1967 was a lax year for Simon & Garfunkel - the duo were primarily touring around, and no new album was released. The latter fact worried Columbia Records to no end (keep in mind this was a time before artists could take multi-year long breaks in between releases), so they often asked Paul Simon when new material was coming. Simon wasn't one to put up with suits, especially during a period of writer's block - on one occasion, Columbia chairman Clive Davis called the duo into his office for a "fatherly talk" on speeding up album production. Little did he know, both Simon & Art Garfunkel brought tape recorders in with them to record the conversation, so that they could laugh at it later. Eventually, though, a new record would materialize, with the duo growing ever more perfectionistic in their works - "Punky's Dilemma" took over 50 hours to complete - sometimes re-recording parts note by note for the perfect sound. The resulting album Bookends may not be the group's best crop of songs, but it is their best album. A beautiful artistic statement, and a moving reflection on age, youth, and the passage of time.
While the themes of youth and age permeate the album from start to finish, it can really be split into two very different halves - for brevity sake, I'll cover the shorter second half first. Side B is largely made up of 1967 singles and leftovers from The Graduate soundtrack - for as cast-off as this may sound, it plays like the second half of Magical Mystery Tour in some sense, but still with more coherence. The wacky and lighthearted "Punky's Dilemma" and it's relative "At the Zoo" are some of the duo's most upbeat numbers, filled with humor and a strangely cute vibe that is often absent in their music. The former had existed for a while, even being played at Monterey Pop with much laughter from both the audience and the duo, but the studio version is an example of the brilliant production - the song is crisp, lush, and plays like a snappy lounge tune, far more invigorating than anything on The Graduate. The August '67 single "Fakin' It" proves to be a galvanizing side-opener, complete with a smooth rhythm and an infectious hook and affirmation - "I know I'm fakin' it!" The penultimate "A Hazy Shade of Winter" is a driving rock song, and a thoughtful insight on lack of success and the continuing passage of one's time. Of course, the mega-hit "Mrs. Robinson" is iconic, upbeat, and yet sad and mournful - in ways, it feels like a funeral for an America now passed, complete with the image of a nation turning it's lonely eyes to Joltin' Joe whose left and gone away.
That leaves the first half of the record, a true blue concept album on the passage of time, aging, and the emerging culture-clash between young and old. The haunting "Save the Life of My Child" paints this image well enough, showing the imminent suicide of a young child in a dark, distorted painting of the mother and child relationship - the duo even sample "The Sound of Silence" on the track, sounding as though it's echoing from a tunnel. This is only the beginning of the first half, which I consider to be one of Paul Simon's great artistic triumphs. The following pieces of "America" and "Overs" paint the blossoming and end of love. The former track is an uplifting, beautiful song about young lovers traveling the country, looking for their own vision and dream of America - it's big, powerful, and amongst one of Paul Simon's greatest tunes. It brilliantly contrasts with "Overs," an acceptance that their love is no more - "the game is over." Brilliant guitar work meshes with Art Garfunkel's haunting and beautiful tenor that reaffirms the album's themes - "time is tapping on my forehead." The concluding pair of "Old Friends" and a reprise of the "Bookends Theme" is, in my eyes, Paul Simon's greatest accomplishment - his masterpiece, a timeless and perpetually resonant number that can last indefinitely. Two old people, sat on a bench, contemplating the end of their life - the orchestra swells, the mood somber, the lyrics plain and simple; how terribly strange to be seventy. As the two share the same fear, the album's ethos is finally revealed in its theme, equally shattering and beautiful - preserve your memories. They're all that's left you. It's a powerful conclusion, every bit as meaningful and poignant as when I first heard it.
Bookends is an album that has only grown more resonant and meaningful to me with time. The continuing passage of time and aging is something that can hold true to everyone, and now the album's themes of uncertainly, the loss of innocence, and the end of love feel even more personal. Many points on this album make me cry, in part because Paul Simon has always been able to so brilliantly capture the human condition, and he's hardly done it better than on Bookends - it's a moving, heartbreaking body of work that has stuck with me like no other, resonating on and rattling my teacups. It's a masterpiece.
RATING: ✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯
Listen to Bookends.
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