Poll: S&G Bookends - Side One Or Side Two

Been fighting off the blues today. My best buddy who is exactly one day younger than me is fighting for his life with complications from crohn's disease. I'm sure many of you fellow old guys in your 60s have been through something similar.

The song Old Friends came to me and I thought about the Simon And Garfunkel Bookends album. Played both sides on my original 360 sound Columbia. I've always much preferred side two. Side one has some truly great songs; America, Old Friends, ect.

But Side two makes me happy. The hodgepodge of A + B sides just works for me. Maybe it was just thrown together, but it keeps you on your happy toes. Starts off at the end of Strawberry fields and finishes At The Zoo.

What do you think?

 

America is one of my top 5 or so S&G Tracks, but side 2 has 2 of my other favorites, Mrs. R. And Zoo. Tough choice but I think side 2 is slightly stronger overall. This is one of those albums that I always listen to the whole thing or else you kind of miss out.

 

While I love the songs on side two, side one defines the album atmospherically for me. But hodgepodge or not...great album and so warmly of its time. Great description of side two, by the way.

 

"Good morning Mr. Leitch, have you had a busy day?"

For that one sublime momentary sonic dream, Side 2 gets my vote.

 

As a kid in 1967 I loved those singles that ended up on on side two. When I got older and bought the album, I still loved them, even if they did sound a little different from what had been on the radio.

As an adult, I loved side 1, but I'm now reliving the musical memories of 10-year-old me, and I have to vote side 2. Wish I could vote for both sides.

 

Went with side one. I love the opening numbers, Save The Life of My Child and America.

Sorry to hear about your friend.

 

Side One Hear!

Ämerica, Old Friends and the Bookends Theme. This is a real record side. Their first!

Side two is not a record side so much as a collection of singles and album tracks, like the 3 albums before it.

 

I love Save the Life of My Child and America, push comes to shove better than anything on Side 2 (with America maybe my all time favorite S&G song), but it’s only 2 songs vs 5 on Side 2, all of which I really really like too. Overs and Old Friends are fine, but not indispensable.

So just based on sheer numbers, I had to vote for Side 2.

 

Just listened to this earlier today. Side 1, altho Voices of Old People is kind of filler.

 

Side 2 wins this easily.

 

~Side One.

On any given day, I could go either way, but...
... since side one has less votes it gets mine!

Side One is a truly ambitious & incredible achievement!

 

Side 1 is a bit mixed. Side 2, on the other hand, is as good an album side you'll find in a pop album in the '60s.

 

I had a university class on 60s Protest Music and the professor picked Bookends as one of his must buy Cds (required reading). Pretty sure I was the only one in the class who already owned the album--MFSL Cd. I was surprised by his S&G pick until he explained it to us; the side one album suite, and side two singles-collected. Then it all made sense. Yes, the old folks talking gets old in side one, but it is a part of it, and the rest of side one is TOP Shelf S&G! Some of side two singles are too poppy, Sgt. Popper-inspired experiments.

YMMV!

 

Both are great but had to vote for the side that contains "America" which is probably my favorite S&G track. "Voices Of Old People" is the only con.

 

Side two ahead by 10. Need more voting samples!

 

Tough choice, but side two edges out side one with Fakin’ It, Mrs. Robinson and Hazy Shade Of Winter.

 

I quite shocked actually.... Must be a bunch of "Singles" dudes!

 

Side One easily, Voices of Old People included

 

Mono or Stereo?

 

That should be another poll! I would like stereo for the first side and mono for side 2.

 

I think Side 1 is incredibly poignant and so well sequenced. That gets my vote, although Side 2 is no slouch, either.

 

Bookends is programmed like Magical Mystery Tour. All new songs on side 1 and a bunch of singles released over the previous year and a half on side 2.

 

Surprising that Side 2 is leading by such a wide margin. It's a superb collection of singles (like Side 2 of Magical Mystery Tour), but Side 1 is a brilliantly constructed conceptual suite. As near perfect an album as I've ever heard, and both sides are great but Side 1 gets the edge with me.

 

This poster is really great! Voted for side one. Never heard the album in mono btw, I felt lucky enough to find a stereo copy with poster.

 

Side 1 for me. It’s more atmospheric, and Voices fits it very well.