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On November 28, 1969, The New York Times headline trumpeted "Simon and Garfunkel Perform to Full House at Carnegie Hall." Paul Simon described the concert as a "true test of faith" as The Rolling Stones were playing downtown at Madison Square Garden, but the duo's faithful certainly rewarded them (and were rewarded themselves) as both the November 27 concert and the second date that evening of November 28 were sold out. Despite dealing with the tensions that would drive them apart (and would inspire some of the music they performed), Simon & Garfunkel were in perfect harmony on those crisp New York evenings.
Today, Legacy Recordings released a four-track digital EP, Live At Carnegie Hall 1969, from S&G's two-night stand. Live At Carnegie Hall 1969 includes four freshly-minted songs which would appear on their final studio album Bridge Over Troubled Water, released in 50 years ago this week: "The Boxer," "So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright," "Song for the Asking," and "Bridge Over Troubled Water." All are from the November 27 show except "So Long..." which is from the 28th. All four tracks are previously unreleased. (Note that "At the Zoo" from November 27 as well as "Scarborough Fair/Canticle" and "Bridge Over Troubled Water" from November 28 were issued on the 2008 release Live 1969 drawn from numerous concerts that year.)
While it's unclear whether the EP augurs for a full release of the Carnegie Hall shows - and wouldn't that be nice! - what we do know is that these four beautiful live tracks are now here to enjoy and available to stream. A portion of the documentary The Harmony Game, released in 2011 to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Bridge Over Troubled Water, is also newly available on YouTube for the first time. Lie-la-lie...
Live At Carnegie Hall 1969 (Columbia/Legacy, 2020) (Apple Music / Spotify)
- The Boxer (Live @ Carnegie Hall, New York City - 11/27/1969)
- So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright (Live @ Carnegie Hall, New York City - 11/28/1969)
- Song For The Asking (Live @ Carnegie Hall, New York City - 11/27/1969)
- Bridge Over Troubled Water (Live @ Carnegie Hall, New York City - 11/27/1969)
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why not just release all the shows in one deluxe edition. the people who would enjoy this set are getting fewer and fewer,as time waits for no one.
These live recordings have good sound. I think they ought to consider releasing these performances as 1 or more boxed sets for everyone to round off their Simon and Garfunkel collections.