"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."

"Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music" by Ray Charles (April 1962)

Dad's Take:

Country music has never had this much soul. As much as I like Ray Charles, I've never given this album its due because Ray is at his best when singing gospel-tinged soul. Well, the laugh was on me. These might be country songs, but Ray still delivers his trademark sound.

You know the title of the album is a little misleading as soon as you hear the opening notes of Ray's take on the Everly's classic "Bye, Bye Love." The highlight for me is the final track, where Ray takes that old standard, "That Lucky Old Sun," and lifts it up among the best of Negro spirituals. Good luck finding a more moving version of that song.

Nobody sings like Ray Charles, and these soulful, brassy, bluesy renditions of country songs are about as soulful as music gets. This is a great album, despite a kind of lame title and less-than-exciting cover.

How can you not share the pain of "I Love You So Much It Hurts"? And who doesn't get a thrill when listening to the classic "I Can't Stop Loving You" and the almost-identical "You Win Again"? This record moves country music out of the honky tonks and into the smoky bars of the "colored" neighborhoods, improving the songs in the process. Even Hank Williams's "Hey, Good Lookin'" becomes a soul classic. As the civil rights movement heated up, I'm sure the rednecks were thrilled to see their music taken over by the guys at the back of the bus. This is a ballsy record, and it works amazingly well. Maybe Ray couldn't eat at the same restaurants, attend the same schools, or drink from the same water fountains, but he could take the most white music of all and give it gospel-tinged soul. And guess what? The whites ate it up. This record was number one for 14 weeks and remained on the chart for almost two years, falling only three weeks short of that mark.

I'm pretty sure this is the only Ray Charles album on our list, and it deserves to be there. This record contains everything good and soulful about Mr. Charles's music, no matter what the title might lead you to believe.

Brad's Take:


When I saw that this was next on our list, I got really excited. I've never listened to a full Ray Charles album before, but I've always wanted to. I didn't know where to begin so I guess this is a good place to start, with a "classic."

The first song, "Bye, Bye Love", kicks the album off with a bang. It's a fast rockin' 2 minute song, made popular by the Everly Brothers. That song leads right into the slower "You Don't Know Me" and this song really shows what this album's all about. It's a mid-tempo song with more soul than a pair of shoes.

Reading about the recording process, it's interesting how Ray picked the songs to do. Apparently, he was given about 250 songs from popular country artists from the time, and then Ray listened to each one to decide which ones he wanted to remake, giving it that Ray Charles flavor.

I never realized how great Ray Charles actually was. I've always known him as a classic artist, but I've never given him a real chance myself. I love his voice on this album. He sounds young and full of raw emotion and soul. Some songs are better than others, but overall this is a solid 3 and a half stars from me.

"It's Everly Time," by The Everly Brothers (April, 1960)

Dad's Take:

The Everlys' country-flavored harmony pop is one of the signature sounds of the period. By the time this album came out, many of their biggest hits were behind them, but they put together a solid record. The Everlys helped to fill the void in rock and roll music in the time after Buddy Holly died and Elvis went into the Army, and the onslaught of the Brits. They were a huge influence on later harmony groups like Simon and Garfunkel, the Beach Boys, the Beatles, the Bee Gees, and the Hollies.

The best-known song in this set is the opener, "So Sad (To Watch Good Love Go Bad)." Other songs sound familiar, though, because the Everlys never stray far from what you expect of them. I would have liked to see them welcome the sixties by trying something new on a song or two, but I can't complain about an album that is everything I expect from Phil and Don: some light rock and roll, country, easy ballads, and even a touch of country blues.

Not every song is a hit, but every song is a quality recording. It's a good, strong album.

Brad's Take:


I've listened to The Everly Brothers many times growing up, but never have listened to a full Everly Brothers album. At least not knowingly. But after listening to this one, I want to get all of their stuff and check them out.

I love the super catchy country pop sound they have on "So Sad (To Watch Good Love Go Bad)," I love the slow songs like "Sleepless Nights" and I love the blues influenced style they had on "What Kind Of Girl Are You?" Each song sounds like The Everly Brothers, but the album has a nice variety of styles so it isn't monotonous at all.

It's just a great and solid fun record.