SIMON AND GARFUNKEL’S SWAN SONG: BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATER FEATURES METICULOUS PRODUCTION, GORGEOUS SONGWRITING, AND HEALING SPIRIT
Sourced from the Original Master Tapes and Strictly Limited to 4,000 Numbered Copies: Mobile Fidelity’s 180s SuperVinyl LP Plays with Staggering Detail, Clarity, and Definition
1/4" / 15 IPS analog master to DSD 256 to analog console to lathe
Unifying, soothing, comforting: Simon and Garfunkel's Bridge over Troubled Water quickly became the album of an era upon release in 1970, the benchmark set serving as a beacon of hope and hymn of reassurance during a time marked by polarizing changes, social unrest, uncertain politics, and the dawn of a new era. These uplifting reasons — to say nothing about the gorgeous songwriting, meticulous production, and watershed performances — attest to why it is more relevant than ever in our current climate. Music, Bridge over Troubled Water simultaneously suggests and proves, heals all wounds and lifts all boats.
Bridge Over Troubled Water was one of the biggest-selling albums of its decade, and it hasn't fallen too far down on the list in years since. Apart from the gospel-flavored title track, which took some evolution to get to what it finally became, however, much of Bridge Over Troubled Water also constitutes a stepping back from the music that Simon & Garfunkel had made on Bookends -- this was mostly because the creative partnership that had formed the body and the motivation for the duo's four prior albums literally consumed itself in the making of Bridge Over Troubled Water
The overall effect was perhaps the most delicately textured album to close out the 1960s from any major rock act. Bridge Over Troubled Water, at its most ambitious and bold, on its title track, was a quietly reassuring album; at other times, it was personal yet soothing; and at other times, it was just plain fun. The public in 1970 -- a very unsettled time politically, socially, and culturally -- embraced it; and whatever mood they captured, the songs matched the standard of craftsmanship that had been established on the duo's two prior albums. Between the record's overall quality and its four hits, the album held the number one position for two and a half months and spent years on the charts, racking up sales in excess of five million copies. The irony was that for all of the record's and the music's appeal, the duo's partnership ended in the course of creating and completing the album.
On their fifth and final studio album, Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel were pulling away from each other: Simon assembled some of it while Garfunkel was in Mexico acting in the film Catch-22. Garfunkel vetoed Simon's song "Cuba Si, Nixon No," and Simon nixed Garfunkel's idea for a Bach chorale. What remains is the partnership at its best: wry, wounded songs such as "The Boxer" with healing harmonies, though the gorgeous title track was sung by Garfunkel alone, despite his resistance. "He felt I should have done it," Simon told Rolling Stone in 1972. "And many times I'm sorry I didn't do it." The show goes on forever."
Simon & Garfunkel were an American music duo consisting of singer-songwriter Paul Simon and singer Art Garfunkel (both born in 1941). They formed the group Tom & Jerry in 1957 and had their first success with the minor hit "Hey, Schoolgirl". As Simon & Garfunkel, the duo rose to fame in 1965, largely on the strength of the hit single "The Sound of Silence". Their music was featured in the landmark film The Graduate (1967), propelling them further into the public consciousness.
They are well known for their vocal harmonies and were among the most popular recording artists of the 1960s.
Bass – Joe Osborn
Drums – Hal Blaine
Guitar – Fred Carter, Jr., Paul Simon
Keyboards – Larry Knechtel
Producer – Arthur Garfunkel, Paul Simon, Roy Halee
Vocals – Art Garfunkel, Paul Simon
SIDE A
1. BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATER
2. EL CONDOR PASA (IF I COULD)
3. CECILIA (2:55)
4. KEEP THE CUSTOMER SATISFIED
5. SO LONG, FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT
SIDE B
1. THE BOXER
2. BABY DRIVER
3. THE ONLY LIVING BOY IN NEW YORK
4. WHY DON'T YOU WRITE ME
5. BYE BYE LOVE
6. SONG FOR THE ASKING
