Title	Far East Reunion
Label	Hard Rain
Catalog Number	HARD RAIN-007/8
Source	7 May 1982: audience recording from floor of Osaka Stadium. July 1965 BBC premiere: off-air recording. Queens College 1964: unknown - likely soundboard. SNL 18 November 1976: off-air TV recording.
Performers	Paul Simon - guitar, vocals Art Garfunkel - vocals George Harrison - guitar, vocals (SNL only) (the following only at Osaka 1982) Richard Tee - keyboards Steve Gadd - drums Pete Carr - guitar George Wadenuis - guitar Wayne Pedzwater - bass Ed Walsh - synthesizer Fred Lipsius - trumpet John Eckert - trumpet John Gatchell - trumpet Gerry Niewood - saxophone
Quality	Osaka 1982: EX- / 7.5 BBC 1965: EX / 8.0 UK 1964: EX / 8.5-9.0 SNL 1976: VG+ / 7.0
Tracks 7 May 1982 - Osaka: 1. Mrs. Robinson 2. Homeward Bound 3. America 4. Me And Julio Down By The Schoolyard 5. Scarborough Fair/Canticle 6. My Little Town 7. Wake Up Little Suzie 8. Still Crazy After All These Years 9. Bright Eyes 10. Late In The Evening 11. Slip Slidin' Away 12. El Condor Pasa 13. 50 Ways To Leave You Lover 14. American Tune 15. The Late Great Johnny Ace 16. Kodachrome / Maybelline 17. Bridge Over Troubled Water 18. The Boxer 19. Old Friends / Bookends 20. The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy) 21. The Sound Of Silence 22. Late In The Evening (encore) 23. The Boxer (encore) BBC promo show for Wednesday Morning 3AM: 1. Can't Help But Wonder Where I'm Bound 2. Sparrow 3. The Side Of A Hill 4. I Am A Rock 5. A Church Is Burning 6. Anji Queens College, London - rehearsal 1964: 1. Anji 2. So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright (instrumental) 3. Old Friends / Bookends (instrumental) 4. Scarborough Fair / Canticle 5. The House Carpenter Song 6. Gospel Ship 7. Pretty Boy Floyd 8. A Church Is Burning 9. The Sound Of Silence 10. Leaves That Are Green 11. The Sun Is Burning 12. Can't help But Wonder Where I'm Bound 13. Going To The Zoo 14. He Was My Brother Saturday Night Live, 18 Nov 1976: 1. Homeward Bound 2. Bye Bye Love
Total Time	152:14
Notes This 2CD set gathers together an entire 1982 tour concert with a lot of cool S&G and Paul Simon rarities from the 1960s, along with one of Paul's many mid-1970s appearances on Saturnday Night Live. The Osaka concert was one of the last dates on the Simon & Garfunkel reuinion tour, which followed their 1981 concert in Central Park. This show finds the pair in much better form than at the NYC gig, with better presence and a hotter band. Art's voice is much better than it was in NYC, and the song selection was a bit more diverse, including such nuggets as "My Little Town" and "El Condor Pasa." Both Paul and Art seem fairly upbeat, especially given how late in the tour this concert was. The recording is sometimes a bit distant, but it's also very clear. Sometimes the audience is a bit too boisterous, clapping along with the songs, but the concert as a whole is quite nice - muche better, in my opinion, than the legitimately-available Concert In Central Park CD. The BBC promo for Wednesday Morning 3AM is a wonderful gem. The recording is of decenlt quality, and the performances are great. Each song is introduced by either Paul, Art or a BBC announcer. Of special note are the two songs which weren't on the LP. "The Side Of A Hill" appeared on The Paul Simon Songbook, though on this version Artie takes to vocal duties. The song eventually became the "Canticle" to "Scarborough Fair." "A Church Is Burning" also appeared on Songbook, though S&G also performed this song at most of their 1965 and 1966 shows. The Queens College stuff makes me wonder. Everything from "The House Carpenter Song" onward seems to be legitimate. The first tracks ("Anji" through "Old Friends/Bookends") seem suspect, though. Could Paul have written "So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright" and "Old Friends/Bookends" in 1964, years before they were recorded by the duo? It's hard to say. Given the fact that the recording quality is similar to the rest of the material, these tracks may, indeed, be legitimate vintage '64. However, further listening has led me to conclude that the instrumental versions of "So Long" and "Old Friends/Bookends" are likely vintage 1968 or 1969, from a soundcheck. The Queens College performance, as a whole, is delightful. It features Paul performing solo during his Songbook period, throwing in a lot of cover tunes in addition to his own compositions. The only problem I can find with this recording is that it is mastered about a semitone fast - Paul sometimes sounds like he's been inhaling helium before each verse. The SNL material has appeared on other ROIOs from both Paul Simon and George Harrison. The quality is nothing to praise, and one of the songs ("Homeward Bound") can be found in much better quality on the Nobody's Child charity CD. This set is a worthwhile purchase, though it is devilishly hard to find. Back to the Simon & Garfunkel ROIO Page