Recorded - March 10, 1964 & June 15, 1965.
Released - October 19, 1964
Re-released - September 13, 1965
#1 for weeks of January 1 and 22, 1966.
If this is how we're starting off 1966, then color me excited. Few musical duos are as iconic as the team of Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel.
Originally, the duo started off their career in 1957 as "Tom & Jerry". Their earliest work is very much in an Everly Brothers style. By the 1960's the duo took on more of a Greenwich Village folk sound, with their close harmonies intact, and refined.
What makes Simon and Garfunkel's singing style so unique is that the lower pitched of the two, Garfunkel, usually sang the higher vocal lines while the higher pitched Simon sang the lower lines. This unique blending has helped ensure that literally everything Simon & Garfunkel have put out is very listenable and enjoyable. However, it wouldn't be until late 1965 that the casual pop market were made aware of Simon & Garfunkel, with one of their finest early works - "The Sound Of Silence".
Despite being a #1 hit from the very start of 1966, "Sound Of Silence" actually dates back to late 1963. Paul Simon wrote the song in the wake of John F. Kennedy's assassination, and you can certainly hear this reflected in the lyrics. The song was initially recorded in 1964 for Simon & Garfunkel's all-acoustic debut album, Wednesday Morning, 3. A.M. The only instrumentation is Paul Simon's acoustic guitar. That album remains very enjoyable, although due to its lack of success at the time, the duo parted ways.
In mid 1965, there was magic brewing at Columbia Studios in New York. During recording sessions for Bob Dylan's, Highway 61 Revisited, the session musicians took the original vocal and guitar recording of "Sounds Of Silence" and added electric guitar, bass, and drums. Then, the song was re-released in this format. It was due to the success of this re-release that Simon & Garfunkel got back together, and we got four more classic albums from them.
For many people, this was the first time they got to hear Simon & Garfunkel's unique dual singing style. When you combine their voices with the song's dark and haunting lyrics, it is enough to send chills down one's spine. The only possible negative mark I can give this otherwise perfect masterpiece is that the electric guitar part occasionally gets dissonant, especially on the "Fools Say You Do Not Know" verse. However, because of the song's theme, perhaps this musical dissonance works after all.
As for which version I prefer, I think the unadorned acoustic version leaves the vocals and lyrics more prominently on display. On the other hand, the version with rock instrumentation adds some extra energy into the piece. Since both versions contain the exact same wonderful vocal performance, it really boils down to the two versions being like apples and oranges - equally great in their own way.
Final Verdict - Whether it is the stripped down all-acoustic original version, or the full band version, "The Sound Of Silence" remains one of the finest recordings of 1966, the 1960's, and of all time. It is a haunting masterpiece by one of the finest folk songwriters of the twentieth century. A well-deserved #1 hit.
Coming Up Next - "We Can Work It Out" by The Beatles.
Until Next Time - "I am Dr. Rock, I am an island" -
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