Simon & GarfunkelBest Simon & Garfunkel Albums Ranked

Bridge Over Troubled Water

rollingstone

10

“It wasn’t clear at the time, but Bridge Over Troubled Water was an album about the end — a casually ambitious look back at an expiring musical partnership (Simon and Garfunkel) and decade (the Sixties). Recorded in late 1969, it’s largely remembered for a pair of big-themed production masterworks: "The Boxer" and "Bridge Over Troubled […]”

Bridge Over Troubled Water

pitchfork

9.4

“The folk-pop duo's classic 1970 swan song is reissued with a DVD containing a television special from that year.”

Live 1969

pitchfork

7.9

“Released exclusively to Starbucks with a wider release planned tentatively for this fall, Live 1969 collects Simon & Garfunkel performances from a six-city run, which culminated in a two-night engagement on their New York home turf.”

Bridge Over Troubled Water

murfocakes

9.2

“The mythology surrounding Bridge Over Troubled Water is that it's a breakup album. Listening to it now, it often feels less like a farewell and more like Paul Simon desperately realising what he was about to lose. If I were Simon, would I have ditched Art Garfunkel after this record? Absolutely not. I would have held on with white knuckles. There are songs here that barely bother to disguise their subject. So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright is supposedly about an architect, but nobody believes that. The Only Living Boy in New York is even more transparent, a lonely and affectionate letter to Garfunkel while he's off filming Catch-22 in Mexico. These songs reveal something important: Art wasn't just Simon's singing partner. He was his muse. Even when Paul was writing about someone else, somehow he was writing about Art. And what a vocalist Garfunkel is on this album. Simon would later express some regret about not singing Bridge Over Troubled Water himself. I regret hearing that fact. The song belongs to Art. Elvis Presley recorded a fine version, but Garfunkel's performance remains definitive. It's one of the greatest vocal performances in popular music, elevating an already magnificent song into something almost spiritual. The album is also fascinating because you can hear Simon stretching beyond the folk-rock template. So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright is basically a bossa nova tune. The South American rhythms, gospel influences and touches of world music hint strongly at the solo career to come. You can almost hear Paul Simon and There Goes Rhymin' Simon waiting around the corner. The problem is that, excellent as those records are, they miss Art's voice. Simon's musical curiosity flourished after the split, but Garfunkel's presence gave his songs a unique emotional centre. Not everything works. Baby Driver feels slightly lightweight, as though Simon is trying out a swagger that doesn't quite suit him. It's his attempt at a sexy song, and it lands somewhere between charming and awkward. Bye Bye Love is even more problematic. I understand the symbolism. Simon and Garfunkel tipping their hat to the Everly Brothers, the original blueprint for harmonious duos, while their own partnership is collapsing. But symbolism only gets you so far. The Everlys already recorded the perfect version, and this live reading feels more important historically than musically. Still, the peaks are extraordinary. Side One might be one of the strongest opening sides in rock history. After the obvious summit of the title track, Simon introduces subtle global influences before arriving at The Boxer, arguably the pinnacle of his Dylan-inspired songwriting. Its imagery, melancholy and emotional weight remain astonishing. From there, the album loses some momentum, but even the weaker stretch contains songs that most artists would gladly claim as career highlights. My own preference remains Bookends, which feels more consistent and emotionally unified. But Bridge Over Troubled Water reaches higher highs. The title track, The Boxer, The Only Living Boy in New York and So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright are masterpieces. The latter two alone justify the album's reputation, and both remain essential playlist additions. In the end, Bridge Over Troubled Water sounds like a partnership pulling in different directions while somehow creating magic one last time. Simon's restless ambition is everywhere. Garfunkel's voice turns great songs into immortal ones. The tragedy is that this album proves precisely why they should have stayed together.”