"Bookends" is an essential lp for many reasons. S&G took all kinds of shit for no good reason.
Artie was Pauls "Oats", but many non-musical things made him cool.
He had a bad whitey afro.
He just sat on a stool like a tool.
He also had sex with Laurie Bird , the girl from the movie Two Lane Blacktop. That has to bring him up a notch or two.

NOT CRAP!

NOT OVER RATED!

When they were young and pumping them out, they were up there with Dylan (Bob Dylan that is...not our friendly poster Dylan... though HE was up there with Dylan for a while himself.) like with Wednesday Morning 3AM, Sounds of Silence, Bridge Over Troubled Water, Bookends...Sure, there have been some Hallmark-esq moments here and there but those were just blips on the screen of their career. (and I am not counting Simon's solo career. That is a whole other ball of worms... with some bright moments...)

There was a live in NYC '65 CD put out last year that shows (as the Bowie at the Beeb does) how fully realised they were so early in their career together. Imagine some of those songs being written by a 19 year old Paul Simon?! Crazy!

Once every 5 years or so I get to hear the song "Blessed," and I'm amazed again at the balls-out rockin. I'm always expecting to hear some balls-out rock band do an awe-inspiring cover of that song. Maybe I gots to do it myself... except I'd have to say "my words trickle down from a wound that I have no intention to heal."

I'm not into that line so much, but the rest of the song (to paraphrase: 'even the whores and methadone addicts are blessed, why do I suck so?') is a good description of a bad day.

There are many songs off those first albums that I like. The pound-you-with-a-hammer sadness of Bookends (taped interviews with nursing home residents? wtf?) is a little insane, but still.

Fuck yeah. simon and garfunkel are not crap
the songs remind me of childhood- not crap
I am known to hate anything slightly pop, but I gotta say this shit rules.
.....even the hits make me happy.
people jerk off the beach boys for pop harmonys but I am afraid these dude slay the face, eh, take the cake.
sorry to all who live in a world without S and G.
not crap.

Mayfair wrote:NOT CRAP!

Sure, there have been some Hallmark-esq moments here and there but those were just blips on the screen of their career.

I agree. But who cares? Sometimes I like Hallmark-esque moments, and I don't mean "like" in an ironic way.

People worry too fuckin' much about being cool. Not you Mayfair, I just mean in general.

While we're talking about PS, The Rhythm of The Saints is a really good, interesting, original record to me. The video for "You Can Call Me Al" (or whatever that song off Graceland was) still makes me cringe, but that's totally Chevy Chase's fault.

Chris G wrote:While we're talking about PS, The Rhythm of The Saints is a really good, interesting, original record to me.

ditto

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!

COMPLETELY CRAP

My cousin Jane went on tour with S&G to Australia and New Zealand in 2002. she had met Art in Chicago and went along to look after Art's kid and help out his assistants. although Paul was fairly well behaved him and Art fought constantly until they cancelled the rest of the tour. When in New Zealand Art screamed at his assistant constantly to find him some weed, and didn't stop until they reached Australia and the assistants could get Art some green, when he still yelled at them for every insignificant thing possible. Paul (talented but greed man)Simon and Arthur (talented, greedy and a complete prick with out weed) Garfunkel are talented musicians but are complete whores since they CANNOT stand one another but still go on tours (which they cut short) every few years now.
I dont deny they are good musicians even though I dont like their music, but as people they are beyond deplorable, though Simon is slightly less so.
My cousin liked Them now she thinks they, more specifically Art, are pricks.

Hey. Some of these songs are really good.

NOT CRAP

Parsley, Sage, etc.... Crap (WF: Everyone likes this song)
59th St. Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)..... Crap (WF:0)
Art Garfunkel solo.... Crap (WF: I feel sorry for him)
Everything else - including Graceland: Not Crap

Overall, Not Crap!