Album 5/10

This solo record by Paul Simon was recorded just a few months before Simon and Garfunkel would become a household name with the 45 rpm single releases of the re-produced version of “Sounds of Silence”. At the time (1965), this record was only released in the U.K. and later deleted in 1969 by the direct request of Paul Simon himself. I have to agree with Paul’s request. This could be considered nothing more then a novelty demo recording for some great future Simon and Garfunkel tunes. Simon’s voice often drifts out of tune and cracks in cringe inducing ways, while his guitar playing is very far from the standards we would come to expect. The song writing and studio version of “A Church Is Burning” (CD bonus track) are the only things that redeem this album.