Simon & Garfunkel are easily the most iconic folk-rock duo of all time. The elementary school friends Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel initially performed under the name Tom & Jerry – and even had a hit with “Hey, Schoolgirl” – but eventually released their debut album “Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M.” as Simon & Garfunkel in 1964. In the short span of 6 six years, the duo released 5 studio albums, some of which rank among the most successful of all time. In this article, I’m going to rank all Simon & Garfunkel albums from worst to best.
5. Sounds of Silence
I start this list with Simon & Garfunkel’s second studio album Sounds of Silence. Just because I rank the album as the ‘worst’ Simon & Garfunkel album doesn’t mean it’s bad. Not at all. But I rate it lower than other albums for a few specific reasons.
Firstly, it features the wrong version of “The Sound of Silence”. Producer Tom Wilson remixed the original acoustic version – which features on the duo’s debut album – into an electric version for commercial appeal. With success, because the remix of the song gave Simon & Garfunkel their first hit. But I prefer the original over the electric version.
Secondly, the strongest tracks on the album – “Kathy’s Song”, “April Come She Will”, and “I Am a Rock” – already appeared on Paul Simon’s solo debut album The Paul Simon Songbook.
Overall, Sounds of Silence is still a great album, but it feels loosely put together to capitalize on the success of the single “The Sound of Silence”, making it less coherent than other Simon & Garfunkel albums. The quality of the songs, however, is great.
Stand-out tracks: “Kathy’s Song” and “April Come She Will”
4. Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M.
Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M. is Simon & Garfunkel’s debut album. They released the album in late 1964, initially with little commercial success. Nowadays, the album is most well-known for featuring “The Sound of Silence” (the acoustic version I prefer to be exact). But the album is much more than the duo’s first hit. Songs like “Bleecker Street” and the album’s title track are early signs of the songwriting genius of Paul Simon and the traditional arrangements on the album are great.
Stand-out tracks: “Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M.” and “The Sound of Silence”
3. Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme
Simon & Garfunkel’s third studio album showcased the duo’s continued growth as musicians. For the album, the duo were granted a bigger budget than the previous two albums and more artistic control over the recordings. It resulted in Simon & Garfunkel’s greatest release to date. I know Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme features songs from the previously released The Paul Simon Songbook, but it works better than on Sounds of Silence, probably because of the contrasting nature of the album.
Stand-out tracks: “Scarborough Fair/Canticle” and “For Emily, Whenever I May Find Her”
2. Bookends
The order of the 2 best Simon & Garfunkel albums was difficult to pick, but I eventually decided to rank Bookends as number 2. The album is Paul Simon’s successful attempt at a concept album, exploring the passage of life. The concept is found on side one of the album, with “America” and “Old Friends” being the exceptional songs. Side two isn’t related to side one – nor is it as good – but still features songs like “Mrs. Robinson” and “A Hazy Shade of Winter”. Overall, Bookends is an exceptional album. It – in my opinion – just isn’t as good as Simon & Garfunkel’s final studio album.
Stand-out tracks: “America” and “Old Friends”
1. Bridge Over Troubled Water
My number 1 pick for the best Simon & Garfunkel album is Bridge Over Troubled Water. It’s a logical and easy choice, but the album is simply outstanding. I consider the album’s title track to be Simon & Garfunkel’s greatest song, and “The Boxer”, “Cecilia”, and “El Condor Pasa (If I Could)” are Simon & Garfunkel essentials. Beyond that, “The Only Living Boy in New York” and “Song for the Asking” are underrated gems. I consider the only true downsides of Bridge Over Troubled Water to be “Keep the Customer Satisfied” and “Why Don’t You Write Me”. But that doesn’t mean the album isn’t exceptional.
Simon & Garfunkel released the album in early 1970, and for a brief period, Bridge Over Troubled Water was the best-selling album of all time. Sadly enough, the recording of the album was characterized by friction between Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel, especially because of Garfunkel’s acting role in the movie Catch-22. It eventually led to the duo breaking up, making Bridge Over Troubled Water the duo’s final album. Fortunately, they ended their partnership with their – in my opinion – greatest feat: Bridge Over Troubled Water.
Stand-out tracks: “Bridge Over Troubled Water” and “The Boxer”
So, that wraps up my ranking of all Simon & Garfunkel albums. Do you agree with my list? What would you change? And what would your personal ranking look like? Please let me know in the comments below!
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