In 1981, the reunion that many thought would never happen,
\nactually did. Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel reunited for one night,
\nin front of a large audience in New York’s Central Park, performing
\nmany of their old favorites and some selections from their solo
\ncareers.<\/p>\n
Ah, but reunions, even one-shot deals, are fickle things; one
\ndoesn’t know what the passage of time will do to the music you know
\nand love. In the case of
\nThe Concert In Central Park<\/i>, the two-record set from this
\nshow, much is lost in the translation from studio efforts of over a
\ndecade past to such a large setting.<\/p>\n
Sometimes, the case is a slight shift in the original
\narrangement of a song (“Mrs. Robinson”). Other times, it’s the lack
\nof instrumentation that one remembers on the track (“Bridge Over
\nTroubled Water”). And while I might not have been alive when these
\nsongs were in their prime, I did grow up listening to them, and
\nfound these live versions to pale next to their studio brethren.
\nI’m sorry, but the rich arrangment of “Bridge Over Troubled
\nWaters”, a song that can still bring me to tears, is sorely missed
\nhere.<\/p>\n
Another problem I have with
\nThe Concert In Central Park<\/i> is that it often does not seem
\nlike a true collaborative effort by Simon and Garfunkel, instead
\nturning into the Paul Simon show. No less than eight of the
\nnineteen songs on this set are Simon solo pieces… uh, last time I
\nchecked the spine of the record jacket, it didn’t say Paul Simon
\nonly<\/i>! Garfunkel does get one or two pieces from his solo
\ncareer in there as well – a number that’s a little easier to
\nhandle.<\/p>\n
And the sad fact of the matter is that Simon’s solo pieces, for
\nthe most part, don’t translate well to this particular live band.
\nThe groove of “Late In The Evening” is totally lost, while “Slip
\nSlidin’ Away” lacks some of the fanciful touches that made the song
\na hit.<\/p>\n
As for the actual Simon and Garfunkel material here, it’s not
\nuntil the last portion of the album that the whole concept starts
\nto jell – and by that time, it’s almost time to go home. Sure, some
\nearly numbers like “America” and “Scarborough Fair” capture the
\nmagic as well, but those are few and far between.<\/p>\n
“The Sounds Of Silence,” the final song on the album, is the
\nexample of how this show should have gone. The magic was clearly
\nthere for those few minutes that the song was played – and then
\nwere lost as the house lights went up.<\/p>\n
Truth be told,
\nThe Concert In Central Park<\/i> was not well thought up – and
\nthis is a complaint more about the actual event than the album. Had
\nthe focus of the music become less self-centered (read, less of a
\nPaul Simon show-off… what’s the matter, Paul, couldn’t wait ten
\nyears for your own live show?) and more focused on the music that
\nhelped reshape American folk in the text of rock music, this would
\nhave been a killer album. Think about it: where’s “I Am A Rock”?
\n“El Condor Pasa”?<\/p>\n
Prior to
\nThe Concert In Central Park<\/i>‘s release, there was no official
\nlive release from Simon and Garfunkel. Now, there is no
\ndefinitive<\/i> live release from this duo. One can only hope
\nthat someone will discover a long-lost performance that will blow
\nthis effort away.<\/p>\n
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