1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die: 176. Simon and Garfunkel – Bridge Over Troubled Water (1970)

 

Probably Paul and Art’s masterwork? Certainly this one contains a very large batch of their most well-known and sophisticated tracks. The title track is a soaring epic that builds to a climax in the same kind of way beloved of Roy Orbison, and I wonder if Paul Simon wrote it specially to showcase his friend’s voice. It is perhaps a trifle overblown with the orchestral crescendo, but it does what it does. I read that it has gospel inspirations, and I can see that. I’d always assumed that it was a romantic song, but listening to it, it’s as much about friendship (one of many where Paul Simon is missing Art, perhaps – see below). It could also be taken spiritually, although a gospel track would probably be the singer addressing Jesus – “be my bridge over troubled water”, not “I will be your bridge”.

Other slow tracks on the album return to Paul Simon’s common theme of isolation – The Boxer tells of a struggling prizefighter, while The Only Living Boy In New York again speaks of the friendship between the two, written when Art Garfunkel was away filming Catch-22 – for me it’s close to a personal favourite from their work, and the cover by Everything But The Girl is pretty good too.

Elsewhere, Paul Simon begins his long affair with other musical traditions, starting with Peruvian musicians Los Incas on El Condor Pasa, possibly the first use of pan flutes on this list. Why Don’t You Write Me has a reggae beat, while So Long Frank Lloyd Wright is a bossa nova tribute to architect Frank Lloyd Wright (as you do). Apparently Garfunkel was once training to be an architect, so the song is possibly also yet another “don’t leave me Art” song.

The songs that make it to the Best Of compilations are definitely the strongest (I’ve not even mentioned the percussion extravaganza that is Cecilia, or Keep The Customer Satisfied, the most exuberant song about exhaustion ever), the others are a mixed bag. The live cover of Bye Bye Love seems a fairly pointless inclusion, for example.

This was to be their last album together, and they packed in some hits. It’s funny how lukewarm the contemporary reviews were.

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