In 1972 Simon & Garfunkle got back together for a benefit concert at Madison Square Garden to raise money for George McGovern's presidential campaign. A few weeks later this "Greatest Hits" collection was released. As such this was a rather innovative album in that it live versions of "For Emily, Whenever I May Find Her," "Homeward Bound," "Feelin' Groovy," and "Kathy's Song." There is also a previously unissued alternate take of the lovely "America." Consequently, this was a hits collection that was worth buying if you already had all of Simon & Garfunkle's albums. Listening to Garfunkle's live performance of "Emily" is the real treat, since there was a time when that was my favorite song in the whole wide world (and, I should note, the only one of the live versions from this album to make it onto the new "The Best of Simon & Garfunkle" collection). My only complaints with this album are rather trivial, but the applause at the end of the live tracks is way too loud and it seems almost sacrilegious to me that the piano introduction of "Bridge Over Troubled Water" comes out of the applause from "Homeward Bound." Sorry, but there is just something wrong about that. The 1999 collection of "The Best of Simon & Garfunkle" drops "Kathy's Song" and still ends up with six more tracks, so it is clearly superior to this 1972 album, and even those who like to hear the duo in live performance would have to make the 1982 "Concert in Central Park" their first choice.
