The Concert in Central Park

The Concert in Central Park
Live album by Simon & Garfunkel
Released	February 16, 1982
Recorded	September 19, 1981
Genre	Folk rock
Length	75:51
Label	Warner Bros.
Producer	Paul Simon, Roy Halee, Phil Ramone
Simon & Garfunkel chronology
Collected Works (1981) The Concert in Central Park (1982) Old Friends (1997)

The Concert in Central Park is a live album by Simon & Garfunkel. On September 19, 1981 the folk-rock duo reunited for a free concert on the Great Lawn of New York's Central Park, attended by more than 500,000 people. They released a live album from the concert the following March (Warner Brothers LP 2BSK 3654; CD 3654). It was arranged by Paul Simon and Dave Grusin, and produced by Simon, Art Garfunkel, Phil Ramone and Roy Halee.

The concert was also shot on videotape, televised by HBO in 1982, and subsequently released on various home video formats. The VHS and DVD contain two songs that were omitted from the live album: "The Late Great Johnny Ace" and "Late in the Evening (Reprise)". "Johnny Ace" was disrupted by a fan rushing the stage and coming close to Simon and saying, "I need to talk to you". Coincidentally, the song is an elegy upon the murder of John Lennon nine months earlier. "The Late Great Johnny Ace" is not listed in the track listing, appearing between "A Heart in New York" and "Kodachrome".

In addition to hit songs they had recorded as a duo, they performed duet versions of several of Simon's 1970s solo hits, including "Me and Julio Down By the Schoolyard", "American Tune", "Late In the Evening", "Slip Sliding Away", and "Kodachrome", as well as Garfunkel's solo version of "A Heart in New York".

The 8-track tape version of this album has the distinction of being one of the few 8-tracks that is arranged exactly like the album, with no song breaks.

Contents 1 Reception 2 Track listing 2.1 CD 2.2 VHS/DVD 3 Personnel 4 Chart performance (album) 4.1 Peak positions 4.2 Year-end charts 4.3 Certifications and sales 5 Certifications (Video and DVD) 6 References

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]
Rolling Stone	[2]

In his Rolling Stone review of the album, Stephen Holden wrote:

Even though a decade of solo projects had separated them, their musical relationship seemed essentially unchanged. Garfunkel's pristine, quivering folk-pop tenor filtered Simon's wry, angst-ridden musings into a romantic soft focus, and the duo's close harmonies transformed dark compositions of doubt into warm exchanges of feeling.

Track listing

All songs by Paul Simon except where noted.

CD

1. "Mrs. Robinson" – 3:52
2. "Homeward Bound" – 4:22
3. "America" – 4:47
4. "Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard" – 3:22
5. "Scarborough Fair" (traditional, arr. Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel) – 3:52
6. "April Come She Will" – 2:37
7. "Wake Up Little Susie" (Felice and Boudleaux Bryant) – 2:19
8. "Still Crazy After All These Years" – 4:04
9. "American Tune" – 4:33
10. "Late in the Evening" – 4:09
11. "Slip Slidin' Away" – 4:54
12. "A Heart in New York" (Benny Gallagher, Graham Lyle) – 2:49
13. "Kodachrome/Maybellene" (Simon, Chuck Berry, Russ Fratto, Alan Freed) – 5:51
14. "Bridge over Troubled Water" – 4:48
15. "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" – 4:23
16. "The Boxer" – 6:02
17. "Old Friends / Bookends Theme" – 2:57
18. "The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)" – 2:01
19. "The Sounds of Silence" – 4:13

VHS/DVD

1. "Mrs. Robinson"
2. "Homeward Bound"
3. "America"
4. "Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard"
5. "Scarborough Fair" (traditional, arr. Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel)
6. "April Come She Will"
7. "Wake Up Little Susie" (Felice and Boudleaux Bryant)
8. "Still Crazy After All These Years"
9. "American Tune"
10. "Late in the Evening"
11. "Slip Slidin' Away"
12. "A Heart in New York" (Benny Gallagher, Graham Lyle)
13. "The Late Great Johnny Ace"
14. "Kodachrome/Maybellene" (Chuck Berry, Russ Fratto, Alan Freed)
15. "Bridge Over Troubled Water"
16. "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover"
17. "The Boxer"
18. "Old Friends"
19. "Bookends"
20. "The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)"
21. "The Sounds of Silence"
22. "Late in the Evening (Reprise)"

Personnel

• Paul Simon – guitars, vocals, triangle
• Art Garfunkel – vocals
• David Brown – guitars
• Pete Carr – guitars
• Anthony Jackson – bass guitar
• Richard Tee – keyboards, piano
• Steve Gadd – drums, percussion
• Grady Tate – drums, percussion
• Rob Mounsey – synthesizer
• John Gatchell – trumpet
• John Eckert – trumpet
• Dave Tofani – saxophones
• Gerry Niewood – saxophones

Chart performance (album)

Peak positions Chart (1982-83) Position Australian Kent Music Report Albums Chart[3] 5 Austrian Albums Chart[4] 5 Canadian RPM Albums Chart[5] 9 Dutch Mega Albums Chart[6] 1 French SNEP Albums Chart [7] 1 Italian Albums Chart[8] 5 Japanese Oricon LP Chart[9] 2 New Zealand Albums Chart [10] 1 Norwegian VG-lista Albums Chart[11] 1 Swedish Albums Chart[12] 5 UK Albums Chart [13] 6 United States Billboard Pop Albums[14] 6 West German Media Control Albums Chart [15] 3 Chart (1988) Position Dutch Mega Albums Chart[6] 9 Chart (1995) Position French SNEP Albums Chart [16] 25 Chart (1999) Position Norwegian VG-lista Albums Chart[11] 10

Year-end charts Chart (1982) Position Australian Albums Chart[3] 10 Austrian Albums Chart[17] 5 Canadian Albums Chart[18] 67 Japanese Oricon Chart[19] 15 Italian Albums Chart[8] 17 UK Albums Chart[20] 43 U.S. Billboard 200[21] 75 Certifications and sales Region Certification Sales/shipments Austria (IFPI Austria)[22] Platinum 50,000x Canada (Music Canada)[23] Gold 50,000^ France (SNEP)[24] Diamond 1,270,000[25] Germany (BVMI)[26] Gold 250,000^ Japan (Oricon Charts) 394,000[27][19] Netherlands (NVPI)[28] Gold 50,000^ Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[29] 2× Platinum 100,000x United Kingdom (BPI)[30] Gold 100,000^ United States (RIAA)[31] 2× Platinum 2,000,000^ ^shipments figures based on certification alone xunspecified figures based on certification alone

Certifications (Video and DVD)

Region	Provider	Certification (sales thresholds)	Date
Australia	ARIA	8× Platinum[32]	2011
United States	RIAA	Gold[33]	February 17, 1988
Germany	BVMI	Platinum[34]	2004

References

Preceded by Architecture & Morality by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark Select by Kim Wilde "Still Life" (American Concert 1981) by The Rolling Stones Toto IV by Toto	Dutch Mega Chart number-one album April 10 - May 8, 1982 June 5, 1982 July 10 - September 4, 1982 September 18, 1982	Succeeded by Tug of War by Paul McCartney Avalon by Roxy Music Toto IV by Toto Cut by Golden Earring
Preceded by Jive Talking by Jon Eberson Group Holton & Steel Part II by Gary Holton & Casino Steel	Norwegian VG-lista Albums Chart number-one album 11-13/1982 17/1982	Succeeded by Holton & Steel Part II by Gary Holton & Casino Steel Tug of War by Paul McCartney
Preceded by Primitive Man by Icehouse	New Zealand Chart number-one album February 27 - March 6, 1983	Succeeded by Greatest Hits by Little River Band

Simon & Garfunkel Paul Simon · Art Garfunkel Studio albums Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M. (1964) · Sounds of Silence (1966) · Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme (1966) · Bookends (1968) · Bridge Over Troubled Water (1970) Live albums The Concert in Central Park · Live from New York City, 1967 · Old Friends: Live on Stage · Live 1969 Compilation albums Simon and Garfunkel's Greatest Hits · Collected Works · The Simon and Garfunkel Collection · 20 Greatest Hits · The Definitive Simon & Garfunkel · Old Friends · The Best of Simon and Garfunkel · Two Can Dream Alone · Tales from New York: The Very Best of Simon & Garfunkel · The Columbia Studio Recordings (1964–1970) · Tom & Jerry · The Collection · The Essential Simon & Garfunkel · Before the Fame · Paul Simon & Art Garfunkel · The Collection: Simon & Garfunkel · America: The Simon and Garfunkel Collection Soundtrack albums The Graduate Singles "The Sound of Silence" · "Homeward Bound" · "I Am a Rock" · "The Dangling Conversation" · "A Hazy Shade of Winter" · "At the Zoo" · "Fakin' It" · "Scarborough Fair/Canticle" · "Mrs. Robinson" · "The Boxer" · '"Bridge over Troubled Water" · "Cecilia" · "El Cóndor Pasa (If I Could)" · "America" · "For Emily, Whenever I May Find Her" · "My Little Town" · "Wake Up Little Susie" Videos The Concert in Central Park · Old Friends: Live on Stage Discographies Simon & Garfunkel · Art Garfunkel · Paul Simon Other Songs · Paul Simon solo albums · Paul Simon songs · Art Garfunkel solo albums