71. Simon and Garfunkel — Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme (1966)

Lookit them herbs!

1. I would say I was raised on a somewhat limited set of pop music, focusing heavily on The Beatles, Billy Joel, and, among other acts, Simon & Garfunkel. A lot of the memories of S&G come from listening to their 1981 reunion, The Concert in Central Park. I’ve listened to their recordings, certainly, but I was really ill-prepared for how beautifully produced this album is. Obviously their music is Beautiful-music-with-a-Capital-B in general, but the production here is just stunning, right from the start. This was evidently the first album they had full creative control over, and it honestly might be more impressive production than from other heavy hitters like Phil Spector and Brian Wilson. Every note is pristine; every sound intimate and intentional and complementary. It’s incredible. The Concert in Central Park is great, but this recording is pristine in a whole other way. It’s perfect in a manner I’ve not yet heard in this list.
2. The songs themselves back it up in a way I didn’t really appreciate before either. I’d categorize those songs in a few ways: the Heavy Hitters Everyone Loves (“Homeward Bound,” “59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin’ Groovy)”); the Folk Tunes I Feared Would Be Cheesy But Actually Rule (“Scarborough Fair,” “7 O’clock News / Silent Night”); the Lovely Songs I Wasn’t As Familiar With (“The Dangling Conversation,” “For Emily, Wherever I Find Her”); and the Wait, Simon And Garfunkel Rocked Out? Tunes (“The Big Bright Green Pleasure Machine,” “A Simple Desultory Phillipic”). These varying genres all blend together into a totally cohesive singular work. It’s really impressive.
3. It’s striking how lovely these two voices are, in a pantheon of folk music to this point that is anything but. The other major folk acts on this list — Bob Dylan, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, The Byrds — are not renowned for their gorgeous voices. Joan Baez is closer, but still not remotely close to the purity of Simon and Garfunkel’s voices harmonizing here.
4. In general, this is a record that surprised me with its depth, complexity, and precision. I look forward to returning to it time and time again.

One Essential Song:

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