During the sessions for "Parsley", Simon and Garfunkel recorded "A Hazy Shade of Winter"; it was released as a single, peaking at number 13 on the national charts. Similarly, they recorded "At the Zoo" for single release in early 1967; it charted at number 16. Simon began work for their next album around this time, telling "High Fidelity" that "I'm not interested in singles anymore". He developed writer's block, which led to no new album on the horizon for 1967. Artists at the time were expected to release two or three albums each year, and the lack of productivity worried Columbia executives. Amid concerns for Simon's idleness, Columbia Records chairman Clive Davis arranged for up-and-coming producer John Simon to kick-start the recording. Simon was distrustful of label executives; on one occasion, he and Garfunkel recorded a meeting with Davis, who was giving a "fatherly talk" on speeding up production, to laugh at it later. The rare television appearances at this time saw the duo performing on network broadcasts as "The Ed Sullivan Show", "The Mike Douglas Show", and "The Andy Williams Show" in 1966, and twice on "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour" in 1967.