Simon and Garfunkel's classic album Bookends, released in 1968, marked the duo's emergence as both a brilliant creative force and one of their era's biggest-selling recording acts.Bookends, which arrived on the heels of Simon and Garfunkel's high-profile role on the soundtrack of the film The Graduate, is a brilliantly realized tour de force that captures the pleasures, tensions and fears of its era as vividly as any '60s album. Simon's literate, emotionally complex songwriting is matched by the ambitious production, which elevates the fiery folk-rockers "A Hazy Shade of Winter" and "Save the Life of My Child," the cinematic flights "America" and "Fakin' It," the intimate ballads "Old Friends" and "Bookends Theme," and the deceptively whimsical "Mrs. Robinson" and "At the Zoo."
Sundazed's exact vinyl replica of this harmony-rich classic is sourced from the original stereo master tapes, making this release an essential component of any '60s pop/rock collection.
Track for track, this is Simon & Garfunkel's best album. By 1968, Simon had shed his more precious tendencies as a songsmith. Meanwhile, the duo and coproducer and engineer Roy Halee had become adept studio technicians. "America" and "Mrs. Robinson" displayed the kind of sonic breadth that would flower even more fully two years later with "The Boxer" and "Bridge Over Troubled Water." Bits of whimsy ("Punky's Dilemma," "At the Zoo") and melancholy ("Old Friends," "A Hazy Shade of Winter") complete this autumnal album. Ultradisc's 24-karat-gold version of this title offers superior sound quality for a higher price than the standard-issue CD. --Steven Stolder
