Bookends. Five stars.
Looked at now, from a distance, I can recognise that I was too kind in my assessment of Bridge Over Troubled Water, and I like to believe it would never have swept the Grammys if Bookends hadn't preceded it in 1968. Excellent production is on offer here as well, along with a far stronger set of songs. The first half forms one of the most cohesive concept albums I've yet come across.
Serious statements in the sixties seem to have been left to singer-songwriters and the commercially unsuccessful. And the focus was generally on the young. I have found only two songwriters who paused to express concern for the aged: one was Paul McCartney's Eleanor Rigby, and the other was Paul Simon. Which brings us back to Bookends.
It starts and ends with the Bookends Theme, only 32 seconds of wistful, autumnal acoustic guitar. It is extremely haunting and beautiful.
Moog synthesiser shoves it aside and the controlled cacophony of Save the Life of My Child gets started. Concern for the kids, expressed through the scenario of a crowd watching a boy on a building, thinking of jumping off. There's a certain sense of sarcasm in the muttered asides, and a sense of the lack of understanding between the generations.
It is overtaken by America, a lyric without a single rhyme. As far as design goes, this is equal to the best of Bridge, but the lyric is where it excels. No rhymes! I can't get over that fact, and the amount of imagery and emotions packed into a three minute bus ride song is great.
The story of youth ends with Overs, a deliberately spartan, unbearably precise account of a relationship in decay and the sudden threatening appearance of time on the horizon. The end result of Simon's lonesome meditation is immensely poignant.
Garfunkel's presence is actually felt on this record, as he does more than harmonise. And his most important contribution is not musical at all; it is Voices of Old People, a collage taken form a set of interviews he made with anonymous men and women. They talk of photographs, illness, children, the idea of home.... This bridge is essential for the emotional impact of the last two songs.
Old Friends is overpowered by strings, but the essential, crystalline vision is untouched. Perfect musical accompaniment to the voice collage.
And just when the melody has dissolved into the string section, Bookends Theme returns, accompanied by a simple statement that encapsulates all that's gone before....
I recommend pausing for a breather before side 2 starts (you'd have had to do that anyway, back in the vinyl age). It allows proper distance, as side 2 is extremely jarring. Simon let the audience off the hook and just stuck on a bunch of singles, much like Magical Mystery Tour, incidentally. Fakin' It is lighter fare, with a delightful guitar lick, but after the others, it's really appreciated at this point!
The jazzy Punky's Dilemma is about (you'll never believe this) Boysenberry jam, Kellogg's Cornflakes and getting the draft. It is one of Simon's "precious" moments. Very child-like, so if you get all sophisticated, you'll groan (as I have done on occasion). Try and enjoy it anyway.
Mrs. Robinson was the big hit, the tie-in for a movie, and the longest song at a whopping four minutes. It's very wholesome (cupcakes, Joe DiMaggio and Jesus wholesome). Ironic how lightweight it is, considering how much Simon can fit into two minutes. Nice though it is, it's the weakest track.
A Hazy Shade of Winter is the opposite, leaping out at you via a fast, hard-edged delivery and an endless set of excellent rhymes. Man, for this duo it almost rocks, and it ties back into the earlier themes interestingly.
Two minutes for that one, and two minutes for At the Zoo, which picks up instantly. The use of sound affects is genius. The subject? Orwellian styling of animals, but done Paul Simon style, so the result is ridiculously lighthearted. I think it's hilarious, but that's me.
An irreverent end? Perhaps, but I view it as a kindness. An entire album of deep emotional resonance would be almost too much.
I haven't heard the earlier works yet. But I'm gonna go on record here and say that this is Simon and Garfunkel's best album and among my favorite CDs.
No comments:
Post a Comment