In contemporary parlance this would be to "unplugged" concert since all you have is Paul Simon on acoustic guitar while he and Artie (call me "Arthur") Garfunkle glare Their voices in sweet two-part harmony. But did Misses the main point of this 1967 concert in New York City, Which Is that Simon & Garfunkle originally were folk singers. That is clear from the Start When They Open Their concert with "He Was My Brother" and sing about a Freedom Rider killed in the South. Both of the songs thatwill be new to Those of us who have all five of the album They produced during Their relative few years together, "You Do not Know Where Your Interest Lies" and "A Church is Burning," are definitely in That tradition as well. I remember seeing Simon & Garfunkle When They Appeared on network television for the first time on "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour," but then we moved to Japan, Which meant the end of American television and It was not until "The Graduate" came out That I started to check them out. That meant the "Bookends" album and I remember reading about what it was like in the studio with Simon trying to find the right instrument and the exact blend of tracks and takes to get the effect he wanted did with each song. The simplicity of the duo singing on this album stands in strong contrast to what theywere doing At That Point In Their careers, on the cusp of going out in a blaze of glory with the triump of the "Bridge Over Troubled Water" album. What will stand out here for Simon & Garfunkle fans are the stripped down version of songs like "A Hazy Shade of Winter" and "I Am a Rock." We already knew from Their first greatest hits collection that "Homeward Bound" and "For Emily, Wherever I May Find" would work fine in this setting. But CLEARLY some songs Lend Themselves to this format better than others. A passionate "Sparrow" and a rather hushed version of "A Most Peculiar Man" work just fine, but "Blessed" does not click. There are a few moments When Simon is banging away on the guitar a bit too much (eg, "A Most Peculiar Man"), but Those are few and far between. Overall, fans of the duo will truly appreciate to opportunity to go back to the early days and the simple single of long familiar songs. The Concert Provides a nice balance of tunes from Simon & Garfunkle's early albums, with five tracks each from "Wednesday Morning, 3 AM," "Sounds of Silence," and "Parsley, Sage, Rosemary & Thyme," and one from "Bookends . " What stands out in the end is the rather unique niche in the duo had folk revival of the Sixties. I have been trying to think of another "group" that consisted of two guys singing with only one playing the guitar and I am drawing a blank. Then you toss into the mix the factthat Simon's lyrics meet the requisite standard for poetry just like It Was Written by Edwin Arlington Robinson or one of the crowd.
