[.ca] Concert in Central Park

From Amazon.com:
You can almost hear Simon & Garfunkel begin to like each other again on this now-legendary set. On September 19, 1981, the duo reunited for just the second time since their initial breakup and revealed a camaraderie that had apparently vanished years earlier. Not only do they reprise their shared hits, they also work in a few of Paul Simon's solo gems and a couple of telling covers--one from the Everly Brothers and one from Chuck Berry. The band includes the best session men around. By the time they get to the sincerity of "Old Friends" and the joy of "The 59th Street Bridge Song," you sense a relationship fully repaired. After this success, they even planned a studio record together--one that eventually became Simon's overlooked Hearts and Bones--few were surprised when it did not come to pass. --Marc Greilsamer

The worst of Simon and Garfunkel:
The idea of a reunion might seem romantic, especially if we are talking about the best duo that pop music have ever created. Anyway, here the problem is not the noble intention but the execution. The band backing the sublime S & G's voices and guitars is awful. The choice of instruments, with all that keyboards and horns ruins the simple melody and essential instruments backgrounding the original songs. So, if you want to know better the music of Simon and Grafunkel, PLEASE!, don't buy this "illusion". If you absolutely need a collection, try the 2CD of TALES FROM NEW YORK (THE VERY BEST OF) instead (but I think it's a european-only release).

The best:
To say that this is the best Simon & Garfunkel album will perhaps offend some fans who love their acoustic folk-pop of the late 60s. But it is, and their most accessible, too. It was recorded a decade after the break-up of the duo, and features a full backing band, complete with a subtle, well-used horn ensemble, and Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel perform truly excellent versions of classics like "Mrs Robinson", "The Sound Of Silence", "Homeward Bound", "The Boxer" and a magnificent "Bridge Over Troubled Water". And the presence of Art Garfunkel (and the fine backing band) makes for some superb live renditions of several of Paul Simon's best solo tunes, especially "Still Crazy After All These Years", "Me And Julio Down By The Schoolyard" and "Slip Slidin' Away", which features Garfunkel's masterful harmony vocals. This album is much more lively than the duo's strictly acoustic outings from the 60s, and it is highly recommended as one of the very best live albums of the 80s, one that really adds something to the artists' legacies.

As memory serves; Revisiting Simon and Garfunkle:
I was happy to see Simon and Garfunkle in concert on their recent "Old Friends" tour, and was more than pleased by the performance of two men who, by all rights, should've been retired and not in the best of vocal form. The afterglow of the Philadelphia show led me to reacquire this CD from the 1981 Central Park reunion show. Since most of the songs from the current tour are reflected by the Central Park set list, it was worth it for me. This CD is actually better than I originally remember it. Maybe I was just too wrapped up in my new wave years (I was a junior in college at the time the album was released), but both men were in strong form vocally. It also meant that, as a greatest hits sort of show, all the bases are essentially covered. Even the Paul Simon solo material comes across as well matched (in particular, "American Tune" which rings truer in the post 9/11 world as it did back then). The instrumentation is a bit dated, Richard Tee's keyboards especially, but that's more the fault of the times than of performance. And the performances here are superb. Oddly, the one major omission from the disc is "The Late Great Johnny Ace." If you watch the DVD of the concert, it was Simon's tribute to John Lennon and is when a fan charges the stage, distracting Simon from the microphone. Art Garfunkle is relegated to only one solo hit here, and naturally it's "A Heart In New York." Just as "counting the cars on the New Jersey Turnpike" gets a huge outburst of applause (it did here in Philly, too), "Heart" brings the crowd to express itself with exuberence. On the other hand, when Art begins to sing "Bridge Over Troubled Water," it's hard not to notice that he can still sound like the folk singing choirboy of the sixties, and even more so for "The Sound of Silence." Despite all the infighting, back biting and legendary arguments that Simon and Garfunkle have shared over their career, there is no denying that - as a duo - they created magic. After 20 years, I'm glad "The Concert In Central Park" is back in my library. PS: I eagerly await the inevitable "Old Friends" concert disc, and would also recommend Paul Simon's "Concert In The Park" from 1991.

Actually 3 1/2:
The famous 1981 reunion concert finds Simon & Garfunkel in fine form vocally, but I was less than entranced by their back-up band. The excessive horns made them come off like a Vegas act at times, as if Tom Jones were waiting in the wings. At other times, sappy keyboards detract from some of the quieter moments. Nevertheless, it¡Çs great to hear S & G together again and I¡Çm looking forward to eventually hearing some recordings from their current ¡ÈOld Friends¡É tour.

A well-enjoyed live performance:
On September 19,1981 a countless number of Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel fans gathered in New York City's Central Park for this free concert. Some sat,some stood. Some brought coolers,lawn chairs,beach chairs and blankets. Some brought cameras and cassette recorders. Then-NYC mayor Ed Koch introduced the duo to the thousands of present fans. The duo starts with MRS. ROBINSON,one of their greatest hits,followed by another,HOMEWARD BOUND,then another,AMERICA. Then,there's Simon's solo hit,one of his first,ME AND JULIO DOWN BY THE SCHOOLYARD(sounds awesome with Garfunkel accompanying Simon!). SCARBOROUGH FAIR is an OK song. From 1966's SOUNDS OF SILENCE is APRIL COME SHE WILL. WAKE UP LITTLE SUSIE was a hit for the Everly Brothers in the early 60's. Another Paul Simon solo hit is STILL CRAZY AFTER ALL THESE YEARS. AMERICAN TUNE is an OK song. From the 1980 movie "One Trick Pony" starring Simon is LATE IN THE EVENING. SLIP SLIDING AWAY is another awesome S & G duet(they should have recorded it together in the studio instead of just Simon by himself). A HEART IN NEW YORK is from Garfunkel's SCISSORS CUT album,which was released shortly before this concert. As he told the audience, "It's almost the only song in the show that's not a Paul Simon tune(composition)." Then there's a medley of Simon's KODACHROME and MAYBELLINE,the latter being a hit for Chuck Berry. BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATER sounds just as great as when S & G recorded it in the studio in 1969. Another Simon solo hit is FIFTY WAYS TO LEAVE YOUR LOVER. Then there's S & G's '69 hit THE BOXER,the version on this album featuring a previously unheard verse. OLD FRIENDS and THE 59TH BRIDGE SONG are OK. Then S & G close with their biggest hit THE SOUNDS OF SILENCE. A video recording of this concert was distributed by 20th Century Fox. The video has THE LATE GREAT JOHNNY ACE,which for some reason,has been omitted for this album.

• Mrs. Robinson
• Homeward Bound
• America
• Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard
• Scarborough Fair
• April Come She Will
• Wake Up Little Susie
• Still Crazy After All These Years
• American Tune
• Late in the Evening
• Slip Slidin' Away
• Heart in New York
• Kodachrome/Maybellene
• Bridge over Troubled Water
• 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover
• Boxer
• Old Friends
• 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)
• Sound of Silence