The Truth About S&G "Sounds Of Silence"

Something I don't quite get about a lot of these cases, that seem to be popping up all over the place recently, is why do these people wait 30, 40, 50 years after the fact to make a complaint?

 

Seems like the chick that sang on DSOTM opened pandoras box,... eh?

 

Their career lived single to single, until Graduate. Their status deepened considerably with that film.

 

I will let you guys slug it out. I'm chilling with the Old Friends box set, and a 7.5 ips tape of PSR&T.

I'm listening to the undubbed SOS. Screw the overdubs

 

Quite some distance from 'broke them.'

 

Man that is one screwed up post.

How about this:

Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M. -- Released: October 19, 1964

Sounds of Silence -- Released: January 17, 1966

Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme -- Released: October 10, 1966

Simon and Garfunkel's 2nd album, Sounds of Silence, appears to have been released in January, 1966.

Sheesh.

 

Agree

 

For the record, US LP sales by year...


From memory I've read that stereo took over during 1967 (or 1968 at worst), but I can't find the evidence at the moment.

 

It was 50 + years ago man

 

It is about time we had a reissue of all S&G's mono output. Maybe Sony/Columbia could oblige one Christmas not too far away. I bet there is even a mono fold down of BOTW, lurking somewhere in deepest Peru they could use, I would not be offended.

 

Six of the BOTW LP tracks (seven if you include the promo-only El Condor Pasa) were released in glorious mono, so that would be sufficient.

 

I have a mono Sounds Of Silence lp, it is playable but quiet crackly, I dont like to play it that much due to my paranoia about it chewing up my stylus. So I think a nice reissue of mono S&G would be ideal, like as you say they are historic & a lot of folks will snap these up to Save Our Stylus. They could build a whole advetising campaign around this. Along the lines of "Hear The Sounds Of Silence, with no crackly "leaves that have turned to brown".

 

That is sufficent enough for me. Cherers.

 

I Beg to differ - True, S&G were popular, had real hits and charted LP's but it IS the Graduate Film and Soundtrack LP that send them to the Stratosphere and Beyond. A case can be made they are somewhat floundering top 40 chart-wise from mid-66 UNTIL Scarborough Fair and Mrs. Robinson send them into orbit for all of 1968. Their popularity and release schedule is not as large, linear or as consistent as you might think, once you look at it closer. They actually go a year and a half between the Parsley and Bookends LP's . Which in the 1960’s, is an eternity.


OCT 19,1964 - Weds. Morning 3 AM

Simon & Garfunkel's debut album "Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M." is released. LATER after the Sound of Silence CHARTS at #1 it enters the pop chart in January 1966 and rises to #30.

Late 1965 – Sounds Of Silence

Simon & Garfunkel's single "The Sound Of Silence" becomes a #1 hit. The album "Sounds Of Silence" released Jan 7,1966 peaks at #21.

Feb. 1966 - Homeward Bound

Simon & Garfunkel release the single "Homeward Bound" that was LATER on the the album "Parsley, Sage, Rosemary & Thyme (released OCT 10 1966)." The song enters the pop singles chart in February 1966 and reaches #5.

May 1966 - I Am A Rock

Simon & Garfunkel release the single "I Am A Rock" from the album "Sounds Of Silence." The song enters the pop chart in May 1966 and peaks at #3.

August 1966 - The Dangling Conversation

Simon & Garfunkel release the single "The Dangling Conversation" LATER from the album "Parsley, Sage, Rosemary & Thyme" (released OCT 10 1966). The song enters the pop chart in August 1966 and peaks at #25.

Oct. 10th, 1966 "Parsley, Sage, Rosemary & Thyme" LP

Simon & Garfunkel release the album "Parsley, Sage, Rosemary & Thyme," which peaks at #4 on the pop albums chart. HOWEVER I believe this peak placement may be based on Scarborough Fair's appearance in the Graduate and later 1968 single release, not the LP's original 1966 release charting arc. The Lp remains on the Chart for 145 weeks.

Oct. 22,1966 -A Hazy Shade Of Winter

Simon & Garfunkel release the single "A Hazy Shade Of Winter" LATER from the album "Bookends" (released April 3,1968). The song enters the pop chart in November 1966 at peaks at #13.

Feb, 27 ,1967 - At The Zoo

Simon & Garfunkel release the single "At The Zoo" LATER from the album "Bookends (released April 3,1968)." The song enters the pop chart in March 1967 and peaks at #16.

July 7, 1967 - Fakin' It

Simon & Garfunkel release the single "Fakin' It" LATER from the album "Bookends (released April 3,1968)," which enters the pop chart in July 1967 and peaks at #23.

Dec 21, 1967 The Graduate (film) is released

Jan 21,1968 The Graduate Soundtrack is released and soon charts to #1


Feb 1968 – "Scarborough Fair", taken from The Graduate and P,S,R&T LP's goes to #11


April 1968 – The Bookends LP and "Mrs. Robinson" (the hit recording, not the one in the film or on the Soundtrack LP) are released. Bookends becomes a # 1 LP selling in excess of 0ne million at the time. "Mrs. Robinson spends 3 weeks at # 1, 13 weeks on the Hot 100 and eventually wins a Grammy Award for Record of the Year.
Furthermore , in addition to Bookends and the Graduate Soundtrack, The Sounds of Silence LP and P,S,R&T LP's remain on the LP chart for all of 1968.

I would say 1966 and 1967 are defined as "popular" and 1968 is defined as HUGE.

 

They know that big greenbacks are involved with any Mono reissue project, maybe the will bite the bulllet after the Beatles Mono Box. While will are on the subject. How about it Mick, Keef & anybody who has the rights to the Mono Stones?

 

Jeez, this thread is getting a little stressful in spots.



"For every second you don't tell me why you are here...I cut off a finger."

 

And for those interested in such things, here's Billboard's 1967 summary...




Stereo retail (non-rack*) sales overtook mono sales during period 7, so roughly mid-1967, perhaps unsurprisingly, just after mono record prices were raised to match stereo records.

*Rack merchandising accounted for a further ~60% of sales. Rack sales for Oct-Dec 67 showed the mono-stereo ratio as 14.1% - 85.9%.

 

In 1965, MONO ruled. It was indeed that mono mix that made S&G famous. The stereo mix might be standard NOW, but 1965 is what made the difference. The mono mix came first.

I believe him. The man has no reason to lie. The record industry is full of stories like this. It's said to be an industry where people lie, cheat, and steal to make it to the top.

I like the work Don Meehan did with The Isley Brothers in the 70s and early 80s. His sound is identifiable which makes his claim more believable to me.

I think we, who follow engineering credits, can figure out who that engineer is. A quick check on Wikipedia or the album liner notes will tell you.

 

If there is validity to Don Meehan's claim, it could be a reason PS doesn't want the mono mixes out. It would raise too many questions and create legal issues. Don't forget that the "other engineer" is still around.

 

Well, I guess that case might hold water if that "eternity" of a year and a half between PSRT and Bookends hadn't been eclipsed by the nearly two years between Bookends and BOTW.

Sorry, hogwash. PSRT was in my 14-year-old sister's record collection in 1967. If 14-year-olds are buying it, it's HUGE. It was one of the new 'cool' counterculture albums and would take its place next to The Doors debut, Surrealistic Pillow, SPLHCB, etc. Serious historical revisionism going on here that is simply inaccurate. Do you remember anything from 1966 or 1967? I do. I remember my sister's record collection.

I would say just the opposite. 1966 and 1967 saw them appear live all over the place, concerts, TV appearances in the US, Canada and Europe, while in their HUGE phase as you call it, they record less and less and hardly perform live at all by 1969. Yes Bookends was super popular and BOTW the huge award winner, but the flurry of popularity and excitement happened early on. The Graduate widened their audience to include adults more than had been the case before and of course was a big seller, but geez Sound of Silence was a #1 and PSRT was a ground-breaking record right up there with Revolver and Pet Sounds. You need to talk to some people around at the time, as does anyone else who's buying this theory that The Graduate 'broke them', made them huge, whatever. It's just dumb. They were already selling boat loads of records.

And like I said, if my 14-year-old sister bought the LP at the time (and we were definitely NOT well to do nor did she have much money to spend herself), then Simon and Garfunkel were HUGE well before The Graduate.

 

Uh, what? Why would who made the mixes have any bearing on a reissue? What questions? What legal issues? Perhaps it bears repeating again:

"Strangely, the Columbia box #5029 that I initialed containing the mono tape and signed on that date, was replaced and the mono tapes and mono album that I mixed were nowhere to be found according to a source. They don’t exist."

At any rate, saying this was "one of the biggest thefts in recording history" is pretty laughable, as again, the only credit on the 45 and album is for producer. Not only is nobody else credited with the mix, nobody is credited at all for any sort of engineering.

 

However, Roy Halee's name IS on the mono LP, which Meehan claims was all his mix. That would be theft of credit for his work. I would be cheesed off too. Maybe Columbia didn't want to print separate slicks for the mono version.
Some people let an injustice fester, and over time it preys on their mind. I know I still think about slights from 40 plus years ago, and they STILL piss me off. If not for the internet this story would be limited to his close friends and family.

 

Where is Roy Halee's name on the LP, mono or stereo?





Or the 45, for that matter?

 

I am misremembering and conflating. My bad, you are correct lukpac.

 

You been Roy Halee'd and Art Garfunkel'd.