Sounds of Silence
Studio album by Simon and Garfunkel
Released January 17, 1966
Recorded March 1964 , June 1965, and December 1965
Genre Folk rock
Length 29:09
Label Columbia
Producer Bob Johnston
Professional reviews
* Allmusic 3.0/5 stars link
Sounds of Silence is an album by Simon and Garfunkel, released on January 17, 1966. The album's title is a slight modification of the title of the duo's first major hit, "The Sounds of Silence", which was released previously on the album Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M., and also on the soundtrack to the movie The Graduate. It was taken from their debut and electric instruments and drums were overdubbed by Bob Dylan's studio band on June 15, 1965 and released in September 1965 as a single. "Homeward Bound" was released on the album in the UK. It was also released as part of the box set Simon & Garfunkel Collected Works, on both LP and CD.
Track listing
All songs by Paul Simon, except where noted.
1. "The Sounds of Silence" Ð 3:08
Recorded: March 10, 1964 & June 15, 1965
2. "Leaves That Are Green" Ð 2:23
Recorded: December 13, 1965
3. "Blessed" Ð 3:16
Recorded: December 21, 1965
4. "Kathy's Song" Ð 3:21
Recorded: December 21, 1965
5. "Somewhere They Can't Find Me" Ð 2:37
Recorded: April 5, 1965
6. "Anji" (Davey Graham) Ð 2:17
Recorded: December 13, 1965
7. "Richard Cory" Ð 2:57
Recorded: December 14, 1965
8. "A Most Peculiar Man" Ð 2:34
Recorded: December 22, 1965
9. "April Come She Will" Ð 1:51
Recorded: December 21, 1965
10. "We've Got a Groovy Thing Goin" Ð 2:00
Recorded: April 5, 1965
11. "I Am a Rock" Ð 2:50
Recorded: December 14, 1965
Trivia
* The song "Richard Cory" was based on a poem with the same title by Edwin Arlington Robinson. The chorus, however, is entirely of Simon's composition.
* Two songs on the album deal with suicide: "Richard Cory" and "A Most Peculiar Man".
* The English singer-songwriter Billy Bragg lifted the opening lines of "Leaves That Are Green" ("I was 21 years when I wrote this song/I'm 22 now, but I won't be for long") for his song "A New England", which appeared on Bragg's 1983 EP Life's a Riot with Spy Vs Spy and was subsequently a UK hit for Kirsty MacColl.
These same lyrics can be found in the Kirsty MacColl version of this song, as released as a cover in 1984,the song was her biggest solo hit - reaching #7 in the UK charts and #8 in Ireland.
* "Somewhere They Can't Find Me" is essentially a reworking of the title track of the duo's first album, Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M. It was recorded along with "We've Got a Groovy Thing Goin'" a few months before producer Tom Wilson dubbed electric instruments on "Sounds of Silence". The recurring descending bass line in the track, as well as its introductory guitar riff were borrowed from Davey Graham's acoustic guitar piece "Anji," a cover of which follows on the album.
* There are three cover variations of the LP:
o Original issue: SIMON & GARFUNKEL on one line; SOUNDS OF SILENCE on another, all in capital letters, no song titles on the front.
o Second issue: Enlarged title letters, with only the first letter of the words "Sounds" and "Silence" in the album title capitalized. The first letters in "Simon" and "Garfunkel" are capitalized, but the rest are in lower-case. Song titles also included on the front.
o Third issue: Same front cover as the second, the back cover has the copy of Tiger Beat magazine in Garfunkel's hand airbrushed out.
Personnel
* Paul Simon: lead vocals, guitar
* Art Garfunkel: lead vocals
* Glen Campbell: Guitar
* Hal Blaine: Drums
Sounds of Silence was recorded in December 1965 at CBS studios in Nashville, Tennessee and Los Angeles, California. The album was produced by Bob Johnston.
Released January 17, 1966
Recorded March 1964 , June 1965, and December 1965
Label Columbia
Producer Bob Johnston
1. "The Sounds of Silence"
Recorded: March 10, 1964 & June 15, 1965
2. "Leaves That Are Green"
Recorded: December 13, 1965
3. "Blessed"
Recorded: December 21, 1965
4. "Kathy's Song"
Recorded: December 21, 1965
5. "Somewhere They Can't Find Me"
Recorded: April 5, 1965
6. "Anji" (Davey Graham)
Recorded: December 13, 1965
7. "Richard Cory"
Recorded: December 14, 1965
8. "A Most Peculiar Man"
Recorded: December 22, 1965
9. "April Come She Will"
Recorded: December 21, 1965
10. "We've Got a Groovy Thing Goin"
Recorded: April 5, 1965
11. "I Am a Rock"
Recorded: December 14, 1965
* Paul Simon: lead vocals, guitar
* Art Garfunkel: lead vocals
* Glen Campbell: Guitar
* Hal Blaine: Drums