71. Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme

Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme
Simon and Garfunkel
1966

Tracks
1. Scarborough Fair/Canticle
2. Patterns
3. Cloudy
4. Homeward Bound
5. Big Bright Green Pleasure Machine
6. 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)
7. Dangling Conversation
8. Flowers Never Bend With The Rainfall
9. Simple Desultory Philippic (Or How I Was Robert MacNamara'd Into Submission)
10. For Emily Whenever I May Find Her
11. Poem On The Underground Wall
12. 7 O'clock News/Silent Night

Amanda: The only experience I have had with Simon and Garfunkel was from the movie The Graduate.  If you haven't seen that (do those people exist?), S and G's song Mrs. Robinson played whenever Dustin was driving his car.  You should really check out that song, it is fantastic.

I should move on to the album at hand.  This album is really beautiful.  I know that is a weird word to use to describe music, but it really describes this album perfectly.  This is another collection that is protesting (surprise) the Vietnam War, but it is done so subtly, that it is not in the least bit obnoxious.  Track 12 is really the most touching song on the album but the all of the tracks have something special about them.  So listen to it!

RATING:

Brie: Wow, where to begin? The first song, "Scarborough Fair/Canticle" was haunting on many different levels. It also mirrors the style of Brian Wilson in some ways. "Patterns" follows the sixties pop album tradition of including Middle Eastern influence. "Patterns" also has beautiful, yet very bleak, desolate lyrics. "Cloudy" was just delightful. Here's a line from the song: "my thoughts are scattered and they're cloudy/they have no borders, no boundaries." Ahhh.... *sighs contently* "Homeward Bound" is the perfect on-the-road tune. Kerouac, anyone? The album picks up a bit with "The Big Bright Green Pleasure Machine". And "The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)" might just be the most mellow song ever composed.

This album puts the Mamas and The Papas to shame, even I must admit. :) And... you knew this was coming... does "Simple Desultory Phillipic" make fun of Bob Dylan? Who do they think they are? This is sickening. I'm shaking my head in disgust. Their harmonica playing is in such poor taste. Bob Dylan has more songwriting ability in one fingernail than Simon & Garfunkel had put together. Also, Simon calls Dylan "unhip"... I beg to differ. Bob Dylan was/is the definition of hip. The song also references a lot of people, reminding me of Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start The Fire". Which is good; I really like Billy Joel.

Simon & Garfunkel do a beautiful rendition of "Silent Night" as a newscast is read in the background and gets progressively louder. The Civil Rights bill, the death of Lenny Bruce, Dr. Martin Luther King's Civil Rights march in Illinois, the indictment of Richard Speck, anti-Vietnam protests and the House Un-American Activities Committee are all mentioned in the news report. It was very moving, the way the song was produced.

RATING: