Bookends

Literate folk-pop tinged with angst and leavened with whimsy was Simon and Garfunkel’s specialty during the late ‘60s, and Bookends (1968) may be their most consistent album, applying the duo’s pristine vocal harmonies to an excellent batch of Simon-penned originals. A suite of interrelated songs — beginning with “Save The Life Of My Child” and ending with “Bookends Theme” — offers exquisitely-framed glimpses of life through the eyes of youth and age. The standout track here is “America,” a bus-trip narrative that turns into an anthem for an alienated nation (in less than four minutes!). The rest of Bookends is an assortment of thought-provoking tunes, including “Fakin’ It” (a bit of self-analysis set to a bouncy arrangement), “Hazy Shade Of Winter” (a rocking slice of anxiety) and the ever-popular “Mrs. Robinson” (written for The Graduate but transcending the film in its irreverent appeal). The choirboy-like sweetness of the duo’s voices brings out both the melancholy and playfulness in these songs. (When Paul and Artie get downright silly — as in ”Punky’s Dilemma” — you can’t help but smile.) Bookends pleased fans on both sides of the Generation Gap thanks to its lyric intelligence and musical grace; its virtues haven’t dimmed with time.