Simon & Garfunkel - 20 Greatest Hits (1991)

Exactly 50 years ago, Simon & Garfunkel were enjoying unprecedented commercial and critical success. Their fifth studio album Bridge Over Troubled Water was No 1 in the UK charts, eventually spending six months in pole position in the UK and 10 weeks at the top in the US. It would become the best-selling album of the 1970s. The title track from the album was also winging its way up the UK singles charts, and in late March, the duo simultaneously topped the singles and albums charts on both sides of the Atlantic.

However, just as Simon & Garfunkel reached the summit of their career, the duo broke up, much to the dismay of their legions of fans. They would get together periodically over the years for some memorable gigs, and if they reunited tomorrow, their concerts would surely sell out overnight. However, with Simon announcing his retirement from live work a couple of years ago, and with their relationship cool to say the least, that looks increasingly unlikely.

For an act that soundtracked an era while virtually inventing the soft-rock genre, their legacy rests on a surprisingly small body of work – just those five studio albums that have been endlessly recycled in one form or another.

These are the 20 greatest songs from those albums.