Track listing
All songs by Paul Simon, except where noted.
Side one
"The Sound of Silence" 3:08
"Leaves That Are Green" 2:23
"Blessed" 3:16
"Kathy's Song" 3:21
"Somewhere They Can't Find Me" 2:37
"Anji" (Davey Graham) 2:17
Side two
"Richard Cory" 2:57
"A Most Peculiar Man" 2:34
"April Come She Will" 1:51
"We've Got a Groovey Thing Goin'" 2:00
"I Am a Rock" 2:50
Bonus tracks (2001 CD reissue)
"Blues Run The Game" (Jackson C. Frank) 2:55
"Barbriallen" (traditional) 4:06
"Rose of Aberdeen" (traditional) 2:02
"Roving Gambler" (traditional) 3:03
The song "Richard Cory" was based on a poem with the same title by
Edwin Arlington Robinson, best known for his collection, Spoon River Anthology.
The chorus, however, is entirely of Simon's composition.
The English singer-songwriter Billy Bragg lifted the opening lines of "Leaves That Are Green" ("I was 21 years when I wrote this song/I'm 22 now, but I won't be for long") for his song "A New England," which appeared on Bragg's 1983 EP Life's a Riot with Spy Vs Spy and was subsequently a UK hit for Kirsty MacColl.
"Somewhere They Can't Find Me" is essentially a reworking of the title track of the duo's first album, Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M.
There are three cover variations of the LP:
Original issue: SIMON & GARFUNKEL on one line; SOUNDS OF SILENCE on
another, all in capital letters, no song titles on the front.
Second issue: Enlarged title letters, with only the first letter of the words
"Sounds" and "Silence" in the album title capitalized. The
first letters in "Simon" and "Garfunkel" are capitalized,
but the rest are in lower-case. Song titles also included on the front.
Third issue: Same front cover as the second, the back cover has the copy of
Tiger Beat magazine in Garfunkel's hand airbrushed out.
Personnel
Paul Simon: lead vocals, guitar
Art Garfunkel: lead vocals
Glen Campbell: Guitar
Hal Blaine: Drums
Sounds of Silence was recorded in December 1965 at CBS studios in Nashville,
Tennessee and Los Angeles, California. The album was produced by Bob Johnston.
Jan 17 1966 US LP - Columbia LP CL 2469 (mono); LP CS 9269 (stereo); CD CK 9269 (US: #21)
Recorded in December 1965 at CBS studios in LA & Nashville.
Produced by: Bob Johnson.
There are three cover variations of the LP
Released as part of the box set Columbia recording 1964 -1970
Released as part of the box set Collected Works CD LP
Released as part of the box set Columbia recording 1964 -1970