Bookends
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Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel left the 1960’s with about a dozen hits in their wake and a legacy that lasts to this day. It’s still easy to revel in the artistry of their work.

Bookends is their fourth record and some would say their best. It has my favorite Simon & Garfunkel song, “America,” and their familiar number, “Mrs. Robinson.” The unifying theme is the notion of friends, or “bookends,” as Simon writes. You’ll hear gentle acoustic arrangements, the intrusion of a synthesizer (it works) and the voices of elderly people that Garfunkel recorded in their nursing homes.

The music is crystalline, every note planned and plotted. Even the percussion: I’ve never heard so many finger snaps and hand claps in one collection before, all perfectly placed.

“Save The Life Of My Child,” with the aforementioned synthesizer, is a strange story that didn’t make the New York Times, possibly due to its tabloid-like narrative. The conclusion may astound you.

“America” is a masterpiece that travels from a whisper to the clash of symbols, packing an emotional stomach punch that leaves me gasping.

“Old Friends” is about two septuagenarians who meet daily on a park bench and sit there like bookends. Yes, we will be seventy some day too, and it won’t be that bad.

If a man from Mars were to visit and request a core sample of 60’s pop, I’d let the little green guy hear “Fakin’ It” (my second favorite). Its stark melody and darkly cynical lyrics capture the times. The start and end of the song is similar to the Beatles’ “Strawberry Fields.”

“Punky’s Dilemma” is breezy and refers to corn flakes, English muffins, and a preference for boysenberry jam. It has the bouncy sound of the Sesame Street theme.

After all the cover versions I’ve heard, I was stunned to learn that Simon wrote “A Hazy Shade of Winter." It’s like being told Steven Foster penned “Hey Ya" in 1858. “Hazy” is the one straight-out rock tune in the bunch.

For the finale “At The Zoo” features another whisper-quiet beginning that quickly gyrates into a rollicking Beer-Barrel-Polka-fest. The liner notes describe this song as “Orwellian.” Baloney. It’s just a cute song about animals - my nine-year-old loves it.

The bonus tracks include a folk-rocker, “You Don’t Know Where Your Interest Lies” and an acoustic version of “Old Friends” that I prefer over the odd, string-heavy one that appears earlier.

Someone told me it’s all happening "At the Zoo.” I’m not sure about that, but it’s definitely happening on this classic CD. If you missed Bookends in 1968, or weren’t born yet, grab it now.

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