Collected Works [Box]

Performer: Simon & Garfunkel
Distributor: Sony Music Distribution (

Notes: Contains all the original album covers for individual albums. The 5-CD box THE COLUMBIA STUDIO RECORDINGS contains the albums WEDNESDAY MORNING 3 A.M. (1964); SOUNDS OF SILENCE (1966); PARSLEY, SAGE, ROSEMARY AND THYME (1966); BOOKENDS (1968); BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATER (1970) as well as rare and previously unreleased tracks, rare photos and individual album essays by Bud Scoppa. Reissue producer: Bob Irwin. Digitally remastered by Vic Anesini (Sony Music Studios, New York, New York). WEDNESDAY MORNING 3 A.M.: Producer: Tom Wilson. Recorded in March 1964. Originally released on Columbia (9049). Includes original liner notes by Art Garfunkel. SOUNDS OF SILENCE: Producers: Bob Johnston, Tom Wilson, Simon & Garfunkel, Roy Halee. Principally recorded in April & December 1965. Originally released on Columbia (9269). PARSLEY, SAGE, ROSEMARY AND THYME: Producer: Bob Johnston. Recorded between December 1965 and August 1966. Originally released on Columbia (9363). BOOKENDS: Producers: Simon & Garfunkel, Roy Halee. Recorded between 1966 and 1968. Originally released on Columbia (9529). BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATER: Personnel includes: Paul Simon (vocals, guitar); Art Garfunkel (vocals); Fred Carter, Jr. (guitar); Larry Knechtel (keyboards); Joe Osborne (bass); Hal Blaine (drums). Producers: Simon & Garfunkel, Roy Halee. Principally recorded in November 1969. Originally released on Columbia (9914). This box set containing the remastered, expanded editions of all five of Simon & Garfunkel's original LPs on five CDs just -- but only just -- misses a top rating, by virtue of its packaging. The sound is, as with the individual editions of each title, a significant improvement over any prior releases of this material and proves to be utterly impeccable, and the annotated booklet, containing the original credits and notes off the albums as well as the lyrics and all of the new annotation for each individual album by Bud Scoppa, is fairly handy. The problem is the packaging of the individual discs in miniature recreations of the original LP jackets, which are somewhat awkwardly stowed in one side of the box interior -- unless they're lined up perfectly, however, they will come out of that receptacle; additionally, as there are no inner sleeves for the CDs in their miniature jackets (a necessity and a courtesy provided by the Japanese when they issue CDs in miniature LP sleeves), it's easy for them to slide out of their jackets and get scratched and dinged even prior to purchase and opening. It's a shame that Columbia went to this kind of trouble in remastering and preparing this edition without seeing to such obvious details, and the result is a 50 dollar box set that is more inconvenient than it needed to have been. ~ Bruce Eder The three-disc box set Collected Works contains all of Simon & Garfunkel's studio albums, from Wednesday Morning, 3 AM to Bridge Over Troubled Water. Though this is too much material for casual fans, any serious fan of Simon & Garfunkel or folk-rock will need to acquire the set, simply because it presents the albums in their best-ever sound. The duo did record a handful of tracks that didn't make the set -- and if Columbia were assembling a true "collected works" compilation, they would have to be included -- but the genuinely essential material is present, making it a good buy for the budget conscious. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel were initially inspired by the Everly Brothers and under the name Tom And Jerry enjoyed a hit with 'Hey Schoolgirl'. The duo reunited in 1964 for Wednesday Morning 3AM, which included an acoustic reading of 'The Sound Of Silence'. Producer Tom Wilson made the presumptuous but prescient decision to overdub 'Sound Of Silence' with electric instrumentation and an album titled after the million-selling single was rush-released early in 1966. Parsley, Sage, Rosemary And Thyme had a varied mood from the grandly serious 'For Emily, Whenever I May Find Her' to the bouncy '59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)'. The duo contributed Mrs. Robinson to the soundtrack of the 1968 film, The Graduate. That same year saw the release of Bookends, a superbly-crafted work. In 1969 the duo released the celebrated Bridge Over Troubled Water. One of the best-selling albums of all time, the work's title track became a standard with its lush, orchestral arrangement and contrasting tempo. While at the peak of their commercial success, the duo became irascible and their partnership abruptly ceased. Since then there have been sporadic reunions, most notably The Concert In Central Park. A toast to Legacy/Columbia for THE COLUMBIA STUDIO RECORDINGS, which packages all five S&G releases remastered with bonus tracks. The box set supercedes the 3-disc OLD FRIENDS set of 4 years earlier. The folky WEDNESDAY MORNING, 3A.M. introduced the Queens duo to the world. The urban imagery of "Bleecker Street" and gorgeous harmonies on "Sparrow" and "He Was My Brother" are among the highlights from this impressive debut, as well as "The Sound Of Silence" is in its original acoustic form. While WEDNESDAY was an all-acoustic album, electric guitar and other instruments are introduced on SOUNDS OF SILENCE. Lyrics and arrangements mesh in folk/pop perfection on songs like the character-driven "Richard Cory" and the Davy Graham-penned acoustic instrumental "Anji". The rock rhythm section on "We've Got A Groovy Thing Goin' On" adds a nice touch. Simon's voice is in fine form on the previously unreleased demo "Rose Of Aberdeen". The classics ("Mrs. Robinson", "Bridge Over Troubled Water", "The Boxer") are included here as well as rarities (a demo version of "Old Friends") and combined with a 74-page book to make a five-star package.

Mojo (Publisher) (1/03, p.73) - Ranked #5 in Mojo's "Best Box Sets & Compilations of 2002"

New Yorkers Paul Simon & Art Garfunkel began as a late-1950s doo-wop group called Tom & Jerry. In the '60s, they turned to folk, with an extended stay in London bringing a heavy British folk influence into Simon's work. When a rock band was overdubbed onto the original acoustic version of their single "The Sounds of Silence," a hit resulted and helped further the then-nascent folk-rock movement. The pair's subsequent albums produced a long stream of catchy-but-brainy hit singles and also explored various musical styles, foreshadowing the eclecticism of Simon's solo career. Although the duo split after 1970's BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATER, they have reunited for performances on a few occasions, including a tour in 2003.

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