Paul Simon Songbook Review

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Paul Simon Songbook ReviewThe arrival of this album on compact disc (at last!) is a true delight for die-hard Paul Simon fans, and should provide a real delight of discovery for more casual listeners. A bit of history, first: This was the product of one of several pauses in the Simon and Garfunkel partnership. The two enjoyed a hit record in the 1950s as Tom and Jerry, but went their separate ways for a while before coming together to record "Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M." Although the album was billed as featuring "exciting new sounds in the folk tradition," it didn't create much excitement, vanishing almost without a trace.
So it was back to college for Art, and off to England for Paul, where he played in small underground clubs. A BBC announcer championed Simon's work, prompting public requests to buy recordings of his music. In May of 1965, Simon went into Columbia's studios in London with his acoustic guitar to record the tracks that made up this album. Some are repeated from "Wednesday Morning 3 A.M."; others would later find their way onto the second and third Simon and Garfunkel releases. According to one biography, the entire album was recorded in an hour, with Simon doing only one take of each song. (However, the liner notes on this release contradict that, indicating, for instance, the version of "Leaves That Are Green" that appears is take 11.)
The production bill for this simple venture reportedly totaled $300. (And yes, that's Kathy, of "Kathy's Song" fame, with him on the cover.) While the recordings from these 1965 sessions may lack the signature Garfunkel harmonies and the American studio polish, they offer a unique look at these masterpieces in their purest essence: just a man, his guitar, and the deepest feelings of his soul.
This might have been the birth of Simon's career as a solo recording artist. But back in the states, Tom Wilson, producer of "Wednesday Morning 3 A.M." was preparing to add electric guitar, bass and drums to one of the cuts from that album...a song that was also included on the "Songbook." It was "Sounds of Silence." And the rest, as they say, is history.
The "Songbook" has only been available in the U.S. as a vinyl import until now, except for its inclusion in a briefly-available boxed set of Simon's solo works. This long-overdue, but highly welcome release will help to fill a gap in many collections and provide an opportunity for fresh appreciation for these timeless songs.--William C. HallPaul Simon Songbook Overview

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