The original Simon and Garfunkel albums.

[Kim Olesen]

Any of their original releases that should be "avoided"? I have Bridge Over Troubled Water but nothing else.

[Vic2012]

Can't tell you what to avoid but I'd recommend evrything from their first album up to "Bridge...." At one time or another I've had all those albums on vinyl or cassette. I haven't gotten around to getting any of the albums on CD. I don't think I'll be buying all those albums again, even though I've seen them in bargain bins for a few bucks each. I'd like to just get a good compilation album.

[philsunset]

There's nothing to "avoid". It's all good and a lot is great.

[PeterG]

every S&G lp is gold!

[happytheman]

Yeah.. as far as I'm concerned.. they had the best run of anybody.. every album was great..

[JJ88]

It's academic really, given there have been several packages containing every album they ever did at a budget price. They weren't around long enough to make anything bad, really!

Failing that try the 3-cd 'Old Friends'. The latter has a live version of 'Red Rubber Ball' on it, a Paul Simon song that The Cyrkle had a big hit with but Simon and Garfunkel didn't do in the studio.

[rcarlberg]

I find most of their very first album, Wednesday Morning, 3 a.m. (1964), to be pretty straight-forward folk without much of the charm that came into their work with Sounds of Silence (1966). But as JJ said, it's academic because you can buy their entire output any number of ways including a couple of very good exhaustive boxed sets which include their even-earlier "Tom & Jerry" singles.

Later stuff after Bridge, the live album is fabulous. Most of their solo work is fabulous. I went through a period of buying everything Artie has recorded, and found much pleasure there. His 2002 album with Maia Sharp & Buddy Mondlock, Everything Wants To Be Noticed, while NOTHING like S&G, is pretty fucking awesome on its own. Paul of course is one of the world's greatest song writers. Hearts and Bones, man, hearts and bones.

[Kim Olesen]

Thank you folks :-)

[Baribrotzer]

The latter has a live version of 'Red Rubber Ball' on it, a Paul Simon song that The Cyrkle had a big hit with but Simon and Garfunkel didn't do in the studio.

I'll be! I never knew that. And now, running through the song in my head, it does sound like an early Paul Simon tune.

[Progatron]

I love it all, personally. Best choice would just be The Collection boxed set. As for Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M., it will always be one of my favourites despite being less polished than later stuff. "Benedictus", "Sparrow", "Bleecker Street"... lovely tunes.