A Nice Pair: Paul Simon

It’s Sunday, we’ve sprung forward overnight and now it’s time for A Nice Pair – our weekly book and vinyl pairings. Today we’re pairing the book Homeward Bound: The Life of Paul Simon by Peter Ames Carlin with the Simon & Garfunkel album Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme.

As the songwriting half of Simon & Garfunkel, Paul Simon’s creativity helped define the youth movement of the ’60s. He experienced solo success in the ’70s and then reunited with Garfunkel, performing for half a million New Yorkers in Central Park. Five years later, Simon’s album Graceland sold millions but sparked international political controversy. Homeward Bound recounts the stories surrounding these milestones, as well as delving into Simon’s personal relationships with people such as Carrie Fisher, Leonard Bernstein, Bob Dylan and Nelson Mandela. And what’s a musician biography without drugs, depression, marriage and divorce? It’s got all of that too and more.

Due to struggling with writing new songs and Simon’s enduring personal struggles in 1966, much of the album Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme was composed of acoustic pieces written during SImon’s period in England in 1965 as well as some recycled songs from his solo record The Paul Simon Songbook. Despite these challenges, the record – their third studio album – received critical acclaim, described as a breakthrough in recording for the duo, timeless and one of their best efforts. It features hits such as Scarborough Fair/Canticle and Homeward Bound.