THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD
1,621) Paul Simon — “Flowers Never Bend with the Rainfall”
Paul Simon gives us such a gorgeous and contemplative song with “an absolutely stellar melody” (NeonMadman, https://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/american-tunes-paul-simon-song-by-song.1164065/page-154), “a beautiful and simple melody, and the harmonies are gorgeous”. (olneyce, https://www.heartachewithhardwork.com/2013/03/top-10-paul-simon-songs.html) “[T]here’s something so fragile and lovely about it, I fall under its sway pretty easily”. (Mooserfan, https://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/american-tunes-paul-simon-song-by-song.1164065/page-156) This is “Simon at his most reflectively philosophical, dealing with age and its changes . . . with a dissonant note (literally) at the end that anticipated the style of the duo’s next album.” (Bruce Eder, https://www.allmusic.com/album/parsley-sage-rosemary-and-thyme-mw0000191849) “[I]t probably best sums up those nights spent alone in my room as an angsty teenager.” (45 Ruminations Per Megabyte, https://45ruminationspermegabyte.com/2018/08/02/ten-albums-simon-and-garfunkel-parsley-sage-rosemary-and-thyme-1966/)
Matthew Greenwald writes that:
[“Flowers”] is a simple yet very likeable slice of pop confection. As with many of Simon’s songs, this is a simple yet insightful self-analysis, filled with pathos and humor. Musically, it showcases Simon’s pop instincts in a very powerful and charming way. There are many other songs of his from this period that are indeed better, but the sense of craftsmanship easily puts it on the level of Simon’s other, more ambitious creations.
https://www.allmusic.com/song/flowers-never-bend-with-the-rainfall-mt0028618671
The first version of the song is on Simon’s UK-only solo album, The Paul Simon Songbook, the second with Art Garfunkel on Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme. I prefer the solo version, as do some others, such as:
Chris Bord, who writes that it is a “quiet stunner . . . superior to the later over-produced version” (https://mossislandsounds.com/2015/03/19/the-paul-simon-songbook-1965/)
And JamesRR: “[T]he difference between two versions is monumental. I love the sparse version on PSSB – I really get into the lyrics more, I feel it more. The S&G version almost mucks it up with harmonies and faster rhythm, a totally different song to me. The original is what folk is all about.” (https://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/american-tunes-paul-simon-song-by-song.1164065/page-157)
And Eskimo Chain: “The S&G version 3/5 it just grates, having been so enamoured of the Songbook version hearing it upbeat with slick production and harmonising just sounds so wrong to me, it’s one man with his guitar trying to (very earnestly) work stuff out so with all the trimmings in the later version it’s just not for me.” (https://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/american-tunes-paul-simon-song-by-song.1164065/page-157)
Jim Beviglia loves the S&G version: “Much of Simon’s earliest songwriting is rife with the heavy thoughts that trouble young deep thinkers. In this song . . . the melodic lightness and the breezy, mid-tempo rhythm counteract all of the pondering quite nicely. Another hallmark of the song is the way that Paul and Artie trade off on the vocals so deftly, interchangeably coming to the fore and regressing, before rising together in glorious harmony.” (https://www.culturesonar.com/paul-simon-songs/)
As does Meet Me in Montauk: “[It] has always been a favorite of mine for the way their voices blend on the verses before Garfunkel lifts the chorus gently into the clouds. But this solo version is sweetly perfect as well.” (https://meetinmontauk.com/2011/09/25/song-of-the-day-1571-flowers-never-bend-with-the-rainfall-paul-simon/)
And Rfreeman: “A pretty perfect tune in the S&G version. Much less compelling solo acoustic. Heavily Dylan influenced verses but Paul using his own sincere lyrical voice within the idiom Dylan invented . . . . And a beautifully melodic chorus and lovely harmonies.” (https://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/american-tunes-paul-simon-song-by-song.1164065/page-154)
As to PSSB, Bruce Eder writes:
[O]ne of the most mysterious [LPs] in Paul Simon’s output and almost belongs more with Simon & Garfunkel’s discography, given its 1965 recording date. Following the failure of Simon & Garfunkel’s first, all-acoustic folk revival-style album, Wednesday Morning, 3 AM, Simon headed off to England to see about pursuing music over there. While he was in London, he found himself in demand as a visiting American “folksinger” (though Simon’s credentials in this area were rather limited), began building up a following in the coffeehouses, and was eventually pegged for a performing spot on the BBC. Suddenly, there were requests for Paul Simon recordings, of which there were none — as a result of his being signed to Columbia Records in America, however, he was brought into the London studios of British CBS and recorded this album with only his acoustic guitar for backup. The resulting album is spare, almost minimalist, as Simon runs through raw and unaffected versions of songs that he was known for in London, including “The Sounds of Silence,” “The Sun Is Burning,” “I Am a Rock,” “A Simple Desultory Philippic” . . . and “Kathy’s Song.” . . . [T]he production by Reginald Warburton and Stanley West . . . isn’t terribly sympathetic; the sound isn’t very natural, being very close and booming, but the album is a fascinating artifact of Simon’s work during the interregnum in Simon & Garfunkel’s career. And there is one fascinating number here, “The Side of a Hill,” which eventually resurfaced as the countermelody song in the Simon & Garfunkel version of “Scarborough Fair” (a song curious by its absence here, considering that Simon was doing it in his coffeehouse appearances) two years later.
https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-paul-simon-songbook-mw0000050335
Here are Simon and Garfunkel:
1,622) Toast — “Flowers Never Bend with the Rainfall”
The UK’s Toast give us a lovely heavily orchestrated version. The Piccadilly Sunshine comp says:
The Toast comprised of Henry Marsh (the son of racing driver Ken Marsh), Simon Byrne and John Perry who came together in Dorset circa 1967 having trodden the weary boards with hapless local gigs as Utopia Somerset. The band renamed themselves as Toast heading out in London in 1968 under the supervision of producer and songwriter John Edward, a Radio London disk jockey and one-time member of David Jones’ (AKA Bowie) Manish Boys. . . . The agency also recorded a number of demos for the band in 1969 which would eventually seal their contract with producer Tony Cox. Meanwhile the band had already managed an appearance on Colour Me Pop for the BBC . . . . With the entrails of psychedelia having been exposed during their time with the Instant Sound agency, 1970 warranted a new direction and the band met up with new manager Tony Cox who arranged for the band to record a version of “Flowers Never Bend”. The single disappeared quickly amidst the piles of progressive circumstance in 1970 and yet again the band packed came to a brief halt.
liner notes to Piccadilly Sunshine: Volumes 11-20: A Compendium of Rare Pop Curios from the British Psychedelic Era
Toast:
Here is Australia’s Shirley Abicair:
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