Classic Rock Bottom

ALBUM OF THE WEEK # 302 SIMON & GARFUNKEL - BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATER (1970)

Disclaimer: All info that does not reside in my brain is gathered from wikipedia.com (mostly because Jon can't stand it) unless otherwise noted.

For now, we'll go a little further in this series featuring Billboard number one albums.  This week's selection is Bridge Over Troubled Water by Simon & Garfunkel.  Let's face it, the album was a total smash!  It hit number one in pretty much every place on the planet, while attaining a certification of 8 X Platinum.  It spent a total of ten weeks in the top position and closed 1970 as Billboard's highest ranking album.  The album spawned four Top 20 singles including The Boxer (#7), Bridge Over Troubled Water (#1), Cecilia (#4) and El Condor Pasa (If I Could) (#18).  

Like I said, that is considered commercially successful.  I love the songs Bridge Over Troubled Water and The Boxer.  I think S&G's voices sound so unbelievable together.  Cecilia is also another favorite.  It was played on occasion by a band I used to listen to live in college, and that song always went over very, very well.  Of course, the cover of Bye Bye Love is terrific as well.

I picked this up a while back, then recently duplicated it by picking up an albums box set.  You can get that same set entitled The Columbia Studio Recordings (1964-1970) for as little as 5 bucks used (about 9 bucks with shipping).  That box includes this album as well as the other 4 S&G studio albums.

Side One:

1. Bridge Over Troubled Water

2. El Condor Pasa (If I Could)

3. Cecilia

4. Keep The Customer Satisfied

5. So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright

Side Two:

6. The Boxer

7. Baby Driver

8. The Only Living Boy In New York

9. Why Don't You Write Me

10. Bye Bye Love (Live)

11. Song For The Asking

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Strangely never heard this album at all, just the hits and oh yeah...  we sang Bridge Over Troubled Water in choir when I was in seventh grade.  By the way, I was a concert choir member and in the seventh grade that was quite an honor...  just sayin'!! I gots me some pipes!  or used to... but alas, football and girls called me to a higher position of school status and choir was tossed away and never talked about again until now - yes, right now. 

Still love that opening track, I can see my choir director sitting at the piano as it plays.  Very artsy these two are!  Lyrically this is very interesting, certainly not a rock record.  Cecelia is cool. 

Keep The Customer Satisfied, cant wrap my head around where this belongs genre-wise.  Kind of folky, kinda bluesy and Latino at the same time.  But I like this as well.  So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright, weird subject matter...  their missing their artsy sides with more artsy things making this a very artsy endevour. 

The Boxer may be the best track here, never gets old!  Getting kinda riled up on Baby Driver aren't they?  At least I can hear some blues in it.  Really enjoyed The Only Living Boy In New York, but I'm not sure why because it blended in with all the previous tracks, but for whatever I though that was cool.  Why Don't You Write Me is playful.

Wow listen to that crowd on Bye Bye Love!  I hope that's not a studio trick because that hand clapping is really cool!  I'm guessing its a big nod to their influences which I get now!  Song For The Asking...  What a closer!  and its their swan song to boot...

Really enjoyed this experience, its not what I expected but it is in a weird way.  SO the whole things was new in all sorts of ways.  Will I buy this?  Don't think so, but a hits package may be quite nice!

It was recorded live in Ames, Iowa.

Just a fantastic album.

What a way to go out as well since this was their last studio album. I guess you can tell by the cover, what with Art chewing on the back of Paul's head.

The only song that throws me off a bit is #10. A live song in the middle (ok, almost the end) of everything just seems a bit out of place. It's a nice version, but it seems like it would be a bonus track. Now. Not then. They didn't have bonus tracks then, you see. 

I have this on cassette, for some reason I never bought the CD. Maybe I will now since I now know I don't have it on CD?

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