Not the Simon and Garfunkel You're Used To, But a Nice Peek Into their Yesteryear

As those of you who read my reviews frequently have no doubt noticed, I am an especially ardent Simon and Garfunkel fan. You might even accuse me of being overzealous. I own just about all their legitimate recordings (with the exception of a couple greatest hits compilations) and a few that are almost certainly unauthorized. Before the Fame falls under the category of albums outside of the official Simon and Garfunkel canon. In fact, all of these songs predate that band name, going back as far as the early pseudonyminous Hey Schoolgirl days. There are, unfortunately, early recordings made by my favorite singers, both together and apart, that I have not been able to track down, but as I had never heard any of the songs here aside from their aforementioned teenage hit, this album was a treasure trove for me. A word of warning: this is not the mature, introspective Simon and Garfunkel fans are used to. These tracks are pure bubblegum, so don’t be too disappointed when you fail to find anything too thought-provoking. Then again, most of these are self-conscious attempts to produce records in the precise style of the time, songs that could be marketed to other groups. For a couple of teenagers, I'd say they did pretty well.

Dream Alone - Ah, glorious teenage Art. It’s easy to focus on his angelic voice, ringing with the purity of youth, for the first 20 seconds or so before the song lapses into broken record territory. There are exactly five unique words in this song and five (brief) unique lines of music: “Dream alone, dream alone. Dream alone, dream alone. Dream alone, dream alone. Dream alone, dream alone. Cry, oh cry, cry alone.” It makes the most monotonous early Beatles song brilliant by comparison. Sorry, Artie, but I can see where my dad was coming from when he walked in the room on this track and turned off the CD player. Still, there is that voice... running through my head all day long...

Teenage Fool - An early Paul single displaying the heavy influence of Elvis Presley. This was released under the name True Taylor, and it was a source of contention with his Garfunkel, who felt rather hurt that Paul seemed to be abandoning him and their Everly Brothers style for the hipper Elvis.

Beat Love - Another of Art’s solos, unfortunately the only other one we get here. It’s got a catchy beat and certainly has more diverse lyrics than Dream Alone. It doesn’t stick in my mind as much as the other, which is both a bad and a good thing, I guess…

I Love You (Oh Yes I Do) - Okay, to tell you the truth, I don’t own this exact album. I have a similar compilation that includes almost every song on this CD, plus a couple others. The only missing track is this one. From what I can tell the most complete collection of early tunes is the import Two Can Dream Alone, which has this song and one other as well as all those on my album, the banally titled Paul Simon & Art Garfunkel: Tom & Jerry. I’d like to get my hands on that one but the one I have was more readily available at the time so I snatched it up…

Just a Boy - Almost definitely my favorite song on the album. Paul is so sweet here, and he really does sound like just a boy. I’m not sure exactly what year this came out, but apparently he was at least 18 at the time. He sounds considerably younger, both lyrically and vocally. “Though I’m just a boy, on this you can rely: You are just the girl I will love until I die.” This is just an adorable ditty with a lullaby-like tone and earnest, softly rendered vocals. I love it.

Play Me a Sad Song - Paul has this odd thing in his voice that comes out only once in a while on the Simon and Garfunkel albums (for example, “stabbed” and “flash” in Sound of Silence). It’s a strange accentuation of the dipthong in the letter “a,” and it is strongly in evidence here, mainly in the word “sad.” The song, in which the speaker is a teen bemoaning the fact that he’s sitting at home without a date on a Saturday night, has a nice late 50s feel to it, and I think I would like it quite a bit if it weren’t for the obnoxious interjections of a cliched female chorus. This shrill background mars most of the songs on the album. I know it was typical of music of 40s and 50s; I’ve cringed my way through many Disney songs incorporating such a device. I’m afraid I’ll never learn to love it.

It Means a Lot to Them - A slower, more contemplative Paul song. Again, I think I'd like it a lot better without the corny chorus.

Flame - A pretty upbeat Paul song about the intensity of his love for his girlfriend. Some pretty corny lyrics, but a decent song overall.

Shy - This one competes with Just a Boy for my favorite song here. It’s Paul once more sounding barely more than 14, with that same sweet childlike tone to his voice. Here, he reminds me of Charlie Brown, as his lyrics describe his inability to express his feelings to the girl he adores. Finger snapping augments the track. He also does a bit of harmonizing with himself in this song, particularly towards the beginning, and that provides a welcome change from all the “chorus of little birdies” stuff that he couldn’t seem to get away from. It creeps into Shy, but it’s not enough to ruin it for me. “Each night when I look in the mirror, I practice what I’m going to say to you. I tell myself, ‘Be confident,’ but I’m scared to death the minute that I’m with you.”

The Lone Teen Ranger - A very fun song. It would almost fit on a novelty record alongside the likes of songs featured on the Dr. Demento show. A deeper-voiced Paul (whose vocal chords seem to unintentionally creak geekily from time to time a la Peter of the Brady Bunch in the song Time to Change) complains that his girlfriend is obsessed with this heroic television character to the point of paying no attention to her actual boyfriend. Campy interjections from the show’s announcer and wild west-style gunshots add to the song’s goofy flavor.

Two Teenagers - This one bothers me mainly because of the gal they're singing with. Her voice is high-pitched and grating, and theirs aren't a whole lot more aesthetically pleasing. They rather sound like they're leering. It doesn’t do it for me.

Hey Schoolgirl - This was a big enough hit that Simon and Garfunkel were actually willing to sing it in concert on occasion as a nostalgic nod, both in the 60s and on their 2003 reunion tour. They always sing just the first verse, so this was the first time I heard in its entirely the song that broke the top 100 when the boys were 15 and landed them on American Bandstand. If they could have ridden that momentum into instant success, I wonder whether they would have evolved into folk singers? If a straight path to stardom would have meant sticking with the bubblegum, I’m glad they had a few bends in the road. Then again, the Beatles evolved; I suppose Tom and Jerry would have too. Anyway, this is a catchy ditty complete with exuberant tambourine and a glorious lack of corny chorus girls. It also provides resolution that the excerpt lacks; we finally get to see the guy get the girl. “Woo babba loochie wa, you’re mine. Hey, schoolgirl in the second row, teacher’s lookin’ over so we gotta whisper way down low…”

That’s My Story - To follow their early hit, the last songs on this album are all Tom and Jerry. They sound odd here, as though they are trying to deepen their voices, but it’s a nice bouncy song that shows their talent for working together.

Don’t Say Goodbye - A guitar-heavy duet with another hefty dose of Elvis influence.

Our Song - Like a couple songs later in Simon and Garfunkel’s career, Our Song is a very upbeat song with rather downcast lyrics. The speaker recalls that the song used to be the special song he shared with his girlfriend, but that relationship has ended. Apparently he is still able to cling to the good memories, though, without focusing too much on his sadness.

All in all, it's a collection worth having, though I would try for the most complete one, which as I said is probably Two Can Dream Alone. You probably won't find any of them in a store; online is your best bet. I enjoyed this album quite a bit just for a peek into Simon and Garfunkel's boyhood. While there are only a few tracks I am particularly drawn to, and even those are generally cheapened by silly production, I would heartily recommend it for anyone as drawn to these two Forest Hills fellas as I am.