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During my schooldays I always relied on my friend Reg to suggest the records that one simply must have. My life as a child was just so busy that I didn't have time to keep up with the pop scene. Reg told me one day that there was an album that had taken the world by storm and that I really ought to get it. It was called Bridge over Troubled Water by Simon and Garfunkel. I put it on my Christmas list and it was duly given to me by someone in the family.
All good things seem to come to an end where people are concerned and the duo split after this album (troubled water indeed) with Simon starting out on a highly successful solo career. His first outing was the eponymously titled album that has become my favourite from him. It spawned the single Mother and Child Reunion that might so easily have been a Simon and Garfunkel hit but it showed a deeper more intimate side of the songwriter with such jewels as Duncan and Armistice Day. The recording is outstanding. Crystal clear engineering really brings out an intimacy with Simon as he plays some the the best guitar ever. He was always a fine acoustic player but it is this album where he showcases his prodigious gift. Mind you, it never dominates because he always knows that you should leave the audience gasping for more. When he demonstrates an unexpected facility for jazz he gives the soloing to Stephane Grappelli. The vocals are sweet and beguiling, and one never misses Garfunkel for a second. In fact one is left wondering why he ever bothered with Garfunkel in the first place.
I imagine Paul Simon as a rather difficult man to get on with. He seems to be deep and reflective, but always lost and uncertain. To me this album is the one bright spot in an output (as a solo performer) that has generally been rather depressive in a way. Still Crazy After All These Years says it all really. Poor soul!