Bookends

A rare example of a B side better than an A side

A timeless classic from one of the greatest folk duos of all time. There's nothing to say about this that hasn't already been say. It's gorgeous and introspective. Delicate and pointed. If you don't like this album, you may not have a pulse because you clearly don't have a heart. Standout Tracks: Honestly? All of them. Just listen to the whole thing. It's a masterpiece.

i like the folk aspect and it was an easy listen & the story telling was good. fav songs (top 3): america, fakin it, mrs. robinson

Not my favorite album of theirs, but a solid outing that evokes self reflection.

the singles are so good but there’s a lot i’m skipping on here plus just don’t ever do a “concept” album

Pretty darn good. Though there are a few more filler tracks than I remember. Maybe this is one where streaming/shuffle culture has damaged great albums as we expect wall-to-wall hits.

Perfect lazy Sunday vibes

America and Mrs. Robinson are epic bangers! The rest is not too shabby either, although a few tracks are pretty weird. A solid 3 and I should check out more of their work.

Nothing too offensive or outstanding

Liked.

Fantastic album. I thought I had listened to this in full before, but a few of the songs sounded new to me. I found the strange bass/synth(?) instrumentation on "Save the Life of My Child" very interesting. Seems like it would have been very ahead of its time in 1968.

Some great songs on here. Could have done without the interlude.

Simon and Garfunkel at their most interesting and experimental. I can see how this was an important record for them, and also the genre. This album is full of great songwriting and some tracks have brilliant messages and meditations. I throughly enjoyed it, though a few tracks pass me by a little.

absolute comfort album

<3

Could have been a 4 if it wasn't for the old people voices track

I liked a horse with no name

Some famous songs here. Most are good

With it's overall length and the length of many of the songs here, you can't help but feel like it's a little unfinished. With more time you might have a real classic here, but what you get is pretty great regardless. Mrs Robinson, America, Hazy Shade of Winter are serious highlights. The rest flows well, if being a little forgettable compared to those. At 29 minutes though you never get bored of it.

OK, agree that nobody needed to randomly listen to some OAPs. But those harmonies, THE HARMONIES. I'm not even American and "America" is so beautiful it makes me feel like someone is trying to remove my kidneys via my ears. IN A GOOD WAY.

I, for one, was fascinated to learn that the pointless inter-song hip-hop skit actually originates with this album and their pointless skit Voices of Old People. Fascinating! This album starts off kinda slow, and then gets bogged down in the middle with that horrible skit or whatever you want to call it, but god damn does it finish strong. Mrs. Robinson, Hazy Shade of Winter, and At the Zoo are all bangers. That, along with the good songs scattered earlier in the album make this a very strong album overall. Not my favorite S&G album on this list, but well worth a listen 4/5

Really enjoyed this.

Can’t do it sorry

i had a bunch of songs from this album already saved so i knew i was gonna like it. it was good but some songs were too noisy for me

Side A of bookends feels rushed and not well thought out, possibly even a little slow-paced despite its short runtime. Side B is a collection of previously recorded or released songs.. Strange to stick onto the end of a concept album. I'm indifferent to Simon & Garfunkel, and have no strong feelings about this album. It exists, I suppose.

"America" and "Mrs. Robinson" are great songs, but other than that it kind of just drones on and on. A sharp contrast to the Cat Stevens album from yesterday. I wouldn't listen to the rest of the songs again.

We watched the graduate in my 9th grade English class. This album (and the sound of silence) both captured me. Old Friends is still one of my favorite songs.

Estuvo simpático, pero no lo suficiente.

Pas mon album préféré de S&G, le flow est un peu bizarre et non consistant. Il est un peu court et donc les parties qui sont "interludes" sont encore moins nécessaires. Reste que certaines des chansons essentielles du duo sont sur cet album. 7/10

Painful.

It's just totally fine. Nothing I loved, but I didn't hate it either

S&G just make me think of my parents' generation, and the stripped down cleaned up style of sing songy music of the day.

Interesting album, I've heard track off this but never the album in its entirety. The opening track Bookends left me very confused, I didn't think I was listening to the right album, it sounded much more modern, the sounds were not what I expected of a Simon and Garfunkel song. America is a classic song. Voices of Old People was strange, it is exactly as the title suggests, but this is a concept album, so experimentation is expected. Faking It, Mrs Robinson, and Hazy Shade of Winter are also great songs.

Mrs Robinson is a banger

3/5 - Mrs. Robinson Fucking Slaps. The rest of it is idk man, alright? Sounds like the type of music a guy would play on his acoustic guitar in a stool in the middle of central park after his girlfriend of 4 years broke up with him. Jokes aside the back half of the album is pretty fun, but i think it may be 55 years too late to think it's anything special.

Beautiful. Melodic. Haunting. 4.5/5

Would give 3.5 if I could. Some solid ideas here, interesting concept/idea, and a good sign of the time.

Chilled out easy listening

Classic. Only liked a few songs enough to want to listen again. But I can appreciate the album.

I listened to a lot of S&G in high school. When I feel the desire to listen to them now, this is not the album I come back to. Not my favorite of theirs, but still good. I totally forgot about "Punky's Dilemma!" Five stars for that song. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ How can you beat the lyrics - "Wish I was an English muffin, Got to make the most out of a toaster."?

Some good songs but the non-music tracks are distracting and detract from the album overall

music sounds fun but the vocals are blah

A variety: soft rock, folk, experimental… the harmonies are great. Mostly enjoyable. Solid 3

There are some flashes of Simon's incredible songwriting talent on this album (most notably "America"), yet the album as whole disappoints. The mood is exploratory, as if Simon is still finding his feet as a recording artist. Worth a listen, but don't expect a masterpiece.

Sterk van begin tot eind. Heerlijk rustige sound. Mrs. Robinson maakt het van een 4 een 5.

10/30/23. Not crazy familiar with S&G’s work (obviously know the name). Very brief album with enjoyable acoustic tracks. Almost Beatles like with the production.

Dated. Too funky for me

Yay! Also love Simon & Garfunkel. The transition from Bookends Theme to Save the Life of My Child made me jump! STLOMC is funky and fun. Lots going on. America is a great song and popular for a reason. I've mentioned on other reviews that I don't really like the random talking portions or ambient conversation additions to tracks. But Voices of Old People is certainly the way to charm me into it. Love the whistling in Punky's Dilemma. Similarly, great upbeat instrumentals in A Hazy Shade of Winter. Mrs. Robinson is classic and beloved. They do a lot with their music with minimal complexity. Simple sound. Simple stories. Pleasant listening.

Simon and garfunkel are the type of shawtys where one only lies and the other one only tells the truth. haunting yowls in save the life of my child, a unique song. I do NOT care what those old people have to say. violins in old friends are very pretty. Mrs. Robinson! :) a hazy shade of winter is a slapper as well. outside of the of the few songs I mentioned, not a interesting album. it was likely made before the invention of music that is interesting.

A fantastic album, I enjoyed listening to every song. I actually really liked the addition of "Old People Talking". It sets the mood and atmosphere for the next 30 minutes. There are a few talking / story telling parts of songs which are a happy addition. This album does not have their most popular songs on it, but I think it is Simon and Garfunkel's best album when listened start to finish. I was hearing this static / white noise throughout the entire album which I found really pleasant too. Save the life of my Child is really interesting, for a minute I didn't think it was even S&G but I really liked it. The forlorn yearning / screaming turned gospel with seamlessly hits you with "Hello darkness my old friend" was really something else. The synth is SICK too. I've had "America" favorited for years now, I have always liked this melody. It feels like I am in a storybook, and the journey is wonderful. That wind instrument in it (Clarinet?) is great. I have too many compliments to give this album but I will summarize them here: The vocals are so soothing, wonderful acoustic instruments all tied together with some very well placed woodwinds and brass (especially at the last half of "Old Friends" There are also many songs that are much more Beatles esque like "Fakin' it" and "Mrs. Robinson" are also fantastic. These songs are what I would play for almost anyone. A last note, "A Hazy Shade of Winter" has such a sick guitar riff, this should be in the hall of fame of riffs, even though it's not electric.

Bookends Theme through the Reprise didn't seem to ever fully capture my attention even on a second listen through. I want to say it's slow but all their music is slow. It's good music, just not very catchy. America is probably my favorite part of the first half of the album. Fakin' It, Mrs. Robinson, and A Hazy Shade of Winter are my favorites from the second half. Good music but not their best album especially considering it followed Sounds of Silence, Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme, and The Graduate. And preceded Bridge Over Troubled Water. Still gets a 4/5.

Some top notch Simon and Garfunkel tunes. Not sure about the concept of the concept album. And it looks like they shoehorned in Mrs. Robinson (although it's the best song on the album). The hits are classics. The rest is pretty darn good. What would the genre be? Elevated folk?

I didn’t know what to expect with Voices of Old People, and yet it still surprised me. What’s going on here? I’m hoping this 1,001 album redeems itself with Bridge Over Troubled Water, their magnum opus and an album that doesn’t involve non-interesting theme music and …well, old people talking. Added star for Mrs. Robinson.

Sweet and catchy

Different

A peaceful, beautiful journey through life that ends up feeling a little disjointed with the second side

Listened Before? Album Art: 3 / 4 Album opens with a folksy riff and then throws that away for some in your face synth vibes on Save the Life of My Child. What an interesting and incredibly trippy song. Would not want to be knees deep in an acid trip when this comes on. My body was no prepared for this in the best of possible ways. Love the interpolation of "The Sound of Silence." I've heard America before, but can't place where. Straight folk rock here -- sad to see the trippiness go. Thought we were going to get S&G unhinged. Old Friends is really pretty. Love the string arrangement and how it blends right back into the thematic reprise. This album throws me a bit. Love the trippy opening of Save the Life of My Child, and wish they would have tapped back into those experimental modes a bit more. Instead most of the album is pretty standard folk rock, with the exception of Old Friends. I dig the more adventurous aspects and thought the rest was pretty solid. 3.5 out of 5, rounding down. Added to Library? No Songs Added to Playlists:

Very short, pretty bland. Love me some Paul Simon but this one can stay on the shelf.

Pretty standard album that I would expect from Simon and Garfunkel. Short, sweet, and to the point. Only 29 minutes which is nice I didn't need any longer than that. Nice early morning listen. Voices of Old People - Bookends Theme Reprise was very strange and was about to put me to sleep. Mrs Robinson is the obvious hit off this album, coocoocachoo.

That started off a bit slow but turned out to be quite pleasant. I still cant completely get behind their voices as they make most songs sound the same to me but nice morning music.

Old Friends was such a hit for me. Never heard this album before and haven’t been so touched by emotion from music in a long while. How they captured the optimism and desolate nature of living in NYC was masterful. Perfect demonstration of a duo exploring the depths of their creativity and the feeling of all the possibility ahead of them.

Pretty good, some unexpected experimental sounds.

dont care for guitar strum-alongs, just not for me

52/100

I understand its importance, it's just not for me.

Very solid but something didn't click for me

It looks like an album that is much better for being a very cult rather than because of its individual qualities (I'm just wondering if this is not the case on almost every album on the 1001 list). It's a good album, and it's an easy listening session, but 3-star is enough

I started listening to this album casually while doing my makeup. I had to take a break from anything midway through Old Friends, because I started sobbing uncontrollably. Simon & Garfunkel have such a way to make you feel several emotions all at once, to the point where it's almost unbearable. And then it starts getting upbeat again, you almost feel like you're getting a break. Then Fakin' It comes along and it's the most relatable thing for anybody that's ever been even slightly depressed. Even the song Mrs. Robinson, which until now I almost saw as just a nice, upbeat song, took a darker, more nostalgic meaning in the context of the album. "That's an easy thing to say, but if your hopes shall pass away, simply pretend, that you can build them again". I think I needed this today. What a masterpiece. "Preserve your memories, they're all that's left you"

I can say I liked the second half of the album better than the first, which is funny since Paul Simon didn't like the second side as much and felt they were throwaway tracks. I feel bad for Simon & Garfunkel, this being their fourth album they were trying some new things. You can tell Paul Simon was becoming complacent. But this album really brought them out into the limelight with the big tunes "Mrs. Robinson" and "Hazy Shade of Winter". The whole idea of the concept on the first side... it doesn't seem as coherent as it should. And the "Voices of Old People" collage, what was THAT about? "At The Zoo"...the Bronx Zoo licensed the song for commercials in the late 70s. I distinctly remember seeing those ads as a child. Fast forward to a few years ago and I heard that the song for the first time in 45 years. It turned me back into that little child, watching TV on a huge Zenith technicolor TV. So that song really holds a place in my heart. Like I said, the second half of the album is better, has the songs we all know. The organ sound on the first side sounds a little too pipe-organy which sounded odd. I don't know if it would have even fit in "At The Zoo." Still in the strength of the second side I really enjoyed this album. I was surprised at its brevity, though.

Per Wikipedia, it is hotly debated whether this album or Bridge Over Troubled Waters is their best. To me, it's no contest - the latter and not this one. This one still has some great songs in America (lovely, but not as good BOTW the song or The Boxer), Mrs. Robinson (yes, top 2 S&G songs of all time), Hazy Shade of Winter (but third best of these three). And it has some nice musical / orchestral elements, but it just doesn't deliver as consistently as BOTW. The two Bookend Themes are sort of throwaways (they're incomplete, despite being beautiful) as is Voices of Old People. Paul and Art still harmonize like no one else and there's a lot to like. But love? Nah.

Happy songs mostly a bit of experimentations

I liked the faster-paced songs but the few slow ones were boring. Stand-out: Save the Life of My Child

Second half of this is much stronger than first, Mrs. Robinson and A Hazy Shade of Winter are by far the best tracks from the album. Overall strong 4 stars, would listen to it again.

Very good album contains some real gems: Bookend Theme, America, Hazy Shade of Winter and Fakin it. The only forgettable song is Punky’s Dilemma. My only complaint is that I would like for Bookends Theme was a full length theme.

Om euhm, persoonlijke reden had ik altijd een haat-liefdeverhouding met Simon & Garfunkel. Het zal met die draak van een lied 'Bridge of over troubled water' te maken hebben, terwijl 'The sounds of silence' in heel Nederland door jongerenkoren (en de BBB) kapot is gezongen. En het ge-toetoetoetoetoedoe in Mrs. Robinson, mjah. Maar hier horen we ook het verstilde gitaarspel van Paul Simon, de creatieve nieuwe wegen, de toch niet onaardige samenzang. Zo'n nummer als 'Old friends' is toch prachtig, al hadden die valse violen niet gehoeven. Er zal nog wel meer langskomen van deze heren, ik denk dat ik nog wel 5 voor ze in m'n achterzak heb zitten.

Simon & Garfunkel wekken de suggestie dat ze heel gevoelig over moeten komen. Het voelt bij mij altijd erg geforceerd. Ik heb dus vooraf al een gevoel bij deze plaat. Na de intro van dit album start toch een nummer dat ik niet direct verwacht had. Safe the Life of My Child is echt iets anders dan ik vooraf voor oren had. Het eerste geluid triggert zelfs aandachtig luisteren. Het is een interessante compositie, daar kom ik niet omheen. Maar buiten dat eerste geluid is het niet per se fijn om te luisteren. Het maakt wel dat ik wat afstap van mijn vooroordeel en toch nieuwsgierig word naar de rest. Nou, ik word toch snel met beide benen weer op de wereld gekwakt. Wat een suffe, neppe nummers volgens er dan. Fakin' It is het meest fake nummer van de plaat, maar markeert wel een omslagpunt. Naar mijn andere allergie. Het wordt wel erg Beatles-achtig. "Is there any d-a-a-a-a-nger. Pffff. De laatste twee nummers vormen weer een omslag. Het wordt wat enerverender. Maar deze nummers kunnen het album echt niet redden.

Vaag folkrocky album van Simon & Garfunkel. Er staan een paar absolute klassiekers van ze op, met America en Mrs Robinson. Maar verder vallen me juist de rare composities met geluidjes (van dichtslaande deuren bijv) of irritante producties op alsof Phil Spector met zijn klauwen aan de volumeknoppen zat. De nummers waarin Artie en Paulie mooie harmonieen zingen, simpel begeleidt door de akoestische gitaar, zijn gewoon de mooiste. Het hoeft allemaal niet ingewikkeld te zijn om een goed resultaat te boeken. Ik twijfel ergens tussen een 3 en een 4, maar als geheel vind ik het te onsamenhangend om het dit keer naar boven af te ronden. Het is niet altijd feest.

I fondly remember this album on dad’s shelf as a kid. God these guys turned out to be assholes, huh?

7/10- included some classics I grew up listening to

Very good album, but I couldn’t get over a feeling the instruments were too loud and the voices too quiet

Lovely

Very bouncy and upbeat, but just average

Virkelig et godt album. Skal helt sikkert høre det igen

I mean. What can you say? An all time classic that I’ll never get tired of. Just beautiful songwriting and harmonies.

Little weord, 6.5

I love some of the songs on here Hazy Shade of Winter is maybe one of my favorite S and G songs, some of the slower songs bog down a bit for me.

Upbeat, poppy nearly. Will listen again.

Okay, firstly what the fuck is going on with the production here? The dynamics are all over the place. Secondly, ‘Save the Life of My Child’ is one of the worst things that’s ever happened to me. But then ‘America’, my god what an incredible song. And the rest of the record is fine. Mixed feelings here, good but not great whilst also shite but not awful. I’m glad it exists. Peace ✌🏻.

Nice folklore rock but lil too slow for me

1 hit wonder

- intro of 'Save the Life of My Child' scared the shit out of me - gave me jungle vibes - surprised i lasted the whole album overall alright - wouldn't voluntarily listen

I think it wouldn’t work for me if it would be about an hour long. With that length it got nice changes of topic and style, so I am fine hearing it, even though it isn’t my preferred genre

Classic

Two big hits and a lot of mediocre filler. Also they said elephants are dumb in one of the songs which may be the stupidest thing ever.

Iets minder goed dan hun andere albums, maar nog steeds echt super goed. Gewoon 5 sterren.

No ha sido muy moñas para ser de Simon & Garfunkel...

Muy bonito. América.

tis alright

yaaawn - not my cup of tea

Pas trop fan mais ça reste intemporel

Et hyggeligt lille folk album jeg lyttede til på vej hjem fra Caroline en klar oktober-formiddag på vej hjem fra Caroline dagen efter min fødselsdag. Jeg kendte Amerika, og Mrs. Robinson , som er gode, men blev også positivt overrasket over at hazy shade of winter var på albummet. Og det sidste nummer at the zoo var også rigtig fint .

Roller coaster of vibes. Chill, then hype, then megahit, then literally just people talking. But I enjoyed it

Enjoyable. Has Mrs Robinson and Hazy Shade of Winter.

Bookend’s theme - 7/10 Save the Life of my Child - 8/10 America - 9/10 Overs - 8/10 Voices of Old people - 7/10 Old Friends - 6/10 Bookend’s Theme Reprised - 8/10 Faking It - 8/10 Punky’s Dilemma - 8/10 Mrs Robinson - 9/10 A Hazy Shade of Winter - 9/10 At the Zoo - 8/10 TOTAL -105 /120

Not my favorite S&G but I won't say no to this one

Mrs. Robinson is so much different then the rest of the album.

As we approach our 30th wedding anniversary on Monday, that park bench is waiting for us to reminisce on our Greyhound bus journey down the A46 turnpike, now with our bag full of real estate. What a time it was, and is!

3-4

Nice listen

Not sure what to expect to on first listen, had to give it a second to appriate it some.

Tony Soprano murhaa Salvatore Big Pussyn Sopranosin tokan kauden viimeisessä jaksossa.

torkahdin about kolmannen biisin jälkeen ja heräsin just ku Mrs. Robinson alko. täydellistä.

Vanhuksille (y)

My vinyl copy sounds way better than I remember it

Great songwriting and very beautiful voices. Mrs. Robinson is a classic. I didn't like the interludes that much, but overall a very nice album.

I enjoyed this more than I expected to, especially the A side. They were more experimental than I think I gave them credit for.

Good album. Better songs at the end.

Enjoyed overall

Mrs Robinson!

Decent album but a little dull. The old people voices one is weird. Mrs Robinson is obviously a classic.

Very good! Loved Mrs. Robinson and Save the Life of My Child

Way better than Bridge Over Troubled Water

Over rated, lots of inconsequential fluff

Seemed like their originals were very Beatles inspired and it didn't help that they had a Beatles cover on there. I personally prefer The Rolling Stones to The Beatles so I'll give it a solid 4.5/10

Classic. Orchestral at times

3.5

What a first album for it to recommend me, I love Simon and Garfunkel

Feels like an album that plays at a closing department store. Get all your clearance items while listening to this!

Kinda Boring decent songs

First impression: "Boring. I don't get the hype." Yet, it got much better when listening on the headphones.

Yes, it's okay, I really don't see what the fuss is about

I don't get it. It is not bad. Just boring

Liked the softer songs

Better than I remember it as a kid… rockless, insight-poetry. Solid, but not my style.

Loved the interludes

Sublime. Another top scorer.

Not a fan

I’m wondering why I like this so much. I think it’s because it’s so overtly sentimental. I can hear a bit of Beatles influence in some songs, and I like the overall sound. But mostly it’s the sentimentality—from Bookends to Voices of Old People. It all tugs mercilessly at your heartstrings. Like when he turns to Kathy in America and tells her he’s lost, in the context of the youthful banter that precedes it. It just grips you emotionally. Going in, I knew America, Mrs. Robinson, Bookends Reprise and At the Zoo (from ads for the zoo on local tv when I was a kid). Bookends is so poignant — I’ve sung it for years but didn’t know it was from this album. Mrs. Robinson is so familiar, I had to make myself listen to it again, and the guitar work is better than I remember. The whole thing just sounds good. Deep emotions and great sound is a good combination.

Really great album. A little short - I was surprised when it was over - but generally a very nice sound. America is a phenomenal song. High 4

Bookends is my songwriter album *and* my 60’s album. I think that Paul Simon was one of the few people who listened to what the Beatles were doing around Pepper and actually sat up and took notes. Because this album doesn’t have many of the trappings of the psychedelic, wacky, unnerving sound that seems to pervade 60’s post-Pepper soundalikes, and even more far-afield hippie musicians like Donovan. But it is nonetheless a boldly *cinematic* album, and its identity is distinctly American. It’s a Simon and Garfunkel take on this new art form, proudly tackling this new demand that an album be more than it once was. But it’s their take! And that’s what puts it above the rest. I am such a sucker for some of Paul Simon’s best lines. “wish I was a Kellogg’s cornflake,” has got to be one of the best openers of a song. And when I first heard “America,” and really understood what he’s doing, it was nearly transcendent. The telephoto lens on the subtle details, little passing phrases that make the mundane parts of life more livable— only to zoom out in the most dramatic way, the lens goes wide on the cars on the New Jersey Turnpike, everyone looking for America. Utterly brilliant. It’s the closest thing music has to a Norman Rockwell portrait. I could just go on and on… this one has Mrs. Robinson on it too?? And the exceptionally touching Old Friends, with the setup of Old People Talking that brings the message to focus much more. Somehow matches the sentimentalism of a McCartney song without ever seeming sappy. Maybe that’s what makes them a little different than the rest. A legendary album which I will put with the best of them. 5/5

ну здесь есть прям культовые вещи, а есть довольно нудные штуки за mrs robbinson ставлю 4

Нихуя тут навалили гипнотизма... в какой-то мере даже психодела. А, окей, это только второй трек такой. Или нет... очень удивил меня альбом конечно. Слушайте, вот это работа вообще шикарная. Наверное пока лучшее что мы слушали у Симона и Гарфанкеля. Очень музыкальная работа. Невероятная. Не знаю, кому она показалась нужной. Идеальная по длительности, связанная какой-то линией насквозь.

Made the year before I was born. The lyrics haven’t aged well, very fey. The guitar playing is sublime and Simon’s voice. Garfunkel is to Simon and Ridgely is to Michael.

A couple good songs but overall pretty bad.

Ojämn America

Great album. Awesome duo

I don't ever want to hear "Mrs. Robinson"...it is so "plastic my boy, plastic"!

Lovely album Hazy shade of winter! what a riff

More experimental than I thought it would be. I kinda assumed Simon and Garfunkel only wrote only mellow, folky stuff (....maybe because that's the most popular stuff?). Enjoyed

Didn't find it memorable :( I liked America.

Very sweet, very gentle folk. I like that Side A is a concept half-album that captures snapshots in time along the journey from childhood to old age. 'America' and 'Old Friends' are particularly lovely, quiet, and sweet songs. The literally titled 'Voices of Old People' is a sound collage of retirement home residents talking about photographs. It raises the question: is it Simon and Garfunkel? Is it even a song? Either way it is an interesting artistic choice. Side B is characterised by louder, more commercial songs, without an easily discernable theme. It's dominated by the ubiquitous 'Mrs Robinson' but every Side B song is catchy and 'At the Zoo' is a fun album closer. Putting the commercial half of the album as Side B and the weirder concept album element as Side A is a cool choice and perhaps indicates prioritisation of art over commercially. Overall, this is an interesting album. Scratch the surface and it is also much weirder than I'd imagined a Simon and Garfunkel record would be. Although some of the weirdness doesn't always benefit listenability or enjoyment, it gets a bonus half-point because some of the songs are Abbyfavourites. Rating: 3.5/5 Playlist track: Mrs Robinson Date listened: 19/09/23

Too many extremes: synthesizer, old s & g, montevani, i don't know. I liked a few songs but not the whole thing. Fakin It works for me.

Acoustic led album. Some classics. Some nice sounds.

after i listened to the album i listened to "A Hazy Shade of Winter" like ten times looped, i cant get enough

Beautiful pop/folk album. These guys were legendary and wrote absolute stellar songs. Beautiful compositions sung by two great voices, what else is there to say! 9 out of 10

clásico!

Shockingly, a concept album from 55 years ago.... doesn't slap.

Meh only one song worth listening to and that was Mrs. Robinson.

It's Simon & Garfunkel... Pretty ok. Mrs. Robinson was really the only standout song and the rest were meh at best. 2/5

We were driving with this on and the other person in the car made the observation that "this is later than that other album, yes?" (the herb album) And you can tell it is. And it's not quite got as much in the way of real S&G hit stuff on it: Mrs R, obviously, America, Old Friends, and A Hazy Shade of Winter, which on this version sounds like it could make an appearance on a Belle and Sebastian album (which, for me, is a Very Good Thing). Fakin' it was one I didn't know that might make the cut as well. Voice of Old People is clearly odd and I don't like it as much as 7 O'Clock News on the Herb Album. And I'm not 100% sure I'd have known that the first side was a concept, but that does at least explain the inclusion gf Voices. So, it's 3.5 stars. I guess it can have 4 because ultimately I would listen to it again.

a staple of the folk rock scene. lovely album from start to finish.

Muy bonito. América.

75% of this album is hot trash.

Upon opening this album in the Spotify web player, I thought, wow, under 30 minutes for an entire album. Interesting, but that’s all I needed. I’m more familiar with Paul Simon as a solo artist, but I certainly knew of him as part of the Simon & Garfunkel duo. The music here certainly isn’t bad, but the first few songs feel like a mish mosh of different styles and sounds. Nothing wrong with that, I guess. Overs lulls me to sleep, then I kept waiting for the music to come in after the Voices of Old People. I guess that’s what happens when you listen as you work. Turns out it was just an interlude followed by Old Friends and Bookends Theme, which sounds like the music in the background of an old dramatic movie. But we pick up the pace with Fakin It. It was somewhat Beatles-like to my ears. Same with Punky’s Dilemma. The Beatles sound is so keen to me that I thought Mrs. Robinson was a Beatles song until the very moment of listening to the Bookends album. Go figure. Bookends ends on a pleasant, upbeat note. Not bad. I’m interested enough to dive deeper to see what other songs of theirs that I thought were sung by someone else.

I’m a sucker for Simon and Garfunkel, and this album has some really great songs on it. America has always been one of their best in my eyes, and Old Friends, A Hazy Shade of Winter, and the Bookends Theme are fantastic too.

Some good songs but I wish the album as a whole didn't feel so sleepy.

Wow. What an album. Beautiful songwriting and deeply touching, poetic and rich lyricism

The best S&G because it's the best balanced between tunefulness and depth. Any records with both "America" and "Mrs. Robinson" will be a strong one, of course.

classic album with the smooth soothing voices of art and paul and their unique take on folk music. highlights: “save the life of my child”, “mrs. robinson”, “a hazy shade of winter”.

Some of their best work.

The couple of hits at the end are a bit of fresh air after the rest of the drivel on this album and I don’t even particularly like those hits.

Stunning and striking.

Cool lyrically, singer songwriter duo I need not repeat what everyone else raves about them. Though personally I never really listened to their music much other than occasionally.

This is beautiful. I can’t believe I stayed off Si and the funk for so long! Awesome!

Nice acoustic sounds. I didn't know Simon & Garfunkel made this kind of music.

Oh dit was echt heel goed. Had dit saaier verwacht, maar muziek was top, en de teksten ook. Mooie diverse nummers.

I'm surprised that the singles come near the end. S&F were never favorites of mine, but Mrs. Robinson was always a classic to me.

Jesus loves you more than you will know

4.25

A seminal album

Folk-rock duo known for their harmonies and acoustics.

A few beautiful songs, but I didn't love it.

Though not quite at the level of Bridge Over Troubled Water, this is still a five star album for me. America is beautifully melancholic, the bass in Punky's dilemma bounces along, and At The Zoo is sweetly silly.

it's good, just like the other simon and garfunkel album, but it just didn't hit as hard. a little more forgettable.

The length of the Wikipedia summary for the album tells me something. This is a pretentious record sparse on attractions. The spoken word bit in the middle is funny, though. Anyway, Paul Simon is a massive jerk. Kinder Simon: have you heard Steven Van Zandt's anecdote about getting that massive jerk removed from an anti-apartheid assassination hitlist? Confess an unkillable fondness for "America" having heard it countless times in my parents' car for that year or two when they had the live Central Park tape on repeat. Ditto "A Hazy Shade of Winter". They could write genuinely unforgettable tunes. They have also inspired entertaining writing by people who hate them. My friend Lourens wrote: "Ugh. A campfire-proof Dire Straits." And I'll leave the last word to the poet Brett Eugene Ralph: "Garfunkel? As my old man used to say, "Art Garfunkel? That sounds like a dirty word." And so it is. Why listen to Simon & Garfunkel so long as Everly Brothers recordings are available? S & G are to the Everlys as Kingdom Come is to Zeppelin, as Pat Boone is to Little Richard, as Toby Keith is to David Allan Coe. The only vaguely listenable S & G song is "Hazy Shade of Winter"--the BANGLES version!"

this is weirder than expected, some punky dissonance and samples of codgers rambling accompanying the usual folky stuff. Y'all know the good bits backwards, esp. A Hazy Shade of Winter which is a total banger as good as the Bangles version. Generous 4

Pretty good

This is one of their best. Perhaps the height of their collaboration.

Somehow I never listened to this whole album before. It’s Simon & Garfunkel so it’s well written and well performed.

Quite a range of new sounds in this album. Save the life of my child is an unusual beginning, with psychedelic bass and choir screams. There is updated guitar sounds still, and the trademark harmonies are not always to the forefront. The famous tunes still stand up, and the complex song structures stand out compared to modern tunes.

Always thought Simon & Garfunkel where overrated this hasn’t changed that much but hazy shade of winter is a banger so it gets an extra star for that

I think they got better albums than this one tbh

One of my dad's favourites, and the first time I've given it more than half a song of a listen. Some strong riffs, despite being more than 50 years old. When released, can see how would have been a breath of magic - still holds up fairly well.

N/A

Inte deras bästa platta men mycket väl godkänd.

Not my style at all

Never thought a two-and-a-half-minute song could feel like an eternity. A few great songs and a few really horrible songs. Nothing I would return to.

3.5

As S&F albums go, not really their strongest offering, but the songwriting is still top notch.

7/10

Good fun and a couple of cracking tracks near the end. 3.5 stars.

Mrs Robinson is a classic.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5, in part because I have a soft spot for this funny duo and in part because I have a soft spot for concept albums.

Thought I was going to hate this, but it wasn't too bad. Hazy Shade of Winter is a great song and I honestly didn't even know it was Simon & Garfunkel who recorded it - I thought it was The Bangles. Some of the other songs were okay too. I was expecting a 1-2 star album, but this turned out to be a 3-4 star experience. I think there's definitely pleasure to be had listening to this again, so I'm going to give out a generous 4.

i wiked it

Meh. Puure Hippie Sound. Langwilig. 1 Stern.

Can't tell you how surprised I was by that weird deep synth sound blasting through my speakers the first time I listened to the first seconds of "Save The Life Of My Child". Funny to think that not so far from that New York studio, where this LP was recorded, young misfits named Silver Apples also experimented with synthesizers at the time--even if they did way, way MORE experimentation with this new instrument, ha ha. Trying very hard (too hard?) to find a connection between two acts no one has ever made before, apart from their common home in the Big Apple. Probably because everyone else in here has already explained how this album pans out, and I feel I have nothing else original to add. To be honest, I was never fully sold on the supposed "concept" behind said album, but who cares? As topsy-turvy as the tracklisting is, a lot of those tracks are still iconic songs ("America", "Mrs. Robinson" , "A Hazy Shade Of Winter", " At The Zoo"...), just like the ones in *Sounds Of Silence* or *Bridge Over Troubled Water*. And those three LPs I've just mentioned sure deserve to be in this list. Life's simple sometimes. Even if it's short and bittersweet, as this LP suggests once in a while. 4,5 stars, rounded up to 5. Number of albums left to review: 486 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 244 (including this one) Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 115 Albums from the list I will certainly *not* include in mine (many others are more essential to me): 153.

3.5/5 mostly good, has a lot of flaws

Lost one star for the “old people talking” song.

A good opening side, followed by an amazing collection of "discarded" songs. The crown princes of melancholy.

An odd mixture. Some elements sound remarkably modern and varied, some have dated horribly. The distance between good songs (Mrs Robinson, Hazy Shade) and the bad (Punkys Dilemma) are huge. Clearly not a terrible album...but not as good as it thinks it is.

Chilled out vibe

I like the more varied instrumentation on this release. It's definitely a bit headier than a lot of their stuff. I find just including songs from a soundtrack on your separate album a bit weird though.

thats one to shroom to

a cool album with good pop songs.

Not my piece of cake

its a shame with such natural effortless perfection in 'mrs robinson' and 'a hazy shade of winter' that the rest of the record is so entirely boring

Beautiful & magical... There were a few songs that I really liked.

I mean, America alone is 5 stars.

It was ok

Délicat et ouvragé, mais grondant de révolte. Le point fort est les mélodies

Mrs. Robinson oli vanha tuttu klassikko. Muuten ihan jees levy, ei mikään tajunnanräjäyttäjä mutta menee

Er dette deres beste? Langt ifra, for mye konseptlyd

Sound of Silence is genius. But I don't like to listen to S&G and you can't make me.

Love me some Simon & Garfunkel. Very happy to see they showed up as an excuse to dive deeper. Not their best but a good entry. 3.5/5

Heard a lot of this before despite not having listened, they are fantastic together

Somehow have never listened to this album before. I knew and appreciated the hits, but the other songs are great too. Even the odd lyrics in songs like At The Zoo have a charm. And at 29mins, it doesn't overstay its welcome.

'Mrs Robinson' is a god-like song in popularity, and 'America' is a good song too.

Love this

Simon and Garfunkel is usually a little too twee, a little too choir-boy for me. This album avoids that, for the most part, for me. The arrangements are interesting without being bogged down with too much, and the songwriting is, as always, solid. Probably my favorite S&G, both solo and as a duo. Favorite tracks: "Overs", "Mrs. Robinson", "A Hazy Shade of Winter"

While ‘Mrs. Robinson’ is the song everyone knows, it’s ‘America’ that’s the standout track for me. Other highlights include ‘Fakin’ It’ and ‘Hazy Shade Of Winter’, but there’s lots of other good stuff here to enjoy as well. A quite lovely album overall.

Great album

This is a strange listen for me. America, Mrs Robinson, A Hazy Shade Of Winter and At The Zoo are ruddy great, but the rest of it, stone me, what happened? It’s a 2.5 from me

Die Platte, wo Mrs. Robinson drauf ist. Ganz ok, aber kein Superbringer.

Snooze fest 1968.

This is a good but inconsistent album. It does feel more experimental but not really psychedelic. The standout tracks are really good but the rest are pretty forgettable. Standout Tracks: Bookends Theme, America, Fakin' It, Mrs. Robinson, A Hazy Shade of Winter, At the Zoo

Many well known songs (the wonderful Bookends and America and then Mrs Robinson, Hazy Shade or Winter), their voices really are beautiful together but for me it just won't grip me, 30 minutes is enough and 3 stars. some really nice songs, some cheesy ones and it is good

Mrs Robinson and Hazy Shade of Winter are good. And while their harmonies are something other singers should aspire to, this album is junk. Voices of Old People. Bloody hell.

Always find S&G a bit boring. No different here.

An absolutely wonderful record, where Simon truly makes his guitar sound like a full orchestra. More of a solo album than a truly Simon & Garfunkel one, Bookends contains some of the best lyrics and melodies ever put on record. 'America', 'Old Friends', 'Fakin' It' are all intriguing - simultaneously deeply intimate while exploring the American consciousness of the late 60s - but it's the closing trio on the record that truly elevates it to a masterpiece. 'Mrs. Robinson' is iconic and is somehow upstaged by the incredibly addictive melodies of 'A Hazy Shade of Winter' and 'At the Zoo'. I still remember listening to the album for the first time and spending the rest of the week listening to the two final tracks on repeat.

A large dose of Paul Simon is never a bad thing. But I’m in dire need of more Garfunkel after finishing Bookends. In many ways this could’ve been the first Paul Simon solo album.

Side A suite is excellent but the back half is hampered by its odds and ends nature. Simon had yet to find a lyrical voice that wasn’t bad college poetry (he wouldn’t get there until “Hearts and Bones”) and it really shows in those castoffs. Sometimes you have to kill your babies, even if it only leaves you with an EP’s worth of material.

Great short story of an album, enjoyed more than I thought I would

2.5

A beautiful piece of work. Some lovely instrumentation, lilting harmonies and a handful of stone cold classics. 30 minutes long. How albums should be - here's some great songs, that's enough.

Enjoyed the album, full of lovely song writing but just a bit too on the slow side for me.

day 30! I feel like this is once again another example of people labeling an album a concept album that is not really a concept album. On its surface I love the idea of an album progressing through the stages of life, but this is only half the album, and I don't feel like any songs really capture childhood/youth or even adolescence. It launches right into Save the Life of My Child, which is a great song, but it takes the viewpoint of adults looking at childhood (and heavy themes of suicide) rather than hearing from the child himself. Unless this is itself a commentary of how kids grow up too fast and we as adults are always looking elsewhere rather than listening to them, then I could see it .... to me, it still feels a little out of place with what is to come. as for the second half, I've never really loved Mrs. Robinson, and I rolled my eyes a bit at the heavy-handed breakfast food and zoo animal metaphors. Also felt like At the Zoo was a bit of a strange closer, it left an already short album feeling especially unfinished to me. despite these "complaints" I have, there are some really great songs on this album and I do love me some folk rock. It's a pleasant listen I could see myself coming back to, I just feel like there was a lot of potential here that wasn't fully realized. fave tracks- A Hazy Shade of Winter (A+), America, Overs, Fakin' It, Save the Life of My Child ... 3.5/5 rounded up to 4

It was an ok album. I liked the song America. Maybe the album was culturally significant at the time, but the music hasn't held up over time, nothing in the album stood out to me as groundbreaking... But that's just me.

A classic. It has a lot of their hits and also the the tracks I did not know where great.

I was surprised at how underwhelmed i was by this album. A lot of it left me feeling a bit bored. At least a few tracks were good or at least interesting and of course Mrs. Robinson is an all time classic. Maybe this one takes multiple listens? I don't plan on doing so anytime soon anyway.

art and paul doing folk. that “the graduate” song is on it! wow!

Surprised by how varied and wonderfully odd this album gets, as well as occasional use of electronic texture and field recordings.

Nice listen

Gran album, lo ame

Quintessential Simon & Garfunkel but album is definitely not their best work. Hazy Shade of Winter and Mrs. Robinson are fantastic songs but everything else is rather forgettable.

I’ve been debating myself if this deserves a five as the album is a bit uneven. Missed it when it came up and had plenty of time to listen again. And again and again. I just keep want to come back to this terribly silly but wonderful album. It just feels like they’re having a blast exploring different ways of writing songs. Beautiful stuff.

Just not my jam. A couple great ones in there but still not a fan.

A surprising forgettable album from Simon & Garfunkel. The concept of side A sounded interesting but is rushed and underdeveloped. 15 minutes worth of music cover an entire life cycle, with only one stand out track ("America") and 2 full minutes of no music at all. It might have been better if they'd fleshed out a full album for this idea. Side B is much stronger. "Mrs Robinson" and "A Hazy Shade of Winter" are the best two songs on the album. Unfortunately, there's really nothing new here, aside from one leftover track from The Graduate. The rest of side B are previously released singles. There's nothing wrong with that, but we're supposed to be rating the best albums ever made. A short concept for side A and a singles collection for side B is too low effort for artists of this level. It's fine for what it is, but hardly their best release in my opinion.

Forbløffende skuffende på nær hits

Another pleasant walking album

7/10

Very good album with a really cool concept. Paul Simon is definitely one of my favorites. Rating: 3.8

Save the Life of My Child - A wonderfully avant garde track America - Sound defining Simon & Garfunkel song Overs - Jazzy little song with lyrical wordplay "an old person without money is pathetic" Mrs Robinson - Another sound defining song

Very good

Ok definitely a lot going on here. Not many artists who inspire such simultaneous love and loathing in me as Paul Simon. Art is cool. More sounds than I expected. The synth in the second track made me think I'd left something else on the queue. Mrs Robinson is obviously a great song. Hazy Shade of Winter is a banger I didn't know before. So there's plenty of good. But holy crap the preciousness. I usually care about music far more than lyrics, but Paul Simon REALLY pushes that sometimes. "I said be careful his bowtie is really a camera" has always been one of my most hated lyrics in rock n roll, it's just absolutely awful. But that Punkys Dilemma song may have left it in the dust. "I wish I was a kellogg cornflake, floating in my bowl" oh my god make it stop. Also Fakin It seems like a total ripoff of Plastic Fantastic Lover? With all there is for me to hate here, it's quite an accomplishment for this to get 3 stars from me.

What is the overall style and genre of the album? Folk acoustic Are there any standout tracks or moments that resonated with you? Mrs. Robinson How did the album make you feel? Did it evoke specific emotions? Nostalgia, I used to listen to sounds of silence and the greatest hits album all the time as a kid Did you enjoy listening to the album overall? I did. I think its a good album, the best on the list so far. Would you recommend this album to others? Who might particularly enjoy it? I like this album and I would recommend it to people who have only hear sounds of silence and want more S&G. Notes: Mrs Robinson is a banger and I love me some Simon and Garfunkel Rest of the album is good but forgettable. I couldnt name any of the other tracks.

3/10. Meh album. I'm just not a big S&G fan and this is far from their best.

Disappointed. Disjointed album. Seemed like they just through some songs on there to make an album. Saved to the two extraordinary hits.

Top tier album and the length is perfect for what it is. Would listen to again.

Listened to some of it and whilst I could recognise the quality it was not my taste

I'm a sort of fan of S&G. Bridge Over Troubled Water is one of my favourite albums ever. I've never listened to this, though. I must admit the "concept" part of it didn't seem great to me. America is an astonishing song, but everything else that side left me a bit cold. The second side is far superior. And when it's good, it's really good.

A solid album that i wouldnt normally listen to

Old friends

Meh.

I do love me some Simon & Garfunkel! Haven't heard this album from start to finish but am familiar with at least one of the tracks. America. This "Voices of Old People" track is interesting. Oh Mrs. Robinson is on this album. And it says "from The Graduate soundtrack" I'm gonna have to watch that. I've seen it around a lot and heard of it a bunch.

Really great, and surprisingly riffy for acoustic guitar. Little experimental bits were unexpected but evocative.

I feel like I am going to like this album. I've seen this album many times and I put off listening to them. 1. save the Life and Bookends theme- woah! I did not expect that intro. WOAH! What is this album about? I love the vocals and the synth bass? in the back. I give this song a 7/10 2. AMERICA- oh my! let us be lovers... IT REMINDS ME OF PIANO MAN BY BILLY JOEL. 8.5/10 3. OVERS- 6/10 4. OLD FREINDS- I can see myself listening to this in the fall or winter. Those string instruments make this piece sound sad. I love it so much. "How terribly strange to be 70" Wahh wahh! 10/10 the last seconds of this song are phenomenal. 5. REPRISE 7/10 6. FAKIN' IT - I try to imagine myself as a 20-year-old in the late 60s listening to this album for the first time. 8/10 7. PUNKY'S DILEMMA- 10/10 8. MRS. ROBINSON - 10/10 JESUS LOVES YOU MORE THAN YOU WILL KNOW!!!! 9. A HAZY SHADE OF WINTER - 7/10 10. AT THE ZOO - 10/10 love it <3 I give this album an 8.35/10 I added all of my scores and divided them by 10 ^^ I think that my first listen was wonderful. I'm sure that if I keep listening to this album my rating will change. I wish to know the meaning behind all of the songs. I honestly thought this album was released mid-70s or late. It was released in 1968 and I also wish to know the impact they have in modern pop culture. Love the last song so much. I will be listening to this album after this.

Yk what I surprisingly loved this album: it was filled with emotional pieces but also balanced with an upbeat guitar. Felt like a short but sweet journey with the duo and the album as a whole was unexpectedly enjoyed it.

I always love when I get an album shorter than 40 minutes. But I only really liked Mrs. Robinson from this album honestly.

Utvilsomt vakre tekster, med både ny og gammel kjærlighet. Musikken er gammel (1968) og høres ut deretter. Men det gjør ikke noe, det er behagelig å høre på. Det er utvilsomt musikk som passer bedre når du skal slappe av enn å gire deg opp for fest.

Another one of those “you had to be there” albums

Dope so far

Short album, surprised to hear a number of skits. The hits are there - particularly Mrs. Robinson, but overall the compilation was a solid 3 stars. I guess one of their more daring concept albums, but not my favorite.

These guys are like classic pop folk music. I'm willing to bet that at the time this album was released this was very artsy. It's kind of boring to listen to most of the time, but I don't hate it. Whenever I hear their name I think of Garfunkel and Oates which then makes me think of Hall and Oats 2 bands that are much more enjoyable to listen to. This album has Mrs. Robinson which is a classic that I always thought was a Beatles song. There are like 3 good songs on this album, and the rest are all just ok This is a 3/5

hey it has that one song on it. and it's not annoying to listen to.

Tja, vekket ikke interesse, men fint og rolig

Booooooring. Mrs. Robinson is the most energetic song on this album. “Wish I was an English muffin about to make the most out of the toaster” Grade A lyrics.

Not their best, but good.

This is a classic album. I always forget how unexpected and unobvious these compositions are. There is a lot more depth and darkness to them than one might expect. Really short and sweet as a whole, but a great and beautiful album to listen to.

Great album. I think that all S&G albums are a bit inconsistent but this one is my favorite of theirs.

Not bad. I don't regret listening, but I will probably never listen again.

:d

A wonderful record - quirky but solid - perfectly paced and just the right length. A lot of classics here and while there is a lot of borrowing from their contemporaries, Beatles, Beach Boys - they make it their own and now with the benefit of hindsight it’s just a sprinkle of influence in the end. With every listen I found myself liking this record more and more.

A great album!

Its highs are high

First time hearing the whole album, I was already a big fan of America and Ms Robinson but having heard the whole album I'm a fan of the complete experience as well, it does take you on a journey and I like where it led.

Meh

2023/04/10

“They’re on the pot!” ✨🇺🇸✨ AJ 😂😂😂 They were absolutely on the pot. Some nonsense. But poetry, really. Ton of imagery. Zoo song had me in a bus from the east side to capron park. Had never heard Fakin It. Great tune. A surprising jaunt in a lot of slow melodic weirdness. Mrs Robinson is one of my favorite songs to sing along to. I forget about that, but remember every time I hear it. Cat: They were absolutely on the pot!! A lot more rockin and a lot more full sounding than I expected. Fakin It was my favorite. Also liked Old Friends and Punky’s Dilemma. Embarrassed I didn’t know they did Hazy Shade of Winter!

"Mrs. Robinson" is an instant classic, and "A Hazy Shade of Winter" gets stuck in my head constantly. But this album is so much more than that. Music at its most poetic and creative. A worthwhile listen for all.