Bookends
Studio album by Simon & Garfunkel
Released April 3, 1968
Recorded September 1966, January 1967, June 1967, October 1967 - February 1968
Genre Folk rock
Length 29:51
Label Columbia
Producer Simon & Garfunkel, Roy Halee
Releases
* LP: Columbia KCL-2729 (mono)/KCS 9529 (stereo) - This was the last Simon and Garfunkel album to be released in both mono and stereo. The mono version was pressed in a limited quantity and is considered a rare item amongst record collectors. The mono release also has many sonic differences, most noticeably Paul Simon's trailing echo on "Fakin' It." The song has been released on the 1999 CD compilation The Best of Simon and Garfunkel.
* CD: Columbia CK 09529; Remastered CD: Columbia 66003
Professional ratings
Allmusic 5/5 stars
Blender (magazine) 5/5 stars
Bookends is the name of an album and its title track, both recorded by Simon & Garfunkel, released April 3, 1968. It was produced by Paul Simon, Roy Halee and Art Garfunkel.
Bookends was Simon & Garfunkel's concept album, with the first side following the views of age, while the second side contained "Throw Away" songs from The Graduate soundtrack.
Bookends was a #1 hit on Billboard's (North America) Pop Albums chart, as well as in the UK. Four singles charted: "A Hazy Shade of Winter," "At the Zoo," "Fakin' It" and "Mrs. Robinson," which peaked at #13, #16 and #23 and #1, respectively.
In 2003, the TV network VH1 named Bookends the 93rd greatest album of all time. In 2003, the album was ranked number 233 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.[1]
The songs
The album begins softly, but takes a heavier turn with the second track, "Save the Life of My Child," which uses the sounds of a distorted synthesizer and is a noted departure from the softer sound that was the signature of the duo. "Save the Life of My Child" also features a sample from their single "The Sounds of Silence" ... which starts with a bass sound personally set up by Bob Moog himself. The album also features the single "Mrs. Robinson," which was famous for its inclusion in the film The Graduate.
"Overs," "Punky's Dilemma," and "A Hazy Shade of Winter" were also written by Simon for The Graduate soundtrack, but the film's producers rejected them.
Track listing
All songs were written by Paul Simon, except where noted.
Side One
1. "Bookends Theme" (Instrumental) – 0:32
Recorded: 1968
2. "Save the Life of My Child" – 2:49
Recorded: December 14, 1967
3. "America" – 3:34
Recorded: February 1, 1968
* The notable transition between this and the preceding song is omitted on compilations and singles.
4. "Overs" – 2:14
Recorded: October 16, 1968
5. "Voices of Old People" (Art Garfunkel) – 2:09
Recorded: February 6, 1968
* An audio collage recorded by Art Garfunkel in various locations in New York and Los Angeles. The original liner notes credit the United Home for Aged Hebrews and the California Home for the Aged at Reseda, where they were likely recorded.
6. "Old Friends" – 2:36
Recorded: 1968
7. "Bookends" – 1:16
Recorded: 1968
Side Two
1. "Fakin' It" – 3:14
Recorded: June, 1967
2. "Punky's Dilemma" – 2:10
Recorded: October 5, 1967
3. "Mrs. Robinson" – 4:02
Recorded: February 2, 1968
4. "A Hazy Shade of Winter" – 2:17
Recorded: September 7, 1966
5. "At the Zoo" – 2:21
Recorded: January 8, 1967
Chart positions
Year Chart Position
1968 Billboard Pop Albums (Billboard 200) 1
Personnel
* Paul Simon - Vocals,Guitar, Producer
* Art Garfunkel - Vocals, Producer
* Hal Blaine - Drums, Percussion
* Joe Osborn - Bass
* Larry Knechtel - Piano, Keyboards
* John Simon - Production Assistant
* Roy Halee - Producer, Engineer
* Jimmie Haskell - Arranger, Arrangement Preparation
* Bob Johnston - Production Assistant
* Richard Avedon - Cover Photography