Simon and Garfunkel's Greatest Hits explained

Simon and Garfunkel's Greatest Hits
Type:greatest
Artist:Simon & Garfunkel
Cover:Sggreatesthits.jpg
Recorded:March 1964–November 1969
Genre:Folk rock
Label:Columbia
Prev Title:Bridge over Troubled Water
Prev Year:1970
Next Title:Collected Works
Next Year:1981

Simon and Garfunkel's Greatest Hits is the first compilation album from Simon & Garfunkel, which was released on June 14, 1972, two years after Simon & Garfunkel had parted ways.[1]

The album is currently available on CD under Legacy's Playlist banner.

Overview

The album was a mix of original studio recordings and four previously unreleased live recordings. The album's minimalist packaging does not specifically date the latter; however, the live versions of "For Emily, Whenever I May Find Her" and "Kathy's Song" included on Greatest Hits were also included on the 2008 album Live 1969. The liner notes to Live 1969 state that these two songs were both recorded at a November 1969 concert in St. Louis, Missouri. According to the liner notes from Collected Works, however, the version of "Kathy's Song" was taken from a 1968 concert in Vermont.

In a 1975 BBC Radio 1 interview, Roy Halee identified this version of "The 59th Street Bridge Song" as being from Simon & Garfunkel's 1970 performance at Carnegie Hall, "the last concert they did together" (prior to their disbanding later in 1970). A live version of "Homeward Bound" was also included on the album.

The remaining ten studio songs comprise nine singles released between 1965 and 1972, "America" being issued as a single several years after its appearance as a track on the Bookends album, and one album track, "Bookends" (without its parent song "Old Friends").

All the singles included, except "America," "El Condor Pasa (If I Could)," and "Scarborough Fair/Canticle" made the Top Ten, with the last peaking at No. 11. "Mrs. Robinson" topped the chart aided by its appearance in Mike Nichols' hit movie The Graduate. "The Sound of Silence" and "Bridge over Troubled Water" also peaked at No. 1 as singles in their studio versions, and "The Boxer" peaked as a single at No. 7.

Reception

Simon and Garfunkel's Greatest Hits peaked on the U.S. albums chart at No. 5. On the UK Album Chart, it was a No. 2 hit. The album has proven a long and durable seller, currently being certified for 14 million units sold in the U.S. alone. It is easily their best-selling album in the U.S., and holds the record in the U.S. for the best-selling album by a duo.

In 2003, the album was ranked No. 293 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

Track listing

All songs composed by Paul Simon unless otherwise noted.

Side one

  1. "Mrs. Robinson" (some pressings use the single mix with an early fade-out at 3:51; later pressings revert to the Bookends album version at 4:02) – 3:51 or 4:02
  2. "For Emily, Whenever I May Find Her" (Live) – 2:25
  3. "The Boxer" – 5:11
  4. "The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)" (Live with applause cross-fade into the studio version of "The Sound of Silence") – 1:50
  5. "The Sound of Silence" (Acoustic version with electric overdubs) – 3:11
  6. "I Am a Rock" – 2:53
  7. "Scarborough Fair/Canticle" (Traditional; arranged by Simon, Art Garfunkel) – 3:09

Side two

  2. "Homeward Bound" (Live with applause cross-fade into the studio version of "Bridge over Troubled Water") – 2:42
  3. "Bridge over Troubled Water" – 4:53
  4. "America" – 3:33
  5. "Kathy's Song" (Live) – 3:23
  6. "El Condor Pasa (If I Could)" (Daniel Alomía Robles; English lyrics by Simon, arranged by Jorge Milchberg) – 3:08
  7. "Bookends" (same track as "Bookends Theme" from the Bookends LP; although cross-faded from "Old Friends" on Bookends, on this album it is a stand-alone track) – 1:21
  8. "Cecilia" (some pressings use the single mix from 1970; reissues use a hybrid of the single and the album version from Bridge over Troubled Water) – 2:53

Charts

Peak positions

ChartPosition
Australian Kent Music Report[2] 10
Belgian Albums Chart (Flanders)[3] 5
Canadian RPM Albums Chart[4] 2
Dutch Albums Chart[5] 1
German Media Control Albums Chart[6] 6
Japanese Oricon Albums Chart[7] 3
New Zealand Albums Chart[8] 12
Norwegian Albums Chart[9] 7
Spanish Albums Chart[10] 2
Swedish Kvällstoppen Chart[11] 2
UK Albums Chart[12] 2
US Billboard 200[13] 5

Year-end charts

Chart (1972)Position
Dutch Albums Chart[14] 3
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[15] 3
UK Albums Chart[16] 3
US Top Pop Albums72
Chart (1977)Position
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[17] 13
Chart (1978)Position
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[18] 29
Chart (1979)Position
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[19] 16
Chart (1980)Position
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[20] 48

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Art Garfunkel Official Website - 1970-1974 Chronology. May 12, 2022. May 24, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220524020727/https://www.artgarfunkel.com/chrono/1970-1974.html. dead.
  2. Book: Kent, David. Australian Chart Book 1970 - 1992. David Kent (historian). Australian Chart Book. St Ives, NSW. 1993. 0-646-11917-6.
  3. Web site: ultratop.be Simon & Garfunkel - Greatest Hits. https://web.archive.org/web/20121106202216/http://www.ultratop.be/nl/showitem.asp?interpret=Simon+%26+Garfunkel&titel=Simon+%26+Garfunkel%27s+Greatest+Hits&cat=a. dead. November 6, 2012. nl. Hung Medien. ASP. Ultratop. 2014-01-10.
  4. Top Albums/CDs - Volume 18, No. 4, September 09 1972. RPM. 2014-01-10.
  5. Web site: dutchcharts.nl Simon & Garfunkel - Greatest Hits. MegaCharts. Hung Medien. ASP. 2014-01-10.
  6. Web site: Album Search: Simon & Garfunkel - Greatest Hits. de. Media Control. 2014-01-10.
  7. Book: Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970-2005. Oricon Entertainment. Roppongi, Tokyo. 2006. 4-87131-077-9.
  8. Web site: charts.nz Simon & Garfunkel - Greatest Hits. Hung Medien. Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. ASP. 2014-01-10.
  9. Web site: norwegiancharts.com Simon & Garfunkel - Greatest Hits. ASP. 2014-01-10.
  10. Book: Salaverri, Fernando. Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002. 1st . September 2005. Fundación Autor-SGAE. Spain. 84-8048-639-2.
  11. Web site: Swedish Charts 1969–1972 / Kvällstoppen – Listresultaten vecka för vecka > Augusti 1972 > 15 Augusti. https://web.archive.org/web/20110523160601/http://www.hitsallertijden.nl/charts/swedish%20charts/SwedishCharts%200969-0872.pdf . 2011-05-23 . live. sv. hitsallertijden.nl. 2014-04-29. Note: Kvällstoppen combined sales for albums and singles in the one chart. Greatest Hits peaked at the number-four on the hit parade, next to two singles - "Sister Jane" by New World and "Beautiful Sunday" by Daniel Boone.
  12. Web site: Simon & Garfunkel > Artists > Official Charts. UK Albums Chart. 2014-01-10.
  13. Web site: Billboard (((Simon and Garfunkel's Greatest Hits > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums))). billboard.com. 2023-11-26.
  14. Web site: Dutch charts jaaroverzichten 1972. ASP. nl. April 1, 2014.
  15. Web site: Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts. 1976. GfK Entertainment Charts. de. 2 April 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20211103025932/https://www.offiziellecharts.de/charts/album-jahr/for-date-1976. 3 November 2021.
  16. Web site: https://web.archive.org/web/20071217020437/http://www.theofficialcharts.com/album_chart_history_1972.php . The Official UK Charts Company : ALBUM CHART HISTORY. 2007-12-17 . 2014-04-19. 2007-12-17.
  17. Web site: Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts. 1977. GfK Entertainment Charts. de. 2 April 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20211024095103/https://www.offiziellecharts.de/charts/album-jahr/for-date-1977. 24 October 2021.
  18. Web site: Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts. 1978. GfK Entertainment Charts. de. 2 April 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20211023100248/https://www.offiziellecharts.de/charts/album-jahr/for-date-1978. 23 October 2021.
  19. Web site: Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts. 1979. GfK Entertainment Charts. de. 2 April 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20211108121805/https://www.offiziellecharts.de/charts/album-jahr/for-date-1979. 8 November 2021.
  20. Web site: Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts. 1980. GfK Entertainment Charts. de. 3 April 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20211021191905/https://www.offiziellecharts.de/charts/album-jahr/for-date-1980. 21 October 2021.

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