Old Friends

This week, I’d like to give Simon & Garfunkel a little love. You can find more groundbreaking music from the 60s, and you can certainly find edgier music from the 60s. But it’s hard to find more consistently beautiful music.

Paul Simon is a great songwriter, which shouldn’t be news to anyone. This blog has lauded Graceland in the past. But his earlier work with partner-in-crime Art deserves some praise as well. His lyrics can be a little too poetic, but he conjures up some powerful imagery, whether it be the “cars on the New Jersey turnpike” in “America” or the old friends who “sat on their park bench like bookends” in “Old Friends.”

But just as crucial to the music’s beauty is Art Garfunkel’s distinctive, airy voice, which floats softly above Simon’s, hopping from harmony to harmony with impeccable tone and tuning (and remember, this was before auto-tune rendered perfect tuning unimportant). I’m not sure how he does it—maybe it’s all the pot he smokes, but probably not.

A few tracks below for your enjoyment: “Flowers Never Bend with the Rainfall” might be my favorite, as the vocal blend between the two singers is about as good as it ever gets. “April Come She Will” was actually written by Garfunkel, and an appropriate song given the month. And finally, “Kodachrome / Maybellene,” which is my favorite track off of the Concert in the Park album. Its got great energy that builds and builds and finally explodes when they break into the Chuck Berry song. Enjoy.

Simon & Garfunkel – Flowers Never Bend with the Rainfall (YSI) (dropbox)
Simon & Garfunkel – April Come She Will (live) (YSI) (dropbox)
Simon & Garfunkel – Kodachrome / Maybellene (live) (YSI) (dropbox)