US V UK 18

[royclough]

Said I would keep going till 20 so here's another.

So far there has not been a 100% winner Four Tops/Fourmost was closest.

I suspect we may have here though both versions commendable.

In Dec 65 S & G took this to number 1 in US it failed to chart in UK and 3 months later The Bachelors had a top 3 hit in UK with the song.

[JeffZ]

This is the first time I've heard the Bachelors cover of the song. I have to say it's not quite as bad as I expected (I've never been a big fan of theirs). Simon & Garfunkel's version is still better; nice to hear the one from "Wednesday Morning 3AM" which does not have the electric guitar and drum overdubs.

[its-sylviab]

No competition for me Roy... I love Simon and Garfunkel and I like their version of this song best... although The Bachelors' version sounds good! I saw Art Garfunkel, with his band, in 2008 and 2009 and both times he sang this song (and most of their old duets) and he sounds great on his own as he has a lot of emotion when he sings and when he chats between songs. For me, Art Garfunkel had the nicest voice in their duets and he can sing all their old songs on his own (with his band) and still makes them sound hauntingly beautiful.

[chriscurtisfan]

WOW, Roy. I'm a fan of both bands, but never heard "Sounds" by The Bachelors. They did an outstanding job!! However, my "whole" heart belongs to the "whole" of Simon & Garfunkel -- which, for me, was greater than the sum of their parts. The concert they did some years back was like a dream come true!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Concer ... ntral_Park

Their harmony rivals the Everly Brothers and Pender/Curtis. Still, I can't wait to play The Bachelors for Rick when he comes home from work!! Thank you for sharing two excellent versions of Sounds of Silence!

[longhouse]

Simon and Garfunkle.

No contest for me. The Bachelors do a nice imitation, but it pales (not to say they're not talented, they just don't sell it in a believable way).

What's ironic is that the studio added the electric instruments to S&G's version after the fact! An accidental icon maybe, but an icon nonetheless.

[nick_allen]

Ha! I'd completely forgotten the Bachelors even did that, let alone that they went to No.3 with it! I suspect you're going to get a 100% vote Roy (unless of course someone just decides to be awkward ) - I have to go with S&G as well.

[chriscurtisfan]

In case anybody else was confused by the reference to an electric version, I crawled all over YT and found it. Evidently, this is the one that made it to #1 after the studio added electrics and drums, unbeknownst to S&G. Being a fan of the "Drum Section" of music, I prefer this version. It is thanks to this version, that S&G got back together and made more music!!! Fascinating. We almost lost out on all the wonderful music they subsequently wrote/recorded. Sometimes things just work out!!

[einar]

Even though the Bachelors' was the first version I heard of this beautiful song, I have to vote for US. The UK candidate offers a too dramatic build-up, I think. So I prefer the original (with or without drums).

[kiramdear]

Bachelors' version is not bad at all; a little over-produced, although I did like the key change.

With or without drums, Simon and Garfunkel still get my vote on this one. No one can touch those vocals.

[royclough]

To be honest didn't realise they was two versions so Cheri's version is really the one that should be compared though same result.

Which version did The Graduate use. Single version I assume. In fairness The Bachelors version is closer to the S & G single version.

[einar]

After having decided my vote yesterday, I came to remember I even bought the Bachelors' version as a '45. May be in my house still, is it of any worth?? Further, as a stream of conciousness, another song title occured: Love you with all of my heart/or Love me with all of your heart. Could this be the B-side? Not played or thought about for more than 40 years! You tend to forget important things, but some details remains!

[royclough]

Love Me With All Of Your heart was the B side Einar but in May 66 it made number 38 in US so possibly the A and B side in UK was reversed for US market

[JeffZ]

To be honest didn't realise they was two versions so Cheri's version is really the one that should be compared though same result.

Which version did The Graduate use. Single version I assume. In fairness The Bachelors version is closer to the S & G single version.

The overdubs were done by Tom Wilson, then an in house producer for US Columbia (and a very under appreciated figure in rock history). Upon hearing the Animals version of "House of the Rising Sun" , Tom, who was then producing Bob Dylan, went back to Dylan's all acoustic version of the song and tried adding electric guitar, bass and drums. The idea didn't work on this track, but he tried it with S&G's "Sounds of Silence" (which had done nothing on the charts in it's original incarnation) and this time it did work as the overdubbed mix quickly went into the US Top 10.
Paul and Artie had actually broken up after "Wednesday Morning 3AM" failed to chart (Paul was then touring in the UK as a solo performer) and upon getting back together they began a long and fabled run on the charts. The electric version is the one on The Graduate soundtrack.

Tom Wilson, who produced Dylan through "Like A Rolling Stone", moved to MGM Records in 1965. The move worked initially; he would end up producing The Animals after they left Mickey Most, and also Frank Zappa and The Velvet Underground among others. But MGM then collapsed financially in 1968, at which point he left the company. He never did return to the spotlight and sadly died largely forgotten in 1978. The below is a link to a pretty good online biography for those interested.

http://blogcritics.org/music/article/th ... om-wilson/

[sowhat]

Simon & Garfunkel by a mile. The Bachelors' version is well made but, to me, sounds absolutely soulless.

[chriscurtisfan]

To be honest didn't realise they was two versions so Cheri's version is really the one that should be compared though same result.

Which version did The Graduate use. Single version I assume. In fairness The Bachelors version is closer to the S & G single version.

Roy, to my surprise, "The Graduate" used yet another version! According to one poster on YT, it's a 'tone and a half sharp' and sped up. I do not know what all that means. To me, it sounds like a higher pitch, and yes, sped up. I can still enjoy it, however, not as much as the one that was released as a recording, at the lower pitch and a bit slower. So we have at least 3 versions of this song all by S&G!



Thank you to Noel for calling to my attention, the 'electrics' version -- so that I could investigate it and learn the history of how we came so close to not having any S&G music!!

I played The Bachelors version for Rick, and he totally enjoyed it. We see it as their own interpretation of the S&G song. And, I, too, like the change of key. I find it interesting when a key change is made -- and I'm sure it doesn't work for many songs. Just guessing because I, personally, have not heard that technique very often. But it always catches my ear!

However, my vote stands with S&G, who own "Sounds of Silence" -- nobody could sing that beautiful song like those two people -- with or without guitars and drums!!