Indeed that is one striking feature of this record- it is never ever dull. Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme certainly has its high moments, though there are also times where you feel songwriter Paul Simon has not lived up to the talent he displays on some of the tracks.
For instance a song like 'The Big Bright Green Pleasure Machine' is extremely enjoyable. A nice rock song with some cute guitar and even cuter wordplay: "Do people have a tendency to dump on you/Does your group have more cavities than theirs/Do all the hippies seem to get the jump on you/Do you sleep alone when others sleep in pairs?"
'Homeward Bound' is just as well written, even if the subject is somewhat cliched (as Simon himself points out). Still it conveys well the songwriter's sense of loneliness and desperation. "If you know Widnes," Simon explains, "then you'll understand how I was desperately trying to get back to London as quickly as possible. 'Homeward Bound' came out of that feeling."
A Simple Desultory Philippic (Or How I Was Robert McNamara'd Into Submission) is another nice combination of rock and far our lyrics, such as: "I been Norman Mailered, Maxwell Taylored/I been John O'Hara'd, McNamara'd". In pleasing contrast is 'For Emily, Whenever I May Find Her' a softly beautiful love song. Different again is 'Flowers Never Bend with the Rainfall', a soothing folk piece. Other strong contributions are 'Scarborough Fair/Canticle (based on a centuries old arrangement) and 'The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy).
Coupled with such obviously outstanding tunes are some average ones. It's not that 'Patterns', 'Cloudy', 'The Dangling Conversation' and 'A Poem on the Underground Wall' are bad- it's just that they're, well, average. All have nice melodies yet would be more fitting as b-sides rather than on the same level as the likes of 'For Emily'.
The final track, and almost an afterthought, is '7 O'Clock News/Silent Night'. Put simply this is an appalling piece of satire. It is just a recording of the news played over a rendition of 'Silent Night'. The result is a painful piece of music.
So Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme has a mix of good and bad qualities. On the negative side are a few weaker tracks as well as the incredibly annoying 'Silent Night'.
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