"Wednesday Morning, 3 AM" by SIMON & GARFUNKEL – August 1964 US Debut Album for Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel on Columbia Records in Mono and Stereo - Inside "The Collection" (November 2007 UK Columbia/Legacy 5CD/1DVD Clamshell Box Set with Mini LP Repro Card Artwork Sleeves and 1991 to 2001 Vic Anesini Remasters of Their Stereo Albums) - A Review by Mark Barry...

 

<iframe style="width:120px;height:240px;" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" src="//ws-eu.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=GB&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=mabasreofcdbl-21&language=en_GB&marketplace=amazon&region=GB&placement=B000UMXCTY&asins=B000UMXCTY&linkId=6d796f318c942f3459ee04667c9066a1&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true"></iframe>
 

"...Exciting New Sounds In The Folk Tradition... "

 

Released November 2007 - "The Collection" by SIMON & GARFUNKEL on Columbia/Legacy 88697134662 (Barcode 886971346626) is an inconspicuous looking 5CD/1DVD mini box set from the outside (hardly the most inspired artwork for a box).

 

But not so well advertised is the fact that it uses the stunning VIC ANESINI remasters of "The Complete Studio Recordings (1964-1970)" 5CD retrospective from August 2001 and that Each Album Is An Expanded Edition – many with truly superlative period bonuses.

 

So under its rather dull-looking S&G white silhouette front cover hood, you're getting a whole lot of sonic and musical quality for not a lot of your hard earned. Here are the groovy feelings, the Wednesday Morning debut and Remastered Bookends...

 

Disc 1 (40:36 minutes):

1. You Can Tell The World [Side 1]

2. Last Night I Had The Strangest Dream

3. Bleecker Street

4. Sparrow

5. Benedictus

6. The Sound Of Silence

7. He Was My Brother [Side 2]

8. Peggy-O

9. Go Tell It On The Mountain

10. The Sun Is Burning

11. The Times They Are A-Changin'

12. Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M.

Tracks 1 to 12 are their debut vinyl album "Wednesday Morning, 3 AM" - released 19 October 1964 in the USA on Columbia CL 2249 (Mono) and CS 9049 (Stereo) - the Stereo Mix is used. "Bleecker Street", "Sparrow", "He Was My Brother" and "Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M." are Paul Simon songs - the rest are cover versions.

 

BONUS TRACKS:

13. Bleecker Street (Demo)

14. He Was My Brother (Alternate Take 1)

15. The Sun Is Burning (Alternate Take 12)

Tracks 13 to 15 first issued August 2001 in "The Complete Studio Recordings (1964-1970)" 5CD retrospective.

 

The pull-off lid reveals 5 Card Repro sleeves for the albums standing up inside and a 6th disc - a DVD as documented above. The CDs take their remasters from the August 2001 "The Complete Studio Recordings (1964-1970)" 5CD retrospective remastered by VIC ANESINI. Compilers of the original 1997 "Old Friends" box set and the subsequent 2001 set explained how it took Columbia up to 3 years to locate the best possible STEREO source tapes - and the sonic results Anesini produced are simply stunning (he mastered both boxes) - beautiful clarity and real presence.

 

The booklet for this budget box keeps it simple - 12 pages of track details, basic recording/release info peppered with some period photos of the American duo. The lovely 5 x 5" Card Repro Sleeves are very well done (front and rear artwork fully represented) and inside each is a charcoal-grey inner sleeve to protect the disc (all the CDs have the same greyish colour scheme and don't reflect the original 360 Sound Columbia record labels. The DVD uses the artwork of the 1982 double-album "The Concert In Central Park" - and as it contains live Simon & Garfunkel hits alongside many great Paul Simon solo tunes  - makes for a superb addition to the music.

 

Which brings us to the simplicity and sheer melodiousness of their 1964 debut – lauded on the front and rear sleeve by Columbia Records (home of Bob Dylan, a natural label mate) as Exciting New Sounds In The Folk Tradition...

 

It opens frantically on the Gospel Joy of "You Can Tell The World" – a rapidly strummed Man From Galilee preacher thumper – victory won. In truth "You Can Tell The Wolrd" feels clunky now and even subversive given that Simon's views on religion are/were so acidic. Coming on all Everly Brothers at a Protest Rally with an Acoustic Guitar and Banjo, "Last Night I Had The Strangest Dream" tells of reluctant soldiers not wanting to go to another war far away (an Ed McCurdy cover version). 

 

There then follows a genuine moment of beauty – gorgeous audio coming off Simon’s own "Bleecker Street" – the famous street in the Village area of New York City looming in all its Folk/Protest glory. The Demo version of it (recorded 10 March 1964) is the first of the three Bonus Tracks and is just as stunning.

 

"Sparrow" is the second Paul Simon original on Side 1 – a feathered little bird talking of needed grain – struggling in an industrialized landscape that used to once be a garden. Equally gorgeous and church-hymn-like is "Benedictus", a Traditional arranged by the boys so that Simon is in the right speaker with Art in the left while a cello and acoustic sooth. And then it happens – that first real moment of magic – their 10 March 1964 recording of "The Sound Of Silence" – as lovely as Rock-Folk music could get. Even now "The Sound Of Silence" song has an epic quality - greatness looming large.

 

Side 2 opens with original song number four "He Was My Brother" – again so Everly Brothers in its harmony execution – a tale of a 23-year-old outsider who hated what was wrong with his country and the angry mob that shot him dead. "Peggy-O" is another Traditional given the S&G harmony treatment, golden-haired Peg riding in a carriage with her true love by her side. Simon's admiration of English and Scottish Folkies shows in his choice of the subtle Ian Campbell protest song "The Sun Is Burning" – a deceptively calm piece about children playing, oblivious to the mushroom cloud off in the distance turning all glory to ash and dust. 

 

Their cover of Bob Dylan's social anthem "The Times They Are A-Changin'" is good rather than great – far better is the title track "Wednesday Morning, 3 AM" – the girl that I love softly breathing – soothing and sweet - much like the whole LP's vibe. The three acoustic guitar/voices Bonus Tracks are just so pretty and complete too. Sure it's off the times, but "Wednesday Morning, 3 AM" is impressive and gve clear indications of the world-winning songs and harmony to come.

 

So there you have it. Although it's not the most awesome thing from the outside - "The Collection" by Simon & Garfunkel has the audio and visual goods on the inside. And it's cheap as chips price makes it a stunning deal into the bargain. 

 

You can buy the debut album "Wednesday Morning, 3 AM" as a solo CD Remaster with a fuller booklet, but I advise fork out that few bob more for this dinky little flip-top. A Columbia Records Legacy indeed...