Simon and Garfunkel: two voices, one guitar, live on stage 50 years ago
August 16, 2016 2:02 PM Subscribe
Fifty years ago, a few months before they released their third studio album, Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel took to the stage in Holland on a TV Show called 'Twien' with just their two voices and one guitar. Here's 23 minutes of music and some interludes with information about selected songs. Playlist: 'Richard Cory,' 'Homeward Bound,' 'Leaves That Are Green,' 'I Am A Rock,' 'A Most Peculiar Man,' 'A Poem On The Underground Wall,' 'He Was My Brother,' and 'The Sound Of Silence.' [Alternative link - slightly longer, but watermarked video.]
Though Simon & Garfunkel did tour with a backing band at points in 1966, they performed as a duo on 'Twien' and earlier that year on Canadian TV ('Let's Sing Out' - 17:20).
More of Simon & Garfunkel live:
Though Simon & Garfunkel did tour with a backing band at points in 1966, they performed as a duo on 'Twien' and earlier that year on Canadian TV ('Let's Sing Out' - 17:20).
More of Simon & Garfunkel live:
- 1968 - NBC's The Kraft Music Hall, January 3 (19:30 - with Paul's brother, Ed, on guitar during 'Anji', some additional [uncredited] accompaniment, and a closing collaboration with Paul, Art and Nancy Wilson, and the host Victor Borge on piano)
- 1968 - Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles, August 23 (70:28 - audio only; slightly augmented tracklist)
- 1981 - The Concert in Central Park, September 19 (83:39- full video, with a full backing band; Wikipedia entry with tracklist and more details)
- 1993 - Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mountain View, November 6 (34:57 - official video of the full concert, edited down a bit, with a minimal backing band, part of the Bridge School Benefit concert)
Well, seeing their names in a post title scared the hell out of me for a moment.
posted by Sing Or Swim at 2:14 PM on August 16, 2016 [6 favorites]
posted by Sing Or Swim at 2:14 PM on August 16, 2016 [6 favorites]
I feel like the current political comment tagging of [TRUE] and [FAKE], a quick [STILL ALIVE] might help clear up that scare when posting about notable people in the future.
As far as I know, both Paul and Art are still alive (I checked their Wikipedia pages, which I linked here for ease of future verification).
posted by filthy light thief at 2:28 PM on August 16, 2016 [2 favorites]
As far as I know, both Paul and Art are still alive (I checked their Wikipedia pages, which I linked here for ease of future verification).
posted by filthy light thief at 2:28 PM on August 16, 2016 [2 favorites]
Nice harmonies, despite the recording quality. With folk music I often prefer a sparer sound.
posted by mai at 2:47 PM on August 16, 2016
posted by mai at 2:47 PM on August 16, 2016
"This according to Artie, is my most neurotic song," he said. I was not able to predict which one it would be.
posted by mai at 2:54 PM on August 16, 2016 [8 favorites]
posted by mai at 2:54 PM on August 16, 2016 [8 favorites]
Heh, I was tempted to use that as the post title, or "Two guys and a guitar ... today's techno-crap needs to go away," abbreviating a comment from YouTube (except that last bit is a lie, at least for me).
posted by filthy light thief at 2:58 PM on August 16, 2016
posted by filthy light thief at 2:58 PM on August 16, 2016
I used to play my mother's S&G albums on the basement record player when I was a kid. I remember bouncing around the room to Cecelia the most. PSR&T, released in October 1966, has an especially powerful track for that year - 7 O'Clock News/Silent Night. Silent night out of the right Stereo speaker, a news broadcast of Civil Rights, MLK, and Vietnam out of the left. Heavy stuff for your average suburban 12-year-old.
posted by MOWOG at 3:06 PM on August 16, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by MOWOG at 3:06 PM on August 16, 2016 [2 favorites]
My question about 01:58 in "Bye Bye Love" still has yet to receive a satisfactory answer.
a news broadcast of Civil Rights, MLK, and Vietnam
Don't forget Richard Speck.
posted by Faint of Butt at 3:09 PM on August 16, 2016 [1 favorite]
a news broadcast of Civil Rights, MLK, and Vietnam
Don't forget Richard Speck.
posted by Faint of Butt at 3:09 PM on August 16, 2016 [1 favorite]
I've loved S&G since I was old enough to work my dad's record player by myself (30 years?!) and lately I've really been enjoying Paul Simon's new album.
posted by frobozz at 3:13 PM on August 16, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by frobozz at 3:13 PM on August 16, 2016 [1 favorite]
The Anji piece with his brother was worth it alone.
posted by MtDewd at 3:27 PM on August 16, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by MtDewd at 3:27 PM on August 16, 2016 [1 favorite]
*ahh mental note: capo on the 2nd*
posted by chococat at 3:31 PM on August 16, 2016 [3 favorites]
posted by chococat at 3:31 PM on August 16, 2016 [3 favorites]
As good a place to post this as any: The Israeli group THE PARVARIM did an album of hebrew versions of many Simon and Garfunkel songs in 1972. Here is link where you can listen to it. (It's almost note for note)
posted by wittgenstein at 4:11 PM on August 16, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by wittgenstein at 4:11 PM on August 16, 2016 [1 favorite]
Can I just step into this thread to mention that Bookends is the real S&G masterpiece album? Because it is.
posted by hippybear at 5:47 PM on August 16, 2016 [7 favorites]
posted by hippybear at 5:47 PM on August 16, 2016 [7 favorites]
The listenable Parvarim link should have gone here.
posted by wittgenstein at 5:56 PM on August 16, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by wittgenstein at 5:56 PM on August 16, 2016 [1 favorite]
This is great. Art looks like if he had a switchblade on him he'd take Richard Cory right out, and then appears genuinely shocked when singing about the headline announcing his suicide.
posted by layceepee at 6:37 PM on August 16, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by layceepee at 6:37 PM on August 16, 2016 [2 favorites]
Sultry-look Art Garfunkel is... disconcerting.
posted by aureliobuendia at 8:24 PM on August 16, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by aureliobuendia at 8:24 PM on August 16, 2016 [1 favorite]
More disconcerting than sultry-look Paul Simon?
posted by hippybear at 8:51 PM on August 16, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by hippybear at 8:51 PM on August 16, 2016 [1 favorite]
Aureliobuendia: The movie Bad Timing is even weirder for Sexy? Art Garfunkel. He has a full-frontal nude scene. CANNOT UNSEE.
posted by pxe2000 at 3:21 AM on August 17, 2016
posted by pxe2000 at 3:21 AM on August 17, 2016
I've really been enjoying Paul Simon's new album.
It's a great album. He's charging forward artistically. There is some brave, inventive stuff on there. He's showing the kids a thing or two.
This past year has let me see Simon, and Garfunkel. (Very important comma.) Artie was a sheer delight, very engaging and forthright. Lots of poetry interludes, many charming stories relating to his being a long-distance recreational walker. His voice is in fine shape again, and he brought out his boy to sing a duo on the Everly Brothers' 'Devoted to You', which was simply chilling -- the kid's got the stuff. Paul is in prime form, with the best backing band I have ever heard, giving the people what they want but still making the old songs interesting for himself. And the new songs are simply superb, so even where the audience didn't have familiarity with them, they were still fully engaged. Artie and Paul gave very different shows -- Artie offering the best of the hippie age, and Paul still boldly pursuing his artistic vision -- but I couldn't have been more pleased with either.
posted by Capt. Renault at 6:26 AM on August 17, 2016 [1 favorite]
It's a great album. He's charging forward artistically. There is some brave, inventive stuff on there. He's showing the kids a thing or two.
This past year has let me see Simon, and Garfunkel. (Very important comma.) Artie was a sheer delight, very engaging and forthright. Lots of poetry interludes, many charming stories relating to his being a long-distance recreational walker. His voice is in fine shape again, and he brought out his boy to sing a duo on the Everly Brothers' 'Devoted to You', which was simply chilling -- the kid's got the stuff. Paul is in prime form, with the best backing band I have ever heard, giving the people what they want but still making the old songs interesting for himself. And the new songs are simply superb, so even where the audience didn't have familiarity with them, they were still fully engaged. Artie and Paul gave very different shows -- Artie offering the best of the hippie age, and Paul still boldly pursuing his artistic vision -- but I couldn't have been more pleased with either.
posted by Capt. Renault at 6:26 AM on August 17, 2016 [1 favorite]
Nobody's linked to the 'Songs of America' special from 1969 yet? There should be, but I can't provide one just now. It contains a good live set, and although I first saw it on YouTube (possibly via a FPP here), the 2011 re-release of 'Bridge Over Troubled Water' contains the DVD. My favorite sequence isn't from the concert, however, it's just when they're talking in the back seat of somebody's car, driving around.
posted by Rash at 8:24 AM on August 17, 2016
posted by Rash at 8:24 AM on August 17, 2016
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Additional links:
- Where Have You Gone, Easily Recognized References? (previously - An analysis of Simon and Garfunkel's 1968 hit, "Mrs. Robinson")
- The Concert in Central Park (previously - A mostly complete set of videos of The Concert in Central Park)
- "Richard Cory," the original poem by Edwin Arlington Robinson (YouTube reading of the poem, plus the text of the poem, a very short bio on Edwin Arlington Robinson, plus a bit of literary discussion on the meanings of the poem)
posted by filthy light thief at 2:08 PM on August 16, 2016