Bridge Over Troubled Water

2.0/5.0: Disappointing

this is our fourth paul simon album, the second in 3 days, and we still havent gotten an album from so many classic artists that i know have multiple on the list. i know its random but i wish there were a way to space out artists with multiple albums. now that im done complaining, this album is so much better than bookends. if we had more than a day between the two this couldve possibly gotten a 5 but i really didnt want to listen to s&g again so soon and it put me in a sour mood.

The title track is one of the most important and one of the best songs ever written, that's for sure. The whole album was very influenntial. Also, just without these facts - it's still a great album.

Love this Album - glad to listen to it again! #albumsky #musicsky 4/5

A more sophisticated version of themselves, capped with some of the most enduring songs.

Short and doesn't overstay its welcome but a little indulgent in how sentimental it tries to get at times and I didn't love the live rendition of Bye Bye Love. The Boxer and Cecelia are both classics that absolutely stand the test of time and The Only Living Boy in New York is a new favorite.

Sinds we aan deze lijst begonnen zo'n 2,5 jaar terug, praat ik wat meer over muziek. Sinds die tijd heb ik toch het meeste klaagzang gehoord over het nummer Bridge Over Troubled Water. Al moet ik daarbij opmerken dat die klaagzang van één persoon kwam. Maar nu dus het moment om eens goed naar dat nummer te luisteren. Als ik heel eerlijk ben, ik kan mij die ergernis niet zo voorstellen. Het is vooral een wat saai nummer, al bouwt het nog wel op. Nee, de echte verschrikking komt een paar nummers later. Ook dat nummer kennen we allemaal al lang. Lie-la-lie, Lie-la-lei-lei-lei-lei-lei, Lei-la-lei, Lie-la-lei-lei-lei-lei-lei, Lie-lie-lie-lie-lie (songtekst Spotify). Wat een kleuterlied om te horen.

Toch, deze nummers zijn beide grijsgedraaid. Wij vinden het een verschrikking, anderen geweldig. En ze staan tussen andere grijsgedraaide nummers en nummers met kleur. Ook niet allemaal mijn favoriet. Maar wel allemaal nummers, waar je iets van kan vinden. (Ik ben dan ook benieuwd of de ergernis aan het nummer bij mijn mede-zure-broeder, ook doorslaggevend is voor het album.) Als we zo vaak spreken over vergeetbare drieën, moeten we ook constateren dat dit het tegenovergestelde is. Van mij geen hoog cijfer, maar wel de conclusie dat dit de albums zijn die echt in de lijst horen.

A very nice album!

Bridge Over Troubled Water is such a beautiful song. I also love Cecilia! I thought the cover by The Vamps was the original version up until a few years ago. Much to my surprise!

4 ⭐️

And back to traditional 1001 album fare we go. I like the album cover. This is my favorite S&G album so far, I think, in no small part because of 'Cecilia' (which is in no small part because of this beloved comedy video from my college era, 'Simon and Carfunkel' (bad for headaches though, honk): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5kBOZBxF5k ).

I'm a little too sleepy to pay proper attention to this album, but in my defense, some of these (non-Cecilia) songs are very conducive to a snooze. Pleasant little snooze though. Wiki also says a lot of these songs are secretly about Garfunkel, which is cute/weird/interesting/sad.

Highlights: 'Bridge Over Troubled Water', 'Cecilia', 'The Boxer', 'Bye Bye Love' (which we had before with Ray Charles!)

PHENOMENAL ALBUM. The Boxer literally gave me goosebumps. One of the best I’ve heard so far.

I feel like Im the only person in the world that does not like S&G

I’ve known this album since I was a kid, it has some absolutely undeniable songs, and I always think of it as a classic. However, it’s been a long, long time since I’ve listened to Bridge Over Troubled Water all the way through because it just never crosses my mind to play it, and while I enjoyed revisiting it, I’m not sure that will change. Maybe that’s the difference between a four-star and a five-star album?

Tunes galore

This one 'keeps the customer satisfied.' Any album that proposes 'Bridge Over Troubled Waters,' 'The Boxer,' and 'The Only Living Boy in New York' is a perennial knockout. 'Half of the time we're gone / But we don't know where / And we don't know where.' It's the 'but' and the 'and' that make that a masterful and emotive line. The whole thing exhibits a pensive and cheerful vibe, a simultaneity not easy to attain, but one that's essential to experience. And I love hearing their live cover of the Everly Brothers, the duo's principal influence, at least vocally.

You had to have this album in my youth, even years after the release date. I didn't have it. Many songs were played at cozy gatherings in the cliques back then. The girls in particular preferred this album. That's why I have fond memories of it. I like listening to Bridge Over Troubled Water and The Boxer again. Overall, however, the music has always been too cloying for me. 3/5

The most solid 5 I've had on this list so far. Everything just works, and the songwriting is off the charts. I will never understand how “So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright” fits in with the rest of the album, but everything else is incredible.

banger after banger

In terms of song-writing, this album is spectacular. Really lovely songs, with great melodies and stories. The lyrics are beautiful. I love the little musical flavours they add in, just chiming in with little accents and notes. The Boxer is a great example, as it has that kind of ambient drum popping up, various woodwind instruments, and then the swelling violins. I enjoyed this.

2.55

I’m at a 5.

Bridge Over Troubled Water, as a title track, sets an incredible tone and sets a high bar for the rest of the album, and while I don’t think it ever quite touches that bar again, it’s never more than a few inches away. El Condor Pasa is incredibly efficient in its simplicity, Cecilia feels like late 2000s indie rock in the best way possible, Keep the Customer Satisfied is the best Beatles song that Simon & Garfunkel ever made, and once this album gets to side 2, it just keeps rolling from there. There’s maybe one or two stumbles on its way to the finish line (looking right at “So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright” & “Bye Bye Love”), but regardless of anything else, that’s a super breezy and really enjoyable 37 minutes.

I don’t think this lived up to like, the super duper universal acclaim that it has, but I can certainly see why people think that way, and maybe one day, it’ll click in that sense for me. Make no mistake about it, though; this is a stellar album. There’s a few tracks that didn’t hit as well for me, but from top to bottom, this thing is beautifully written, composed, and produced. It’s a great listen, and it fits perfectly as a final album for Simon & Garfunkel. Super easy 5.