Paul simon greatest hits album professional#

Following another release, Sounds of Silence (1965), the duo recorded and released Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme (1966), which brought new critical and commercial success to the duo. Simon & Garfunkel first became prominent on American radio in 1965 with their record ' The Sound of Silence', which became a hit during a period in which the duo had broken up due to the failure of their debut release, Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M. The album has continued to receive critical acclaim and is often debated by critics as to whether it or Bridge Over Troubled Water is Simon & Garfunkel's best album. Bookends was considered a breakthrough for the duo, placing them on the same level as artists such as Aretha Franklin, The Beatles, Bob Dylan, and The Rolling Stones at the forefront of the countercultural movement in the 1960s. The album sold well in the US and in the United Kingdom, where it peaked at number one. Initial sales for Bookends were substantial in the US, and the album produced the number-one single ' Mrs. The album was recorded gradually over the period of a year, with production speeding up around the later months of 1967.

Much of the material was crafted alongside producer John Simon (no relation), who joined the recording when Paul Simon suffered from writer's block. Simon's lyrics concern youth, disillusionment, relationships, old age, and mortality. Side two largely consists of previously-released singles and of unused material for The Graduate soundtrack. Side one of the album marks successive stages in life, the theme serving as bookends to the life cycle. The duo had risen to fame two years prior with the albums Sounds of Silence and Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme and the soundtrack album for the 1967 film The Graduate.īookends is a concept album that explores a life journey from childhood to old age. Produced by Paul Simon, Art Garfunkel and Roy Halee, the album was released on April 3, 1968, in the United States by Columbia Records. Retrieved March 1, 2021.Bookends is the fourth studio album by American folk rock duo Simon & Garfunkel.

^ 'British album certifications – Paul Simon – The Ultimate Collection'.

^ 'End of Year Album Chart Top 100 - 2015'.

^ 'Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100'.

^ 'Charts.nz – Paul Simon – The Ultimate Collection'.

^ ' – Paul Simon – The Ultimate Collection'.

^ 'iTunes – Music – The Ultimate Collection by Paul Simon'.

'Official Charts Analysis: Paul Simon scores 6th No.1 with 15,487 sales'.

^ 'The Ultimate Collection by Paul Simon'.

However, the album's sales were the lowest for a UK number-one album since Rihanna's album Talk That Talk returned to number one in August 2012 on sales of 9,578. It also made Simon, at 73 years, six months and seven days old, the second oldest male soloist ever to have a number one album, trailing only Bob Dylan who was two months and nine days older when his album, Shadows in the Night, topped the chart two months earlier. The Ultimate Collection debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart on Apafter selling 15,487 copies in its first week, marking Simon's sixth UK chart-topper and his first for 25 years. While it would be nice to see some representation of Simon's excellent solo releases of the late '90s and early 21st century, it's tough to argue with the selections offered here.' Chart performance

Displaying his range equally as a singer ('Still Crazy After All These Years') and a songwriter (the Art Garfunkel-led masterpiece 'Bridge Over Troubled Water'), it's difficult to choose highlights, as almost all of these songs are career highlights and many are widely recognized as iconic classics of pop music. Ranging from the duo's early-'60s breakthrough folk hit 'The Sound of Silence' to Simon's 1990 percussive, Latin-flavored single 'The Obvious Child,' this set is focused largely on the more titanic tracks of his career. Timothy Monger gave the album a 4/5 review and said: 'Though billed as a Paul Simon anthology, Sony's 19-song Ultimate Collection features nearly as much Simon & Garfunkel material as it does his solo work.

Paul simon greatest hits album professional#

The album debuted at number one the UK Albums Chart and the Scottish Albums Chart, giving Simon his first UK chart topper since 1990.Ĭritical reception Professional ratings Review scores It is the first album to include a selection of Simon & Garfunkel's best-known songs as well as the biggest hits of Simon's own solo career. The Ultimate Collection is a greatest hits album by American folk singer Paul Simon.