Simon & Garfunkel Revival Band

Yesterday, I went to see the Simon & Garfunkel Revival Band play in "het Concertgebouw". I love that building; it's gracious, beautiful and grandiose. More importantly, it has a fantastic acoustic. From what I gathered, one of the best in the world. It showed; the sound was fantastic and the Simon & Garfunkel music is brilliant for that kind of room. It made me very jealous of the people who saw the actual Simon & Garfunkel in that room back in 1970.

Het Concertgebouw

Sitting in that room, listening to that music, I was perfectly happy. The room made me feel grande and special. It also allowed the music to wash over you and absorb you completely. The music reminded me why I'm a Simon & Garfunkel fan; it's just good music. I don't think I need to tell anyone, not even the "youth".

Curious as I am, and proud as I am of my idols, I went to look for reviews of the concert and found this: Bertiebo's blog. It amused me she wondered if the "youth" still knew Simon & Garfunkel and one of the comments thinking you need to be of a certain age to appreciate Simon & Garfunkel music. As I am that "youth" and have a lot of contacts with "youth" I happen to know we know and appreciate Simon & Garfunkel and their music. However, I don't know why so few of us went to that concert yesterday.

Well, anyway....I had a great evening. They basically played all my favourites and a bit more from the S&G catalogue, but also from their solo careers. Makes me feel sorry we probably never going to get another chance to see them play live. I'm still holding out for our first VR-Simon & Garfunkel experience. I'm sure it's possible to recreate a concert in VR. Maybe start with a song, with us as the audience on the front row.

That would be awesome! As was last night.

Simon & Garfunkel Biography

This:

Source: 5 Musicians' Autobiographies We Need

Simon vs Garfunkel

Somewhere online the someone was wondering why Paul Simon had a successful career where as Art Garfunkel’s career wasn’t quite as successful. I wasn’t going to answer that question, but since I’m bored and trying to kill about 35 minutes, here I go anyway.

I don’t think it really comes down to their (different) talents or how talented they are. I think it rather comes down to their attitudes in combination with their personalities.

Paul is the kind of person who derives his self-worth from what other people think of him versus Art’s confidence coming out of himself. This means Paul cares about what people think about him (what he puts out) while Art laments that everyone got it wrong while Paul seeks fault with himself even when it isn’t his fault. Also Art developes his own style and tastes completely ignoring what the masses are interested in where as Paul is alwaylooking for a new hook that people might find interesting.

Paul is a go getter, ambitious and always in motion to discover, master and put out the next new thing versus Art being laid back and content with eating a peach and more readily accepting when people are not that interested in what he’s doing. Unlike Paul, Art doesn’t feel he needs to prove that he can do certain things.

That’s why Paul was more successful in his career than Art.

Because Paul was always busy getting better, trying to proof he could do it, while Art was simply making the music he loved.

Because Paul was trying new things with old cultures and music forms creating interesting new music that appealed to a broader audience, while Art was doing the same thing album after album and which has been done by other musicians before him for a specific (western) audience.

Because Paul was always looking for what the masses found interesting while Art completely engulfed himself with the sappy, romantic, overwhelming sweetness that he loves which is simply too much for the masses.

There, I killed another five mintues.

It has also been noted that Paul’s songwriting was better after Simon & Garfunkel, which means his solo stuff is much more interesting to listen to, yet still Simon & Garfunkel is what he’s known for and most widely loved for. So how does that work then?

Well, I think it has a lot to do with the balance the two gentlemen kept between them. Their differences play a big role here. So to speak, Paul was the sour to Art’s sweetness and Art was the light to Paul’s darkness. Together they found the middle ground balancing all their individual extremes out and massaging it to a perfect result. Because they were so different they brought a great palet of skills, talents and characteristics to their art. Their shared goal made sure all these differences came together in the right balance, like ingredients and cooking making a meal. That’s why their music is so rich yet managed or produced.

Also they created magic together. (People always say that when they can’t explain it. I think it has something to do with those personalities forming one bigger personality to create the music. I don’t know)

When Paul was solo, all that balance, and the magic of the two of them together, was gone. That’s why it’s Simon and Garfunkel we want to hear over just Paul Simon. Though his solo music is really good, even his later less known ones. 

To be fair, I really love Artie's album Everything Waits to be Noticed.

Bridge to covers

Yesterday I compiled a playlist on my phone. It was Bridge Over Troubled Water in covers, except for ‘Bye Bye Love’, obviously. I’ve been listening to it in the evening and I’m listening to it now. As a matter of fact, when the ‘Song for the Asking’ cover came on, I thought: “Aww, this is beautiful”. Something I never thought listening to the S&G version. As a matter of fact, I tended to skip it. The ‘Only Living Boy in New York’ cover is also really great. I’m now somewhat obsessed with this song. This might be the only way I’m going to listen to ‘Bridge…’ from now on. The only S&G version I’m going to miss, if I do, is Cecilia. Never found a better version than the S&G version, and I absolutely love that version.

If you want to compile a list of Bridge Over Troubled Water' covers as well, these are the covers I used. You'll see these are not the big commercially released covers, but rather by people like you and me.

Bridge Over Troubled Water - by Meghna Dundi and Lokhi Pai
El Condor Pasa - by Prasmita from Tara
Cecilia - by Morgan James

Keep the Customer Satisfied - by Danielle Knibbe

SoLong, Frank Loyd Wright - Bic Runga and Tiny Ruins

TheBoxer - by Jess Chalker

BabyDriver - by Bookends

TheOnly Living Boy in New York - by PigPen

WhyDon't You Write Me - by the Nice Music Project 6

ByeBye Love - by the Everly Brothers

Songfor the Asking - by Jemma Johnson

Anti-Heroes 3

Yeah, you know what, let's not lie nor be subtle about this anymore: Both Paul and Artie bother me a great deal. They make me angry and frustrated. I'm not exactly sure why, but I'm afraid it has to do with my own shortcomings. However, whenever I try to put it in words to work on it, I get stuck and have to conclude it has nothing to do with me.

Why do they bother me so much? And why do I care so much?

List of Facts: Almost June 2017

• The passed two years haven't helped me to readers who leave me comments telling me they at least read my blog. That's okay, tho it hurts... editions in red...blogger gives now the possibility to check how many times your blog has been read. It seems people do find my blog, but don't leave comments. Gee thnx people! Or they still don't bother to read it. Turns out, most of the visit counts come from bots using my blog to only further their own advertizing. Bots have lots interest since I don’t post all that often anymore. Might increase again. Nope, no more readers. Which is a good thing since I hardly ever write a post these days.

• My computer is not ready to log on to the rkop-chatbox...still not after two years, but who cares..I don't at least...I hardly ever visit RKOP these days and I forgot what chatting is (j/k) What's RKOP? (j/k) What’s a computer? (j/k) Huh, what!?

• The new sound boxes I bought...SUCK! With a Capital SUCK and an exclamation mark...still do...still do, but I bought new ones which make me happy...The sucky sound boxes are now near the end of their lives; one has already given up completely. I'm thinking of buying a new set for in the bedroom. Now my good boxes are slowly joining the choir of dead sound boxes. I'm thinking of buying new ones for in the livingroom and for in the bathroom and maybe for in the bedroom. I still own those good boxes; they’re now in my bedroom. I bought really bad boxes for in my bathroom which produce some light and bad sound. I now also added a bluetooth version in the bathroom. In the livingroom I’m using my friend’s old boxes which have a heavy bass. Unchanged situation.

• Dennis Morris and Charlie Mingroni -without the ‘e’ at the end. I can also spell "Gyllenhaal". …and Garfunkel…I can't however, write "Roy Hal...Hall..H-hh...Hal-Halee?" Oh, fer chr...!!! Halee...I think...

• I was up at 7.00 am this morning....I could have been....I was awake and up at 7 am to empty my bladder, then went back to bed to play the Sims FreePlay. Bad (bed?) me. I was up real late. I really need to change my life rhythm. Maybe try getting up at 8.00 instead of 9.30. I'm pathetic. Nope, still pathetic (got up at 9.20), I just don’t care anymore. Actually, got up at 8.00 am today. There might be hope for me.

• I reviewed my passed two years using my review from a couple of years ago which I recycled as well...I actually took the time to review several lists and brought them back together in a list that lists what is applicable now. I used that last revised list, see the link below. Still old list. Might add another point. Yeah...why would I change the list?

• I'm too lazy to write a completely new review...I thought it would be funny to use this list again...See previous addition...and again. I'm wondering when this stops being funny. I might have reached that point already. Personally, I still think it’s funny. I love the fact I can now trace the history of a personal futility; my speakers. This is now a habit really. No concern at all if it's funny or even read by anyone but myself.

• I hate the font I used for this list. Maybe I should change it. I did start to use more colours; might get a bit much after a while. For the sake of stupidity and to clearly mark the additions, I added green. If it hurts your head, send me your address and I'll reply with painkillers.


Old list in June 2016

Anti-Heroes 2

Last October I wrote this: Anti-Heroes


This is one day before my next Holiday and I'm slowly pushing work to my colleagues. At the end of the day I decided to read an interview with Ray Phiri, once Paul Simon band member. He had sad memories about Graceland; not the credits on the album he wanted, and other things he didn't really go into.


In the previous Anti-Heroes post I wrote about how things like this used to affect me, but how I had grown up. Yes, it's easier to step over it, but it can sometimes still affect my mood. I'm not the friendliest person on earth, it really takes an effort on my side, but after reading crap about either Simon or Garfunkel about their lovely personalities, it sometimes comes out as frustration and rudeness. Being polite then is even harder and on top of that sunny disposition...well, you get the picture.


Anyway, it doesn't matter, as long they're not boring me with their crap.

One Year of Love

It amuses me to title a piece about Simon & Garfunkel with a Queen song.




It's April again. It's been about a year since I finally kept my promise and checked Simon & Garfunkel out. I'm still hanging in. As a matter of fact, right now I'm waiting for more tour dates from Artie. Maybe, in my lifetime, I'll manage to see him in concert as well. That would be sweet.




I also decided another Simon & Garfunkel reunion would not necessarily be a good thing. Strange thing to say. I saw a recent live performance from Paul; his voice shot, barely audible and shaky. Artie's voice isn't any better these days (sorry, sir). I tried to imagine what their harmonies would sound like, and it was a far, a very far cry, from what it used to be.




Yup, the 60's been definately over for a while now. Fortunately, we've got the pictures (and records and videos, etc).


ETA: I know, I should have called it April Come She Will....