Showing posts with label Simon and Garfunkel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Simon and Garfunkel. Show all posts

Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Documentary: ***Simon and Garfunkel: The Harmony Game (to MMBOE)

A 2011 documentary of Simon and Garfunkel was on a Dish channel and it looked interesting so I recorded it.  There were a couple of things about this show that were very intriguing. It mentioned and told the story of a 1969 show put together by Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel as they reacted to the political climate of the late 60s.  I found this on You Tube and made a blog:
http://bwardlehistory.blogspot.com/2013/07/simon-and-garfunkel-songs-of-america.html
The other thing this documentary tells is the story behind several of their songs. This includes "Bridge Over Troubled Water."  This song, as most of their songs, was written by Paul Simon.  He felt it was perfect for Art Garfunkel.  Up until this their songs were duets, with harmony.  This song was sung before 1970, but the album and single came out in 1970 and it was voted best song of the decade.
For more Simon and Garfunkel set out these posts:
http://billywardlefamily.blogspot.com/2013/07/music-review-simon-and-garfunkel.html
http://billywardlefamily.blogspot.com/2012/02/music-review-simon-and-garfunkle-air.html
This movie also has some interesting dialogue with the artists, as well as the producers about the use of echo and harmony.  This is a nice presentation.  My only complaint is I would have loved less talking and more music.  

Simon and Garfunkel: **^Songs of America (to mmboe)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqEAXCge-vQ

This is a documentary presentation put together and Simon and Garfunkel in 1969, giving them a platform to express their ideas of what was going on around them.  This was a very troubled time in our history.  It had been a few years since President Kennedy had been assassinated, and more recently had seen the assassinations of Bobby Kennedy and Martin Luther King, as well as the shooting of George McGovern.  As a result, Simon and Garfunkel decided to respond to what they were seeing in the news.  This documentary is the result.  As they started working on it, it was going to be sponsored by AT&T.  However, as they previewed the documentary they decided to back out as it was too political, and too one sided. In the end it was sponsored by a toothpaste company with a statement at the end indicating they thought these two young men deserved a platform because of their success in music. 
This documentary presents views of President Kennedy, Martin Luther King,Cesar Chavez and Bobby Kennedy, to the music "Bridge Over Troubled Water."  It showed life pictures of their stories, and except for Cesar Chavez, showed their funeral trains.
Bridge over Troubled water is very well done.  The first two verses are presented with Art Garfunkel and piano.  On the third verse Paul Simon and an orchestra.  Having the orchestra carry the piano notes at the end is very effective and very moving. 
Paul Simon talks about his feelings with regards to Woodstock.  They then sing "Scarborough Fair" as their depiction of the mood of Woodstock.  The visual overlaps scenes of the Vietnam War.  Art Garfunkel shares his feelings of war.
A quote form Coretta Scott King introduces the song "El Condor Pasa (If I Could):"

 I must remind you that starving a child is violence; suppressing a culture is violence; neglecting schoolchildren is violence; punishing a mother and her family is violence
This documentary