Simon and Garfunkel's Greatest Hits
	Produced by Paul Simon, Arthur Garfunkel and Roy Halee
	Released on June 14, 1972
	US CHART POSITION #5 . . . 14x PLATINUM RECORD . . . UK CHART POSITION #2
	Find it at GEMM
PC 31350 cover [high resolution scan]

K ronomyth 6.0: SIMON & GARFUNKEL’S GAYEST HATS. Although the duo only recorded a handful of albums, they left behind a rich legacy of music, much of it captured on Simon & Garfunkel’s Greatest Hits. Released two years after their breakup and photographed only moments before Paul Simon and his magic egg container of sperm were inserted into an elephant’s vagina, Greatest Hits collects many of their hats (okay, just the one hideously awful, penis-shaped hat) and combines them with previously unreleased live versions of “The 59th Street Bridge Song,” “Homeward Bound” and two others. The inclusion of live tracks is unexpected and unusual, the abrupt sequencing between live and studio tracks unwelcome, but the brilliance of the music featured here is undeniable. “The Boxer,” “America” and “Mrs. Robinson” are some of the greatest pop songs ever written, combining the lyrical acuity of Dylan with the songcraft of McCartney. Their harmonies are also outstanding, somewhere between Phil & Don and CS&N, as evidenced on “Scarborough Fair/Canticle” and “The Sound of Silence.” I’ve never seen Simon & Garfunkel mentioned as a progressive band, and yet the pair’s understanding and appreciation for the potentialities of music influenced many progressive artists (including Yes, who later recorded a fantastic version of “America”). Although the two have reunited for one-off performances (including a George McGovern benefit that coincided with this album’s release), their studio collaborations have been very few and far between. Unlike the CSN&Y sightings and Byrds reunion of McGuinn, Clark & Hillman, Simon & Garfunkel truly burned the bridge behind them, even as Simon’s solo work has provided a link to that past and a future to look forward to. And for those who doubt the veracity of my elephant theory, I ask you: Surely you’ve heard of artificial insimonation?

TRACK LISTING

1. MRS. ROBINSON    4:02
2. FOR EMILY, WHENEVER I MAY FIND HER (LIVE)    2:04
3. THE BOXER    5:07
4. THE 59TH STREET BRIDGE SONG (FEELIN' GROOVY) (LIVE)    1:43
5. THE SOUND OF SILENCE    3:02
6. I AM A ROCK    2:50
7. SCARBOROUGH FAIR/CANTICLE    (Paul Simon/Art Garfunkel)    3:08
8. HOMEWARD BOUND (LIVE)    2:30
9. BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATER    4:52
10. AMERICA    3:34
11. KATHY'S SONG (LIVE)    3:16
12. EL CONDOR PASA (IF I COULD)    (Paul Simon/Jorge Milchberg/Daniel Alomia Robles)    3:06
13. BOOKENDS    1:16
14. CECILIA    2:55

CREDITS

ART GARFUNKEL --
PAUL SIMON --
Bill Silano -- cover photo

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