Simon and Garfunkel The Concert in Central Park

[MylesBAstor]

Was going to list this in the "What Are You Listening To" thread but decided the album deserved it's own thread.

Heard this CD at my late audiobuddy's Lars Fredell's home eons ago. (In fact Lars went to the concert back in '81 that attracted 500K people to Central Park that night!) CD sounded pretty good, looked for the LP and couldn't do find it and the album slipped my mind over the years.

Fast forward to last week and someone I know was selling a bunch of records on FB. Picked this album up as well as a half dozen or so more and they all arrived yesterday. Did the necessary prep work and put the S&G on tonight. Wow! I had a mini, four side Simon and Garfunkel concert in my listening room tonight. Simply awesome and it was absolutely impossible to pick or single out one song as my fave. But "Wake Up Little Susie" was definitely my fave non S&G song from that night. Side four though was a knockout with "Fifty Ways to Leave Your Lover, The Boxer" and then the three songs played for the encore, "Old Friends, Feelin' Groovy and The Sounds of Silence." The sound--and especially the vocals too--is far better than expected and there is a wonderful feeling of the crowd that attened that historic night.

But gosh. Finished the concert and all I could think of is have we ever seen a better song writer than Paul Simon or duo of Simon and Garfunkel. It is just lovely to hear Garfunkel singing over top of Simon. "The Sound of Silence" makes me melt into a puddle on the floor!

Oh the album can be found for a song on discogs now (I must have been a good boy because the album is in absolutely mint shape!)

[ashandger]

Great album and totally agree with your comments about Paul Simon's song writing. Hope you also have his own 1991 concert from Central Park. Totally extraordinary music with his Graceland band and Michael Breker etc etc. Sounds great on Tidal

[tom_hankins]

Thanks Myles Haven't listened to this record in a very long time, It will be my last spin before I pack up the preamp.

[Rob]

This is a great S&G record I recommend to those that just want the 'hits' but its so much more...its also a document of the early '80s and the sentiment back then. Paul's interaction with the audience is amusing at times (getting booed for bringing up Ed Koch to the comment about the guy selling joints, etc). It also came after their acrimonious split and they were just (barely) making amends. I caught the '83 tour at "The Murph" when they came through San Diego, they were playing to stadiums! the last time that happened in SD was when The Stones American tour rolled through town in '81.

[rockitman]

I acquired and listened to a sealed original last fall. Great concert and listen.

[JCOConnell]

wasn't there a video of this?

[MylesBAstor]

Yes.

[Johnny Vinyl]

Haven't listened to it in years. I know this is going to sound weird, but I prefer them as solo artists.

[dan31]

This is a great performance. I enjoy the cd from time to time. I was considering picking up the recent reissue.

[astrotoy]

wasn't there a video of this?

I think I still have the LaserDisc of the concert, somewhere. Unfortunately, no working Laserdisc player. Larry

[astrotoy]

At the time of the concert Paul was dating Carrie, who would become his second wife, two year later. Although they stayed married only a short time, they continued with their relationship. I had a slightly weird relationship with Carrie's father, the famed crooner, Eddie Fisher. Our familly was very good friends with Eddie's fifth and last wife, Betty Lin. After leaving Debbie, Carrie's mom, for Elizabeth Taylor, he married 3 more times, He married Betty at age 65 in 1993 after he had moved to San Francisco, the first non glamorous movie star or starlet. They were married for 8 years, until Betty's death in 2001, longer than any of his prior four marriages.

Larry

[Stringreen]

Simon and Garfunkel was the very top....I have most of Simon's albums and am a fan, but the original has it for ME.

[Guest]

I love their music - ever since a kid.

Recently purchased 'Bridge Over Troubled Water' as a Sundazed re-issue. Gawd it was terrible, laden with reverb and general muddy. Anyone recommend a decent release of that album?

[MylesBAstor]

Did you ever hear a good Sundazed reissue?

That's the only one I have. Apparently one too many!

A bit more research told me the Classic reissues are Okay. The 45 version is kinda pricey.

[JCOConnell]

does anybody own the 2003 DVD? How does it look and sound in stereo compared to the LP?

[mep]

The Concert in Central Park has a lot of meaning for me. It is a great sounding live LP first of all. Second, this was the LP I was using to help setup my first ET-2 on my SOTA Star Sapphire. It was hard at first for me to get the ET-2/SOTA combo perfectly level and the ET-2 simply won't play correctly if it's not perfectly level. Gus wouldn't get on the damn bus and it was driving me nuts until he finally did.

[Rob]

whats changed about the ET-2 in 2017? I managed to master it but setting one up is like hopping on one foot while rubbing your tummy and balancing a coin on your nose. it will tax the patience of even the most hardened vinylphile. that's one arm I'm glad I owned but will never go back to, ever.

[astrotoy]

I love their music - ever since a kid.

Recently purchased 'Bridge Over Troubled Water' as a Sundazed re-issue. Gawd it was terrible, laden with reverb and general muddy. Anyone recommend a decent release of that album?

I have the Classic 45. I just play the rip I made of it. The first song (title song) has a little extra reverb (compared to the same cut on my Best of S and G CD). After directly comparing them, I actually think the 45 is probably more true to the original - the CD cut sounds a bit threadbare. So the reverb is probably in the original. But the rest of the album sounds very good. It is multimiked and listening carefully to it, I can hear the different spaces of the voices and the instruments, as well as various sound effects. I didn't realize how much processing went on in producing these albums.

Larry