Simon & Garfunkel / The Complete Albums Collection box set

While it is an “album collection” it’s a shame that there are no bonus tracks.

They could have compiled the bonus tracks from the earlier CD releases and the “Old Friends” box set, newly remastered, possibly with more extras.

They could have restored “Concert In Central Park” to include “The Late Great Johnny Ace” and the final reprise of “Late in the Evening” (even if it took 2 CDs).

They could have restored “Old Friends: Live On Stage” to include “Keep The Customer Satisfied” and “The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin’ Groovy)” (again, even if it took 2 CDs). Maybe even the two other Everly Brothers songs if legalities permitted.

But no. That would make it more than just an “album collection”.

Just to let everyone know that HMV Bond Street London have this S&G Complete Albums Collection boxset for £10.99. They had 2 copies left today when I looked.

The big benefit to this box is that the first three albums are presented in their original mixes, and the quality is very, very good. The original CDs were not so good, and the remixes from ’97/’01 were an improvement. The masters for the first three were evidently lost, so they decided to remix instead of using whatever tape copy they used for the original CDs.

I am a big S&G fan and this is the best I’ve heard these albums sound. I don’t believe the original mix of Wednesday Morning, 3AM has ever appeared on CD — it is quite a bit better than the remix IMO.

Yes, Audio Fidelity did issue Sounds of Silence (allegedly from the masters), but I find it to have a honky midrange and unpleasant tonality. Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme from AF is demonstrably from the same digital master as one of the Columbia CDs from the ’80s, and the sound is mediocre at best. Now I finally have a good clean version of this album from the masters! I guess they found them somewhere.

Personally you can count me in for any Berkowitz-produced reissue. That guy knows what he’s doing. IIRC, he is also the one who slipped in the mono “Fakin’ It” on the 1999 Best Of compilation. Unfortunately I find that mono mix a bit lacking, but I’m sure he will get a mono box produced if it is humanly possible to do so. He obviously has a passion for quality, historically-accurate reissues.

gee no Bonus Tracks ?? crappy mini sleeves unlike ones in Japanese Box
no need to buy this ,get HD Tracks instead

Your listing for the Simon and Garfunkel is incorrect. The Concert in Central Park is only one disc while the disc Old Friends is a double.

I think Mr Milner and Sinclair have missed the proverbial point…consumers dont mind buying the same music product if there are additional extras/benefits to those products, and to be fair, I would love to hear the remastered quality of these despite already owning these albums several times over. What consumers DO object to (and I think vitriole is a little strong…and as for Maths lessons anaologies…) is shelling out lots of money for what is seemingly (and I emphasize the word seemingly….as improved sound quality from the amazing Mr Anesini is a worthy ‘addition’ in the absence of ‘new extras’ or noteworthy additional content) the same product they bought several years earlier.

HURRY. Currently on Amazon UK at £41.66 – was £60.99.

The tragedy of this boxset for me is the record company’s lost opportunity for not releasing it on nice new 180g vinyl. I’ve always wanted to ‘discover’ Simon & Garfunkel & I know I can any old day, but I’d rather do it through a lovely big remastered vinyl boxset of their whole catalogue.

I too will pass on this box, as I too picked up ‘The Collection’ box for £8 a few years ago, just to get the debut album and central park dvd as I already owned the other 2001 remasters.

If this box was sensibly priced, I would pick it up for the new remasters but at the current price it’s a blatant rip off.

This might please some, but I will pass on this box set. All I want is for these discs to be released as SACDs, preferably with surround sound if possible. To me that would be something very different and well worth buying. Am not sure who is running the major record companies now, but it’s clear it people who are not in touch with what many of us want, they think we must be stupid to keep recycling the same old stuff in the same old way. Surround sound releases are new in my book and worth buying.

I’m with Greg Sinclair on this. Not sure why there is such vitriol levelled at the big labels. They’re businesses after all and, correct me if i’m wrong, they are there to make money. They own the copyright for recordings and naturally want to exploit these at every available opportunity. Why not? If they deem that there is a market for Best Ofs, reissues, remasters, box sets, deluxe editions, etc. etc. then they will fulfil this market by releasing whatever they feel is right. There seems to be this ideology amongst many people that a bunch of people are sitting round a big table discussing how to rip of the general public a little more.
I know it’s a cliche but you know what? Nobody is forcing you to buy ANY product. If you are happy with what you have then great, you’re catered for. Shut up and enjoy it. On the other hand, if you’re of the opinion that there may be some improvements to be had in an updated product then you are the person to whom the labels want to sell to. You are not gullible, you are just enthusiastic. I am interested in the S&G box purely to see if they have improved on the already excellent 2001 remasters. Having heard the sound quality on the recent Paul Simon ‘Over The Bridge Of Time’ compilation then I can safely say that this may well be the case.
Damned if they do, damned if they don’t. Why don’t you level some of your anger at the appalling state of modern music (I use the term music in the loosest sense of the term) instead of bleating on about how you feel so cheated by constant repackaging that you don’t have to buy.
The labels have been doing a pretty decent job as far as I can see. Sure, some of the super deludes are ridiculously priced but in most cases the labels offer alternative cheaper versions in a variety of formats that cater for all those except the most awkward of people who cannot be pleased whatever is put in front of them. The upcoming Tears For Fears reissue is an example of how record labels are upping the game and I hope they all continue to exploit the catalogues they own.
Thank goodness for guys like Steve Hammonds at Universal, Nigel Reeve at Parlophone and Steve Berowitz at Sony Legacy, just a few of the ‘enthusiasts’ who are keeping the flame of real music burning.

Always a bit surprised at the vitriol leveled at record labels for doing what one would expect is the purpose of record labels. The marriage of art and commerce has always been shown to make strange bedfellows, but I’d think everyone would be used to the concept by now. Certainly the idea that we don’t all come to the party at the same time should make sense to most. Being upset that a label is selling the same stuff over again, is not unlike questioning why they still continue to teach math in school. After all, you graduated 15 years ago! It must be all about greedy teachers.
In my music room, I look at a couple of walls full of music…all released by record labels. Is everything about it perfect? Nope, not by a long shot. Do I expect it to be? Not by an even longer shot! BUT…there is not a big ugly business on the planet that has enriched my life more than the record business. Don’t get me wrong, I can be as cynical as the next guy, but when trying to figure out if the glass is half full or half empty, more and more I am opting for neither, the glass is simply too big.

To be uncharacteristically even-handed to the record companies (especially the smaller, independent ones, if there are any left) Person A might moan about yet another compilation, but at the same time Person B might have only just discovered Band 123 and doesn’t have those recordings yet. So a certain album is their first opportunity to buy the music. You’re not obliged to buy any of it.

Mind you, I’d always suggest finding out the original albums, rather than get ‘Greatest Hits’ albums, compilations or whatever.

The only 2 S&G rarities I crave is the rare 1963 single Carlos Dominguez (so not S&G) and the single version of Fakin’ It from 1967.
This new box is of no interest except to remind me to pick up the 1969 live album which is the only album in the set that I don’t have.

It’s ridiculous that they haven’t put out a mono mix box set, but I don’t think you can blame Sony. Apparently, it’s Paul Simon who doesn’t want any of the mono mixes reissued on CD. And I guess we can pretty much forget ever getting an official release of Cuba Si, Nixon No, or other outtakes and unreleased demos.

By the way, I’d be genuinely suprised if the CDs in this box set don’t use any of the remixes created for the last reissue campaign.

I bought BOTW a few years back and that came with a dvd of the making of the album and the 1967 live concert . So with the last box as well all thats missing is the Graduate soundtrack which ist that great .

Over sixty pounds – thats a cheek when the old box cost eight. Even for people who don’t have any S & G, it’s not going to be popular.

Live 69 was bundled with the Bridge Over Troubled Water deluxe set, and made it good value. The concert in Central Park was about 50% Paul Simon solo. I have all the albums with bonus tracks. I don’t need umpteen more versions of Mrs Robinson.

Five albums in the sixties would have taken most groups just over two years (Dylan and the Beatles would have made longer albums as well). Makes Simon and Garfunkel look really lazy.

A nice looking box set but really, who needs to buy this stuff again and again and again and again. How many versions of ‘The Sounds of Silence’ can the human brain tolerate – there must be half a dozen in this box set alone!

Same question as Stefano: What about the bonus tracks?

All albums have been remastered in 2001 with bonus tracks, except for The Graduate and Central Park. These 2001 remasters sound fine to me, but again: it’s 13 years ago. Maybe these new remasters will sound even better? And more important: will they have the same bonus tracks or even more bonus tracks?

wow, why on earth would I pay £60 for this when the “The Collection” box set cost me £8 a few years ago!

I find it pointless when ‘Greatest Hits’ and ‘Bests Ofs’ are included with box sets as the tracks will all be duplicates of what are on the other albums and with this collection ‘The Graduate’ has also been added, so that means some tracks are duplicated 3 times – BORING. And on top of that there are all the live versions of the same songs yet again!

I bought “The Collection” box (the five studio albums + the Central Park DVD for £8 a few years ago. They all sound fine to me, so I’ll pass on this.
Too much compilation duplication.

Totally ridiculous…. 0

Still no release for the mono mixes on CD? Sigh…

I personally am glad that record companies are putting these kind of sets out. Buying them is entirely voluntary (in much the same way that buying a Ferrari, Louis Vuitton bag or for that matter a Big Mac from McDonalds is voluntary). Those that have the most of the content can choose to pass if they wish.

So for those of us with the Columbia Studio Recordings 1964-70, we can throw gobs of money at this for The Greatest Hits, The Graduate and some live stuff. I guess we can also hope that this “remastering” (cue Springsteen et al) produces some revelation that has been missed.

Right, back to saving up for The Basement Tapes Complete

….and they just keep squeezing the last drops out of every artists catalogue (or should that be ‘cashcow’) in order to make us buy multiple times what we already own, so we can satisfy our autistic completist natures…we’ll spend £60 because this boxset has an unreleased track or has been newly ‘remastered’…or has a key fob or tote bag…but as in this case, nothing new or noteworthy. Lord what fools these mortals be, indeed..but lord what unscrupulous vampires these record companies be, seems more the point.