The Concert in Central Park

View from the audience onto the stage

As The Concert in Central Park ( Engl. For, The Concert in Central Park ") was concert known that the American US folk-rock duo Simon & Garfunkel on 19 September 1981 at New York's Central Park was. It was a contribution of the two musicians to the renovation of the run-down city park in the center of Manhattan . More than half a million spectators came to the benefit concert with free admission. It also marked the temporary reunification of Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel after a separation of several years.

The Concert in Central Park is also the title of the live album from this concert, which was released the following year. It was praised by music critics and was commercially successful: In the USA it reached sixth place in the album charts and was awarded double platinum , in Germany it was hit parade position three and a gold record . Video recordings of the concert ran on US television and later became available in the home video market.

Idea and preparations

background

With the economic recession of the 1970s , Central Park, the “green lung” of New York, was in a bad state: due to a lack of money, the facilities of the former showpiece were partly dilapidated, overflowed with rubbish or destroyed by vandalism. Because the park was hardly monitored any more, the crime rate rose sharply there. Drug trafficking was booming, and due to the high number of violent crimes, walking in the park was considered unsafe. At the beginning of the 1980s, the city lacked the financial means to renovate the park - this alone required almost three million US dollars - and to maintain it permanently, so that its closure was even considered. To secure funding for the park, the Central Park Conservancy was founded, a private initiative that sought donations for the park. Wealthy individuals donated money, and artists worked to preserve the facility.

A concert for the park

It was around this time that Gordon Davis, Parks Commissioner for the New York City Council responsible for urban green spaces, and Ron Delsener, one of the city's most influential concert promoters, came up with the idea of ​​restoring Central Park with a free open-air concert to support financially in the park. Admission should be free, and sales of T-shirts and other merchandising items from the Italian sports fashion wearer Hirsch should bring in around a hundred thousand dollars for the park. Further income was expected from the sale of the television and video rights. Two concerts by Elton John and James Taylor , which Warren Hirsh from Fiorucci and Hirsh Enterprises had organized in Central Park in the previous years , showed that this concept could be successful . After Davis had the project approved by the city, Delsener negotiated a contract with the television station HBO , which was only dependent on the question of who should be on stage.

Simon & Garfunkel at an open air concert in Dublin

In the summer of 1981 Delsener called Paul Simon and presented him with the plan. Simon was taken with the idea but had concerns: his last project, the autobiographical film One-Trick Pony , in which he directed, played the leading role and wrote the soundtrack, fell far short of his expectations. Simon's self-confidence was battered, he visited a psychiatrist because of depressive moods . He made his approval dependent on whether it would be possible to get his former partner Art Garfunkel to participate. As Simon & Garfunkel , the two had developed into one of the most successful folk rock groups in the 1960s. Shortly after the release of their fifth studio album Bridge over Troubled Water , which is considered the artistic highlight of the duo and which topped the US album charts for ten consecutive weeks in 1970, they announced their separation. They had drifted apart artistically and no longer got along well on a personal level. In the following eleven years, both pursued solo careers and only worked together on individual projects . Occasional, short guest appearances by Garfunkels in Simon's concerts were always successful. This time Garfunkel's participation should be bigger. Simon contacted Garfunkel by phone, who was on vacation in Switzerland. Garfunkel was enthusiastic and immediately returned to the USA.

From the point of view of the organizers, Simon and Garfunkel were preferred candidates. Not only did the collaboration between the two promised to be one of the greatest concert events in Central Park, if not all of New York's history, Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel had a special bond with the city. Both grew up and went to school in Forest Hills , a borough in Queens , New York . Unlike many other artists, according to music critic Stephen Holden , they hadn't turned their backs on their hometown as soon as they became millionaires. They had always drawn inspiration from the cultural diversity and the typical characteristics of New York and processed these influences in their songs.

Planning and rehearsals

Before the performance, there were about three weeks to plan the course of the concert and to rehearse for it. Simon, who had been writing songs again after a lengthy writer's block, interrupted their studio recordings to prepare. He saw the chance to test one of the already finished songs in front of a live audience. Garfunkel had similar intentions. The release of his studio album Scissors Cut was imminent, from which he wanted to play the song A Heart in New York .

When designing the stage program, they soon realized that the concept of a Paul Simon concert with Garfunkel in the role of a supporter would not work. Because about half of the concert was supposed to consist of old Simon & Garfunkel hits, Simon's solo part threatened an unwanted effect: "It didn't seem right to any of us that Paul should be the opening act for Simon & Garfunkel," Garfunkel later explained. “And that he went on alone after Simon & Garfunkel ran counter to the principles of a good show.” That is why they ultimately decided to design the event as a Simon & Garfunkel concert with solo parts from both musicians.

During the planning there were always arguments because they had opposing ideas about how the evening should be organized. Garfunkel wanted to keep the concert simple, like the duo's live performances in the mid-1960s: only the voices of the two singers, accompanied by Simon's acoustic guitar . However, Simon's planned solo numbers differed stylistically from the duo's songs and were not only written for one guitar. Still Crazy After All These Years , for example, was a piano piece , Late in the Evening required wind instruments , and various songs an electric guitar . In addition, Simon suffered from a calcium deposit in one of his fingers after an injury and found himself unable to entertain the audience for two hours with just his guitar accompaniment. Garfunkel initially agreed to another guitarist to support him and finally gave in completely. Simon put together an eleven-member backing band according to his ideas. It consisted mostly of studio musicians, many of whom had already worked on both Simon and Garfunkel's albums: David Brown (guitar), Pete Carr (guitar), Anthony Jackson ( bass guitar ), Rob Mounsey ( synthesizer ), John Eckert ( Trumpet ), John Gatchell (trumpet), Dave Tofani ( saxophone ), Gerry Niewood (saxophone), Grady Tate ( drums , percussion ), Steve Gadd (drums, percussion) and Richard Tee ( keyboard , piano).

The arrangements for the concert were written by Paul Simon and David Matthews . Some of them differed considerably from the album versions, not just because of the other line-up. For example, are Latin elements in Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard worked out fine in the concert version and stresses of a salsa - Break . The lively folk-rock song Kodachrome became a heavier rock number that merges into the Chuck Berry classic Maybellene as a medley . And 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover , dominated by a strict, military rhythm in the studio version, was transformed into a swinging Latin melody with brass instruments .

As rehearsals took place in an abandoned Manhattan theater, Garfunkel's worries grew. While he and Simon quickly found their way back to the familiar songs, Garfunkel had to learn a lot of new things. On the one hand, these were the texts and melodies of some of Simon's solo pieces, which had been rewritten into duets for the concert. On the other hand, Simon had reworked many of the old songs over the years, which meant further adaptation work for Garfunkel. Although Garfunkel had to get involved in an unfamiliar musical style for Simon's songs, he found some of the songs to like and was especially looking forward to the joint version of Simon's American Tune .

Overall, the three weeks of preparation were tense. Under the time pressure, well-known differences between the two musicians came to light again. Paul Simon later described, “Well, the rehearsals were just pathetic. Artie and I argued the whole time. "

announcement

Until a few days before the concert, it was kept secret that Simon and Garfunkel would be back on stage together. Only then did short announcements appear in the individual New York daily newspapers. Although these reports, as well as posters designed by Michael Doret , mentioned the names of the two musicians separately and including their first names and the name "Simon & Garfunkel" was not mentioned, the event was quickly interpreted as the reunification of the duo. Simon and Garfunkel gave individual interviews in which they indicated that no further collaboration was planned.

The concert

procedure

Spectators wait on the Great Lawn for the concert to begin

The concert took place on September 19, 1981, a Saturday, on the Great Lawn , the central open space of Central Park. At dawn that day, the first spectators came to secure a good seat. Many brought provisions, chairs, or picnic blankets. The park administration expected around 300,000 visitors. Although rain set in during the day, which only stopped immediately before the start of the concert, it ultimately attracted over 500,000 spectators, more than, for example, in Woodstock . This makes the concert one of the best-attended of all time; According to MTV , only six concerts had more visitors until 2011.

Mayor Ed Koch (photo from 1978) opened the concert

At dusk, the accompanying musicians entered the stage. The stage design was reminiscent of an urban roof landscape with water storage and exhaust air outlets, symbolic of the New York skyline. Shortly afterwards, the New York City Mayor Ed Koch took up the microphone and simply announced: “ Ladies and gentlemen, Simon and Garfunkel! “To the applause of the audience, the two stepped out of a side door of the stage structure. When they reached the middle of the stage, they looked at each other briefly and shook hands. Then they opened the concert with the 1968 number one hit Mrs. Robinson .

After the second title, Homeward Bound , Simon gave a short address that he began by stating that it was great to do a neighborhood concert : “ Well, it's great to do a neighborhood concert. “Then he thanked the police, the fire department, the park management and finally Ed Koch. The audience responded with boos to the name of the mayor, who was associated with the impending park closure . It was only when Simon continued that the ironic tone of thanksgiving became evident and applause broke out.

In total, Simon & Garfunkel played twenty different pieces: ten of their songs together, eight by Simon, one by Garfunkel and Wake Up Little Susie by the Everly Brothers . Both singers each performed three songs solo, including a new one. For Garfunkel, these were the Simon & Garfunkel classics Bridge over Troubled Water and April Come She Will , as well as A Heart in New York , written by Gallagher and Lyle , from his album Scissors Cut , released the month before . Simon performed the title track from his 1975 album Still Crazy After All These Years and the number one single 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover without Garfunkels accompaniment, as well as his previously unreleased song The Late Great Johnny Ace , which was only featured on his solo album in 1983 Hearts and Bones appeared.

During this piece, Simon was briefly interrupted by a man from the audience who ran onto the stage and shouted: “I have to talk to you!” The singer took a step back while security guards grabbed the interferer and carried him away, then Simon played it Song over. The incident sparked associations with the text of the piece, in which Simon relates the deaths of Johnny Ace , John F. Kennedy and John Lennon to the life of the first-person narrator . Just a few hundred yards from the stage, Lennon had been murdered by Mark David Chapman about nine months earlier . Despite these connections, Simon said he was not afraid at that moment. As a guest on Late Night with David Letterman in May 1982, he declared that fans often jump on stage with flowers, for example. The man seemed rather intoxicated to him. Nevertheless, his first thought was that the premiere of the song was now ruined.

Over the course of the evening, the audience acknowledged individual song passages at which the lyrics made reference to the city of New York or matched the concert, with applause, for example a line from Garfunkel's ode to his hometown A Heart in New York , in which the view of one Describes the city coming home from the plane and also refers to the grievances in Central Park:

"New York, lookin 'down on Central Park, where they say you should not wander after dark"

"New York, I look down on Central Park, where, they say, you shouldn't stroll after dark"

- A Heart in New York

Another example comes from The Boxer . A verse, which is not included in the version of the album Bridge over Troubled Water , ends with words that have been linked to Simon and Garfunkel's long separation (although they could be heard in various live recordings before their separation):

"After changes upon changes we are more or less the same"

"After change after change, we stayed more or less the same"

- The Boxer

After this song, Simon & Garfunkel thanked the audience and left the stage, but came back shortly after for an encore of three songs. They played Old Friends / Bookends Theme , The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin 'Groovy) and, finally, the song that brought them their breakthrough, The Sound of Silence . Simon previously said that fireworks were actually planned at this point, but were not allowed. At his request, many spectators held up burning lighters. After Simon & Garfunkel had left the stage again, they finally repeated Late in the Evening as a further encore , before briefly introducing the members of the backing band.

Track list

The list below gives an overview of the pieces played. The original artist is named after the song title. Unless otherwise noted in brackets, all songs were written by Paul Simon. The last column gives the length of the song in minutes and seconds. This information relates to the playing time of the title on the live album. The track The Late Great Johnny Ace and the reprise of Late in the Evening are not included.

No.	title	Original artist (written by)	length
01	Mrs. Robinson	Simon & Garfunkel	3:52
02	Homeward Bound	Simon & Garfunkel	4:22
03	America	Simon & Garfunkel	4:47
04th	Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard	Paul Simon	3:22
05	Scarborough Fair	Simon & Garfunkel (folk song, arranged by Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel)	3:52
06th	April Come She Will	Simon & Garfunkel	2:37
07th	Wake Up Little Susie	The Everly Brothers ( Felice and Boudleaux Bryant )	2:19
08th	Still Crazy After All These Years	Paul Simon	4:04
09	American Tune	Paul Simon	4:33
10	Late in the evening	Paul Simon	4:09
11	Slip Slidin 'Away	Paul Simon	4:54
12	A Heart in New York	Art Garfunkel ( Gallagher and Lyle )	2:49
13	The Late Great Johnny Ace	Paul Simon	4:11
14th	Kodachrome / Maybellene	Paul Simon / Chuck Berry (Chuck Berry, Russ Fratto, Alan Freed )	5:51
15th	Bridge over Troubled Water	Simon & Garfunkel	4:48
16	50 Ways to Leave Your Lover	Paul Simon	4:23
17th	The boxer	Simon & Garfunkel	6:02
18th	Old Friends / Bookends Theme	Simon & Garfunkel	2:57
19th	The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin 'Groovy)	Simon & Garfunkel	2:01
20th	The Sound of Silence	Simon & Garfunkel	4:13
21st	Late in the Evening ( reprise )	Paul Simon	-

Publications

About five months after the concert, it was released as a live album and a film recording.

Live album

The Concert in Central Park
Live album by Simon & Garfunkel
Publication (s)	February 16, 1982
admission	September 19, 1981
Label (s)	Warner bros.
Format (s)	LP, CD
Genre (s)	Folk rock
Title (number)	19th
running time	75:51
occupation	Paul Simon ( guitar , vocals ) Art Garfunkel (vocals) David Brown (guitar) Pete Carr (guitar) Anthony Jackson ( bass guitar ) Rob Mounsey ( synthesizer ) John Eckert ( trumpet ) John Gatchell (trumpet) Dave Tofani ( saxophone ) Gerry Niewood (saxophone) Grady Tate ( drums , percussion ) Steve Gadd (drums, percussion) Richard Tee ( keyboard , piano )
production	Paul Simon, Art Garfunkel, Phil Ramone , Roy Halee
Location (s)	Central Park , New York
Single release 1982 Wake Up Little Susie

For publication as music album audio recordings have been edited , but not to the limits of what is possible: The recordings are not completely polished, but had the roar and the vagueness of rock music that does not have a mixer , but through speakers had been recorded was, the music magazine Rolling Stone .

Two tracks were removed from the album version: The Late Great Johnny Ace , during which Paul Simon was interrupted by a fan , and the repetition of Late in the Evening as an encore.

The album was very successful in the international charts. In the US, it reached number six on the Billboard 200 and was awarded double platinum for 2 million records sold . It rose to third place in the German album charts , and received a gold record for 250,000 units sold . In Austria it had the highest chart position in fifth place and achieved platinum status thanks to 50,000 sales. Without positioning itself in the album charts, it sold over 100,000 times in Switzerland and was honored with double platinum for this.

The following table gives an overview of the album's chart successes in various national markets. The highest chart position reached, the length of time spent in the charts, measured in weeks, and any award given for sales figures are named.

Chart placements

Charts	Top ranking	Weeks
Chart placements
Germany (GfK)	3 (51 weeks)	51
Austria (Ö3)	5 (30 weeks)	30th
United Kingdom (OCC)	6th (43 weeks)	43
United States (Billboard)	6th (34 weeks)	34

Awards for music sales

Country / Region	Award	Sales
Awards for music sales (country / region, Award, Sales)
Germany (BVMI)	gold	250,000
France (SNEP)	diamond	1,000,000
Italy (FIMI)	gold	50,000
Canada (MC)	gold	50,000
New Zealand (RMNZ)	platinum	15,000
Netherlands (NVPI)	gold	50,000
Austria (IFPI)	platinum	50,000
Switzerland (IFPI)	2 × platinum	100,000
United States (RIAA)	2 × platinum	2,000,000
United Kingdom (BPI)	gold	100,000
All in all	5 × gold 6 × platinum 1 × diamond	3,565,000

Main article: Simon & Garfunkel / Music Sales Awards

As a single from the album, Wake Up Little Susie reached number 27 in the US singles charts in May 1982 .

Film recording

The concert was filmed for later publication on television and for the home video market. It was directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg , a music documentary specialist who was responsible for the Beatles film Let It Be , among other things . As a producer stood him James Signorelli aside. Paul Simon contributed $ 750,000 from his own pocket to the costs of the production and the video recording of the performance. What HBO paid for the television and video rights to the recording is quantified in different ways: Estimates, for example, amount to a million dollars, other sources give more than three million. The two pieces removed from the live album are included in the film, so that its running time of 87 minutes is slightly longer than the album's 75-minute playing time.

The film was first seen a few days after the release of the live album, on February 21, 1982, under the title Simon and Garfunkel: The Concert in Central Park on HBO's program. ZDF showed the concert for the first time on German television . On June 27, 1982, approximately 2.6 million viewers watched this program, entitled Simon and Garfunkel - A Concert Event in Central Park . Later broadcasts varied the name, for example 3sat broadcast the concert on December 31, 2011 as Simon & Garfunkel: The Concert in Central Park - New York .

The recording was later released on VHS and DVD . The DVD version does not contain any extras . The film sold over 50,000 copies in the USA and Germany and was awarded gold (in the USA) and platinum (in Germany). In Australia, the DVD reached nine times platinum status.

Critical reception

The concert and the various recordings were received positively by the critics . Stephen Holden praised the performance in two reviews - one from the day after the event in the New York Times related to the concert, the other six months later in Rolling Stone related to the live album. After eleven years of separation, Simon and Garfunkel succeeded in seamlessly building on their sound from 1970. As before, the two different artists - the romantic, sweet pop musician Garfunkel and the darker, more rock 'n' roll dedicated Simon - would complement each other perfectly. Several of Simon's songs have been significantly improved by the arrangements for the concert. The handpicked backing band is one of "the best music groups that have ever played together at a rock concert in New York," continues Holden. In places, especially with solo pieces like Still Crazy After All These Years , Simon's voice sounds a bit thin even after the mix for the album, but that is "actually refreshing". Simon & Garfunkel took a big risk to perform so many acoustically heavy ballads in cool air under the open sky. But they would have played the gentler songs in particular "with great expression and in almost perfect harmony". According to the simple summary in the New York Times , it was a wonderful concert: “ It was a wonderful concert. ”

This evaluation can be an example of many other reviews, who judged the concert consistently benevolent. A timely review in Rolling Stone in October 1981 named it "one of the best performances of the year". While Simon's vocals were excellent throughout the evening, Garfunkel sang more cautiously than before in some particularly high passages, but regularly found more fascinating harmonies . The concert "captured a different time, when well-made, melodic pop still conveyed statements that covered topics such as culture and music far beyond the musical." Accordingly, the music magazine Billboard found in March 1982 that the live album started with its solid interpretations the duo's classics marvel at the past. Later reviews also emphasize this aspect, for example the BBC said in 2004 that the concert had shown how a decade of separation had not damaged the chemistry between Simon and Garfunkel. An author from the Rheinische Post , who had attended the concert, described 25 years after the event: "It was the sheer joy of listening, it was a commemoration and resurrection in one." The article comes to the overall conclusion: "The concert was unique , the layout excellent, the mood glorious. ”And the Daily News judged in 2008, after Simon and Garfunkel had been divided for eleven years, that they had“ risen to the height of their creativity ”that evening and“ enraptured hundreds of thousands with the sweetness of their singing ” . In retrospect, the concert was often classified as “legendary”, for example by the BBC or Deutsche Welle .

Some critics criticize details of the concert. The early Rolling Stone criticism considered the transition from Kodachrome to Maybellene to be a failure because neither of the two singers could muster the expressiveness for the rock number. But this was "the only slip of the evening". And Thomas Müller commented for SWR3 : "Nobody minds that with 'Boxer' the vocals don't get to the point or not every note is right."

Post-history

A tour together, not an album together

See also : Simon & Garfunkel after 1981

Immediately after the concert, Simon and Garfunkel were initially disappointed, as Simon recalled in an interview in 1984. Garfunkel was dissatisfied with his singing and he himself did not initially understand the extent of the event: “I didn't realize what had happened - how big it was - until I went home, turned on the TV and saw it on all the news […] And later that night on the front pages of every newspaper. I understood then. "

In November 1981 Columbia released the compilation album The Simon and Garfunkel Collection . It contained the studio recordings of 17 Simon & Garfunkel hits, including all of the duo's songs that were played at the concert except for April Come She Will . Very successful internationally, it also reached number two in the album charts in Germany.

After the live album and the television release of the concert had also proven to be successful, Simon & Garfunkel went on a world tour in May 1982 with stops in Japan, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Ireland, France, Great Britain, New Zealand, the USA and Canada. The first stop in Europe was Offenbach am Main , where they gave their first ever concert in Germany on May 28, 1982 in the stadium on Bieberer Berg in front of around 40,000 spectators; two more followed on May 30th in Dortmund and June 1st in Berlin . The performance was largely similar to the Central Park concert, only the title El Condor Pasa (If I Could) was added. An author for the Frankfurter Rundschau said, "even the audience applause seems identical."

Simon & Garfunkel at a joint concert in 2009

During the touring breaks they were in the studio for a new Simon & Garfunkel album, which was based primarily on the work that Simon had interrupted in order to benefit the concert in Central Park. In the course of the concert tour, they presented the first finished songs. However, they did not bring the album project to a close because the personal tensions between the two artists increased again. Disputes increased, and in the meantime they weren't even ready to give interviews together. After the tour ended, Simon and Garfunkel did not continue their collaboration as a duo. For a long time they only came together for individual concerts. When Simon gave another free concert at the same place almost ten years after the concert in Central Park , he refused Garfunkel's offer to participate. In 2003 they went on tour together for the first time.

Preservation of Central Park

Simon & Garfunkels Concert in Central Park raised around $ 51,000 for Central Park. In addition to Simon & Garfunkel, other musicians supported him with benefit concerts and raised awareness of his financial plight. This could be eliminated mainly thanks to private donors. In the course of the 1980s the park was extensively repaired and is now a sight again. Donations now make up the majority of his budget. Concerts and other benefit events are still held there regularly today.

literature

• Stephen Holden: A 60's Sound Is Replayed To Perfection . In: New York Times . September 20, 1981 ( nytimes.com [accessed December 12, 2011]).
• Stephen Holden: Album Reviews: Simon & Garfunkel - The Concert In Central Park . In: Rolling Stone . No. 365 , March 18, 1982 ( rollingstone.com ( November 21, 2007 memento on the Internet Archive )).
• Tony Schwartz: The Playboy Interview . In: Playboy (US edition) . tape 31 , no. 2 , February 1984, ISSN  0032-1478 , pp. 49–51, 162–176 (interview with Paul Simon).
• Chris Charlesworth: The Complete Guide to the Music of Paul Simon and Simon & Garfunkel . Omnibus Press, 1997, ISBN 978-0-7119-5597-4 , chapter The Concert in Central Park , pp. 115-120 .
• Roswitha Ebel: Paul Simon: his music, his life . epubli, 2004, ISBN 978-3-937729-00-8 , Chapter Sixteen: Central Park , pp. 137–144 ( limited preview in Google Book search).
• Marc Eliot: Paul Simon: A Life . John Wiley and Sons, 2010, ISBN 978-0-470-43363-8 , Chapter 14: Saturday in the Park with Paul and Artie… and Carrie , pp. 169–182 ( limited preview in Google Book search).

Web links

Commons : The Concert in Central Park  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

To the live album

• The Concert in Central Park at Allmusic (English)
• The Concert in Central Park on MusicBrainz

To the film recording

• Simon and Garfunkel: The Concert in Central Park in the Internet Movie Database (English)

Individual evidence

1. ^ ^{A b} The 1970s: The Fiscal Crisis. In: centralparkhistory.com. Retrieved December 12, 2011 . 
2. ^ Marc Eliot: Paul Simon: A Life . 2010, p. 171 .
3. ^ ^{A b c} Simon & Garfunkel: The Concert in Central Park - New York. 3sat , accessed December 12, 2011 . 
4. ^ ^{A b} Mario Gras: New York State of Mind . BoD - Books on Demand, 2011, ISBN 978-3-8423-5190-5 , pp. 240 ( limited preview in Google Book Search [accessed January 12, 2012]).
5. ^ ^{A b} The 1980s: The Central Park Conservancy. In: centralparkhistory.com. Retrieved December 12, 2011 . 
6. ^ ^{A b c} Marc Eliot: Paul Simon: A Life . 2010, p. 171 f .
7. ↑ ^{a b c d e f} Roswitha Ebel: Paul Simon: his music, his life . 2004, p. 137 .
8. ^ Marc Eliot: Paul Simon: A Life . 2010, p. 169 f .
9. ↑ ^{a b c} Tony Schwartz: The Playboy Interview . In: Playboy . February 1984 (interview with Paul Simon). Quoted from willyrauch.de. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on December 23, 2011 ; Retrieved December 12, 2011 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
10. ↑ Simon & Garfunkel Biography. In: Online edition of Billboard . Retrieved March 1, 2012 (English). 
11. ↑ Richie Unterberger: Folk Rock. In: Allmusic . Retrieved March 1, 2012 (English). 
12. ^ Richie Unterberger: Simon & Garfunkel Biography. (No longer available online.) Vocal Group Hall of Fame , archived from the original on February 27, 2012 ; accessed on March 1, 2012 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
13. ↑ Biography Simon & Garfunkel. In: laut.de . Retrieved March 1, 2012 . 
14. ^ ^{A b c} Douglas Martin: About New York; Just Simon in the Park, to Garfunkel's Disappointment . In: New York Times . August 14, 1991 ( article online [accessed December 12, 2011]).
15. ↑ ^{a b c d} Stephen Holden: Album Reviews: Simon & Garfunkel - The Concert In Central Park . In: Rolling Stone . No. 365 , March 18, 1982.
16. ↑ quoted from: Victoria Kingston: Simon & Garfunkel: The Biography . 2nd Edition. Fromm International, 2000, ISBN 978-0-88064-246-0 , pp. 236 (in the original: “ Art summed up the problem: 'It didn't seem right to either of us that Paul should be the opening act for Simon & Garfunkel. And for him to follow Simon & Garfunkel didn't make show-business sense. ' ”).
17. ↑ ^{a b} Roswitha Ebel: Paul Simon: his music, his life . 2004, p. 138 .
18. ↑ ^{a b c d} Marc Eliot: Paul Simon: A Life . 2010, p. 174 .
19. ^ The Concert in Central Park at Allmusic (English). Retrieved December 12, 2011.
20. ↑ Tony Schwartz: The Playboy Interview . In: Playboy . February 1984. Originally: “ Well, the rehearsals were just miserable. Artie and I fought all the time. Quoted from Playboy interview: Paul Simon. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on December 23, 2011 ; Retrieved December 12, 2011 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
21. ^ ^{A b} Simon and Garfunkel In Central Park Concert . In: New York Times . September 12, 1981 ( nytimes.com [accessed December 12, 2011]).
22. ↑ Simon & Garfunkel. Concert in the Park. (No longer available online.) Michael Doret , archived from the original on March 27, 2012 ; accessed on January 10, 2012 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
23. ↑ Roswitha Ebel: Paul Simon: his music, his life . 2004, p. 138 f .
24. ↑ ^{a b c} Roswitha Ebel: Paul Simon: his music, his life . 2004, p. 139 .
25. ^ Rebecca Raber: Hive Five: Big Concerts With Big Draws ( Memento of September 24, 2011 in the Internet Archive ). MTV , September 19, 2011 (English)
26. ↑ Central Park. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on March 30, 2010 ; accessed on February 24, 2012 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. The full quote can be found on Wikiquote under Paul Simon .  
27. ^ Marc Eliot: Paul Simon: A Life . 2010, p. 175 (in the original: “ I have to talk to you! ” - Other sources cite the wording partly differently as “ I've got to talk to you ” or “ I need to talk to you ”, which makes no difference in German .).
28. ↑ Roswitha Ebel: Paul Simon: his music, his life . 2004, p. 140 f., 158 .
29. ^ Marc Eliot: Paul Simon: A Life . 2010, p. 175 .
30. ^ National Broadcasting Company : Late Show with David Letterman of May 20, 1982. Quoted from: Roswitha Ebel: Paul Simon: his music, his life . 2004, p. 141 .
31. ↑ Great Music, Great Memories - Great Lawn. (No longer available online.) In: Official Website of New York City's Central Park. Central Park Conservancy , archived from the original on March 7, 2012 ; accessed on February 27, 2012 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
32. ↑ Lyrics. (No longer available online.) In: Official website. Art Garfunkel , archived from the original on February 27, 2012 ; accessed on February 27, 2012 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
33. ↑ Chris Charlesworth: The Complete Guide to the Music of Paul Simon and Simon & Garfunkel . 1997, p. 117 .
34. ↑ John Haydon: The List: Simon and Garfunkel's greatest songs. In: Online edition of The Washington Times . September 27, 2011, accessed March 1, 2012 . 
35. ↑ The Boxer Lyrics. (No longer available online.) In: Official website. Simon & Garfunkel , archived from the original on August 23, 2012 ; accessed on February 27, 2012 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
36. ^ Marc Eliot: Paul Simon: A Life . 2010, p. 63 ff .
37. ↑ Roswitha Ebel: Paul Simon: his music, his life . 2004, p. 141 .
38. ↑ ^{a b} Roswitha Ebel: Paul Simon: his music, his life . 2004, p. 145 .
39. ↑ ^{a b c d} chart sources:
    • Simon & Garfunkel in the German charts on OfficialCharts.de
    • Simon & Garfunkel in the Austrian hit parade on AustrianCharts.at
    • Simon & Garfunkel in the Official UK Charts (English)
    • US albums: The Billboard Albums by Joel Whitburn , 6th Edition, Record Research 2006, ISBN 0-89820-166-7 .
40. ↑ Simon & Garfunkel. In: Internet pages of Billboard . Retrieved January 12, 2012 . 
41. ^ Marc Eliot: Paul Simon: A Life . 2010, p. 173 .
42. ^ ^{A b} Nicholas Pileggi: Indecent Expenses . In: New York Magazine . February 13, 1984, p. 32 ( limited preview in Google Book Search [accessed January 5, 2012]).
43. ^ Simon and Garfunkel: The Concert in Central Park (1982). In: Online edition of the New York Times . Retrieved December 16, 2011 . 
44. ^ ^{A b} Thomas Müller: Music check: Simon & Garfunkel: "The Concert In Central Park". In: Internet pages of SWR3 . January 22, 2011, accessed December 16, 2011 . 
45. ^ RIAA database. Recording Industry Association of America , accessed December 14, 2011 . 
46. ↑ Gold / platinum database. Federal Association of the Music Industry , accessed on December 14, 2011 . 
47. ↑ ARIA Charts - Accreditations - 2011 DVDs. Australian Recording Industry Association, November 30, 2011, accessed December 16, 2011 . 
48. ↑ Chris Charlesworth: The Complete Guide to the Music of Paul Simon and Simon & Garfunkel . 1997, p. 188 f .
49. ↑ Stephen Holden: A 60's Sound Is Replayed To Perfection . In: New York Times . 20th September 1981.
50. ↑ Stephen Holden: A 60's Sound Is Replayed To Perfection . In: New York Times . September 20, 1981 (in the original: “ one of finest groups of musicians ever to play together at a New York rock concert ”).
51. ↑ Stephen Holden: Album Reviews: Simon & Garfunkel - The Concert In Central Park . In: Rolling Stone . No. 365 , March 18, 1982 (in the original: “ actually refreshing ”).
52. ↑ Stephen Holden: A 60's Sound Is Replayed To Perfection . In: New York Times . September 20, 1981 (in the original: “ … were beautifully articulated, in near-perfect harmony ”).
53. ↑ Simon and Garfunkel . In: Rolling Stone . No. 355 , October 29, 1981 (in the original: “ one of the finest performances of the year ” and: “ [T] he […] show vividly recaptured another time, an era when well-crafted, melodic pop bore meanings that stretched beyond the musical sphere and into the realms of culture and politics ”).
54. ^ Simon & Garfunkel - The Concert in Central Park . In: Billboard . March 6, 1982, p. 73 (in the original: “ This 19 song, two record set gloriously recaptures the past with sterling renditions of most of the duo's classics as well as a few of Simon's solo compositions filled out by Garfunkel's harmony. For those who grew up listening to Simon & Garfunkel this LP represents a trip down memory lane. ”).
55. ^ For One Night Only. The Reunion in Central Park. BBC , September 8, 2007, archived from the original on April 24, 2010 ; Accessed on March 10, 2012 (English): "[...] a performance that illustrated how a decade of separation had not damaged the chemistry which had made the duo international stars in the first place." 
56. ↑ Wolfram Goertz: Simon & Garfunkel: The legendary concert in Central Park 25 years ago . In: Rheinische Post . September 19, 2006 ( article online [accessed February 24, 2012]).
57. ^ Jim Farber: These Central Park concerts had splendor in the grass. In: Online edition of the Daily News . June 6, 2008, accessed on March 10, 2012 (English): “Simon and Garfunkel: The city's (or, more specifically, Queens') native sons took the stage in this stunning reunion show after 11 often acrimonious years apart. Regardless of what went on between S&G personally, on this night they rose to their highest creative selves, harmonizing with care and wonder. The sweetness of the singing made hundreds of thousands swoon and later stirred millions through an album and video version. " 
58. ↑ Chris Heard: Review: Simon and Garfunkel live. BBC , July 16, 2004, accessed on March 12, 2012 (English): "legendary" 
59. ↑ Garfunkel sin móvil. Deutsche Welle , March 10, 2007, accessed on March 12, 2012 (Spanish): "el legendario" The concert in Central Park "" 
60. ↑ Simon and Garfunkel . In: Rolling Stone . No. 355 , October 29, 1981 (in the original: “ The only gaffe of the evenig came when a spunky 'Kodachrome' segued into a cover of Chuck Berry's 'Maybellene'. Somehow, neither singer could summon the panache to pull off such an out- and-out rocker. ”).
61. ↑ Tony Schwartz: The Playboy Interview . In: Playboy . February 1984. In the original: “ I didn't get what had happened - how big it was - until I went home, turned on the television and saw it on all the news […] and later that night on the front pages of all the newspapers. Then I got it. Quoted from Playboy interview: Paul Simon. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on December 23, 2011 ; Retrieved December 12, 2011 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
62. ↑ The Simon and Garfunkel Collection: 17 of Their All-Time Greatest Recordings at Allmusic (English). Retrieved January 12, 2012.
63. ↑ Album - Simon & Garfunkel, The Simon And Garfunkel Collection. In: charts.de. Retrieved January 12, 2012 . 
64. ↑ Roswitha Ebel: Paul Simon: his music, his life . 2004, p. 142 .
65. ^ Marc Eliot: Paul Simon: A Life . 2010, p. 178 .
66. ↑ ^{a b} Roswitha Ebel: Paul Simon: his music, his life . 2004, p. 145 ff .
67. ^ Ray Waddel: Friends Again. Simon and Garfunkel Reunite For Tour . In: Billboard . September 20, 2003, p. 6, 79 .
68. ↑ Elizabeth Barlow: Central Park's Renaissance . In: New York Magazine . June 6, 1983, p. 32 ff . ( limited preview in Google Book Search [accessed January 12, 2012]).
69. ↑ Central Park. Retrieved December 12, 2011 . 
70. ^ About the Central Park Conservancy. Central Park Conservancy , accessed on December 14, 2011 (see also the events calendar there for Central Park ). 

This article was added to the list of excellent articles on March 16, 2012 in this version .