Paul Simon’s debut solo album, The Paul Simon Songbook, was released in the U.K. 60 years ago this month. The 12-track collection was recorded in London in June 1965 and released between Simon & Garfunkel’s 1964 debut album, Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M., and their 1966 breakthrough, Sounds of Silence.
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Simon recorded the album using just one microphone for his vocals and acoustic guitar. At the time, Paul had been touring the U.K. as a solo artist, while partner Art Garfunkel attended college. Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M. had sold poorly in the U.S. and hadn’t been released yet in the U.K., and Paul and Art were unsure of their future as musical duo. Simon, meanwhile, began building a following in the U.K. as a solo artist.
Since Simon & Garfunkel were still under contract with Columbia Records, Paul was able to record the solo album for the company’s U.K. label, CBS Records.
The Paul Simon Songbook featured solo versions of two songs that first appeared on Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M.—“The Sound of Silence” and “He Was My Brother.” Most of the rest of the tunes on The Paul Simon Songbook would later be re-recorded by the duo, and those versions would appear on Sounds of Silence and its 1966 follow-up, Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme.
Two songs on Songbook—“A Church Is Burning” and “The Side of a Hill”—were never recorded by Simon and Garfunkel.
That being said, the lyrics to “The Side of a Hill” later were reworked and used for “Canticle,” the song Garfunkel sung in counterpoint to the duo’s version of the traditional tune “Scarborough Fair.” “Scarborough Fair/Canticle” was the lead track of Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme.
More About The Paul Simon Songbook
The Paul Simon Songbook also featured solo versions of “I Am a Rock,” “Leaves That Are Green,” “April Come She Will,” “A Most Peculiar Man,” and “Kathy’s Song,” which all would appear on Sounds of Silence. The latter album, of course, also featured an updated version of “The Sound of Silence” augmented by producer Tom Wilson with electric instruments and drums, that became a No. 1 hit for Simon & Garfunkel in early 1966.
In addition, The Paul Simon Songbook included solo renditions of three songs that appeared on Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme. They were “A Simple Desultory Philippic (or How I Was Robert McNamara’d into Submission),” “Flowers Never Bend with the Rainfall,” and “Patterns.”
The album’s cover featured a photo of Paul with his then-girlfriend, Kathy Chitty. Chitty inspired a few of Simon’s famous tunes, including “Kathy’s Song” and “America.”
The Paul Simon Songbook wasn’t released in the U.S. until 1969. It was only available briefly that year, because Simon objected to its release and it was recalled. In 1981, the album was included in the Collected Works box set. It later was released as a standalone CD with two bonus tracks—alternate versions of “I Am a Rock” and “A Church Is Burning.”
Simon’s Upcoming Concerts
Simon has two more shows left on his current A Quiet Celebration Tour. The folk-rock legend will be playing concerts on August 5 and 6 at McCaw Hall in Seattle. As previously reported, the performances will be “filmed for archival purposes and possible broadcast.”
The Paul Simon Songbook Track List:
Side One
- “I Am a Rock”
- “Leaves That Are Green”
- “A Church Is Burning”
- “April Come She Will”
- “The Sound of Silence”
- “A Most Peculiar Man”
Side Two
- “He Was My Brother”
- “Kathy’s Song”
- “The Side of a Hill”
- “A Simple Desultory Philippic (or How I Was Robert McNamara’d into Submission)”
- “Flowers Never Bend with the Rainfall”
- “Patterns”
(Photo by Ivan Keeman/Redferns)
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