MoFi Simon and Garfunkel - Bookends 180g LP

Simon & Garfunkel - Bookends (1LP 180g SuperVinyl Limited to 4,000 Numbered Copies)

Track Listing

A1: Bookends Theme (Instrumental)
A2: Save The Life Of My Child
A3: America
A4: Overs
A5: Voices Of Old People
A6: Old Friends
A7: Bookends Theme

B1: Fakin' It
B2: Punky's Dilemma
B3: Mrs. Robinson
B4: A Hazy Shade Of Winter
B5: At The Zoo

Mastered on MoFi’s Renowned System and Limited to 4,000 Numbered Copies: Mobile Fidelity’s 180g SuperVinyl 33RPM LP Magnifies the Brilliance of the Original Recording Sessions

1/4" / 15 IPS analog copy to DSD 256 to analog console to lathe

Concept album, career-making moment, industry-defying creation, years-long pursuit of perfection: Simon and Garfunkel’s Bookends adheres to all those descriptions and more, the record at once a defining statement of the late 1960s and salient reflection on relationships, identity, society, and mortality whose enduring relevance attests to its exceptional merit. Ranked by countless sources as one of the greatest records of all time, the 1968 work transcends styles, trends, and generations.

Mastered on MoFi’s renowned system at the label’s California studio, housed in a Stoughton jacket, pressed at Fidelity Record Pressing, and strictly limited to 4,000 numbered copies, Mobile Fidelity’s 180g SuperVinyl 33RPM LP of Bookends presents the duo’s timeless effort in reference-quality sound. Benefitting from the inherent properties of the SuperVinyl formula — a nearly inaudible noise floor, superb groove definition, dead-quiet surfaces — this collectible reissue magnifies the brilliance of the extended production sessions that took place over the course of 18 months at Columbia’s iconic 52nd Street Studio.

Simon himself said that Bookends possesses “the most use of the studio” of any Simon & Garfunkel effort. The plain truth of his observation comes to fore on this audiophile LP. The full bloom and natural decay of notes; weight and impact of low-end frequencies; lushness, breathiness, and air of the omnipresent harmonies; separation and imaging of the wood, string, and brass instruments; timbres and in-the-room realism of Simon’s lead vocals — these critical traits and more are rendered with elevated accuracy, detail, and presence. Bookends has never sounded more transparent, lifelike, or balanced.

And that’s exactly what Simon, Garfunkel, and producer Roy Halee intended while taking as many as 50 hours to nail a single track. Envisioned from the start by Simon as a way to capture the age’s zeitgeist, and inspired by the broad strokes of the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and Bob Dylan’s Blonde on Blonde, Bookends pairs its sonic flair — and diverse arrangements that incorporate folk, rock, jazz, pop, and baroque elements — with arresting lyrics that address restlessness, uncertainty, alienation, love, and heritage.

The first half of Bookends traces the cycle of life from beginning to end, with the final words to “Bookends Theme” — a call to “preserve your memories/they’re all that’s left you” — echoing as the overarching and recurring theme of the album. Before the pair lands on that advice, Simon & Garfunkel use irony (“Save the Life of My Child”), metaphor (“America”), suggestion (“Overs”), field recordings (“Voices of Old People”), and descriptive imagery (“Old Friends”) to cover everything from the loss of innocence to institutional hypocrisy and fears of loneliness.

Released amid a tumultuous political and cultural climate, Bookends retains enormous significance and relevance more than five decades later in a 21st century facing many of the same issues. Its central motifs — searching for meaning and identity; dealing with loss and disappointment; negotiating the split between authenticity and ersatz; reconciling with what one sacrifices over a lifetime; confronting life stages that involve sadness, bewilderment, and disappointment — are universal concerns. And the “America” Simon & Garfunkel pursues remains more elusive than ever.

As does our collective want for a lasting hero (“Mrs. Robinson”), tendency toward affectation (“Fakin’ It”), and inclination to wishfully insert ourselves into circumstances rooted in whimsical fantasy (“Punky’s Dilemma”), particularly when we need an escape. Though the songs on the album’s second half were not devised as part of a unified narrative, they speak a related language steeped in disillusionment, anxiety, and doubt. None more so than on the grayscale “A Hazy Shade of Winter.”

“Simply pretend,” Simon sings,” that you can build [hopes] again,” knowing full well he’s not even fooling himself. Like few albums before or since, Bookends exposes the human condition from the inside-out amid an environment that isn’t what it often appears — or what we originally sought.

MoFi SuperVinyl

Developed by NEOTECH and RTI, MoFi SuperVinyl is the most exacting-to-specification vinyl compound ever created. Analog lovers have never seen (or heard) anything like it. Extraordinarily expensive and extremely painstaking to produce, the special proprietary compound addresses two specific areas of improvement: noise floor reduction and enhanced groove definition. The vinyl composition features a new carbonless dye (hold the disc up to the light and see) and produces the world's quietest surfaces. This high-definition formula also allows for the creation of cleaner grooves that are indistinguishable from the original lacquer. MoFi SuperVinyl provides the closest approximation of what the label's engineers hear in the mastering lab.

GAIN 2™ Ultra Analog™ System for Vinyl

GAIN 2 Ultra Analog™ is a proprietary cutting system built and designed by legendary design genius Tim De Paravicini, with consultation from one of Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab's founding fathers - Stan Ricker, an audio engineer responsible for many of MFSL's most heralded past releases.

The GAIN 2 Ultra Analog™ system is comprised of a Studer™ tape machine with customised reproduction electronics* and handcrafted cutting amps that drive an Ortofon cutting head on a restored Neumann VMS-70 lathe. (*It is worth noting that independent studies have confirmed that the GAIN 2 Ultra Analog™ system can unveil sonic information all the way up to 122kHz!)

First and foremost, Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs only utilise first generation original master recordings as source material for their releases. MFSL then play back master tapes at half speed enabling the GAIN 2 Ultra Analog™ system to fully extract the master's sonic information. The lacquers are then plated in a specialised process that protects transients in the musical signal. (Due to this process, there may be occasional pops or ticks inherent in initial play back, but as the disc is played more, a high quality stylus will actually polish the grooves and improve the sound). MFSL further ensure optimum sound quality by strictly limiting the number of pressings printed for each release. These limited editions, in addition to being collectors' items, ensure that the quality of the last pressing matches the quality of the first.

Release Information

Label: Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab – MFSV1-541

Series: SuperVinyl, GAIN 2™ Ultra Analog LP 180g Series

Format: Vinyl, LP, Limited Edition, Numbered, Reissue, Remastered, Stereo, 180g, SuperVinyl

Genre: Rock, Pop

Style: Folk Rock, Vocal, Soft Rock