Simon & Garfunkel - The Best of Simon & Garfunkel

I enjoyed this cd more than "The Greatest Hits" album because most of these songs are not marred by audience clapping. Much better selection, also. Shipping was very timely.

This is a great replacement for the old 10-track LP I had as a kid.

I think this music holds the test of time and brought some wonderful memories back to me as I listened.

I was impressed how good Simon and Garfunkel still sound and how their songs are not outdated. A great CD of two great singers. Highly recommend.

Nobody writes stuff this good anymore, except maybe Nick Worrall. Simply beautiful in every way possible.

For a truly definitive and distinct collection, this remastered disc really brings out all the nuances and subtleties of all the Simon & Garfunkel classics. With twenty great songs, I have to admit that even the over-played, "Bridge Over Troubled Water" has a new essence and urgency that lacked in earlier recordings. The ambience is so much stronger. "The Sounds Of Silence" and "Old Friends" are so clean that it's actually odd not to hear any background hiss - the vocals and guitars are so crisp. The more upbeat songs like, "Cecilia", "The Boxer" and "I Am A Rock" seem to place more emphasis on the percussion than on earlier recordings. "America" and "My Little Town" make for perfect album closers, as they sum up just about all that Simon & Garfunkel have stood for and cared about for so many decades. For absolutists, the Box Set contains everything, but this disc captures the true sound and essence of Simon & Garfunkel.

The liner notes by David Halberstaml is a welcome addition with comments and US chart positions for all songs, something you don't get when you buy songs individually on-line.

I remember listening to these songs on the radio when I was younger. They're are still wonderful. This is an excellent CD with many sing-along favorites.

This is the S&G collection to buy. Too bad some of the early recordings were so poor.

The best of Simon & Garfunkel is just that. Their music is timeless. As always they never fail to entertain. I really enjoy them.

It's the best... great selections...from the unquestionably best group of the 60's/70's... kick back and enjoy.

Almost everybody has heard nearly half of these songs in one way or another; whether it be on the radio, tv commericals, movies, tv shows, or in stores. All 20 of this songs are legendary gems of an unforgetable era for music; filled with vivid imagery and well-crafted arrangements. This single CD set offers a immense insight into the career of two of the most popular and influencial artists of our time.

The songs on here include their three US #1 hits: the haunting "Sounds Of Silence", the cheery and catchy "Mrs. Robinson" and the beautifully gracious "Bridge Over Troubled Water" where Art Garfunkel sings in the most beautiful and poignant I've ever heard. Several more hits are on here too like the dark, ambiguous "Boxer", the yearning "Homeward Bound" in which Paul Simon sings mournfully about wanting to be home again, the anthem-like "I Am A Rock", the raunchy "Cecilia" and much much more. Even their 1975 reunion hit, "My Little Town", is here! And so is the mild hit "Fakin' It" in its original mono mix!

Aside from the hits, this album also includes favorites such as "The 59th Street Bridge Song", "America", "Old Friends/Bookends", and "The Only Living Boy In New York". A live version of "For Emily, Wherever I May Find Her" is included as well. Songs that weren't included and should've been included "Baby Driver" or "Keep The Customer Satisfied" but, enough said, this is a wonderful collection.

Loving these artists but not being a total hard-core fan and thus someone who probably would want a box-set or individual albums, this disc was perfect for me. If I were compiling a list of top 100 CDs, this one would be on it for sure.

The quality/remastering sounds excellent and warm for a cd. Even if you are spoiled by or prefer the sound of SACD/Dvd-A as I do, you will be pleasantly suprised by the high quality, non-fatiguing, non-harsh sound of this disc. This is consistant throughout. If you happen to be someone who has only heard some of these songs on the radio or as mp3s, this will be a real ear-opening experience for you as you hear many new details and experience a totally new and different impact than ever before.

The cd sound is excellent with the new re-mastering. All the songs are great and even better now.

My generation will always cherish these songs. It was a large part of our lives. A few years ago I went to their concert in St. Paul, MN and they were better than ever.

I'm a big fan of S&G, and this CD has all my favorites. There are a few songs missing but if you were to try to include them all you would have to go for a double CD set. This has a lot of songs on it (20 cuts!!!) This is truely one of those "listen straight through" CDs. No track skipping required! Best bang for the buck you are going to find.

This album brings together all of the best from Simon & Garfunkel. The insert gives a "history" of each song, when it was released and how popular it was. Listening to this album does make you remember lesser known songs on the original albums, but it is nice to have all the best on one CD.

The music is timeless but the CD has been enhanced or changed from the orginal recording. This was disappointing. Sometimes you cannot make music better, it was already.

In early 1958, amidst songs like At The Hop, Sugartime, Sail Along Silvery Moon, and Desire Me, a little rocker called Hey, Schoolgirl [with Dancin' Wild on the flipside] was making its way to # 49 Billboard Top 100, no mean feat for the tiny Big label, sung by a couple of 16-year-olds calling themselves Tom & Jerry.

These, of course, were Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel, and their big break was still eight years away. They recorded several other singles under that name, including the Jan & Dean hit Baby Talk in 1959, but that was their only charter. In 1961 Paul turned up with Howie Beck and Mickey Borack as Tico & The Triumphs and, for the Madison label, released Motorcycle b/w I Don't Believe Them. It was going nowhere until picked up by Amy in January 1962 and for them it made it to # 99 Billboard Pop Hot 100.

Exactly one year later, during which time more singles by the group also failed, Paul went back to a solo alter-ego, Jerry Landis [he had recorded Anna Belle in 1959 under that name with no success] and, still with Amy, this time saw The Lone Teen Ranger reach # 97 Hot 100 b/w Lisa.

Finally, Paul and Art reunited in the mid-1960s and, in 1965, struck paydirt with a Columbia recording contract and The Sounds Of Silence. From there to 1978 they would add 17 more hit singles for Columbia and, with one exception, they are ALL in this package. The lone missing hit is (What A) Wonderful World, billed to Art Garfunkel with James Taylor & Paul Simon which reached # 17 in March 1978 as the final Columbia hit.

In 1981 they reunited after a long split to record the old Everly Brothers hit, Wake Up Little Susie, live in New York's Central Park in September. Released by Warner early in 1982 it rose to # 27 b/w a re-make of Me And Julio Down By The Schoolyard [also done live at the same session].

All here are original hit versions and, in addition, you get three B-sides - The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy) which was on the reverse of At The Zoo; Old Friends/Bookends which backed Mrs. Robinson; and The Only Living Boy In New York which was the flip of Cecilia - along with one album cut at track 16.

With the insert you get a complete discography of the contents, two pages of liner notes written by David Halberstam and several more photos of the duo, including what appears to be a coloured polaroid shot complete with "Jan 58" in the upper margin showing them performing in scarlet red sports jackets - likely in their Tom & Jerry guise. Little did they know then that, some 32 years later, they would be inducted into the R&R Hall of Fame.

Any of the entries from the Columbia Legacy series and their meticulous sound reproduction are recommended highly, and this one is no exception.

Excellent Simon and Garfunkel compilation. Great showcase of the folk/rock duo. I'm not a big acoustic music fan, but I've got to say Simon and Garfunkel do it so well, specifically the guitar bits, that I really like their stuff. There's a whole bunch of good songs in this disc of 20 songs. Good value for fans. This CD is evocative of an era, the middle and late 60s, but most definitely enjoyable by those of us from generations after the Baby Boom.

I enjoyed every song and would highly recommend this CD to anyone who likes Simon & Garfunkel

Simon & Garfunkel was an Icon of 1960's.Their music was a voice of the sixties. It was a voice that has never faced the sound of silence

This collection is a best of the duo's singles. this stuff is classics of the rock era. These 20 tracks have been remastered foir modern CD players and it sounds better than before

So is it GROOVY? You Betcha

Bennet Pomerantz AUDIOWORLD

This is wonderful. Has most of their best songs, and is good quality. I have been listening to it since it arrived. :)

The cd and case are in great condition and were delivered quickly.

For those not having their complete anthology this CD is a great introduction and a worthwhile sampler.

Good quality .. easy listening!

As a former Hippy, I have to say that this is truly the best compilation of old S & G songs I have ever heard. It brought it all back...

Simon & Garefunkel's emblematic tune mirrors as nobody else, the spirit, ethos and gestalt of those unforgettable sixties. His creativeness, lyrical elegance and sublime inspiration became of them one of the most expressive duos of that age. You may add Peter, Paul and Mary and the lettermen in the same mood.

A CD worthy to collect.

it is nice to put onin the car driving down a country road

I think this cd is very good, it captures the truly important songs these two artist's are famous for.

THE BEST OF SIMON & GARFUNKEL is the place to start to discover the Sixties' most successful duo. This anthology provides a snapshot of a turbulent decade, with songs ranging from tales of personal self-discovery to stories of relationships between two people to protests against that period's injustices. "America", a tale of two people who are trying to discover their country and find everyone else doing the same; "A Hazy Shade Of Winter", which warns people not to be too sure of their security; "Bridge Over Troubled Water", a pledge of loyalty in the face of hard times; and "Sounds Of Silence", a song about lack of communication in our society, are the best songs on this set. The 1975 reunion track "My Little Town" is tacked on at the end, but that actually adds to the story rather than detracting from it. The fact that these two performers, like most 60s and 70s rock artists, believe that the young Australian tourist jailed in Indonesia since 2005 for drug-smuggling was unjustly convicted makes this CD/cassette an essential purchase for both your ears AND your conscience.

You may have the chance of getting the whole album collection of Simon & Garfunkel. I cannot. If you're walking the same way as I am in this, get this CD and you'll be very happy! It has almost all the best and more popular songs of this crafted duet of great American singers/composers. Sony/Columbia has made a great work with the digital remastering.

'Best of' is a great update to their earlier 'Greatest Hits' album. This C.D. provides more highlights and mixes the songs better, overall. Unbelievably, it adds two more classics from 'Bridge Over Troubled Water,' but still doesn't make a purchase of the original classic redundant. "A Hazy Shade of Winter," "At the Zoo," and "Fakin' It" are welcome additions that are undoubtedly better appreciated than their original release. (Significantly, these songs are played on oldies stations more now than in the past.) Their vintage hits don't fool around, either. None of them seem old, really. Unlike Dylan, they were as comfortable with spare, folk music as they were with ethereal, pop production. "Sounds of Silence," "Feelin' Groovy," and "Homeward Bound" are excellent folk. "The Dangling Conversation," "Scarborough Fair," "The Boxer," and "Bridge over Troubled Water" are exquisitely crafted pop masterpieces, and "I am a Rock" and "Mrs. Robinson" are folk-rock perfection. If you haven't been given enough, then this C.D. is rounded off with their reunion finale "My Little Town," which surprisingly only clocks in at about three-and-a-half minutes. Generosity and selection make this C.D. a must have for those who love timeless music from the sixties and early seventies.

Many of these songs are now part of the American popular repertoire , there with the songs of the Beatles , Dylan, Rogers and Hart- Hammerstein, Berlin, Kern, Porter. They are songs which have the kind of pleasantness which stays in the mind, and can be heard over and over again.
They have a particular kind of freshness and poignance, a lyrical intelligence and musical vibrancy.

"Where have you gone , Joe Dimaggio, our nation turns its lonely eyes to you?" ( From Mrs. Robinson the score of 'The Graduate' the film which seemed to define more clearly than any others, the lostness of the 'sixties' university educated young.

" Hello Darkness my old Friend I have come to speak with you again"

I always loved the somewhat 'precious lines' " And she reads her Emily Dickinson, and I am my Robert Frost"

Or the haunting sound of 'Like a Bridge over Troubled Waters I will lie me down'.

A ' classic' of modern popular music.

I know that relative to the other Greatest Hits album, the sound quality here is better but it's still very poor compared to what other remastered albums out there sound like. To be fair to the record company, nowhere on the cd does it say "remastered". It just says mastered by Vic Anesini. Let's hope they truly remaster this album soon by unearthing a much better master tape from the vaults. Volume levels are very low and although cleaner than the old versions, the overall sound is quite ordinary. Other than that, the track selections are very good and truly represent the best work that this dynamic duo have done. Simply great harmonies and great examples of brilliant songwriting on every track.

A really good easy listening CD.

Beautiful harmony, great songwriting, good guitarwork...yeah, that's S&G for ya! Included here for your enjoyment are the Sound of Silence, Homeward Bound, I Am a Rock, Scarborough Fair/Canticle, Feelin' Groovy, A Hazy Shade of Winter, Mrs. Robinson, the Boxer, Bridge Over Troubled Water, the Only Living Boy in New York, El Condor Pasa (If I Could), America and My Little Town. Buy it, treasure it, pass it on to your kids. Do the same with Bookends (Also by S&G.)

Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel are unquestionably two of the best in our time. It is so nice to listen to their music, and this CD certainly gathers their biggest hits. I would suggest that you'll get it, and if you don't own one of their CDs aldreay, you must have this one.
However, I think that if you own their "Essential", I'm not sure that having this one as well is such a good idea, because it reapets their great songs from their. Moreover, "The Essential" contains a lot more of their songs.
Bottom line? have it. This is one CD that you shouldn't overlook.

The album brings together very good examples of Simon and Garfunkel's music. A collection of beatiful songs, perhaps (at least in my view) some of the best ever to be written.

The duo of Paul Simon and Arthur Garfunkel is perhaps the most recognizable twosome in rock history. In the late 1960s' and early 1970s', Simon & Garfunkle dominated the charts, and are considered legends todya. And with most legendary bands, they're a barrage of unneccessary best of's and greatst hits collections for the casual fan to choose from. In 1999, the single disc, 20 track "Best Of Simon & Garfunkel" was released. How does it hold up? Read on for the (practically inevitable) positives and negatives.

Positives:
-If you're a casual fan of Simon & Garfunkel, than this collection is ideal. It has all the big hits: "The Sounds Of Silence", "Homeward Bound", "I Am A Rock", "Scarborough Fair/Canticle", "A Hazy Shade Of Winter', "Mrs. Robinson", "Bridge Over Troubled Water" and every other big hit is available on here.
-Underrated gems have been included as well, such as "Old Friends", "The Only Living Boy In Brooklyn" and "Song For The Asking".
-Fantastic sound quality.
-Good liner notes with photos and track info.

Negatives:
-I can only if one major flaw: the cd does not fill the eighty minute time limit most cds can hold. If this collection included "What A Wonderful World" (the 1978 reunion that also featured James Taylor) and the live version of "Wake Up Little Susie", it would be perfect. It's pretty close.

Bottom line: if you only want one Simon & Garfunkel cd, than this is the one to have.

.....are absolutely positively certainly AMAZING. Sorry this won't be too helpful but I'm listening to them right now and I had to say it. Oh and this greatest hits or whatever it is, is just ok but its too short. You can't capture S&G in these few songs. I would recommend The Collected Works collection, although it isn't being made anymore I don't think, you could still get it used somewhere or something. It's a whole lot better than the Essential collection or this. I own almost every song Paul Simon wrote and I must say he is a God. Thanks for listening to me ramble.