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91 of 94 found the following review helpful:
 The Definitive S&G: It Doesn't Get Much Better Aug 17, 2000
By Michael Topper
Now that this Best Of has been released, one has pretty much all the Simon And Garfunkel one truly needs. This is not to say that the rest of the songs they recorded were bad--for the most part, they weren't--but nearly every vital cut is here. The collection ignores their interesting but formative debut folk album (not a big miss, except perhaps for the bittersweet title track "Wednesday Morning 3 AM"), and skimps a little on the sophomore effort "Sounds Of Silence" (I would definitely have included "April Come She Will" and "Kathy's Song") but every other major classic on the next three groundbreaking releases is here, including a bonus live version of the incandescent "For Emily" and the lost mid-70s reunion "My Little Town". Listening to all these songs in one shot--with superb remastered sound quality--reminds one of just how important these two guys were to the face of American pop music, no matter how many times you've heard the songs on classic-rock radio. Even supposedly dated cuts like "59th Street Bridge Song" and "At The Zoo" come off as joyous and essential. Of course, if you're a Simon And Garfunkel buff you'll probably want to get all of the albums plus the 3-disc box set, which would not be a bad idea. But with the exception of the two or three missing early songs listed above, this is one of the finest "Best Of" collections one can purchase, and supercedes 1972's Greatest Hits by some way (ah, the bonuses of 77-minute CD running times!).
57 of 60 found the following review helpful:
A best-of that will make you feelin' groovy Nov 17, 1999
At first glance the S&G completists will note--Where is "Kathy's Song"?First, let me explain. This collection features the S&G songs that were released as charted singles. The evidence in that is that the songs are listed in the order they debuted on the singles charts. Therefore, "The Sound of Silence" kicks it off (released 11/65) and "My Little Town" closes it (released 10/75). Kathy's Song never charted. One may also note that the applause from "For Emily..." crossfades into the intro to "America." The reason for this is to hide the crossfade ending of Save The Life Of My Child which is underneath the fade-up of "America." The songs are not out of order ("America" was one side of the "For Emily" single). Lastly, "Fakin' It" is the mono single mix. There is nothing wrong with its inclusion here. This single version has as yet to be released. How does it compare with the stereo remaster on the Old Friends boxed set? Different! The intro doesn't fade up, and the ending is faded out a little early. Also Paul's last verse and chorus (used before the fade-out) comes up a few seconds early after the door chime and the little girl sound effects) Thus the mono single is shorter than the stereo album mix by about eight seconds. The stereo mix is good on the drums near the end and on those sound effects (crossing from one speaker to the next) to give it a spacy, airy feel. However, the mono mix also has more punch, the drums are louder, the vocals without echo seem clearer. I guess, it's a toss up between the two. Both are good in their own way. The remastering is excellent! This is far more superior than its predecessor. One wonders though where the remastered live "Kathy's Song" will end up. So far, it is only available on Paul Simon's boxed set! A truly great best-of that lives up to its name. However, I would have welcomed more than two pages of liner notes! Buy this though and start feelin' groovy all over again!
32 of 33 found the following review helpful:
 try the import for more songs Sep 18, 2000
While this is a great album, nodoubt about that, spend a few dollars more and get ALL their best songs (40 on two CD's) on the import "Tales from New York". It has the same cover art, but twice as many songs.
26 of 27 found the following review helpful:
 Great Track Selection but Not So Great Sound! Mar 15, 2006
By Frederick Baptist
I know that relative to the other Greatest Hits album, the sound quality here is better but it's still very poor compared to what other remastered albums out there sound like. To be fair to the record company, nowhere on the cd does it say "remastered". It just says mastered by Vic Anesini. Let's hope they truly remaster this album soon by unearthing a much better master tape from the vaults. Volume levels are very low and although cleaner than the old versions, the overall sound is quite ordinary. Other than that, the track selections are very good and truly represent the best work that this dynamic duo have done. Simply great harmonies and great examples of brilliant songwriting on every track.
28 of 30 found the following review helpful:
Simon and Garfunkel Fan Mar 18, 2000
Simon and Garfunkel have that unique sound that just makes you want to listen to more. I was pleased with the amount of music and the quality of this recording over the other Greatest Hits. I did not grow up in the 60's; I'm just 15. But their music carries a flavor of that era that nothing else I have seen does. I knew some of the great hits before I bought it, "Bridge over troubled water," "Mrs. Robinson," and "Sounds of Silence," but was pleasently surprised to find I soon loved all the other "new" songs. This is, to use an overly-used expression, a must-have-CD for all lovers of the 60's music and culture.
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