![]() Simon admitted: “Arthur and I agree about almost nothing.” But from such disharmony came sublime adult rock of the most harmonious kind… However, the duo split in acrimony and, despite one 1975 single and a handful of shows, it was permanent. ![]() The conceptual Bookends delivered “Mrs Robinson,” a groovy satire featured in the landmark movie The Graduate.īridge Over Troubled Water, released in January 1970, sold 25 million copies. “Homeward Bound” and “I Am A Rock” made them chart mainstays in ’66, and Parsley, Sage, Rosemary & Thyme went multi-platinum. The pair surrendered to the electric inevitable, re-recording songs from Simon’s solo album for Sounds Of Silence. Simon disliked it, but the record topped the US chart – and the sound of one of the most iconic vocal duos was cemented. Meanwhile, in the US, producer Tom Wilson saw the potential of a track from Wednesday Morning, 3AM, “The Sound Of Silence,” and added rock instrumentation. It flopped, so Simon played the UK folk circuit and released a solo LP, The Paul Simon Songbook, in 1965. In 1963, singing folk in New York City’s clubs, they signed to Columbia, cutting Wednesday Morning, 3AM, their spartan debut album. Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel first hit at the age of 15 with the Everly Brothers-apeing “Hey Schoolgirl” – under the name of Tom & Jerry! Perhaps, thankfully, further releases bombed. The small dark-haired one wrote the songs, and the tall fair one supplied the stratospheric harmonies. Selected track: “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” (1967)Ĭlick to load video 4: Simon And Garfunkel He eventually tried one further microphone job share with Diana Ross, but his musical heart belonged to the lost Tammi. Their dozen hits started with 1967’s inspired “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” and ended with the perfect 1969 pop of “The Onion Song.” Alas, Terrell fell seriously ill towards the end of their run, and her tragic death at the age of 24, from a brain tumor, upset Gaye so badly that he withdrew from public appearances for two years. Producer-writers Ashford & Simpson were also one of the top male-female vocal duos of the day, so knew what worked for Marvin and Tammi. Motown great Marvin had two musical foils, Mary Wells and Kim Weston, before he teamed with Tammi. However, some have chemistry: Marvin Gaye And Tammi Terrell are the perfect example of having what it takes to become one of the best vocal duos in history. ![]() Selected track: “Rainy Days And Mondays” (1971)Ĭlick to load video 3: Marvin Gaye And Tammi TerrellĪ lot of vocal duos are dreamed up in record company marketing departments as a way of stretching careers or to raise a duettist’s profile to that of their partner. Their albums sold millions – the compilation The Singles went seven times platinum in the US, and when Karen died, in 1983, pop lost a beloved talent. ![]() Critics who called them anodyne had tin ears: the fuzzbox guitar solo at the end of “Goodbye To Love” (1972) was a wild coda to a song of total despair. Theirs wasn’t music for the kids, so they signed to A&M, which specialized in sounds to soothe stressed adults.ġ970 saw their big breakthrough with “(They Long To Be) Close To You.” Its lush arrangement, laden with harmonies like cream on milky coffee, set the tone for “We’ve Only Just Begun,” “Rainy Days And Mondays” and numerous further hits. Intimacy was key to their sound: Richard miked Karen so closely, you could hear her every breath. Karen Carpenter was their signature voice, her keyboard-caressing brother Richard had the production nous to illuminate her talent – and, though Carpenters may not initially be seen to sit among the best vocal duos, Richard sang well himself. ![]()
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