I started going through the discography of Simon & Garfunkel in January 2021, although I was familiar with some of their material beforehand. I'm not a very big Simon & Garfunkel fan--Bookends is much better regarded by others--but I enjoy Simon's solo career a lot.
Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M. (1964): B+
Sound of Silence (1966): B-
Parsley, Sage, Rosemary & Thyme (1966): B+
Bookends (1968): B
Bridge Over Troubled Water (1970): A-
Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M. (1964):
I remember listening to this album often when I was thirteen or so on car rides in the morning, so it could just be considerable nostalgia that allows me to enjoy this so much--it's often ranked as their weakest album. Simon's lyrics are already unusually strong, but they could still be improved because some of the weaker ones remind me of early John Prine or Joni Mitchell tunes--a little high school, you know? Forced sentimentality too. But I like the sparse instrumentation, which focuses attention on the lyrics and beautiful harmonies, and that Simon's voice comes through on the right side of my headphones and Garfunkel comes through on the left. B+
Sound of Silence (1966):
The intimacy of their debut is lost with the more fleshed-out arrangements, which makes me in a less forgiving mood for straightforward lyrics like "Richard Cory" and "A Most Peculiar Man." As far as I'm concerned, the only first-rate songs are "Kathy's Song," which only Simon sings on, the groovy "We've Got a Groovy Thing Goin'," and "I Am a Rock." There are a few other songs where the lyrics are there ("April Come She Will") or the music is there ("Richard Cory") but never both. Then, there's also the outlier "Somewhere They Can't Find Me," which I nearly named first-rate until I noticed the irritating horn. B-
Parsley, Sage, Rosemary & Thyme (1966):
Simon's lyrics have developed to the point where I can't make any criticisms about them and the instrumentation is excellently executed. The album still has weaknesses though. The strings on "The Dangling Conversation" feel completely unnecessary and too often the songs, namely "Pattern" and "Cloudy," make no impression on me. However, "A Simple Desultory Philippic" is my favorite song from the group and, objectively, this is their strongest album so far. B+
Bookends (1968):
Side one isn't particularly impressive as a mini concept album--"Overs" and "Voices of Old People" really hurt the momentum of the album too. However, on side two, the duo have never been better. Not only is the production stellar, but all the songs are engaging and memorable. I do wish the lyrics were a little better on the album as a whole--"At the Zoo" isn't really that fun. B
Bridge Over Troubled Water (1970):
I was starting to think that their debut might end up being my favorite album from the duo, but I became sure this was indeed their best album even upon first listen. There's not a dull song here and pretty much every song is on par with the hits off the album especially a few of my favorites: "So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright," "The Only Living Boy in New York," and "Bye Bye Love." A-
