Recording and Releases
Simon recorded the album over several dates in June 1965. Most of the songs required several takes. He only had one microphone for both his voice and his guitar, which is why he can be heard stamping his feet to the rhythm on "The Sound of Silence" as well the alternate take of "I Am a Rock".
There is nothing on the album that seems to immediately point to the producers, Warburton and West, having anything major to do with it, musically. It seems that almost nothing is known by the general public of Simon's relationship with either one.
The album was released along with the single "I Am A Rock/Leaves That Are Green", CBS 201797. The latter is the same version as that found on the Songbook, but the version of the A-side is clearly not. On the A-side, one can plainly hear Simon tapping his foot to keep a beat, a feature not heard on the album's kickoff track. It has been speculated that the version of "I Am a Rock" on the single is actually the alternate take included with the 2004 re-release of the Songbook.
Read more about this topic: The Paul Simon Songbook
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