"Sounds of Silence" by Simon & Garfunkel (January, 1966)

Dad's Take:

This is a good way to ease into my favorite three-year period in the history of popular music.

Paul Simon & Art Garfunkel found a magical formula when they combined the sounds of Dylan's electrified folk and the mellow harmonies of the Everly Brothers. With smart, poetic lyrics and a cool pop sound, they appealed to the Greenwich Village intellectual college folkies as well as the kids, blending the coffee shop with the burger joint jukebox. The rock and roll folkie Simon and the beautiful-voiced Garfunkel were a combination that could not be beat.

The commercial highlights here are the title track, which went to #1 in the U.S., and the smash "I Am A Rock," a song that worked as a personal theme song for much of my adolescence, an anthem for introverts everywhere. The gorgeous "Kathy's Song" is among my favorite songs by this duo. But don't let those hits lead you into believing the rest is filter. This album is full of smart songwriting wrapped in melodic harmonies and excellent instrumentation. I think this record also introduces the word "groovy" to our list in the fun, upbeat "We've Got A Groovy Thing." Our version of the album ends perfectly with bonus track "Blues Run the Game."

A little side note: There's a line in "A Most Peculiar Man" that might make Brad chuckle a bit because of a family inside joke. Laughing might not be appropriate during a song about a suicide, but I suspect Brad won't be able to help himself.

This is a wonderful album. Put it on on a rainy day or a mellow morning, and it'll fit the day perfectly.

Brad's Take:


This is actually my first time listening to a full Simon & Garfunkel record straight through. In fact, I don't think I've ever heard more than 5 of their songs before this. Now I'm kind of kicking myself though because I like this a lot.

It's folk rock, but it rocks a little more than Bob Dylan's similar style. I also definitely hear the Everly Brothers reference that my dad mentioned in Simon & Garfunkel's vocal harmonies. The vocals are my favorite part about these songs. Both of these fine young men have awesome tenor voices that (most of the time) blend perfectly together, like vanilla ice cream and root beer.

The only song that I recognized off of this album was "I Am A Rock," but some of the songs that I liked a lot from first listen were "The Sound of Silence" and "Blessed." I liked those two songs a lot, but the whole album was awesome. It was folky at times, it was rockin' at times, but it was awesome all of the time.

Side note to my dad's side note: Maybe I'm just tired, or forgetful, but I didn't catch any inside jokery in the song "The Most Peculiar Man."