Label: Columbia 45133
Year: 1970
Condition: M-
Last Price: $12.00. Not currently available for sale.

Found one! This is a beautiful, Near Mint copy of the duo's second big hit from their best and, sadly, final album, Bridge Over Troubled Water. What the heck is that rhythm section doing, by the way? Anybody ever figure it out (without looking at the session notes)? By the way, it's not your imagination -- the 45 rpm version of "Cecilia" is speeded up from the LP version, which probably explains why the track is only 2:40 on the 45 but 2:55 on the LP. (!) I actually measured it by recording a snippet of the 45 (have a listen!). That segment is 2 seconds shorter from the 45 (1:43:66) than from the LP (1:45:713). Another reason why collecting 45s is so rewarding. Maybe you wondered if the LP version of "Cecilia" sounded slow all these years, but couldn't figure out why. Now you know... and you weren't imagining it!

The B side, also from the album, is sublime itself in so many ways, and it's a privilege to hear it in pristine Mint audio on the original 45 record; don't forget, this song is so quiet it makes "Bridge" sound loud (!), so finding this styrene pressing with sound like this is cause for celebration!

It's also worth noting that "Cecilia" was really the first recording that showed how much in love with complex rhythms Paul Simon had become. (And what a master producer as well!) Many of his solo releases demonstrate that passion, starting with his first single, "Mother And Child Reunion," which was one of the first hits with a reggae/ska rhythm by someone not from Jamaica. But in particular I think of his great single Late In The Evening (from the failed album/movie, One Trick Pony), and his entire Graceland and Rhythm of the Saints albums.

?Note: This copy comes in a vintage Columbia Records factory sleeve. The audio sounds pristine Mint. The labels and vinyl (styrene) both grade Near Mint with faint storage wear and signs of possible light use.