Simon & Garfunkel - Wednesday Morning, 3 AM

Simon & Garfunkel would become, in essence, the American folk movement's answer to the Beatles, bridging generations and spanning musical styles--if done with an often-dispassionate air of seeming academic disdain--and a ubiquitous fixture in many a 1960s record collection. Yet, there are precious few hints of what was to come on Simon and Garfunkel's 1964 debut. Though recorded during the first few hectic months of American Beatlemania, the Paul and Art of Wednesday Morning are still firmly rooted in Greenwich Village coffeehouse traditions. Their nasally correct take on Bob Dylan's "The Times They Are A-Changin'," covers of American folk movement standards like "Peggy-O," "He Was My Brother," "Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream," and buoyant gospel-tinged fare ("You Can Tell the World," "Go Tell It on the Mountain") just can't help sounding tres ironic, especially coming from the mouths of two nice Jewish boys from Queens. The early Simon originals here are cast in much the same mold, with the notable exception of "The Sounds of Silence" (offered here in its first, all-acoustic incarnation), a song that underscores the songwriter's looming ability to wrap even the most dour observations in poetically and musically accessible terms that would be the envy of many a Hallmark staff writer. This new edition has been digitally remastered to good effect and also contains three bonus tracks: spare, heartfelt demos of Simon's "Bleecker Street" and the covers "He Was My Brother" and "The Sun Is Burning." --Jerry McCulley Amazon.com

legendary

For a contemporary comparison try Nick Worrall's debut album, it has been compared to the classic 'Parsley, Sage, Rosemary & Thyme' album and is FREE to download. July 10, 2008

It's Folk Music

Well, the title kind of says it all. This is what Simon and Garfunkel were before a producer got it in his head to incorporate some electric sounds with Sound of Silence. Taken for what it is, it's a passable record (a better-than-average folk recording, if that counts for anything), but it suffers from some serious problems.

So what's wrong with it? Well, to start, it's a folk record from the sixties, which is to say that it's whiny, plaintive, and, for the most part, a little adolescent. The songwriting is not up to the standard that you'd expect if you're a latter-day Paul Simon (there's a reason he's divorced himself from a number of these songs). It's still better than average, but compared to other Paul Simon and Simon and Garfunkel recordings, it's clearly second-tier.

More importantly, it's a FOLK record. A great many of the previous reviewers have evidenced a marked disappointment with that fact. It's SUPPOSED to only have acoustic guitars and vocals. You're not going to find the radio versions of any song whose name you might recognize on the track list. In the catalog of Simon and Garfunkel recordings, this is the red-headed stepchild, taken from the time before their big break with the reworked (and, yes, not included here--you'll have to go to the album of the same name for the radio version) Sound of Silence.

That said, Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel have better talent for singing than most folk performers (and I kind of mean, you know, ever--Bob Dylan is charming and all, but let's not confuse ourselves into thinking that he has any talent for actually singing). The two harmonize very effectively, and while the songwriting has its occasional cringeworthy moments (He Was My Brother is simplistic to say the least, and I would avoid reading the liner notes entirely), it is still mostly above the bar.

As part of a Paul Simon collection, you pretty much have to include this record. It's one of the five Simon and Garfunkel albums, after all, even if more of the memorable releases from the duo on their other four. I'd also recommend it to fans in the folk music genre. For a casual listener just looking for a good Simon and Garfunkel record, however, I'd try something else first.

Finally, a note regarding the bonus material. If you're considering purchasing the new release of the CD to get the included bonus songs, don't. In some cases with the Simon and Garfunkel rereleases, it's worth it, but in this case, you just get virtually identical versions of three songs you already have. October 11, 2006

What A Start? A New York Fave!

To me, Simon and Garfunkel will always epitomize the ultimate New York group. After all, they're both New Yorkers by birth--unlike other great New York acts to follow such as Bob Dylan, The Echoes, etc.

This debut album gives hints of even greater things to come, and of course we all know the story of how S&G were going their own ways before a DJ added electric instrumentation to "Sounds Of Silence" which would lead to both a glorious folk-rock career and even better follow-up LP!

Only with acts such as The Everly Brothers, Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris, and Teresa and Mark of The Echoes have I heard such a beautiful blending of voices. (okay... Peter, Paul, and Mary were great, too, but I'm thinking more along slightly harder-edged lines here!)

Paul's writing is very strong and moving in his early, albeit more politically-oriented folk years. The title track would be revamped on the follow-up album, too, under another name, but I still prefer the moving quality of this LP, its sincerity, and its honesty.

A great welcome to the world of Simon and Garfunkel! September 6, 2006

"From dust were ye made and dust ye shall be."

Some of the reviews for this album have been rather harsh, and frankly a tad ridiculous. Basically, if you are looking for the most radio played, "best of", popular music-esque songs from simon & garfunkel, you probably won't like this album. But, if you enjoy their poetry and amazing harmonies and get past the initial surprise of how different this album is...you may come to appreciate it. Two songs in particular: Bleecker Street and Sparrow. Sparrow is incredible...totally worth it. Try something new... July 10, 2006

Not Correct "Sound of Silence" melody

The original record (not CD) version of this album had their first version of their signature "Sound of Silence". This was replaced in time by the more familiar version of the tune that appears in all their subsequent albums. However it is very wrong that the "Pressers" of this CD did not use the same tune as on the original record. Or better yet - include the more familiar version as a bonus track. The two versions have identical words but very very different melodies.
Except for that the album is 4 stars **** June 7, 2006

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