Simon & Garfunkel for Prog Folk?

They could be proto-prog (years 1963-1971).

Nah......

Obviously BOOKENDS would be my choice because it's eclectic. The song "Save The Life Of My Child" features Paul Beaver on the Moog Synthesizer. He's only playing a few notes and most people might not be impressed by that aspect..however historically this was a magical period in time when Beaver And Krause were introducing the Moog Synthesizer to Pop artists and Rock bands such as The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Doors etc. ..so it's super interesting to me that an innovator like Paul Beaver appears on this record.

I will admit ...Bookends is a strange album. The tape recordings of elderly people in a nursing home is a precursor to David Greenberger and Birdsongs Of The Mesozoic capturing that moment for an entire album as a concept. When I first heard this on Bookends I found it a bit Avant-garde and overly depressing as it is followed by "Old Friends " which expresses a really deep depression.

Another odd aspect to this album is the usage of Mellotron. It's a little reminiscent to how The Moody Blues used the Mellotron and it kind of throws you off. Additionally certain songs are odd regarding the style of writing and lyrically the subject matter. Simon And Garfunkel had never released an album like Bookends before and they never did again. Sometimes I've listened to it between a Nick Drake album and a Procol Harum album..I'll give it 4 stars for that and it's certainly a depressing album.

I get the impression that Jon Anderson may have been inspired by the songs from this particular album. He did state in the past that Simon And Garfunkel were influential to him. So it's probably safe to say that certain Prog musicians in the Art Rock bands of the 60s and 70s borrowed their elements, ideas, etc. That doesn't mean they tried to sound like them. Bookends does not belong in Progressive Rock. It's definitely a collection of odd songs and it does contain Prog type keyboard sound such as the Mellotron, but some of the writing derives from Folk Rock of the 60s more than Prog.

You could easily say that several Folk and Pop artists released off beat albums in the 60s and 70s that you can't quite identify what it derives from. Laura Nyro wrote some of the strangest chord progressions on the planet. Songs with unusual time signatures that were musically dark, melodic and jazzy. She influenced Todd Rundgren big time, but she was not a Progressive Rock artist.

Edited by Jacob Schoolcraft - May 17 2023 at 13:26

not even remotely sorry

I think Drew missed off the most obvious track they recorded which could possibly be described as falling within progressive rock, or art rock as it was, and that is The Only Living Boy in New York. Still gives me goosebumps every time I hear it.

Heart of the Matter wrote: In Save The Life Of My Child" (Bookends 1968) the basic idea of Harold The Barril can be heard (somebody is about to jump off a ledge, and we hear many voices: the mother, the cops, the casual bystander) predating Genesis own song.

AFlowerKingCrimson wrote: Did you post this in the suggest new artist section also?

In Save The Life Of My Child" (Bookends 1968) the basic idea of Harold The Barril can be heard (somebody is about to jump off a ledge, and we hear many voices: the mother, the cops, the casual bystander) predating Genesis own song.

As many of you may have noticed, I've been on quite a "Classic Era" Prog Folk kick lately. (it's been WONDERFUL!)