Details

A Timeless Reflection on America and Ourselves: Simon & Garfunkels SearchingBookendsAsks Big Questions, Includes Mrs. Robinson and A Hazy Shade of Winter

Mastered on MoFis Renowned System at the Labels California Studio: Mobile Fidelitys Numbered-Edition Hybrid SACD Magnifies the Brilliance of the Original Sessions

Concept album, career-making moment, industry-defying creation, years-long pursuit of perfection: Simon and GarfunkelsBookendsadheres to all those descriptions and more, the record at once a defining statement of the late 1960s and salient reflection on relationships, identity, society, and mortality whose enduring relevance attests to its exceptional merit. Ranked by countless sources as one of the greatest records of all time, the 1968 work transcends styles, trends, and generations.

Mastered on MoFis renowned system at the labels California studio and housed in mini-LP-style packaging, Mobile Fidelitys numbered-edition hybrid SACD ofBookendspresents the duos timeless effort in reference-quality sound. Playing with superb clarity, definition, and purity, this collectible reissue magnifies the brilliance of the extended production sessions that took place over the course of 18 months at Columbias iconic 52nd Street Studio.

Simon himself said thatBookendspossesses the most use of the studio of any Simon & Garfunkel effort. The plain truth of his observation comes to fore on this audiophile SACD. The full bloom and natural decay of notes; weight and impact of low-end frequencies; lushness, breathiness, and air of the omnipresent harmonies; separation and imaging of the wood, string, and brass instruments; timbres and in-the-room realism of Simons lead vocals these critical traits and more are rendered with elevated accuracy, detail, and presence.

And thats exactly what Simon, Garfunkel, and producer Roy Halee intended while taking as many as 50 hours to nail a single track. Envisioned from the start by Simon as a way to capture the ages zeitgeist, and inspired by the broad strokes of the BeatlesSgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Bandand Bob DylansBlonde on Blonde,Bookendspairs its sonic flair and diverse arrangements that incorporate folk, rock, jazz, pop, and baroque elements with arresting lyrics that address restlessness, uncertainty, alienation, love, and heritage.

The first half ofBookendstraces the cycle of life from beginning to end, with the final words to Bookends Theme a call to preserve your memories/theyre all thats left you echoing as the overarching and recurring theme of the album. Before the pair lands on that advice, Simon & Garfunkel use irony (Save the Life of My Child), metaphor (America), suggestion (Overs), field recordings (Voices of Old People), and descriptive imagery (Old Friends) to cover everything from the loss of innocence to institutional hypocrisy and fears of loneliness.

Released amid a tumultuous political and cultural climate,Bookendsretains enormous significance and relevance more than five decades later in a 21st century facing many of the same issues. Its central motifs searching for meaning and identity; dealing with loss and disappointment; negotiating the split between authenticity and ersatz; reconciling with what one sacrifices over a lifetime; confronting life stages that involve sadness, bewilderment, and disappointment are universal concerns. And the America Simon & Garfunkel pursues remains more elusive than ever.

As does our collective want for a lasting hero (Mrs. Robinson), tendency toward affectation (Fakin It), and inclination to wishfully insert ourselves into circumstances rooted in whimsical fantasy (Punkys Dilemma), particularly when we need an escape. Though the songs on the albums second half were not devised as part of a unified narrative, they speak a related language steeped in disillusionment, anxiety, and doubt. None more so than on the grayscale A Hazy Shade of Winter.

"Simply pretend, Simon sings, that you can build [hopes] again, knowing full well hes not even fooling himself. Like few albums before or since,Bookends exposes the human condition from the inside-out amid an environment that isnt what it often appears or what we originally sought.