Simon & Garfunkel - Bridge Over Troubled Water

Description

Bridge over Troubled Water is the fifth and final studio album by American folk rock duo Simon & Garfunkel, released in January 1970 on Columbia Records. Following the duo's soundtrack for The Graduate, Art Garfunkel took an acting role in the film Catch-22, while Paul Simon worked on the songs, writing all tracks except Felice and Boudleaux Bryant's "Bye Bye Love" (previously a hit for the Everly Brothers).

With the help of producer Roy Halee, the album followed a similar musical pattern as their Bookends, partly abandoning their traditional style to incorporate elements of rock, R&B, gospel, jazz, world music, pop, and other genres. It was described as their "most effortless record and their most ambitious".

Bridge over Troubled Water was released on January 26, 1970, and several re-releases followed. The album was mixed and released in both stereo and quadraphonic. Columbia Records released a 40th Anniversary Edition on March 8, 2011, which includes two DVDs, including the politically themed TV special Songs of America (1969), the documentary The Harmony Game, additional liner notes, and a booklet. Other reissues contain bonus tracks, such as the 2001 version, which covers the demo tapes of "Feuilles-O" and "Bridge over Troubled Water".

Despite numerous accolades, the duo decided to split up, and parted company later in 1970; Garfunkel continued his film career, while Simon worked intensely with music. Both artists released solo albums in the following years. Bridge includes two of the duo's most critically acclaimed and commercially successful songs, "Bridge over Troubled Water" and "The Boxer", which were listed on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. Critically and commercially successful, the album topped the charts in over ten countries and received two Grammy Awards, plus four more for the title song. It sold around 25 million records and was ranked on several lists, including at number 51 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

The story of the making of the album is told in the 72-minute documentary The Harmony Game (2011), featuring interviews with both Simon & Garfunkel and various collaborators.

Release Info

Label: Columbia KCS 9914
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue
Country: US
Released: 2018
Genre: Rock, Folk, World, & Country
Style: Folk

Tracklist

A1 Bridge Over Troubled Water
A2 El Condor Pasa
A3 Cecilia
A4 Keep The Customer Satisfied
A5 So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright
B1 The Boxer
B2 Baby Driver
B3 The Only Living Boy In New York
B4 Why Don't You Write Me
B5 Bye Bye Love
B6 Song For The Asking