Simon & Garfunkel: Paul Simon (vocals, guitar); Art Garfunkel (vocals).

Additional personnel: Mark Stewart (guitar, cello); Larry Saltzman (guitar); Warren Bernhardt (piano); Rob Schwimmer (keyboards, Theremin); Pino Palladino (bass guitar); Jim Keltner (drums); Jamey Haddad (percussion); The Everly Brothers.

Liner Note Author: David Wild.

Post-breakup relations between Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel were often strained; regarding the possibility of a reunion, Simon once famously remarked "no rush." Nevertheless, like many a love/hate relationship, theirs was marked by periodic highs when they put their differences aside and sang together again. OLD FRIENDS: LIVE ON STAGE marks one of these peaks, with the trail-blazing folk-rock duo performing a slew of their old hits together some four decades on. When Simon performed such S&G classics as "Bridge over Troubled Water" or "The Sound of Silence" on his own over the years, he'd often drastically revise the arrangements, but here the duo sticks more closely to the original versions, honoring their initial intentions. They also touch on their earliest years together, reprising their early (under the name Tom & Jerry) Everly Brothers-esque hit "Hey, Schoolgirl" before bringing out the Everlys themselves for a rendition of the latter's classic "Bye Bye Love." While a previously unreleased song, "Citizen of the Planet" is added as an extra enticement, its the lovingly rendered 1960s chestnuts ("Mrs. Robinson," "Leaves That Are Green," etc.) that will most strongly attract faithful fans.

Entertainment Weekly (p.84) - "'America' still gets whoops from the crowd, and an Everly Brothers guest spot is fun." - Grade: B-

Uncut (p.116) - 3 stars out of 5 - "[T]he harmonies still beguile...."