Parsley, Sage, Rosemary And Thyme

A time capsule for the 60's. This album was a treat.

This album felt like it belonged in a like, fantasy RPG tavern with two guys with lutes playing these songs. It's pretty good

This doesn't quite have the folksy blend that I like best from Simon (& Garfunkel), but still a worthy outing. Must be a hoot and a half listening to this on shuffle and the Bob Dylan diss track ends up playing back to back with "7 O'clock News / Silent Night"

Sorry but I loved it

Highlights: A Poem on the Underground Wall, 7 O'clock News / Silent Night 4,5/5

Eleganckie chłopaki

well, it is not bad and have interesting tracks, bur Bridge Over Troubled Water is better for me.

fan va mysigt det är asså folksy som fan

A an amazing folk album, Scarborough fair is a banger

Solid but not my type of music

Not into Scarborough Fair but the rest of the albums pretty good with some outstanding tracks. Surprised I like Simon and Garfunkel so much.

Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme by Simon & Garfunkel is a timeless folk masterpiece that showcases the duo's exceptional harmonies and songwriting prowess. Released in 1966, it represents a significant leap forward in their artistic development and remains a standout album in their discography. Overall, I would give this album a solid 4 out of 5 rating. One of the defining qualities of this album is the sheer beauty and intricacy of Simon & Garfunkel's vocal harmonies. Tracks like "Scarborough Fair/Canticle" and "The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)" exemplify their ability to create ethereal and captivating vocal arrangements that perfectly complement their heartfelt lyrics. The duo's voices blend together seamlessly, creating a sense of intimacy and connection with the listener. The songwriting on Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme is equally impressive. Simon's poetic and introspective lyrics explore themes of love, social issues, and personal reflection. Whether it's the contemplative "Patterns," the evocative "The Dangling Conversation," or the thought-provoking "7 O'Clock News/Silent Night," the album consistently delivers powerful and thought-provoking songs that have stood the test of time. Musically, the album is rich with acoustic guitar-driven arrangements that provide a warm and inviting atmosphere. Simon's intricate fingerpicking and Garfunkel's melodic embellishments enhance the songs' emotional impact, creating a cohesive and immersive listening experience.

Beautiful. Just beautiful. Never been mad for Si and the Funk but this was excellent! Defo listen to this again and might find it’s way onto the list for purchase!

Love S&G. Nice American folk

Some classic tracks on here. A lovely short album

A few great songs and a few thrownaways

Love all Simon and G.

4.5

It's not Bridge Over Troubled Waters but it's still very good.

Swing your pants

Excellent

A begrudging 4

I give this album 4/5 stars because it is good

classic.

Always enjoyed Simon & Garfunkel.

Some great stuff here like Homeward Bound, Bright Green Pleasure Machine, Simple Desultory Philippic (whatever that means!) and then a couple of lame pretentious songs. 4/5

It's Simon and Garfunkel! Of course it's brilliant. I don't really know what else there is to say.

Great music, great lyrics. Homeward Bound is a standout track.

I enjoyed this album a lot. This is another one of those old American bands that I don't know a lot about. I mean, I know the hits, but the only song I recognized on Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme was Scarborough Fair which seems like it was written while Paul and Art were on industrial grade LSD. I enjoyed the songs Patterns and the song A Simple Desultory Philippic (or How I Was Robert McNamara'd into Submission) had lots of silly words and pop culture references. I later read it was a Bob Dylan diss track. ZING!

Beautiful.

Side 1. 3 classics of the folk rock genre, 2 excellent lesser known tunes and 1 I might consider throw away. Side 2. No really well known songs, but all are successful with lots of humour and pathos and all those things that make S&G so compelling. 4 stars

Con inspiracion del folk tradicional y jn poco de mezcla, esta dupla me hace recordad a soulfjan stevenes, me lleva a las letras profundas y hermosas, musica de chill. Hermoso. 8/10

OOOh heerlijk dreamy

Good album. ‘Scarborough Fair’ is nice, ‘The 59th Street Bridge Song’ is a good Bob Dylan parody, and ‘Silent Night’ is haunting. Not as good as Bookends, but still good.

Rating: 7/10 Best songs: Flowers never bend with the rainfall

4.5 stars. Folk at it's best. Front to back a gentle yet bright and usually acoustic listen. The vocals is what makes this record, the harmonies as well as individual moments are really beautiful.

Favorites: The Dangling Conversation, Scarborough Fair, Homeward Bound, Feelin Groovy, and For Emily. 4/5.

Classic record. Some of S&F's best material here like 59th Street Bridge Song and Homeward Bound. Also some fun digs and political songs like A Simple Desultory Philippic or 7 O'clock News. Not their best album, but certainly a must for any fan. Can't deny Paul is one of the best songwriters of all time.

Thought I'd hate this but I totally dig it. They sound just like Bell and Sebastion (or vice versa). Love that the songs are mostly 2 minutes long but also that last song, 7 o'clock news, just kinda sucks. Also, these guys clearly spend a lot of time looking at flowers.

Terrific!

I don't think I've heard a more out-of-place song on an album than A Simple Desultory Philippic. Regardless, this is classic Simon & Garfunkel, sweet and soft folk to make you think and includes some of their most well-known of that style as well as a few that stick a little further than most

Nice harmonies!

Cool album, was over disappointedly quick

Wasn't familiar with the existence of this album. Came as a really nice surprise. Exactly what I hope to get from a Simon & Garfunkel record. Bit short but that's probably why it doesn't have any dull moments.

HL: "Homeward Bound", "Scarborough Fair", "59th St Bridge Song", "The Dangling Conversation", "For Emily", "Flowers Never Bend" -4/12 songs I already knew from my greatest hits CD - Liked the other 8 well enough, though some songs (most notably "A Poem") sound like they end before a natural conclusion. - So in 1966 we have a Bob Dylan song imitating John Lennon imitating Bob Dylan, from Blonde on Blonde, AND a Paul Simon song imitating Bob Dylan from that same album ("everybody must get stoned") - "Silent Night" hits different in late winter February 20, 2023

Very wholesome. It'd calm your nerves as you drove up north to dodge the draft.

Love me some Simon & Garfunkel

Not my favourite S&G but I still think it is great. Finding it hard to describe what I like about it - maybe that its a bit unusual. Gentle singing and weird songs.

I enjoyed this. Patterns and For Emily, Wherever I May Find Her stuck and 7 O'clock News / Silent News was clever

4 stars.

pretty album

there’s something so intoxicating about the music of the 60s, the way the boomers really thought they were the vanguard of a revolution that was building a new world of freedom and delight the fact that they were actually destroying their own civilization just makes it more poignant

Peaceful and optimistic, full of baroque vocals and lush instrumentation from bells to harpsichord. This is one of their first great albums. Some outstanding songs like "Scarborough Fair" and "59th Street Bridge Song." It's short and only has a few forgettable tracks that still have some redeeming qualities. What was up with that Dylan copycat "A Simple Desultory Phillipic?"

Listening to this on the background while working (dull work). Noticed that some of the songs are actually funny and I am very excited to listen to the whole album again - while doing nothing for sure. 4.0/5

Other than their first album, this was the only Simon & Garfunkel album that I knew nothing from going in, so I was intrigued going in to see what I would get. This is the first album in their discography on this list, so I was also intrigued to see why this made it over Sounds of Silence. In the end I think this a pretty good album with some snags. There is quite a bit of variety for something from '66, and there is quite a bit to enjoy. I think some songs here are just not very notable. Other songs, such as the final song, are very strong sounding, but aren't something I imagine wanting to go back to. Overall I enjoyed my time and will be giving this a light four. You can think of it more as a 3.5 if that helps you sleep at night, if my score seems more positive than my review.

Me encantan las voces. Tranqui y melódico.

A bit soft in the way it went in my ears. Good tunes though and deserves a reasonable score for songwriting CAPICHE

It's a grower not a shower. Don't get me wrong it still feels very dated but some corking lines. I feel like my soul had been cleansed of all sins. Long live the herbs.

Definitive sound. Doesn’t have my favs. Always thought S+G were a greatest hits band. Been proven wrong. Need to deep dive. Could have been written in 1860. Garfunkel looks like he’s from Peckham. SoT Scarborough Fair/Canticle Cloudy Homeward Bound The Dangling Conversation The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin’ Groovy) For Emily, Wherever I May Find Her 4/5

Very pretty vocals on the album. The last song was quite the statement though.

I listened to this album on a rainy Monday morning in Los Angeles. It was fairly short, a bite-sized vignette into the world of the ‘60s. News stories, hippies, a relationship that seems to not be working for the narrator. That Dylan track was funny. Even in the ‘60s there was beef! I enjoyed this album. It didn’t change my life but it was a nice little package of great riffs, harmonious duets, and poetic lyrics (as we would all expect from S&G). My favorite lyric from this album for one reason or another: “So I'll continue to continue to pretend My life will never end And flowers never bend With the rainfall”

A classic with the occasional mediocre song

I’m liking the album more than I thought. I've never been that big an S&G fan (nor a big solo S fan, at that). But this album is noisier, angsty-er, and better than I expected! Songs like "Patterns," "A Simple Desultory Phillippic" (hilarious, btw), and "7 O'clock News / Silent Night" made the softer, more elegant duets between S&G—for which they are most associated—a bit taller, a bit more dynamic in my mind. I especially liked "The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)" and the opening cut. The lyrics are sometimes a bit silly. Sometimes a touch pretentious and the soundscape is perhaps too "medieval" at times. But overall a very soft, pleasantly satirical, mid-60s cut by two great singers and one great songwriter. I like the production too. And am glad it's so short. Though I will say, I am little uncertain why this album is on the list when I expect we are going to get at least 2 more S&G albums and at least 2-3 solo S albums thrown at us in the future. Not sure what makes this one deserving of a place in addition to all those. But that's besides the point. It's a very good album and I like it.

At least one star has to be given to them for Scarborough Fair... an unlikely hit if there ever was one, and one that perfectly captures the woody nymphy folk sound of the era. I'm a huge fan of where that genre ends up... I think psychedelic folk might be one of my favorite ever genre for how weird it gets... and this song is definitely in the minds of a lot of artists as they go in that way. The rest of the album is a mix. Homeward Bound and 59th Street Bridge Song perfectly capture the lyricism, the playfulness that I love about Paul Simon's songwriting. Tongue in cheek and then yearning visual, pulls you in. At times I think he's a little too clever for his own good, but what can you say about an English major who soon to become one of the greatest songwriters of his generation. That's the artist's journey. I'd absolutely listen to this a few more times. There's always more to the lyrics to pick up. We're right around the corner from Bookeneds and that's when my ears start to really perk up. But there are some really tender moments on here. Two caterpillars in metamorphosis.

söndagsmusik. på en fredag? plötsligt händer det!!

Fun take on old chants, very chill fairs vibes. Something nice for a slow day.

Good Album, liked the athmosphere

great and compact album, slightly let down by a focus on intricacy vs simplicity

Great

Sure

Tone-wise, all over the place. However, homeward bound is genuinely fantastic and I will always love Simon and Garfunkel, so this gets a 4.

Short and sweet. Some HAIM vibes actually, and I ended up liking two songs. The outro's political vibe was also a nice touch. Overall 7.5/10

Chill

Pretty good but not their best

They are so smooth. It's like the could say anything, no matter how rude or grotesque, and it would glide by because it's so sugary. Great writing, and a very special sound.

Love anything by Simon & Garfunkel also Paul Simon solo.

Notes - third album by simon and garfunkel - released following an album they werent super proud of - spent a long time in the studio to make something they actually liked - you can hear how much time was spent on guitar lines and harmony - intertwining and layering fantastically - lyrical themes of social issues, fame, love least fav - patterns - cool tune but didnt love it Fav - Flowers never bend with the rainfall - Great guitar work and lyrics 4.5/5

Not awful. Bonus star for being 28 minutes long.

A classic album....Paul Simon has an unforgettable voice, and when you mix. in Art Garfunkle....you have the greatest harmony in history. Also incredible song writing....

Beautiful songs. Gorgeous harmonies. It’s not perfect. For that, you’d have to have a Best of S&G album. It’s very much a period piece but elegantly, constructed, and enough hits to keep you going. Some albums revel in their bloatedness. This one is to be applauded for its brevity. Short and oh so sweet.

Awesome album, probably not their best, but Homeward Bound is amazing and there are many more strong tracks on this record.

Another enjoyable album from Simon and Garfunkel.

Mooie liedjes duren niet lang. Dat bewijst dit album maar al te goed.

What a fantastic album. Unfortunately I don't think it's as good as the later stuff in their careers and there are some clunkers on here, but it's definitely a sign of things to come.

Listened Before? N An album that just FEELS like 60s NYC. Even to someone who wasn't there. These guys made magic when it came to their harmonies, and Simon's writing. I love this album. It has everything from low and slow ballads, to scathing political commentary. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: 59th Street Bridge Song, Scarborough Fair

A very joyful album by Simon and Garfunkel (also very short). Simple melodies, accompanied by soft voices of two singers, falling into abundance of sweetness at times. There was couple of very interesting songs, especially quite surprising "Silent Night" song, normal Christmas Carol, with radio news broadcast in the background (moving into foreground as the song progresses). News are pretty depressing, but very telling of current times. Very interesting idea. Other parts of album include the more famous "Scarborough fair", or "Homeward Bound", which are really nice folk pieces, just a bit too soft in my opinion, as if written for people with anger issues. But otherwise, very interesting album, and a good listening session.

Simon and Garfunkel had a smooth partnership. They made each other sound better. This album was one of the springboard into that whole folk rock thing. A number of well known cuts but some I had not listened to previously. Poetic lyrics with minimal accompaniment

I don't know where that fair is, but text me the details, and I'll be there. I read that many critics have considered it a breakthrough in recording for the duo and one of their best efforts. I agree.

Nice, easy-listening tunes, as expected from S&G, although I was surprised by the subtle political and social criticism of the last track: 7 o'clock news/Silent night.

First time I’ve heard the originals of some of these. Pretty interesting. I got a Beach Boys vibe at times.

This is a classic 60s album, the one where Simon and Garfunkel really came into their own. I think after Sounds of Silence, a lot of people probably thought they were going to be a one-hit wonder but this album demonstrated a duo with a lot of talent and staying power. Scarborough Fair, Homeward Bound, 59th Street Bridge Song, and For Emily, Whenever I May Find Her are all all-time classics. The rest of the album is mostly filler material, except for the closer 7 O'clock News / Silent Night, which is really moving and beautiful in its own way. I'm torn between 4 and 5 stars for this album. I would give it 5, but I do think there are a fair amount of throwaway songs on here, and at times it's a bit naive and pretentious so I'm going with 4. Plus that shirt Paul Simon is wearing on the album cover is worth at least a 0.25 point deduction.

culls calm moves me

soOOooo sweet. the OG twee boiz

Classic

Some amazing songs here, and some pretty good ones. Probably not gonna listen to it as a whole too often, but I'll certainly be coming back to my favorites.

Favorite: homeward bound

Well this is something. I'm just enjoying the political undercurrents I never appreciated. 5 stars for touching on Lenny Bruce. Minus 1 star for trying to appropriate Scarborough Fair as your own song, a nursery rhyme we all learnt when we were 3 years old

Gorgeous and haunting at the same time. I need to get some of their stuff on wax for sure.

What can I say, I'm a sucker for Simon and Garfunkel. Stand out song for me is definitely "flowers never bend with the rainfall", but all their songs are great

I liked it more than expected. Found it strong throughout with anti war themes. Great melodies as well.

Still LOVE this album. Still HATE the title font. Can't believe it was today when I figured out the Big Bright Green Pleasure Machine was cannabis. First time I heard The 59th Street Bridge Song - rainy morning in Vechta, West Germany. I had my yellow Sony Walkman/radio and was walking down a cobblestone street alone. Mind blown! The Dangling Conversation is a nod to Art's reading obsession/love (see https://www.artgarfunkel.com/library.html) The whole album just reeks of 1966. Lots of lovely jingly-jangly (see Flowers Never Bend With the Rainfall). ******** Post-listening note: I discovered that Art's son, Art Jr., has an album in German called "Wie Du: Hommage an Meinen Vater" in which he sings the classics auf Deutsch. Art Jr's grandparents were German and played a big role in his life. My delight = Andre's annoyance. I think any German speaker will enjoy it immensely. Geil!

Folky trace, surprisingly good

4. Solid album. Some great tracks on here and the weaker ones are mostly fine/harmless. 7 O'clock News / Silent Night is not particularly insightful or good to listen to. Standouts: Patterns, Homeward Bound, Flowers Never Bend with the Rainfall.

Living in the 60s must have been dope with all of these great vocal harmonies running around. Obviously this album is filed to the brim with them. Other than that I don't have a huge amount to say about it. It's a Simon and Garfunkel album. They didn't make a huge number of albums together, but all of them were good. This doesn't have the best production quality, at least on the version that I listened to. You can hear that it's a good album, but it's also evident that there is some loss of audio quality. Overall I liked Bridge Over Troubled Water better, but this is still a very beautiful album. I don't even like folk music, but it's hard for me to see how you wouldn't like this 4/5

Approaching their best...

Cool album

The harmonies.

Better than I thought!

Folk

One of their better albums. Would revisit this if I was in the right mood.

5 4

Not my genre... But the songs are good, and only 28 minutes total, so enjoyable overall. Patterns and homeward bound best songs 4/5

Vem sade att vita gossar inte har själ!!!

The eponymous opener is divine. The other tracks are great

Nice and short

It feels a little sacrilegious to not give Paul Simon full marks but this is a little too folky for me. A couple of brilliant songs on here but it almost feels like he’s trying to be a poetic genius where as at his best it comes across as less contrived. If not for his later work, I’m sure this would be 5 stars, so not really a fair metric…

This is probably my least favorite S&G album, but that being said it is still amazing.

Beautiful.

The middle child in the duo's discography. A mixed bag of brilliant and pleasantly meh. Scarborough Fair, Homeward Bound, and Feeling Groovy were the best cuts on here. For Emily is okay here but massively improved live. This album also features the most haunting version of a christmas carol Silent I've ever heard.

Surprisingly layered. Good stuff.

This project made me realize I’d only really listened to singles and greatest hits of this duo. Hearing the deeper cuts and sequences in the actual albums (as well as the studio versions of several songs I had only heard a live cut of) has been eye opening: the weirder, more experimental stuff. Percussion! Anyway it’s a great album.

An album of highs and lows. Less keen on the hippyish stuff but songs like there were also some great songs in there. Not sure how to rate really...

Comment peut on ne pas aimer

envie d'aller au dodo zzzzzzz

Very fond of this album. The olde worlde English fete aspect of American folk never got less annoying than it is on the opening track. But they switch up the style of music a few times as the album runs. I love S&G's voices working together across the album. "Patterns" is lovely poetic songwriting. The first four tracks are basically untouchable, but I'm less in love with side B of the album. "A Simple Desultory Philippic" I've always found annoying as Paul Simon doing a Bob Dylan impression is only interesting one time at most. I have to say, I think Sounds of Silence is a more consistent album, even though it is surpassed by the opening four tracks of this follow-up. Putting three of their five albums in this 1001 list seems questionable, especially when Sounds of Silence isn't one of them. 4*

Silent Night. Civil Rights Act 1968. 1974 Women's Rights, 1988 Disability

Solid album, sounds like a classic. 4/5

Simon and Garfunkel are WELL into drugs on this one and it's glorious. Really dog this one.

I mean it's great. Opening with a folk standard misleads you as it brings you arch, clever, optimistic folk-pop afterwards. If you don't love A Simple Desultory Phipillic or The 49th Bridge Street Song, I have no time for you.

weird to think of a time before these songs existed. their first really good album with numerous classics, and a sample of news from the era that sounds like a relic of a better time in comparison to now

Iconic. Can’t hear the title track without singing along, and there are many other singalong tracks on this disc. It staves off the advancement of time well.

Some of Paul Simon's worst instincts are on display, but there's enough good stuff here to rescue it. Best track: The Dangling Conversation

A banger

Classic 60s

I often check out the day-old pastry section of our grocery store for deals. As one might expect, it’s a hit and miss situation. I have walked away with some delectable goodies at rock bottom prices. However, the other day I purchased a package of cookies- soft style lemon, filled with blueberries- that turned out to be just average, maybe even a little below. But that’s the nature of the pastry seconds community. Some things work, others don’t. When they do, they’re delicious. When they don’t, well… Think of the songs on Simon & Garfunkel’s 'Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme' as items in the day-old pastry section (although most of this LP rightfully belongs in the main display case containing the fresh baked stuff). Certainly, the recipes looked pretty good on a couple of the numbers, but the actual taste fell a little flat: ‘The Big Bright Green Pleasure Machine’ with it’s tired 60’s critique of commercial television, and Simon’s tongue-in-cheek (I think?) mock Dylan on ‘A Simple Desultory Philippic.’ Thankfully, though, most of the LP is stocked with fresh out of the oven tollhouse cookies (complete with pecans), and even a big glass of ice cold milk. One cannot help but delight in the aroma of joyful innocence emanating from ‘The 59th Street Bridge Song.’ Same for tasting the more wistful (another predominate 60s emotion) flavor of songs like ‘Cloudy’ or ‘Homeward Bound.’ The best of the bunch, for me, were the Simon guitar accompaniments to Garfunkel’s lead vocals on, for example, ‘For Emily, Whenever I May Find Her.’ Paul Simon’s lyrics tend to overshadow his equally talented guitar playing, ‘Patterns’ and ‘The Dangling Conversation’ being two tasteful examples of subtle fills and an overall commanding technique. And Art Garfunkel’s baby skin soft, tender vocals on songs like ‘Scarborough Fair’ and ‘For Emily’ are about the stuff of dreams ‘pressed in organdy.’ About Simon’s lyrics- with a modicum of words, the scenes he sets on ‘A Poem on the Underground’ or ‘The Dangling Conversation’ is wonderful to behold. Furthermore, his meter and general word play throughout are like herbs enhancing an entree. He describes a relationship on ‘The Dangling Conversation’ thusly: ‘Like a poem poorly written we are us out of rhythm, couplets out of rhyme in syncopated time.’ The entire LP was carefully bookended by two songs, the final being the juxtaposition of the hopeful dream for the world in the birth of Jesus with the nightmare of the actual state of the world in 1966, in particular related to war. The opener, ‘Scarborough Fair’ is typically dismissed as a quaint nostalgic glimpse into the mid 60s, but a closer look at the lyrics Simon sings in contrast to the more familiar ones from Garfunkel reveals something different. (And, just a hint of a harpsichord accompaniment, in case you forgot what decade you were listening to.) I’m a big fan of Rosemary. I enjoy it in foods both savory or sweet. Sage and Thyme are great around Thanksgiving, important flavors, but they are best used judiciously and with restraint. Parsley, though, is mostly a throwaway, an afterthought, served as a garnish on a diner special-of-the-day plate back in the 60s. Thankfully, 'Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme' goes easy on the Parsley and heavy on the Rosemary.

Lovely

Good songs, short.

Familiar with S&G’s more famous work, First time listening to this album, and really enjoyed it, brilliant folk album.

Then they did a more creative job but it's a great album

If the only track on this album had been 'Scarborough Fair/Canticle', it would still be worthy of this list. One of those rare songs that no matter how often I hear it, it never gets old. Still haunting and beautiful. 'Homeward Bound' still moves me too. The rest of the tracks showcase how ridiculously talented these two are as songwriters, singers, (and a guitar player in Paul's case), and performers. Great stuff.

One of the greatest duos of all time. Great heart-warming folk music with beautiful poetry. This album is a masterpiece, most of the songs were a lesson for me when I was studying playing the guitar. I give it 4 stars, just because "Bridge Over Troubled Water" is the best S&G album.

Classic

not a S&G fan (only solo Paul) but i was surprised how much i liked this. 59th street bridge song is the best.

Ohhh, First song on this voyage: Scarborough Fair. I remember listening to this song as my friends cottage as a kid. It definitely has some sentimental value to it. I don't know if I would put it on if I didn't have that connection to it.

Baladas de S&G. Un 4.

Very mellow. It's easy to connect the dots from this album to modern folk.

Beautiful voices 👍

quase lá

Pretty good, and the 7pm News song is powerful.

Very good little album. Absolutely beautiful songwriting, instrumentation, and vocals. A few of the faster cuts felt too aggressive for the tone of the album, but they are still good as stand-alone songs. 8/10

They are by far the best harmonizers ever. Such great music. However, if there is one criticism... it's that they are too damn smart. I do not know what a simple desultory phillipic is

As much as I love "Bridge Over Troubled Water" and much of "Bookends", my knowledge of Simon and Garfunkel's music outside of that is limited to the Greatest Hits album, which I have played many times. Imagine my surprise when both "Homeward Bound" and "59th Bridge Street Song (Feeling Groovy)" came crashing in with uptempo drums and extra instrumentation. It removed the intimacy I'm used to from these songs and rushed them along a bit too much. Maybe it's just because I'm used to the acoustic-only versions, but it got me thinking about some of the other songs on the album and wondering if they'd have benefited from being more stripped back. Sometimes it felt they hadn't got the arrangements quite right, as they intruded on Simon's excellent songwriting and the duo's peerless harmonies. The overblown strings in "The Dangling Conversation" and the incessant bongos in "Patterns" are two examples: both sound much better in live versions or solo renditions by Simon. Sometimes, though, it's gorgeous and tastefully done: the harpsichord in "Scarborough Fair/Canticle", or the celesta in "Cloudy". There's a lot of beauty across the record for sure, but most of it comes from the duo themselves. The real thing that matters here is, of course, the actual songs. "Flowers Never Bend With The Rainfall" is a lovely, breezy song and one of Simon's simplest, catchiest tunes. "A Simple Desultory Philippic" is a wryly amusing Dylan send-up and "7 O'Clock News/Silent Night" is... exactly what it sounds like, but prettier. And yes, despite its arrangement here, "Homeward Bound" is still an absolute classic. It goes without saying that Garfunkel's vocals are sublime throughout, but the best showcase of them is the amazing "For Emily, Whenever I May Find Her": he gives a tender, yearning performance that swells imperceptibly into overflowing emotion. Simon is an underrated guitar player too and accompanies each song beautifully (as two examples, listen to the fingerpicking in "Feeling Groovy" and the trills in "Cloudy"). It might not scale the heights of the duo's later work, but there's still a brilliant set of songs here.

Smooth & nice

Simon admits the drum track on Homeward Bound was a mistake. Check out any live performance with just him and a guitar and I suspect you’ll agree.

Exciting new sounds in the old folk tradition <3 8/10

Don't Garfunkle me bro!

Gentle, dreamy, folk. I enjoyed this more than I thought I would!

Let me start this review by saying that I forgot to mention in my previous [somewhat crass] review of S&G's Bookends, that the song "America" is absolutely their best. I love that song and it makes me tear up almost every time I hear it. So, I'll be adding a start to this record to bring their team average back up. Now, the "spices" record... It's cool. But it's so safe. It's cozy I guess. It's like sitar in 60s music. When we hear it now, it seems cliche, but at the time it was revolutionary. Likewise, the gentle delivery of quasi-social/political themes by folk singers wasn't always a predictable thing. And I think this record is much better if you listen with that understanding. Which is what I tried to do. There are elements on this record that feel medieval - most obviously the first track. I like that. And I like that it was picked up decades late by one of my favorite bands Fleet Foxes (not that there weren't other folk bands in the interim that did this as well). I should also say that I love the sweetness of the vocals. And, Paul Simon is such a great fingerstyle guitarist.

Bra blandning mellan lugn rock och folk. 4/5

Simon and Garfunkel are referents. Very good singers and his compositions are very fine. In this album is very interesting the first song and the fourth.

After listening to this, I can understand why people wanted Simon and Garfunkel to get back together. Bliss and serenity, who wouldn't want more of these dudes harmonizing?

Melhor música: Scarborough Fair/Canticle

Some absolutely gorgeous music on this album. The "hits" are all beautiful; Scarborough Fair, Homeward Bound and The 59th Street Bridge Song, but there are also some lesser known songs like Patterns and The Dangling Conversation and For Emily, Whenever I May Find Her. A beautiful album 4 🌟

so viele tolle nummern, homeward bound ist eins meiner fave lieder von ihnen. das stille nacht / news- mash up find ich weird.

My least favourite of the four main Simon and Garfunkel albums but still a great folk album regardless

1. Beautiful and ethereal opener. 2. much more funk to the second track. 3. countryish - lovely textures 4. more upbeat folk sound with beautiful breaks 5. rock with psych organ sound 6. more intimate and folksy again 7. sun kissed keys add a lot to this one 8. extremely sweet vocal harmonies and melodies 9. large swing, again more rocky 10. maybe the slowest song on here. love their finger picked acoustic work 11. more upbeat - but very much folksy and pretty. focused storytelling here and employs a speak sing type of delivery. 12. odd ending - piano led cover of silent night with social critique. It is pretty thought provoking, but feels at odds with the general tone of the album Overall a very beautiful and delicate album of folky pop. The guys have wonderful synergy with their vocal tone and always seem to pick the sweetest harmonies to use. The guitar playing in general is a standout too, with intricate finger picked playing. The few times S*G step outside of their genre comfort zone the quality dips - I'm mostly impressed by the folk. I will relisten to dig into the lyrical content

This is a great album. Excellent lyrics and unbelievable instrumental work. I`m very happy to discover more songs from Simon & Garfunkel.

Scarborough fair is pure folk beauty. End to end folk bangers.

Short but very sweet. Homeward Bound is probably my favourite S&G song, which immediately earns the album a few stars. The rest of the album is a good mix of softly sung folk and more upbeat tracks to boogie along to. An easy 4 stars

The third Simon & Garfunkel album we got. I rated the other two as 5's but found this one a little weaker in comparison. It's still soothing, the arrangements are still wonderful, the lyrics still poetry. But the overall quality just seemed a bit lower to me compared to Bridge Over Troubled Water and Bookends. Some of the standout tracks such as the fantastic Scarborough Fair or For Emily were clear 5-star songs to me and the album as a whole is still a very good 4.5. But I'm rounding it down because it's not quite as good as the other two albums.

Plena època hippie i aquests dos treuen un dels discos més representatius del moviment. Enclaustrat entre l'himne atemporal de 'Sound of Silence' i els discos icònics 'Bookends' i 'Bridge Over Troubled Waters', de vegades no se li presta l'atenció deguda. I se la mereix. De tant sentir-les, cançons com 'Scarborough Fair' o 'Homeward Bound' semblen ja part de la memòria colectiva... però aquí és on van nèixer... i per darrera, temes de molt bona factura com 'Emeily Whenever I May Find Her', 'Cloudy ' 'Fellin' Groovy'

Pretty good, I'm not always a fan of some bloke with an acoustic guitar, but they managed to do a good enough job top get past the barrier

1966. Scarborough Fair / Canticle, Homeward Bound, Patterns

nice combination of poetic lyrics, great vocal harmonies and a good instrumental backup

There's a lot to enjoy on this album if you allow yourself. Favourite tracks are "Homeward bound", "Feeling groovy", "Patterns" and "A simple desultory". A really good album.

Gentle and enjoyable

Great album, very easy going and mellow vibe

Feeling groovy feeling herbal! I'm fond of Homeward Bound, it always popped in my head when passing Widnes train station, not that I ever stopped off in Widnes, perish the thought! *shudder*

Solid stuff

Some of these songs sound dated (in good and bad ways). Some seem oddly prescient.

I enjoyed this more than I expected. I knew the more famous songs but the other ones surprised me by their melody and composition. 7 O'clock news is particularly poignant.

Like all albs, this album is of its time. Very enjoyable and gives a nostalgic feeling for my childhood.

I like "Homeward Bound" the best. 7 o'clock News was a little heart-wrenching.

buttery smooth

Delicate, twee maybe, but some great songwriting, and unique delivery

Near perfect. 7 o'clock/Silent Night is heartbreakingly pretty.

I somehow never realized that “Scarborough Fair” was a traditional English folk song. I guess it seemed like it fit in Simon & Garfunkel’s wheelhouse so well. But instead it’s music that has endured for 400+ years, changing and evolving along the way but with modern artists still performing it. Makes me wonder what will become of today’s music 400 years in the future. Will it be preserved? Still performed? Will the bones of today’s songs be manipulated and changed into something different? The 1001 features things from the modern era that must be listened to in order to understand popular music in the 20th and 21st centuries. And that occasionally included a few traditional works from 100 years ago, or 400 years ago. It also included covers and reinterpretations of the Great American Songbook and classic blues and rock songs that many different artists performed. There’s less of that today. Less traditional music being performed by modern stars, less songbook hits covered and interpreted by many artists. You get occasional covers, but they are much rarer than in the mid 1900s. Today there is more music than ever before, and it's more accessible than ever before. But will it last? Will it stand the test of time? Or will the abundance lead to nearly all of it being quickly forgotten? What will exist from the 1001 in any form in the year 2500? Maybe one of Simon & Garfunkel’s original songs, several of which have permeated into the cultural subconscious, will be the “Scarborough Fair” of the far future? But I think it’s more likely than in the age of preserving everything, somehow nothing really survives.

I realized that A) I have this album on tape that a friend in high school made for me but I had no idea the tape he made was a straight album; and B) he must have run out of room on that one side because I have never heard the last 3 tracks before.

Great classic songwriting.

Très bon album, c'est du S&G, on s'attend pas à autre chose

Top beetje uptempo album van Simon en Garfunkel, vooral het nummer homeward bound spreekt me aan

One of the albums I grew up with, so it's difficult to rate 'objectively' - but I still think it holds up really well as a folk album.

Great writing, great songs. Really of all of Paul Simon's hits, PSR&T is prolly my least favorite.

I enjoyed it, was a foot tapper to me, some great songs i knew some I didn't.

Folksy, nostalgic, great album! 4.4/5

When Garfunkel still had the voice of an angel, and Simon's genius was on ready display. This is a fine record, and one I had never listened to (before today) from beginning to end.

Despite being iconic, it's kinda renfaire for my taste. Songwriting is strong but the vocal harmonies don't always sound good to me. Much like Wu-Tang, I would have to be in a specific mood to really want to listen to this, except it's probably the direct opposite mood. 8

Good stuff

Pop consistente, voz e violão marcantes pela simplicidade, e apresenta hits.

I know a bit of S&G, but was pleasantly surprised by complex harmonies. More than enough to forgive the missing Oxford comma.

Didn't expect to be quite so into this, but it's great.

Good stuff. Hard to go wrong with these guys.

pretty great

Excellent album, Dylan ? Essex bound .

Doesn't have any of the greatest hits, but it's still a great album.

This is actually so insanely good. This album has it all. I would give it 4.5/5 if possible.

A great folk rock album that says a lot in a very little amount of time.

Classic

4 for nostalgia

Simon is an incredible songwriter. Maybe Garfunkel is, too! I don't have a good way to judge that. But beyond a classic like Homeward Bound, did you hear how he totally sold the dorkiness of 'Feelin' Groovy'??? This isn't my favorite Simon stuff, but it's pretty dang good.

a bit too soft rock-ish for me. Better after a couple of listens. A bit eclectic. Homeward Bound is known to me.

A good album with some really solid tracks

Great chill singer songwriter vibes. A classic by all accounts. Awesome for a chill morning jam.

Simon & Garfunkel's first masterpiece, Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme was also the first album on which the duo, in tandem with engineer Roy Halee, exerted total control from beginning to end, right down to the mixing, and it is an achievement akin to the Beatles' Revolver or the Beach Boys' Pet Sounds album, and just as personal and pointed as either of those records at their respective bests.

Absolutely gorgeous, so easy to get lost in. Great lyrics as well.

A classic.

A stunning album in the most part, some of the tracks are songwriting perfection. Just beautiful. Would have went to 5 if it wasn’t for a bit of a lull and a couple of tracks that I found irritating.

Like the Bob Dylan inspired track

I love this album. It's such an easy thing to listen to.

Another favorite of my parents. S&G music is so soothing and pretty with the harmonies, almost meditative.

So good. So so good. I had heard almost every song as "singles", but in the context of an album, it makes it so much better!

Fantastic harmonies and wonderful songs

Well recorded and produced collection of songs, short songs at that! First time I’ve listened to this album and enjoyed it very much, just a bit short..! The musicianship and vocal performance in particular is excellent.

Between church and peace

Love this album! Heavenly voices

So good. Some of the best road trip music of all time. Chillest of the chill.

This has a more upbeat sound compared to Bridge Over Troubled Water. Different but good.

Hot take: this is easily the best of the 19 Paul Simon related albums on this list. For real though, with the exception of that pleasure machine song that sounds like The Monkees and the super depressing final track, I was kind of bowled over by how well this continues to hold up, especially for an album named after a spice rack.

Fand ich stark 4

Dudeldididai, bissi geweint, aber bin alles in allem zufrieden.

Die zwei härtesten Schwänze im Singer-Songrwriter Fickstall sind nach über 50 Jahren immernoch pulsierend und standhaft im Ohrenkanal! Schöne Melodien spritzen in geöffnete Mäuler und stopfen gierige Löcher. NIMM MICH DU GEILER GITARRENBOCK!!!! Knackiges Album, macht spaß, manchmal auch traurig. Weirder flex beim letztem Lied mit Anti-War/Weihnachtscrossover, I get it. Aber musikalisch keine Schönheit. 4*, war enttäuscht, dass es nur so kurz war (that's what she said)

Impactful storytelling mixed with delightful guitar. Wonderful album

It was nice! Short and sweet. Almost Lord of the Ringsish.

Iconic album.

Mellow

Pastoral and academic, but not inaccessible.

This would be 4.5 if we could do those. Know so many of these songs but didn’t know their titles.

1st song favorite. Sounds like something Taylor’s mom used to jam to for sure, but overall 70s vibe.

Some classics

Sweet.

How could you not love this album? One of the best ever.

2 good

Lovely

My favourite rendition of Scarborough Fair. The others in the album are decent.

Classic album

Great album filled with soothing folk rock songs and amazing vocal harmonies

A Simple Desultory Philippic är en 5+ sarkastisk sågning av Bob Dylan.

A bit too folky for my tastes and the Bob Dylan parody does little for me. A few classics at least.

The 59th Street Bridge Song

Country/Folk music.

Fairly middle of the road for me. Have heard of these guys stand out has to be 59th street for me It was raining whilst I walked and listened always a factor. 3 out of 5

This album had a little more energy than I was expecting. Good songs with a weird trackorder, it could stand to be rearranged.

me lembrou muito a sonoridade dos beatles, o que faz sentido pela época que foi lançado! achei gostosinho de ouvir

cresci ouvindo sobre como simon & garfunkel eram gigantes e ainda assim me impressiono sempre que descubro que alguma música muito famosa é deles, como foi o caso aqui. tem coisa muito boa aqui nesse álbum apesar das partes em que ele é mais morno

Back in the day, when I was in Primarry School, we had a teacher (you know the type. Leather jacket, "Call me by my first name," "I'm not so much a teacher as a fellow learner") who would give us the lyrics from this album for poetry lessons. "Because this is where it's at kids!" Well, maybe. But another way of looking at it is that on a number off these songs Simon effortlessly crosses the fine line between being meaningful and being pretentious. There's no doubt that this is a beautiful sounding album. Art and Paul just blend together into a gorgeous whole. The arrangements are superb. But the songs are at their best when Simon keeps it simple. Homeward Bound and For Emily Whenever I May Find Here are probably the best things here, because he holds back a bit and doesn't feel he has to prove how clever he is. Scarborough Fair is a lovely thing, but buried inside it there's a whole "war is really bad" message that probably gets missed a lot. Feeling Groovy is fun, if you can get past the 60s style "Life I love you" lyrics. Big Bright Green Pleasure Machine is dopey fun and gets its message across simply and directly and is all the better for it. But the songs where Simon feels he needs to make a big statement and goes in hard with the "sophisticated" lyrics are a bit much. Patterns, Cloudy, Flowers Never Bend in the Rain, A Poem on the Underground, The Dangling Conversation all strive for "poetic significance" and end up sounding unconvincing. The fact that Simon could think that describing something as "Ragamuffin" or mention "You read Emily Dickinson and I read Robert Frost" was "groovy" is hilarious. It's overwriting at its finest. A Simple Desultory Phillipic announces itself with possibly the most pretentious title on any major artist's album and then proceeds to produce a parody of Dylan that proves nothing except that Paul Simon is no Bob Dylan. And the less said about the dull thud that Silent Night lands with the better. Beautiful sounding album, with a number of magnificent songs. But Paul, just rein it in and stop trying to impress everyone with how much more clever you are than them.

Bien

A bit too christmassy and religious for me

1) I love the harmonies and the voices that blend well together. It feels like a song that would be sung at a church service. I’m not sure if I like that. 2) I love the Arabic guitar melody and the little vocal effects. It gives the song a very specific vibe. The song does, however, keep chugging along at the same pace, so there isn’t really a clear climax. 3) I like what sounds like a backing choir. The lyrics fit the soft music very well. The song lacks an emotional climax, again. However, with this song, I feel like it’s less necessary because of the very beautiful calm vibe and choir. 4) What a beautiful chord progression! The harmony is again very good and fits the melody and his voice very well. The chorus gives an energy that couldn’t be found on some other previous songs. 5) I was surprised by the more up tempo drums, nice! It’s a fun, feel good song but lacks a smarty bit of depth. Although, it nice to just vibe on which is sometimes as good as a lyrically interesting and intelligent song. I love the transition to the chorus with the build-up. 6) A beautiful guitar intro! The melody is beautiful and the intimidating recording technique gives the song an extra layer. Again, I don’t hear a clear climax. Maybe that’s due to the short length of the song (1;58). 7) Again, good guitar work and a beautiful melody. The build-up in the first verse is very emotional and intimate. The orchestration works soo well. In this song, I feel the depth and energy climax I was looking for in ten whole album! Favourite song so far! 8) The tempo of the song draws you right into the story, along with the beautiful melody and orchestration! I can hear a deeply emotional chorus with lovely lyrics and metaphors. Along side the previous song, my favourite! 9) This is clearly Bob Dylan inspired (in his rock era)! It sounds good but I won’t really come back to it because it keeps sounding kind of the same. A bit like a Bob Dylan rip-off! 10) The melody in the verse really moves me. And even so there is no magnificent climax, the melody (especially) is enough to get you emotional while listening! Good song! 11) The lyrics are poetic and storytelling, which I like! The melody and instrumentation don’t give anything special in my eyes. 12) This is a cover but it’s very well composed with the news on the background (on the end slightly to the foreground) gives it an extra very beautiful element. The intimacy of the voices and the harmony makes it so beautiful. A great ending!

7/10

Quite beautiful baroque pop with the ethereal opening track.

Pretty good actually, some really nice songs on there, plus a few duds. THe classics are classic for a reason. 3.5 that I am rounding down due to 7'oclock news.

A little mellow for me but still a good record. 3.5 stars

I can see that this is good, and it's the kind of music I'd normally like a lot. But I've always felt that there's something smug and self-satisfied about their lyrics and vocal delivery. I don't think I'd get on with someone who likes to imagine their lover 'waiting silently' for them at home.

i read a tweet the other day that lamented how 'defanged' popular music has become and listening to this it's hard to not agree: imagine a major popstar today putting an outro on the album like silent night. nobody has anything to say anymore so even if i find this a little bit primitive, it's leagues more evolved than today's navel-gazing pop music. long live folk.

Very soft album with some pieces that remind me of my temporariness but I don’t think I’ll come back to this album; it doesn’t have the pack-a-punch emotional quality that I want.

Yani sıktı biraz ve yaşlandığını belli ediyor

Simon without Garfunkel is pretentious. Paul is a good songwriter, but Art helps keep him grounded. This isn't their best album, but it has some timeless classics, to be sure. Some killer, quite a bit of filler. A Simple Desultory Philippic is as good a Bob Dylan parody as I've ever heard. Silent Night/7 O'clock... ugh.

very isabel paige cecile corbel type -scarborough fair -homeward bound -7 o clock news

complex but does not hit

Great wholesome stuff

Actually a really nice album! Felt very relaxed and cute.

as sleepy as leonard cohen. everybody considers scarborough fair as a hood classic the whole idea of the song disgusts me cause at one point theres some counterpoint involved and the entire concept of counterpoint disgusts me cause its advanced music theory aka what some of my favourite musicians would utilize in their songs and i really wanna write like them and i realise that music theory is hard and i realise i suck at making music and i lost hope in life and i go home and cry and wanna die like what morrissey once write in how soon is now. 3/5

My parents had this record. I remember the cover from my childhood. This sounds so dated, but there are some gems here. It's not my jam, but I can't hate it.

I wasn't expecting to like this album at all but it starts very strong with Scarborough Fair and Patterns. Kinda a weird idea to have a dig at other songwriters I "A simole desultory Phiilipic" Album is pretty interesting.

Nice, but not my favorite from them

C'est simon et garfunkel quoi

Pretty great folk album. Some classics, some misses

Unchallenging dependent on nostalgia

While I often whinge about music not having enough energy to engage my interest, I'll give Simon and Garfunkel more leeway. There are a couple of absolute classics on here, and the delicate instrumentation and beautiful harmonies produce a sense of peace. I think I'd become frustrated if it were over an hour long, but at under 30 minutes it's a refreshing listen.

A pleasant little folk album. The vocals are top tier. Nothing political or hard-driving in this folk, just breezy acoustic sounds.

Got some classics but didn't really grab me. 3/5

28 minutes, fantastic. Pleasant enough but the cleanliness doesn't do much for me. Duller Dylan. 2.5 rounded up Heard before? Some Owned: No, 96/359 (26%) Will I get: No

Alright I take back what I said about Paul Simon on Graceland (1985). The Bob Dylan parody song “A Simple Desultory Philippic” is genius, hilarious, topical, and temporal. Making fun of Dylan in 2026? Passé, played out. Making fun of Dylan in 1966, as he approaches the height of his fame? Now THAT’S a statement. Simon weaves in a bunch of other references in this too for a genuinely funny listen, replete with terrible harmonica. It’s the complete package. That song alone makes this 3 stars. The rest of the album is reverb to 11 two guys with acoustic guitars harmonizing… like the rest of S&G. The title track is like a repackaged Greensleeves medieval Gregorian chant about… Italian seasonings. It’s alright at best. ⭐️⭐️⭐️ for making fun of Bobby D. That is going straight on the playlist.

I was hoping for more. There are the classic tunes (the title one, we all know her, we all love her) but generaaaaaaallly maybe this is a tiny bit of a cringe album?? A whole song about being groovy... dare I say feels like not that groovy? If you're telling us how groovy things are, idk, I feel like who are you convincing because it isn't me. Idk, I like my lads a little bit more melancholy so this one wasn't it for me.

I really really love a lot of Simon and Garfunkel songs but ultimately they’re a greatest hits band and there’s loooootsa filler here

There were certainly plenty of examples here as to why Simon and Garfunkel are so loved. I connected with a few myself, particularly some of the wonderful harmonies and thoughtful lyrics around some serious and interesting topics. I’m still not sure it’s something I will reach for, though I’m not sure why. It may take some time to see as I’ll definitely be returning at some point. 1 listen Favorite Tracks: Scarborough Fair, Homeward Bound

Love the opener. 117M streams on Spotify for a '66 tune says I'm not alone.

A sweet album that probably isn't completely my style. Favourites: Patterns The 59th Street Bridge Song For Emily, Whenever I May Find Her

3.5

3.0

quaint and ponderous at times, but still some classics that still work today

Not my Cup of tea, but still a Solid album

Me gusto mas de lo que esperaba, se me hizo corto al final, solido 7 7/10

Step-dad rock.

Herr der ringe vibe

I find Simon and Garfunkle to be fairly boring but I won't complain about having to listen to them

Lovely classic

Very dreamlike and polished they are every imagery driven there’s a couple hits in here that I didn’t know where on this album solid listen overall

Was not too keen on it at first, but eventually becomes tolerable. A Simple Desultoy Philippic was a nice surprise; clever lyrics name-dropping some of the greats. 7 O'Clock News/Silent Night would be an interesting rework if they did a new one each decade.

Gosh, good album but listening to this made me realize how much better Paul Simon is on his own.