Paul Simon &Art Garfunkel Two Can Dream Alone

Label : Burning Airlines – PILOT 60, Burning Airlines – 5038894001297

Tom Graph and Jerry Landis, otherwise known as Tom and Jerry, True Taylor, Artie Graph, Paul Kane, or Tico. One could go on. Contractual complications may always prevent the pseudonymous recording activities of the pre-"Sound of Silence" Simon & Garfunkel from ever appearing on one record. Nonetheless, this tidy compilation, spanning 1957 to 1963, serves as an informative overview of that very famous duo's formative compositional years and earliest recording history. And while a fair amount of it is derivative soft-teen rock & roll with simplistic puppy-love platitudes (or at least that's what it seems like now, although it was de rigeur at the time), it is worth remembering that Simon was often pitching his ideas in the direction of more established artists, hence the ubiquitous stylistic nods to the Everly Brothers, Buddy Holly, and even Elvis Presley ("True or False"). Still, historians and aficionados will note the inclusion of period gems such as the debut single "Hey Schoolgirl," recorded when the pair were just 16 years old and an eventual No. 54 hit in the U.S. in 1957, plus the vogue-ish and slightly daft superhero infatuation of "The Lone Teen Ranger," a No. 97 hit in 1962.

Tom & Jerry were actually the duo of Paul Simon & Art Garfunkel, who worked under that name when they began recording in the late '50s. It's a period that they downplay when discussing their careers, preferring to pick up the story after they had begun performing folk and folk-rock in the mid-'60s. Long before that, though, the pair were high-school buddies, and when they were both 16, they made their recording debut on Big (which was anything but) with "Hey Schoolgirl." The peppy pop/rocker, performed in the style of the Everly Brothers, was actually a substantial hit, reaching number 49 on the charts. Tom & Jerry (i.e. Paul and Art) recorded a few more singles for Big without any success, all in a lightweight teen rock style. Most often they sounded like a juvenile Everly Brothers, but echoes of Elvis, teen idols, and doo-wop could also be heard. The material (most of which was original) wasn't that strong, but echoes of the future could be clearly heard in their close harmonies and occasional hastily strummed acoustic guitars. The pair were understandably angry when Pickwick Records released an album of Tom & Jerry recordings as a Simon & Garfunkel LP in the mid-'60s, shortly after "Sounds of Silence" had reinvented the duo as folk-rock stars. The recordings aren't remotely comparable to the Simon & Garfunkel classics, but they certainly hold historical interest, and a few of the cuts really aren't bad, in a catchy, innocuous late-'50s way. The tracks have also surfaced on some obscure (and possibly unauthorized) reissues.

1 Artie Garr– Dream Alone
Written-By – Garfunkel*
 2:24
2 Artie Garr– Beat Love
Written-By – Garfunkel*
 2:11
3 Artie Garr– Beat Love (With Harmony)
Written-By – Garfunkel*
 2:11
4 Artie Garr– I Love You (Oh Yes I Do)
Written-By – Garfunkel*
 2:30
5 Jerry Landis– Just A Boy
Written-By – Simon*
 2:12
6 Jerry Landis– Play Me A Sad Song
Written-By – Mandis*, Simon*
 2:25
7 Jerry Landis– It Means A Lot To Them
Written By – Jordan
Written-By – Simon*
 2:11
8 Jerry Landis– Flame
Written-By – Simon*
 2:23
9 Jerry Landis– Shy
Written-By – Simon*
 2:28
10 Artie Garr– A Soldier & A Song (Light Your Way)
Written-By – Garfunkel*
 2:42
11 Jerry Landis– The Lone Teen Ranger
Written-By – Simon*
 2:21
12 Tom & Jerry– Hey Schoolgirl
Written-By – Garfunkel*, Simon*
 2:16
13 Tom & Jerry– Our Song
Written-By – Garfunkel*, Simon*
 1:57
14 Tom & Jerry– That's My Story
Written-By – Arundel, Simon*
 2:29
15 True Taylor– Teenage Fool
Written-By – Simon*
 2:47
16 Tom & Jerry– Tia-Juana Blues
Written-By – Simon*, Prosen*
 2:29
17 Tom & Jerry– Dancin' Wild
Written-By – Garfunkel*, Simon*
 2:20
18 Tom & Jerry– Don't Say Goodbye
Written-By – Garfunkel*, Simon*
 2:03
19 Tom & Jerry– Two Teenagers
Written-By – Rose Marie McCoy
 2:23
20 True Taylor– True Or False
Written-By – Simon*
 2:12
21 Tom & Jerry– Simon Says
Written-By – Simon*, Prosen*
 2:30