Rating: 
Summary: Simon and Garfunkle - Revisited.
Review: I was happy to see Simon and Garfunkle in concert on their recent "Old Friends" tour, and was more than pleased by the performance of two men who, by all rights, should've been retired and not in the best of vocal form. The afterglow of the Philadelphia show led me to acquire this DVD from the 1981 Central Park reunion show. Since most of the songs from the current tour are reflected by the Central Park set list, it was worth it for me. This DVD is actually better than I originally remember from watching it on TV. Maybe I was just too wrapped up in my new wave years (I was a junior in college at the time the album was released), but both men were in strong form vocally. It also meant that, as a greatest hits sort of show, all the bases are essentially covered. Even the Paul Simon solo material comes across as well matched (in particular, "American Tune" which rings truer in the post 9/11 world as it did back then). The instrumentation is a bit dated, Richard Tee's keyboards especially, but that's more the fault of the times than of performance. And the performances here are superb. Oddly, the one major musical flub from the disc is "The Late Great Johnny Ace." It was Simon's tribute to John Lennon and is when a fan charges the stage, distracting Simon from the microphone. Art Garfunkle is relegated to only one solo hit here, and naturally it's "A Heart In New York." Just as "counting the cars on the New Jersey Turnpike" gets a huge outburst of applause (it did here in Philly, too), "Heart" brings the crowd to express itself with exuberence. On the other hand, when Art begins to sing "Bridge Over Troubled Water," it's hard not to notice that he can still sound like the folk singing choirboy of the sixties, and even more so for "The Sound of Silence." Despite all the infighting, back biting and legendary arguments that Simon and Garfunkle have shared over their career, there is no denying that - as a duo - they created magic. After 20 years, I'm glad "The Concert In Central Park" is in my DVD library. There are a few minuses: A serious lack of extra features. Jamming two songs into one chapter, and not just once but six times. Crappy liner notes/graphics. The fact that you can still sense the personal tension between Art and Paul. (They were supposed to produce an album entitled "Think Too Much" together after the tour, the resulting album was Paul's "Hearts and Bones.") PS: I eagerly await the inevitable "Old Friends" concert CD and DVD, and would also recommend Paul Simon's "Concert In The Park" from 1991.
Rating: 
Summary: Great nostalgia, terrific music, horrible DVD
Review: Is there anyone who grew up in the 1960s and 1970s that isn't familiar with the terrific music of Simon and Garfunkel??
Well, this DVD of their 1981 reunion concert before 500,000 people in New York's Central Park brings back lots of fond memories, laced as it with nice renditions of classics like "Mrs. Robinson", "Scarborough Fair", "Bridge Over Troubled Water", "The Boxer" and "The Sound of Silence".
Backed by a band of stellar musicians that included Richard Tee on piano and Steve Gadd on drums, the duo also run through some of their solo hits, like Simon's "Kodachrome".
Did I say the concert is terrfic?? Sure it is, but the DVD is truly horrible. The video looks only a little better than its VHS origins, and couldn't the music company have popped up the money for upgrading the plain Dolby Digital 2.0 track to a full-fledged surround track?? That would have made this a truly great package.
Even with these drawbacks, this is a must buy for S&G fans, as well as those seeking a DVD to acquaint themselves with the music of S&G.
Rating:
Summary: Pretty Good
Review: This is pretty good..including all the great Simon and Garfunkel classics. Hard to believe the recording was made 22 years ago. Where has the time gone? Holy Cow!!
It seemed like they rushed through a lot of the songs, apparently to keep the crowd energized. The slow songs, like "Bridge Over Troubled Water" and "April" were the best. Art Garfunkel's vocals, what he adds to vocal harmony is what makes Simon and Garfunkel. Sure Paul Simon is good, but I'm more of a Garfunkel fan.
GOOD BLAST FROM THE PAST. IN 1982, I WAS ONLY 22 YEARS OLD...YIKES.
Rating: 
Summary: Great concert - but there's still a significant cut
Review: All of the reviews say it all. Except - in my hazy memory of watching the concert on TV I recall a song called "Citizen of the planet" being performed, which I now find out is a "new release" from S&G. Can anyone remember this song being performed in the Central Park concert?
Rating:
Summary: To Correct Some Misconceptions
Review: The other 4 and 5 star reviews speak for themselves. I'd like to correct a few misconceptions about this DVD, though. Anyone who thinks that "The Late Great Johnny Ace" in not included on the DVD has not watched it all the way through. Although not listed on the tacklist, it comes on right after "A Heart In New York". Another criticism was over the inclusion of seven Paul Simon solo tunes. Paul Simon wrote almost all of S&G's material. In my book, any Paul Simon song that Art sings on is a S&G song. By that standard, there are only two Paul Simon solo songs. Plus Art sings solo on two S&G songs and his own "A Heart In New York". So I think it evens out pretty well.
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