| # | Track Title | Artist | Composer | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bleeker Street | Paul Simon | 2:45 | |
| 2 | The Sound Of Silence | Paul Simon | 3:07 | |
| 3 | The Sun Is Burning | Ian Campbell | 2:48 | |
| 4 | Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M. | Paul Simon | 2:16 | |
| 5 | He Was My Brother | Paul Kane (Paul Simon) | 2:51 | |
| 6 | Sparrow | Paul Simon | 2:49 | |
| 7 | Peggy-O | Traditional | 2:27 | |
| 8 | Benedictus | Traditional, arranged by Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel | 2:40 | |
| 9 | Somewhere They Can't Find Me | Paul Simon | 2:36 | |
| 10 | We've Got A Groovy Thing Goin' | Paul Simon | 1:59 | |
| 11 | Leaves That Are Green | Paul Simon | 2:22 | |
| 12 | Richard Cory | Paul Simon | 2:57 | |
| 13 | I Am A Rock | Paul Simon | 2:51 | |
| 14 | The Sound Of Silence (Single Version) | Paul Simon | 3:07 | |
| 15 | Homeward Bound | Paul Simon | 2:31 | |
| 16 | Blues Run The Game | 2:53 | ||
| 17 | Kathy's Song | Paul Simon | 3:19 | |
| 18 | April Come She Will | Paul Simon | 1:51 | |
| 19 | Flowers Never Bend With The Rainfall | Paul Simon | 2:10 | |
| Total Time: | 50:19 | |||
Album Notes
All songs written by Paul Simon except track 3 by I. Campbell; tracks 7, 8 traditional; track 16 by Jackson C. Frank.
Date of US Release October 28, 1997
The Collected Works was a triple-disc box set that included all of the duo's albums, but no rarities. For the average fan - even the fairly dedicated fan - that set contained most everything they would need, even if the sound quality was a little below average. Old Friends is a three-disc box set that was designed to replace The Collected Works, but it fails to achieve its goals, despite its improved remastered sound. Part of the reason is the contents itself - all five albums plus the rarities on this set could have fit on three discs, offering a real complete recorded studio works, but the compilers decided to truncate the albums and toss on a handful of rarities. The result certainly isn't bad - after all, it features all of the hits, most of the major album tracks, the 1975 reunion ''My Little Town,'' and a couple of good rarities, like ''Blues Run the Game'' - but it isn't all it could have been. If you already own The Collected Works, Old Friends serves little purpose unless you're a collector or audiophile, and if you're a neophyte, you're better off obtaining the original albums, not this well-intentioned and enjoyable but ultimately unsuccessful compilation.
Date of US Release October 28, 1997
The Collected Works was a triple-disc box set that included all of the duo's albums, but no rarities. For the average fan - even the fairly dedicated fan - that set contained most everything they would need, even if the sound quality was a little below average. Old Friends is a three-disc box set that was designed to replace The Collected Works, but it fails to achieve its goals, despite its improved remastered sound. Part of the reason is the contents itself - all five albums plus the rarities on this set could have fit on three discs, offering a real complete recorded studio works, but the compilers decided to truncate the albums and toss on a handful of rarities. The result certainly isn't bad - after all, it features all of the hits, most of the major album tracks, the 1975 reunion ''My Little Town,'' and a couple of good rarities, like ''Blues Run the Game'' - but it isn't all it could have been. If you already own The Collected Works, Old Friends serves little purpose unless you're a collector or audiophile, and if you're a neophyte, you're better off obtaining the original albums, not this well-intentioned and enjoyable but ultimately unsuccessful compilation.