvis Presley’s version. It’s chill-inducing. I feel like my heart is going to burst out of my chest. Simon & Garfunkel are, for the most part, folk singers, but that doesn’t mean they are soft. They make their songs sound bigger than you can imagine, but their songs can also be as soft as a whisper. As a duo, I’m not sure there were any better in the time they were together. The two released four singles off the album, with the second being the title track, and the third was track 3, Cecilia. It’s a very percussion-based folk song with handclapping and a bass drum, or a tom, beating throughout. Just a beautiful rocking song, though it isn’t electrified. It kind of gives me tropical island feels, the music anyway. I can vaguely remember hearing it on the radio as a kid. Track 4 is Keep the Customer Satisfied and it’s got a great brass section playing to go along with the acoustic guitars. It’s a fun little song about being hassled by fans or the man or somebody. At one point, a deputy sheriff tells the singer to get out of town because he’s in big trouble. Not sure if the singer is an outlaw or if it’s Simon coming home after a big tour. Oooh, big organ coming in after the first verse. Fun song. Track 5 is So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright and it’s a lovely little song. Has a wonderful flute solo in the middle. The song is a tribute, of course, to the architect Frank Lloyd Wright. That flute sings the 60s to me. Not in a bad way, but in a nice, childhood memory kind of way, and I wasn’t even around in the 1960s. Track 6 is The Boxer and it’s a song you’ve likely heard, but had no idea it was Simon & Garfunkel. Once you hear the lie, lie, lies in the middle, you’ll recognize it. The song is about a young man struggling through life in New York City. The song has this bass harmonica being played, and it sounds so strange, but it fits the song and the era perfectly. I know I’ve heard the instrument before, I think in the Apple Dumpling Gang movie or the Dukes of Hazzard, maybe. Great song and closes with a tuba blast sounding like a ship coming into the harbor. Track 7 is Baby Driver and it’s a Beach Boys-type rock song. It has great harmonies, and it’s just good old-fashioned rock and roll. The song makes you happy. Track 8 is The Only Living Boy in New York and it was written by Simon while Garfunkel was filming a movie in Mexico. The Aaaaaahhhhs make the song. According to Simon, the Aaaaahhhs were made up of about 12 to 15 voices. Then we have a church organ near the end. For what I assume was a frustrating time for Simon, waiting on Garfunkel to finish his movie, the song is so pretty. Isolation never sounded so good. Track 9 is Why Don’t You Write Me, and it has a reggae vibe to it. Their harmonies sound very Beach Boys-like, and then a baritone sax has a great solo at the end. This song sounds like Garfunkel was stuck waiting to finish his movie and was wondering why Simon hadn’t checked in on him, you know, dropped a line. Now there’s a dobro? What a fascinating song. Track 10 is a live cover of the Everly Brothers’ Bye Bye Love. Maybe I just don’t see or hear it enough, but the Everly Brothers seem to be vastly underrated in how they played a huge role in creating rock and roll. They influenced everyone in those early days, all the way up to, and including, the Beatles. The crowd went wild during that song, which is nice. Track 11 is Song for the Asking, and it closes this must-listen album. The song is looked at as both Simon and Garfunkel trying to make amends and hoping to make music together in the future. The duo would split up after this album was released, and over the years rarely spoke to each other. Simon went on to become a huge star, writing hit after hit, and Garfunkel tried acting and putting out his own music, but he wasn’t a songwriter like Simon. Sadly, these two incredibly talented people couldn’t figure out how to compromise and make things work. But it happens. They did work together and reunite a few times, but that's it. This album is one of the greatest albums ever, and I’d recommend everyone check it out. I think it may open up many people’s ears as it comes to folk music.

Automatic 5 from me.

straight banger. no skips. wow

It kinda is that album

Voting issue... I have loved SnG for over 40 years. My intro to 60s folk and rock. Haven't listened to this album in 20 years and can't still sing every lyric. LOVE it. But I hate Bridge Over Troubled Water. With a passion. Always have. Every other song fucks. 4 or 5 stars? Ugh. Fuck it. 5.

I fuckng love this album

Iconic.

I’m only sad that I can’t listen to it again

Why’s he hiding?

Really good and great harmony

- Packed with iconic songs, only three I didn't recognise - Slightly strange to have one live rendition of a song

Gorgeous. “Cecelia” is one of the happiest songs I’ve ever heard. “Bridge Over Troubled Water” and “The Boxer” plumb the depths of the opposite emotional pole. There is a lot more I could say, but I’m on my second Old Fashioned and I’m feeling a little lazy. 4.5 stars.

Luister ik vaak naar 🤩

Dit is echt super!! Zo rustgevend, leuke liedjes en ook een paar nieuwe

Excellent. Mom said she borrowed the vinyl from the library and recorded it on cassette tape.

this album is a banger..no notes favorite song: the only living boy in new york HM: The Boxer least favorite song: why don’t you write me

hassıktır

To be fair I forgot to listen to this yesterday BUT Michael and I listened to the record a couple weeks ago and I remember it being a 5/5

Love love

So much fun. Definitely a 5/5. I’m glad I came back to this.

This is truly an awesome album...where is the sixth star button?

beautiful

10 stars just for Bridge Over Troubled Water (and Cecilia, and The Boxer and and….)

I love this album. It’s a little corny at times, but its sincerity outweighs its corniness to me.

Powerful work by the greatest singer/songwriter duo in history.

simon and the other fella with the funny moustache This is probably the first time I've listened to anything by S&G except for The Sound of Silence (which has been ruined to me by overplaying). Boy did this thing not disappoint. I will absolutely be giving this about 30 more listens, this is probably even better than Graceland IMO.

Fantastic I have always loved this album

Cecilia told me to give this 5 stars - it’s a brilliant album and if you don’t think so your just wrong

Fabulous album all the way through.

Paul Simon wrote Bridge Over Troubled Water and some fuckass put it as the first track on this album, and probably said something like, "I'm sure the rest of it won't be that good, we better frontload," and then every song on this album proceeded to be a fucking classic. Paul, you 5'5" madlad maniac genuis. I love you. Also, Art Garfunkel is there to do the singing and you can't go wrong with that.

This is one of the best folk albums of all time. The lyricism is so beautiful and every song paints a different picture that transports you to a story. It’s almost like an audiobook the way each song has its in narrative and characters. The harmonies are also some of the best from a folk group and overall this album is a no skip classic. My favorite from Simon and Garfunkel is bookends, but this one comes in as a close second

really just a moment in time captured in music

Great listen. I can tell this is an album that if listened to over and over it gets better and better. Lots of different elements to listen for.

Brilliant top to bottom. Paul Simon is a musical genius.

practically a 10/5

Watched a fairly interesting documentary about this album on Friday night. O. M. G. What a flippin' coincidence!!!!!!! These were the main takeaways, while we munched on a takeaway: 1) Paul Simon can never admit he's wrong 2) Art Garfunkel is a regular height I think this album is probably their best one because the corny tracks are the least corny, kinda like how the Beatles best album is Sgt. Pepper cos 'With a Little Help From My Friends' is the best Ringo song. It might also have the best of their best songs but that's slightly more debatable if you ask me. Anyway, defo five stars, love a bit of Sims and Gar.

high 5 one of my all time all time favs. makes other albums look absolutely rubbish. in my top 10 i recon. up there for best album of the 60s ( even tho it came out in 70 ) and maybe of all time. its a simon garfunkel best of in many ways but some of the lesser known tracks are my favs. "keep the customer satisfied" has some of the most pure energy of any recording. its simply exhilarating. have trumpets every sounded better? it just pumps you full of life man can you dig it? many times have a listen over and over to this track.

i know this one i love it

One of my favorite albums ever!!

Used to love S&G. Loved the contrast to my usual Prog Rock. Still a great album for me.

one of the top five albums of all time. flawless.

This album would be certified a classic based on the title track alone, a song that has arguably the single greatest vocal take in history. But the rest of the album is nearly just as strong, with Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel singing about life through the eyes of various characters, or the struggles of living in New York. It's a shame that this would be the duo's last album, but they truly go out on a high note here.

I will always love Simon and Garfunkel, apart from the song Bridge Over Troubled Water, (I urge everyone to listen to Prince Busters version, it’s beautiful) otherwise I could listen to any S&G again and again on repeat, they soothe my soul

Possibly the best pop album ever?? Their absolute peak.

Fantastic album. Love me some S&G.

It's just that good

🔥

Loved this one! Adding to my oldies playlist immediately

Not my absolute favorite Simon and Garfunkel, but a stone cold classic anyway. So, so good.

A true masterpiece, some of the best songs written and performed in history.

Somehow I don’t think I’ve ever listened through this in its entirety. It is a collection of phenomenal songs that somehow ends up being much better than the sum of its remarkable parts. Wonderful album.

Starting things off with a classic album. Overall, this was a very sentimental listen. Some songs are feel-good. Others made me feel kind of wistful. It's just honest-to-God folk music that sets the standard high. Would definitely revisit!

Hela livet i ett album. Här bor mitt hjärta.

Neemt je mee plus paar vangers

I adore Simon & Garfunkel's music, and I adore this album. I'd happily listen to it again and again, and I have multiple songs (Cecilia, Bridge Over Troubled Water, The Boxer, Baby Driver) on my playlist already. Easy 5.

This album is perfect. The vocal harmonies, the instrumentation, the varying styles that drawing inspiration from folk, rock, and anything in between. I don't often pay attention to lyrics much, but these two are such artful storytellers as well. I found a newfound appreciation for the songs I already knew, and immediately loved the ones I was less familiar with. Just beautiful 10/10

5 stars. Don't even need to listen. Biggest albums for me (thx to Mombo & Granddad) as a kid were probably this, Sgt. Pepper, and Sly/Family Stone's Greatest Hits. But I will listen. I love these songs. They're in my DNA. And they exist as a cohesive unit in my mind and heart. 5.5 stars ;)

there are some absolute titans on this album. "Bridge Over Troubled Water" is verging on saccharine, but I think it's only suffering success because it's played so much. If you heard it for the first time it would blow you away. El Condor Pasa is one of my favorite songs ever. I think The Boxer has an even better claim to be a greatest song ever written. There are weaker tracks, but it doesn't really matter because of the duo's vocals and such a high standard of song writing. It's hard for me to take an objective look because these titans have been with me for as long as I can remember, but I don't mind

5/5 would totally spend weeks learning any song off this for my amateur choir. Despite knowing a lot of songs on it, I'd never listened to this album before. But from now on I'm pulling this out for cozy afternoons with the family.

Phenomenal album that stands the rest of time. Art's voice is breathtaking.

Instant classic!

My favorite Simon and Garfunkel album. It just sounds like New York City in the winter time, and the cover furthers that setting. Is there any better moment in music than "In the clearing stands a boxer...." with the bass harmonica? Plus this album is a short, easy listen.

Not rating this 5 stars just seems ungenerous. An absolutely era-defining record that will still be played in another 50 years by anyone who loves music.

I loved this album, but I'm not really surprised about that. The title track, El Condor Pasa (If I Could) and The Boxer are probably my favourites. That being said, I need these two broads to make up so I can see them together in concert before one of them kicks the bucket. Will I be able to afford the tickets if this happens, probably not, but at least give me the chance.

Не котирую фолк но эти братаны приятны

I find S&G a bit hit and miss, and while there are still a couple of tracks that aren't very memorable, most of these are top tier career classics. The fact that any decent best of all more than half of this says something. The instrumentation is also worth mentioning. They're really trying some things here

Already knew a few of these songs but have never listened to the full album. Wow. Blown away! Absolutely loved it. I think I saved the whole album.

perfect.

This was on a lot growing up. Don't mind it but I'm never going to actively put it on. Scratch that. This album slaps. 6/5

Ya lo había escuchado, posiblemente en 2023. Me emboba la música melódica y este álbum está hecho de caramelos; que lo hayan conseguido para los temas acústicos sentimentales, los teátricos y todo lo que está en medio no ha terminado de encantarme. Favorita: So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright.

If this only had Cecilia and The Boxer, it would’ve a four star album. But almost every song is good to great. El Condor Pasa is an under the radar sort of great song. And the title song is also a deeply emotional masterpiece, although I admittedly have to be in the mood for it. In amazing duo at their peak.

Always a banger

Fuck it, I admit it. This album rules.

I know they’re iconic musicians but admittedly I didn’t know what I was getting into. The result? I think I listened three times to the album today. Just jam packed with great music and songs that could fill a greatest hits list. Maybe it was my mood, or just plain great music - but 5*.

Timeless, already a 5 star in my mind without even clicking the link.

This was great.

If you told the kids these days that the biggest selling album of the 1970s was by a folk duo they wouldn't believe you! Of course this is bullet proof and anything anyone says at this point is hardly going to change its classic (mythic) status. Fortunately it manages to live up to hype. One amazing song after another. Superb. The Only Living Boy in New York is gorgeous

Gorgeous.

Relistened to The Boxer like 10 times today

Total delight! Bliss! I think one of the great achievements in human existence is vocal harmony and this is some of the finest documentation of that in the western world. My cut of choice is "El Condor Pasa (If I Could)", but i mean this whole thing is a 37 min heater run. I adore "Keep the Customer Satisfied" as well.

Perfect album.

Highlights: The whole album Lowlights: ---------------------------------- Perfect beginning to end.

This is a near perfect album. From the hits to the lesser known tracks, this album delivers in every moment. Beginning with a generational classic, the album doesn't hold back from there, and says what it needs to say inside 40 minutes. Simon and Garfunkel are brilliant, and this album showcases their artistry wonderfully. 10/10

I just as easily got into the less famous songs from this album!

awesome. some wonderful tracks

Wonderful album! There’s something so earnest in their songwriting and singing.

Yes yes yes I love Simon and Garfunkel

These songs captured me even as a kid

I love this album. This has some of their most iconic songs and it feels like a culmination of the S&G sound. It's great all the way through.

probably a Top 100 album of all time

Probably one of my favorite albums of all time tbh! The cosmic sounding cacophony at the ending of The Boxer leading up to the beautiful final harmony. Garfunkel’s unearthly voice echoing in the background of The Only Living Boy in New York as Simon whines about him not being there, the jangles of Cecilia. I could go on and on and on. Absolutely love every second of this album.

Another gap in 'the classics' filled. Never listened to this before, always wrote them off as generic folk, but listening now, I really enjoyed this. Great album.

At the end of a drunken night out with old cronies, I found myself a couple of slices and threw this into my headphones. As familiar and comfortable as an old pair of slippers, I was fully in the pocket.

Classic example of old school folk balladeering at its finest.

Loved this!

One of my all time favorite albums I’ve listened to so far

i've been wanting to get more into folk. simon and garfunkel i've misunderstood your game severely!!!!

4.5/5

Perfection

No necesito escuchar este disco por enésima vez para ponerle un 5 más grande que la catedral de Sevilla. Pero lo he vuelto a oír porque es un disco perfecto que me hace feliz.

This is a great album. I bought it when it was first released and I also have it on cd.

It’s kind of just a cardinal sin to speak ill of this album. And I’m trying to get right with God, with coincidentally, this album helps out a lot with, so I won’t say anything negative. I mean holy shit. There are three of the greatest songs ever written on this record, and YOU already know what they are without me having to tell you. Is there another album out there like that?

I would sing the Only living boy in new york to my son when he was an infant. It would make him stop crying almost everytime. I love that song. This album is full of amazing songs. I don't really need to say more.

Foundational album, only wish I came to it sooner. Will be revisiting on a foggy Tuesday morning.

Awesome album. Every song is a gem!!!

Classic album

I had never listened to this whole album all the way through. Wish I did it sooner but better late than never.

Good result today, I absolutely love this album. I've got the 40th anniversary edition, which includes the 1969 concert plus a DVD with two films. Just the album this morning though... Aside from the title track the big numbers here, of course, are Cecilia and The Boxer, but there's no filler on this album.

They never made a dud.

Love this album

An absolute classic- I love Simon and Garfunkel! Paul Simon’s amazing song writing and Garfunkel’s beautiful voice. Was such a treat for this to be the daily album! Also one of the best album covers ever, lol

Beautiful album, enjoyed it then listened again and grew on me even more. So many hits, but also so much variety too, really unique sounds, textures and instrumentations throughout, love the random tenor sax blasts (the boxer) on various songs. Such a well crafted album. Favourite song is probably the only boy living in New York, flashback to the Garden State soundtrack.

Album 1024 of 1089 Bridge Over Troubled Water - Simon & Garfunkel (1970) Rating : 5 / 5 This one is deeply personal for me. This album was around my home from the time it was released. My sister even had a cat named Simon Garfunkel, which probably tells you how ingrained this music was in our lives. It’s a beautiful album from beginning to end. The songwriting is outstanding, and the harmonies somehow manage to be even better. The title track felt like a classic the moment it hit the airwaves, and it’s lost none of its power over time. These are songs that have stayed with me for the majority of my life, and I have no doubt they’ll still be there at the end. Thinking back, this album may be where I first learned what a “cover” was. We had the Everly Brothers’ Bye Bye Love on a 45 that we played constantly, so hearing Simon & Garfunkel’s version was a bit of a moment - different, but still respectful and beautifully done. That kind of thoughtful approach runs throughout the entire album. There’s nothing bad to say about this one. It’s timeless, heartfelt, and perfectly crafted - an album that doesn’t just hold up, but continues to mean something as the years go by.

so good, had forgotten how good this album is.

Already kinda knew I’d love this one, very nostalgic album, good excuse to listen again.

Good stuff man good stuff. Got better and better the each time I listened. The first two songs stuck with me the first listen, but as I listened a few more times, I was appreciating the tracks up and down the record more and more. The record is full of fun moments. Thought the trumpet on Keep the Customer Satisfied was executed nicely. A botched trumpet solo can kill an album, but I think their use of the instrument on this song added a great moment to the record. The storytelling and song writing is great also!

All bangers no skips

4/11 bekannt 9/10 Beste Songs: the Boxer, El Condor pasa, Cecilia

Such beautiful lyrics. Truly comforting music.

Okay, okay, I guess I kind of get why this album has sold around 25,000,000 copies. I’ve never sought out S&G to listen to on my own, it was always hearing other people play it. A few songs on here didn’t grab me, but the album is still great overall.

Really really love this, but weirdly the title track might be the weakest one here. Still a good song but not nearly as interesting as anything else here.

A masterpiece. An easy 5 star, no skip album. As a Paul Simon, I guess, super fan, I think this is his best album with or without Garfunkel.

Songs should not be allowed to be this melodic.

Splendid. Stupendous. Stellar. Striking. Special. Soothing. Spectacular. Slaps.

Listened to whilst procrastinating work. Favourite song: bridge over troubled water

Un discazo digno de mi primer 5

Was chucking in a random live track customary at the time? Was enjoying the album thoroughly and was surprised by the applause coming from seemingly nowhere.

10/10 no notes. makes you feel so much in a short duration, classic album

Brilliant album and beyond critical appraisal

Beautiful album. The first song (title track) is just so heartwarming. This duo really shines.

This is a certified classic. Already knew it but I think I like almost all the songs.

First album we’ve had that I already had songs saved from. I love it. The boxer I could listen to on repeat forever bc it makes me feel content. I like the instruments and the harmonizing and that the songs tell stories.

Simon & Garfunkel always reminds me of my mom. I had never listened to the full album before. Cecelia and The Boxer are old favorites, I also really liked Keep the Customer Satisfied, might be my new fave from them. Impossible to not sing along, vibes of the day have improved tremendously

Really good!

Basically a perfect album. Art Garfunkel has the voice of an angel and it’s somehow even more perfect of songs like “Bridge Over Troubled Water” and “The Boxer.” “Cecilia” is such a great song, and “Keep The Customer Satisfied” and “The Only Living Boy In New York” ensure the middle section of the album never drags. I love their cover of “Bye Bye Love” too. Simon & Garfunkel are an iconic duo, and everything they did together was nearly flawless, including this album.

Ofc this was on the list

Wonderful listen. Beautiful guitars, vocals, and lyricism.

Goated

Great length and average song duration. I liked this one more than Bookends.

Don’t have the words to describe how much I love Simon & Garfunkel. I was OBSESSED with the boxer for a bit last year. A lot of great songs on this album

Definitely the best album from Simon and Garfunkel. And also the best of either of them after they split up. Paul Simon is such a good songwriter and although his lyrics are always great I think this album is really his best work. And he's an absolute monster of a guitar player. Others have said that this is a near perfect album and I find it hard to disagree, there's not really anything you can criticize here. Frank Lloyd Wright is the one slow spot for me but that song has always been kind of a joke between me and my wife so I even like that one now. The Boxer, one of the best songs ever written. The same could be said for The Only Living Boy in New York. And the title track for that matter. There's just so much to love on this album and the people who rate it poorly, sorry - you're wrong. This is objectively fantastic. 5/5

close my eyed while listening and only saw glitter

- soft and soothing voices, almost mystical, tellement agréable à écouter - doux et nostalgique, yet hopeful, c’est vraiment pour moi un album que j’écouterais un matin de printemps - quelle belle découverte, je peux pas croire que je connaissais pas l’album complet avant?! I’ve been missing out - meilleure chanson: el condor pasa (if i could), the boxer

5 janvier 2025

I really enjoyed hearing this album again. Brings back nostalgic feelings.

01) Bridge over Troubled Water - 10,0 02) El Cóndor Pasa (If I Could) - 10,0 03) Cecilia - 10,0 04) Keep the Customer Satisfied - 9,0 05) So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright - 9,0 06) The Boxer - 10,0 07) Baby Driver - 8,5 08) The Only Living Boy in New York - 9,0 09) Why Don't You Write Me - 8,5 10) Bye Bye Love - 9,0 11) Song for the Asking - 9,0 TOTAL: 9,27 (93/100) Current ranking: 29/783

A great folk rock album, one of the best to have come up thus far on the list. Paul Simon's won me over at this point. Also I might've laughed more at this album cover than any other. "Bridge Over Troubled Water" - This was in our middle school choir repertoire... before hearing this album I don't believe that I would have told you I liked this song, but, it's a standout here. We almost certainly weren't doing this song justice. Because of the song's gospel tilt I initially assumed this was Simon and Garfunkel doing a cover of an older song; it's a pleasant surprise to learn it was written for this album. "Keep the Customer Satisfied" - "I get slandered, libeled / I hear words I never heard in the Bible." A+ lyrics, Paul... "The Boxer" - "Lie-la-lie." ...and also A+ non-lyrics.

While the title song was way overplayed in the 70’s, this album overall is a treasure into the genius of Paul Simon. I’ve always been a big fan of ‘So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright’ and think of this song often when I see architecture I love. Many of these songs defined the spirit of our nation in the 70’s.

Awesome album!

A true gem. Every song is unique but works and connects. I have been looking forward to to getting to this album on this list for some time

S&G went out on top! I think this easily stands out as their best album and the songs therein make up the core of their greatest hits. There are no turds in this punch bowl.

**Bridge Over Troubled Water – Simon & Garfunkel (1970)** *In-depth review* --- ### **1. Lyrics – 9/10** Paul Simon’s songwriting here is at its most cinematic and emotionally literate. - **“Bridge Over Troubled Water”** turns a simple promise of comfort into a secular hymn; the metaphor is elastic enough to embrace romantic, filial or even national grief. - **“The Boxer”** is a first-person picaresque that folds autobiography (Simon’s bruising reception by critics) into the universal story of every drifter who keeps “punching-out” in a hostile world. - **“The Only Living Boy in New York”** is a postcard from isolation, written while Garfunkel was away filming; the city becomes a ghost-town when your only ally leaves. - **“So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright”** is a sly double goodbye—to the architect Garfunkel actually studied in college and to the partner whose harmonies Simon knows are about to vanish. - Even lighter cuts (**“Cecilia”**, **“Baby Driver”**) hide darker undertones: Cecilia is a muse who “takes my confidence,” a fickle lover/music public that abandons you the morning after success. **Cons:** A few lyrics flirt with middle-brow sentimentality (“I’d rather sail away like a swan”) and **“Bye Bye Love”** is pure crowd-pleasing filler, adding nothing to the Everly original. --- ### **2. Music – 9.5/10** The duo abandon the coffee-house austerity of *Bookends* and go widescreen. - **Orchestration:** strings, brass, pedal-steel, Peruvian charango, tack-piano, even a Moog on **“Save the Life of My Child”**—yet every color feels earned, never gimmicky. - **Peruvian folk** is borrowed respectfully in **“El Cóndor Pasa”** (legally cleared with the original composer, Los Incas’ Jorge Milchberg, after early pressings forgot the credit). - **Rhythmic palette:** gospel 6/8 sway, Latin hand-percussion, Dixieland horns, rockabilly shuffle—sometimes inside one song (**“Keep the Customer Satisfied”**). - **Harmonies:** Garfunkel’s upper register has never sounded more angelic; Simon’s lower line provides the grit that keeps the sweetness from cloying. **Cons:** The dynamic range is huge; on vinyl the crescendos can feel over-compressed and the quiet passages (intro to **“Bridge”**) can vanish under surface noise. --- ### **3. Production – 10/10** Roy Halee’s mobile-studio ingenuity is the secret third member. - **Layered vocals:** **“The Only Living Boy in New York”** stacks a nine-part Art choir inside an echo-drenched elevator shaft; the “echoes” become the city itself. - **Drum sound:** Hal Blaine’s thunderous toms in **“The Boxer”** were recorded in front of an empty elevator shaft at Columbia’s studios—listen for the shotgun-reverb that follows each hit. - **Street ambience:** a real New York sidewalk opens **“Save the Life of My Child”**; the Moog bass slides underneath like urban vertigo. - **Live cut:** the inclusion of **“Bye Bye Love”** (recorded at Ames, Iowa) is technically flawless—crowd mics balanced so the applause becomes another instrument—but artistically questionable. --- ### **4. Themes – 9/10** The album is a break-up record in every sense: romantic, professional, civic. - **Fracture:** partners drifting apart (**“So Long…”**, **“Only Living Boy”**). - **Displacement:** boxers, runaways, homesick soldiers, a boy teetering on a ledge—everyone is somewhere they don’t belong. - **Salvation:** the title track offers the possibility that empathy itself can be a bridge; the gospel arrangement turns the secular into the sacred. - **America in 1969:** the dream is bruised (Nixon, Vietnam, Altamont) yet the record insists on tenderness as resistance. --- ### **5. Influence – 10/10** - **Vocal template:** from Linda Ronstadt to Fleet Foxes, the high-lonesome stacked-harmony sound starts here. - **Indie-folk confessionals:** Bon Iver’s *For Emma* owes its icy cathedral reverb to **“Only Living Boy”**; Sufjan’s *Illinois* quotes the trumpet line from **“The Boxer”**. - **Gospel crossover:** Aretha, Elvis and Johnny Cash all covered the title track—proof that a Jewish kid from Queens wrote a standard that churches still close services with. - **Production blueprint:** Roy Halee’s “tunnel reverb” drum sound is copied on Bruce’s *Born to Run* and U2’s *Where the Streets Have No Name*. --- ### **Pros & Cons (quick glance)** | Pros | Cons | |---|---| | One of the most immaculate vocal performances ever recorded | “So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright” can feel like an inside joke that overstays its welcome | | Genre-hopping without losing identity | The live “Bye Bye Love” breaks the album’s spell | | Lyrics that move from diary-entry intimate to mythic | Occasional middle-brow prettiness skirts cliché | | Production innovations still studied in audio schools | Side B is slightly front-loaded; momentum sags after “The Only Living Boy” | | Contains at least four songs that are now American standards | The duo’s interpersonal tension leaks into a few passive-aggressive moments | --- ### **Verdict – 9.5/10** *Bridge Over Troubled Water* is the rare swan-song that does not merely summarize a career—it inflates it until the partnership bursts. The album’s grandeur can feel almost too immaculate, yet every string swell and gospel cadence is in service of the central confession: **“I’m leaving, I am leaving, but the fighter still remains.”** Fifty-plus years on, the bridge still holds.

Probably their best. And holds up really well.

Love it. Own it.

Probably best album from my birth year. Cecilia still such a banger.

Somehow Paul Simon is simultaneously the coolest and least cool person in the world. How is that possible? He’s like Schrödinger’s folk singer. Anyway, this is a no-skip album

I got this cd the summer I was living and working in the Black Hills. I played it repeatedly while driving to work or just driving around. So now relistening to it brings back memories of endless winding roads, the smell of pine, being shrouded by tree branches. It’s a wonderful album but one that’s made even better by memories

I’ve had this album for years, bought from a charity shop in the nineties. Listening again there’s not a bad song on it. The arrangements are expensive and expansive, every song sounds different but the whole hangs together.

the 2 live songs were terribly close to bumping this one down. Not beating the Simon and Garfunkel literally just the beatles allegations. As a kid I thought they were the same and I still think they sound near identical, especially this album.

A beautifully bittersweet album to mark both the end of Simon & Garfunkel, as well as the 60s. There isn't a bad song on here but to pick favourites, the title track, The Only Living Boy in New York and The Boxer are definite highlights.

Ethereal in a way that isn't even out of this world, if that makes sense. It's quite literally like a bridge over troubled water - in the woods somewhere feeling cozy but also a little bit wonky Favs: Cecilia So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright The Only Living Boy in New York Skips: None

i get SLANDERED 🕺 LIBELLED 💃 i hear WORDS I NEVER HEARD IN THE BIBLE 👏👏👏👏

Loved it, listened two times through and then went back to “The Boxer” again for a third time.

I think it has to be a 5 even with some of the really slow tunes cause the music is actually so good and easy to listen to.

This is one of the first vinyl records I ever bought, at a vacuum and record store that I went to with my Dad. Everything was between 50-75% off, and while 15 year-old me had some albums in mind I wanted (think whatever cool "classic" album was popular on Tumblr at the time), my dad definitely steered me in the right direction. That album was unfortunately stolen earlier this year, but I'm happy to have the memory at least. Anyways, this is a masterpiece. I was hooked right from the first song-- Bridge Over Troubled Water gave me chills

Been listening to it since it came out, classic.

I have two really fond memories with this album. First, this is one of my christmas albums. I will always associate this album with my dad putting this album on while decorating the christmas tree. why? he doesnt even speak english, it just felt christmassy to him. the second memory is meeting a lovely italian girl in paris in my early 20s. her name was Cecilia. we were out partying and i kept singing this to her, to which she laughed. she didnt know it. this album will always be dear to me

Wow amazing these two made such a lasting impact with just 5 studio albums including the graduate soundtrack. This is their swan song and consensus best album and I'd have to say it stands up to the hype. Excited to go back and crush this discography which I've never done though I would say I'm decently familiar. Bridge over troubled water and only living boy in New York are highlights .

Lovely mix of throwback and just good vibe

Very nice

Appropriate that this was the first record to come up for me, as I’d just listened to it a week or so before. It’s on regular rotation in my house — “The Boxer” is a longtime favorite, and the rest of the album is almost as perfect. "Baby Driver" is a weirdly sexy song, which hadn't really occurred to me until this most recent listen. I also didn't know until reading the Wikipedia page (thanks for the link, Generator!) that "So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright" was a song *about* Art Garfunkel, which Garfunkel sang without that knowledge. Sneaky, Paul... Lots of Beatles and Beach Boys influence on this record, but it hits a sweet spot where it feels like a loving homage and not like a cribbing of style.

Bridge, So Long y Cecilia te garantizan las 5 estrellas. El resto son un bonus del repertorio sonoro del álbum.

amo que en las demás portadas de s&g se disimule pero en la última paul simon dijera simón sí estoy chaparro a la verga me vale verga. en fin, una joya: dos de las mejores canciones de todos los tiempos* (tres si cuentas bridge over troubled water, que yo no xq no es tan mi hit) y una variedad de bops y bangers que demuestran el rango sonoro que podía tener el folk pop y que no por ecléctico se vuelve inconexo o inconsistente. y ni es mi favorito de sus discos, pero qué puedo decir si denise y yo nos disfrazamos este año de simon y garfunkel. cinco estrellas. *las otras dos son the boxer y the only living boy in new york

amazing album, too bad johnny cash and fiona apple have slightly ruined the title track for me as their ascending finish to the phrase "bridge over troubled water" is about a million times more satisfying to my brain

reminds me of listening to music with dad in the garage growing up, 5/5!

Looked for every reason to give this one a four. But I am a white middle class American male and this is absolute hipster catnip. The Beth of the movement. A little bit left of center with instrumentation., beat, and lyrics from Paul and some iconic tracks. These guys geled at their height like no one else and it’s always a great listen.

I mean, one of the absolute greatest, right? Like is there any other song out there that captures the feeling of a warm, comforting hug more than the all-timer opening title-track? I can't count the number of times that this one song has gotten me through the absolute worst moments in my life. Garfunkel absolutely does this song justice, pushing his vocals to the absolute limits and elevating the song to galactic heights in that final go of the chorus with those strings. So many other incredible moments here, too many to list off. I own a Greatest Hits record by these guys, actually, it's the only record I own of theirs, but this might as well be their greatest hits record. So many good songs. The absolutely whimsical 'El Condor Pasa' paints this image of a young Victorian-era peasant child ruminating on his role in society by a small pond. And for as overplayed as it is, 'Cecilia' still works tremendously well as the upbeat switch-up here, ala 'Mrs. Robinson'. 'Keep the Customer Satisfied' is like aggressively good - just that sticky melodic vocal line, the intense horn build, and the slew of quotables ("I hear words I've never heard in the Bible" always gets a chuckle out of me). If you ever wanted a quick 2 and a half minute dopamine boost, this song is there for you. I'd equate it to junk food if I weren't certain that it's good for me. 'The Boxer' is up there with the title track for me, really capturing that feeling of a poor little boy in a large snowy New York yearning for something more, in this case to become a Boxer. Trying to conquer a world towering over him one step at a time. And, no idea what it means, but 'Lie-la-lie' is an impeccable way to interlude the verses - acting like these transitions between the various moments of the protagonist's life. This song makes me feel things I can't even begin to put into words. 'Baby Driver' is a weird Beach Boys styled pop-song that's honestly kind of ridiculous in every possible way, but, hey, it still *somehow* manages to work for me. Don't really want to ramble on about each song in this review, especially not for this album, because if you've heard this thing, you already know how good it is. I'd say it's almost too good if there was such a thing.

Weltklasse

Beautiful harmony and stories from master composures who will always occupy top 10 lists.

Loved ittt! Cecilia is banging. Great album

Oh yeah. This was great. Full of bangers.

Great album - one of those where I started adding songs to my liked songs and then almost added every song. There are a few songs that don’t catch me, but overall it’s full of hits.

Not a huge S&G fan on the whole, but this album has some greats.

One of Helen’s favourite albums and I see why! So meaningful and fun at the same time.

9/10 Favorites: Bridge Over Troubled Water Cecilia Keep The Customer Satisfied Baby Driver Bye Bye Love

Day700 - i would give this one six stars. it’s just better than almost every other album without a beatle on it

great 70s music ever

Masterpiece

Delight album

Great!

I’ve always loved this album. It is a no-skip album for me. 5 stars for sure. Incredible song writing, playing, and singing.

Is there any other possible rating? I actually considered a 4, only because there's something almost too sentimental, maybe a little cheesy, to me about some of the arrangements on this album. It's a little too self-conscious, trying a little too hard. It feels like it could be a soundtrack, or worse, a musical, especially the title track, which just has too many soaring violins for my liking. But maybe it's just that, as someone who generally prefers sad music, this album is unrepentantly upbeat, even when the lyrics are mournful, like a hippie sing-a-long. Hippie-sing-a-long vibes notwithstanding, what jumped out at me the most listening to this all the way through is how much they owe to the very produced rock 'n roll of the 50/60s. It's like they took that sensibility and infused it with a hippie folk vibe. But I couldn't give any less than 5 to the album that has The Boxer, The Only Living Boy in New York, Song for the Asking, and of course Cecilia, plus a great version of Bye Bye Love

My only question is whether this is the *best* S&G album. The answer is probably yes. Though I’m pretty familiar with every one of his songs, I’ll happily admit that Paul has been given to fillers; mostly starting around 1980. But there are no fillers here. And there are so many *ideas*. WTF is a chill bossa nova song about Frank Lloyd Wright doing here? It all works. It’s 1970. It’s experimental and light and fun. Some rue this as S&G’s swan song, and that’s true, but it cleared the way forward with Paul’s self-titled, itself a genre-fuck, a style of styles that carried on into the 90s. There’s just nothing not to love here. And as much as I love to give Paul basically solo credit: goddamn, Art’s harmonies. Paul always said that Artie sang the songs the way he heard them in his head. Every time I’ve hashed together a harmony, what I’m really thinking about is Art’s effortless tenor in The Boxer.

The perfect duo doing a perfect album. This is S&G prime, all of the songs could be country and folk hits, but especially Bridge Over Troubled Water and Baby Driver are timeless. Baby Driver in fact it's one of the best rockabilly/folked songs of all time. It's hard to find some acoustic guitar sounding so good, and the classic dynamic between the two voices are the cherry on top of it. 5 stars of course.

Wat een top album! Nog steeds hele mooie muziek. Hits als 'Bridge over troubled water', 'Cecilla', 'El Condor Pasa', 'The boxer'. Ze staan allemaal hierop!

super lovely, can hear its influence is far reaching

Probably the first LP that I ever listened to. Iconic with brilliant stand-out songs. Satisfied customer.

Love this one it's 4 1/2 to 5 for me Hope to get something new tomorrow haha

Classic

Really one of the best. One of my top time favorite songs - The Boxer. And of course the title track. Never listened to the whole album and glad I did. Great songwriters, singers and musicians.

I'd never heard this album before yesterday, and I was pleasantly surprised at how much I liked it, given my tepid responses to their other two albums on this list. Nearly every song is a winner, and for once the arrangements didn't get in the way of the material (though I've always felt the third verse of the title track to be a bit too grandiose). I prefer their playful songs over the more self-consciously profound ones, and there's plenty to like on that front. Glad I got to hear this.

nice

Surprised that there are a couple songs here I'd never heard before. Not flawless, but nearly. Very much a proto Paul Simon album, especially these three on side two: "Baby Driver," "The Only Living Boy in New York," and "Why Don't You Write Me." "So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright" is another sleeper that doesn't get enough love.