"Cecilia" by Simon & Garfunkel

An astounding stereographic image that puts you right in the middle of a drum circle. This one feels like home. I grew up with Simon & Garfunkel playing in the house, and in the maroon Oldsmobile station wagon my mom drove. Wood panel siding, purple velour interior, and road trips scored by voices that somehow felt both friendly and enormous. Nostalgia is baked into this sound for me. But it’s not just memory. These recordings were masterfully made.

"Cecilia" lives on Bridge Over Troubled Water, released in 1970. The album went on to win the Grammy Award for Best Engineered Recording at the 13th Annual Grammy Awards in 1971, with Roy Halee behind the board.

It's easy to hear why. The percussion is a joyous mess that lands perfectly. Claps, guitar slaps, foot stomps, popcorn drums, and shaker production that defies the simplicity of the instrument. It all feels spontaneous, but is absolutely locked in. On a good two-channel setup, you can feel the players in a circle, trading rhythms in real space.

"Cecilia" is playful, it’s alive, and it makes a hi-fi stereo system shine. This track is one of my personal references, not just for soundstage and imaging, but for the way it collapses time. It still makes me feel like a kid in the backseat watching the landscape zip by, but it also sounds like a room full of musicians having the time of their lives.

Listen for: the shaker on your left and the way the claps fill the room. Close your eyes and the circle of sound wraps you up like a warm blanket from an old friend.

Data

Song: Cecilia
Album: Bridge Over Troubled Water
Artist: Simon & Garfunkel
Genre: Folk
Year: 1970
Length: 2:55
Composer: Paul Simon
Producer: Paul Simon, Art Garfunkel, Roy Halee