Simon & Garfunkel Old Friends live on Stage [With Bonus DVD] [Box set]

I wasn't sure if this concert could add too much to the epic Concert In Central Park in 1982 but I was wrong. This is release is almost more important in a way, mainly because of the obvious and total reconciliation of these two great artists. They have spent a good chunk of the 30 odd years since their split in 1970 squabbling over artistic differences but here it is really warming to see and hear them acknowledging eachother and the contributions that both of them made towards this sublime back catalogue of songs. In some ways it is almost a soundtrack to an era and though I am too young to remember them first time around I found myself getting pretty emotional throughought this wonderful concert. For sure there is some overlap with the Central Park concert (how could there not be?) but there are also many inspired original choices of material, most notably their only 1970s collaboration "My Little Town" from 1975, a memorable Cathy's Song sung by Garfunkel and an inspired guest spot from The Everly Brothers. When the two brothers team up with Simon and Garfunkel on "Bye Bye Love" you have the Four Kings Of Harmony all together. I wish this tour had come to Hungary but having this DVD makes up for that. And some. Once you get over the fact that these guys are and look 20 years older than they did in 1982, which I did after about 2 minutes, then you are in for a real treat. Few people have written so many moving songs about life's experience than Paul Simon and here they are performed without exception to perfection. It is great to hear Garfunkel introduce "American Tune" by saying he wished he could have got his hands on this song before they split! And similarly when Simon says he thought "Slip Sliding Away" would have made a great S&G sing when he wrote it. Gone is the resentment and any bad feeling about Garfunkel stealing the glory on some of the songs that Simon wrote. Here Simon is most generous to his partner and it makes this DVD a real joy to watch. And then there's the songs of course. "America" is as ever spell binding as is "Mrs Robinson" to name but two, "Scarborough Fair" is breathtaking and I was particularly pleased to see so much material from their seminal swansong album, "Bridge Over Troubled Water" (1970), no less than 8 songs! Makes you wish they had gone the whole hog and done "So Long Frank Lloyd Wright" and "Song For the Asking" as well!! Call me silly but I had never realised that "The Only Living Boy In New York" was written about Garfunkel when he took off to make to Mexico to make his film "Catch 22". It was already a great song, now it is even more special. There are great shots of people in the crowd who obviously knew these songs backwards. As we all do. Make no mistake, this concert is magic, pretty much undiluted. Thank You.

Wao... I just finished listening to this record after coming back home in my train. These songs are just unbelievable, this is actually the first live S&G record I listen to and after hearing all their studio material, they still communicate the words and melodies that they go straight into the soul.

Their older voices make it feel sadder; nostalgic it's just plain great. Everything is so musical in this record, the arrangements on the songs are fantastic, I love how they played around with a song like 'sounds of silence' adding acoustic arrangements making it even slower... it just blew my mind.

S&G... Just keep playing!

This is by far the best Live CD the timeless Simon and Garfunkel have ever released. "Live in Central Park" appeared more like a platform for Simon's solo work and well the others.........

The tracklisting is as the concert was and if info on the web is correct nothing has been omitted. The music goes up and down with mood so slower ones are mixed with heavier, rockier ones. I believe this is how concerts should be.

All the old crowd pleasers are there like Boxer and Bridge etc. Some songs are just very well sung studio versions but others are subtly (and at times overtly) different. This gives a nice feel to them and makes humming along perhaps more interesting.

The real highlights for me are the introduction of the ageless Everly Brothers and a beautiful rendition of "The Only Living Boy in New York".

I hope that the duo continue to play live and perhaps play more venues in the UK. Any past animosity between them seems to have completely gone away. Both sound happy and content to be on stage. Their voices have perhaps aged a little but haven't we all?