Song of The Week: Simon & Garfunkel - For Emily, Whenever I May Find Her (Live).

So, here we are folks. I've actually been able to make a post on my sound of the week this week! As I've mentioned in a previous post I've been busy these past few weeks, so my apologies for not being able to share with you all my sound of the week these past few weeks. So now we've got that out of the way, time for my song of the week.

This probably won't come as any surprise to those of you who regular read my posts: I had mentioned in a previous post that I'd been listening to the back catalogue of Simon & Garfunkel this week non stop. I've heard all their albums now and I've really liked them all, particularly Bridge Over Troubled Water and Parsley, Sage, Rosemary & Thyme. I first began my investigation of their work after listening to the copy of their Greatest Hits CD that I - by some good fortune - had ended up with a free copy of a few months ago. The second track on that album is a live recording of a song called For Emily, Whenever I May Find Her. I listened to it, and I was blown away; mainly thanks to Art Garfunkel's delivery of what is frankly, some of the most beautiful song lyrics I've ever heard. No joke - his voice literally made me weep at the crescendo ending. Seriously, I lay in bed with shivers soaking my spine and tears in my eyes. What an image, eh? And this is coming from someone who doesn't view vocals as the be all and end all. Sure, I love a good vocal performance but its one aspect of a song for me. Anyhow, I had liked what I knew of Simon & Garfunkel (which admittedly wasn't a lot) prior to this; but that live recording was what really demonstrated to me just how good they were. Once the song had finished my first thought was "Bloody hell; he can sing!". So - a live video of  For Emily, Whenever I May Find Her is the feature of this post. I've been listening to Paul Simon's solo work (thanks to my Dad introducing me to him) since the age of about 15, so I had never really experienced how good Art's voice was. Although my Dad did used to tell me to listen to them too because of his voice (he saw them live actually, not jealous at all). Truth be told I was always dubious because I'd have to say folk music is one of my least favorite genres. Now, my only regret? Not listening to them sooner! I honestly think they've joined the ranks of my all time favorite artists. It's early days yet I know, but in a few weeks I really do think I'll purchase their The Collection boxset. It's their five studio albums plus a DVD of their reunion concert at Central Park in New York (which I've seen some clips of and it looks brilliant) - all for £12! Seriously, that's a gem of a price if ever I've seen it! Just watch the video though - its mesmerizing music. Sublime stuff from a sublime group really.