Track Listing

1. Crying in the Rain - Art Garfunkel, James Taylor
2. All I Know
3. Just Over the Brooklyn Bridge
4. Sound of Silence
5. Breakup
6. Skywriter
7. Decree
8. It's All in the Game
9. One Less Holiday
10. Since I Don't Have You
11. Two Sleepy People
12. Why Worry
13. All My Love's Laughter

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #52556 in Music
• Released on: 2001-02-01
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Best of

From Amazon.com
Garfunkel's single-CD album, Up 'Til Now, is a very peculiar compilation. It doesn't include any of his six Top 40 hits as a solo artist; in fact, it only includes two songs from his previous solo albums. It does include "The Breakup," and 1964's original all-acoustic version of "The Sound of Silence" before a folk-rock rhythm section was added to turn it into a hit. It also includes his theme song for the CBS-TV series "Brooklyn Bridge" and his lovely version of Hoagy Carmichael & Frank Loesser's "Two Sleepy People" for the soundtrack album of A League of Their Own. It's strictly MOR, but Garfunkel lends this much-maligned genre an elegance largely missing from the work of such MOR stars as Barry Manilow, Bette Midler, Harry Connick Jr., and Liza Minnelli. Those other singers strain to oversell their modest material, while Garfunkel has the good grace to understate his vocals and allow the frothy sentiments to float atop his purring melodies. And that makes all the difference. --Geoffrey Himes

Customer Reviews

It is fantastic...but....
...It is very very hard to work out exactly what this album IS.

It is not a compilation of his best....It is not new material yet it includes some...

The best way to describe this album is 'The Best of What Was Left Out...and Some More'.

It contains 'Crying In The Rain', which was freshly recorded with James Taylor for the album. The sounds are fantastic, and like their previous work their voices gell extremely well.

The Breakup is amusing, and has Paul and Art bickering in an evidently rehearsed studio snippet...Although not a song, it is a lovely addition to the album.

All I Know is a song from his very first solo album, Angel Clare, and this is a later take on that hit song. Although nowhere near as majestic as the original, it is still a nice tune, and Jimmy Webb on the piano sounds fantastic.

Just Over Brooklyn Bridge is a very short, but a very majestic little tune. The Sound of Silence is the famous acoustic take on S&G's hit song, it doesnt quite fit in here though, and therefore it just doesnt seem right.

All My Love's Laughter is again a later take on a previous hit, and Since I Don't Have You comes straight from 'Fate For Breakfast'.

Skywriter is probably the best song on this CD, a live take on a tune which I believe could rival any of his previous hits, as Art sings it in a wonderful way, as it would seem only he could.

The Decree comes from Animals Christmas album which he did w/ Amy Grant in 1986, and Two Sleepy People is done fantastically. One Less Holiday is a song which never made it to 'Scissors Cut', and It's All In The Game compliments Arts great voice once again.

Why Worry is one of my favourites on this album, again it is his voice...Sound like a parrot now.

So why only a 4 out of 5?

Well, although it has great songs on it, it can feel a little disjointed at times, and compared to his previous work, it doesnt feel as well structured.

But even with that, it has some gems in there, especially 'Skywriter' and 'Crying In The Rain'...So if you are a fan...it is a must.

If you arent....then it is a worthy addition to a general music rack regardless.