Sounds of Silence (album)
Encyclopedia
Sounds of Silence is the second album by Simon and Garfunkel
, released on January 17, 1966. The album's title is a slight modification of the title of the duo's first major hit, "The Sound of Silence
", which originally was released as "The Sounds of Silence". The song had earlier been released in an acoustic version on the album Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M.
, and later on the soundtrack to the movie The Graduate
. Without the knowledge of Simon and Garfunkel, electric instruments and drums were overdubbed by Bob Dylan
's studio band on June 15, 1965. This new version was released as a single in September 1965, and opens the album.
"Homeward Bound
" was released on the album in the UK. It was also released as part of the box set Simon & Garfunkel Collected Works, on both LP and CD. Many of the songs in the album had been written by Paul Simon while he lived in London
during 1965. "I Am a Rock", "Leaves That Are Green", "April Come She Will", "A Most Peculiar Man", and "Kathy's Song" had appeared on his album The Paul Simon Songbook, released in August of 1965 in England.
Sounds of Silence was recorded in December 1965 at CBS studios in Nashville, Tennessee
, and Los Angeles, California
. The album was produced by Bob Johnston
.
Simon and Garfunkel
Simon & Garfunkel are an American duo consisting of singer-songwriter Paul Simon and singer Art Garfunkel. They formed the group Tom & Jerry in 1957 and had their first success with the minor hit "Hey, Schoolgirl". As Simon & Garfunkel, the duo rose to fame in 1965, largely on the strength of the...
, released on January 17, 1966. The album's title is a slight modification of the title of the duo's first major hit, "The Sound of Silence
The Sound of Silence
"The Sound of Silence" is the song that propelled the 1960s folk music duo Simon & Garfunkel to popularity. It was written in February 1964 by Paul Simon in the aftermath of the 1963 assassination of John F. Kennedy. An initial version preferred by the band was remixed and sweetened, and has become...
", which originally was released as "The Sounds of Silence". The song had earlier been released in an acoustic version on the album Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M.
Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M.
Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M. is the debut album by folk duo Simon & Garfunkel, released October 19, 1964. It was produced by Tom Wilson and engineered by Roy Halee. On its cover sleeve the album bears the subtitle: "Exciting new sounds in the folk tradition".The album was initially unsuccessful,...
, and later on the soundtrack to the movie The Graduate
The Graduate
The Graduate is a 1967 American comedy-drama motion picture directed by Mike Nichols. It is based on the 1963 novel The Graduate by Charles Webb, who wrote it shortly after graduating from Williams College. The screenplay was by Buck Henry, who makes a cameo appearance as a hotel clerk, and Calder...
. Without the knowledge of Simon and Garfunkel, electric instruments and drums were overdubbed by Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
's studio band on June 15, 1965. This new version was released as a single in September 1965, and opens the album.
"Homeward Bound
Homeward Bound (song)
"Homeward Bound" is an American folk song written by Paul Simon, performed by Simon and Garfunkel, produced by Bob Johnston and recorded on December 14, 1965. The song describes his longing to return home, both to his then girlfriend, Kathy Chitty in Brentwood, Essex, England, and to return to the...
" was released on the album in the UK. It was also released as part of the box set Simon & Garfunkel Collected Works, on both LP and CD. Many of the songs in the album had been written by Paul Simon while he lived in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
during 1965. "I Am a Rock", "Leaves That Are Green", "April Come She Will", "A Most Peculiar Man", and "Kathy's Song" had appeared on his album The Paul Simon Songbook, released in August of 1965 in England.
Side one
- "The Sound of SilenceThe Sound of Silence"The Sound of Silence" is the song that propelled the 1960s folk music duo Simon & Garfunkel to popularity. It was written in February 1964 by Paul Simon in the aftermath of the 1963 assassination of John F. Kennedy. An initial version preferred by the band was remixed and sweetened, and has become...
" – 3:08
Recorded: March 10, 1964 & June 15, 1965 - "Leaves That Are Green" – 2:23
Recorded: December 13, 1965 - "Blessed" – 3:16
Recorded: December 21, 1965 - "Kathy's Song" – 3:21
Recorded: December 21, 1965 - "Somewhere They Can't Find Me" – 2:37
Recorded: April 5, 1965 - "Anji" (Davey GrahamDavey GrahamDavid Michael Gordon "Davey" Graham, originally spelled Davy Graham, , was a British guitarist and one of the most influential figures in the 1960s British folk revival...
) – 2:17
Recorded: December 13, 1965
Side two
- "Richard Cory" – 2:57
Recorded: December 14, 1965 - "A Most Peculiar Man" – 2:34
Recorded: December 22, 1965 - "April Come She Will" – 1:51
Recorded: December 21, 1965 - "We've Got a Groovy Thing Goin'" – 2:00
Recorded: April 5, 1965 - "I Am a RockI Am a Rock"I Am a Rock" is a song written by Paul Simon. It was first performed by Simon alone as the opening track on his album The Paul Simon Songbook which he originally recorded and released in August 1965, only in the United Kingdom...
" – 2:50
Recorded: December 14, 1965
Bonus tracks (2001 CD reissue)
- "Blues Run The Game" (Jackson C. FrankJackson C. FrankJackson Carey Frank was an American folk musician.-Early life:When Jackson Frank was 11, a furnace exploded at his school, sending a ball of flames down corridors until it ended up in Frank's music classroom in the Cleveland Hill Elementary School in Cheektowaga, New York...
) – 2:55
Recorded: December 21, 1965
- "Barbriallen" (Traditional) – 4:06
Recorded: July 8, 1970
- "Rose of Aberdeen" (Traditional) – 2:02
Recorded: July 8, 1970
- "Roving Gambler" (Traditional) – 3:03
Recorded: July 8, 1970
Charts
| Chart (1966) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Album Charts | 13 |
| US Album Charts Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
21 |
Personnel
- Paul SimonPaul SimonPaul Frederic Simon is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist.Simon is best known for his success, beginning in 1965, as part of the duo Simon & Garfunkel, with musical partner Art Garfunkel. Simon wrote most of the pair's songs, including three that reached number one on the US singles...
: lead vocals, guitar - Art GarfunkelArt GarfunkelArthur Ira "Art" Garfunkel is an American singer-songwriter, poet, and actor, best known as being a member of the folk duo Simon & Garfunkel...
: lead vocals - Fred Carter, Jr.Fred Carter, Jr.Fred Carter, Jr. was an American guitarist, singer, producer and composer.- Early career :Carter was raised in the delta country in Winnsboro, the seat of Franklin Parish in northeastern Louisiana. Carter grew up with the heavy musical influences of jazz, country & western, hymns, and blues...
: guitar - Larry KnechtelLarry KnechtelLawrence William "Larry" Knechtel was an American keyboard player and bassist, best known for his work as a session musician with such artists as Simon & Garfunkel, Duane Eddy, The Beach Boys, The Mamas & the Papas, The Partridge Family, The Doors, and Elvis Presley, and as a member of the 1970s...
: keyboards - Glen CampbellGlen CampbellGlen Travis Campbell is an American country music singer, guitarist, television host and occasional actor. He is best known for a series of hits in the 1960s and 1970s, as well as for hosting a variety show called The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour on CBS television.During his 50 years in show...
: guitar - Hal BlaineHal BlaineHal Blaine is an American drummer and session musician. He is most known for his work with the Wrecking Crew in California. Blaine played on numerous hits by popular groups, including Elvis Presley, John Denver, the Ronettes, Simon & Garfunkel, the Carpenters, the Beach Boys, Nancy Sinatra, and...
: drums
Sounds of Silence was recorded in December 1965 at CBS studios in Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, and Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. The album was produced by Bob Johnston
Bob Johnston
Donald William Robert 'Bob' Johnston is a noted American record producer, best known for his work with Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, Leonard Cohen, Willie Nelson and many Nashville recording artists, as well as Simon and Garfunkel.-Early days:Johnston was born into a professional musical family...
.
Further reading
- Charlesworth, ChrisChris CharlesworthChris Charlesworth is a British-based music journalist and author; and managing editor of Omnibus Press. He is particularly noted for his work about, and with, The Who, for whom he has worked as an executive producer....
, The Complete Guide to the Music of Paul Simon and Simon & Garfunkel, Omnibus Press 1996 - Maclauchlan, Paul, "Paul Simon Discography 1955 to 1999 : Simon & Garfunkel - 1964 to 1971"
- Williams, PaulPaul Williams (Crawdaddy! creator)Paul Williams is an American music journalist and writer. Williams created the first national US magazine of rock music criticism :Crawdaddy! in January 1966 on the campus of Swarthmore College with the help of some of his fellow science fiction fans...
, "Sounds of Silence: Simon & Garfunkel", Crawdaddy!Crawdaddy!Crawdaddy! was the first U.S. magazine of rock and roll music criticism. Created in 1966 by college student Paul Williams in response to the increasing sophistication and cultural influence of popular music, Crawdaddy! was self-described as "the first magazine to take rock and roll...
magazine, first issue, January 30, 1966; reprinted in The Crawdaddy! book : writings (and images) from the magazine of rock, by Paul Williams, Milwaukee, WI : Hal Leonard Corp., 2002.