"Bridge Over Trouble Water" sounds artificial

On BOTW, the strings are absolutely dripping with electronic or spring reverb. I think it was meant to sound chintzy, far away. Same with the solo snare sound. When that got transferred to CD, the charm of that processing turned grating and, for some unlistenable, same with the horns on "Keep the Customer Satisfied." It sounds lovely on lp, but wasn't even supposed to be particularly hi-fi sounding. Still, that lp is a quality recording: So Long, Frank Lloyd Wrigh, Song for the Asking, etc. FWIW,  S&G wasn't just for the "hippie generation," which they actually mocked in their songs; they were heavily marketed to the audiophile set, alongside classical and jazz.  

I'm trying not to beat a dead horse.  I listened to the LP, the CD, Hi Res on Qobuz and on my two systems with KEF LS50 or Klipsch R8000, Marantz amp or Parasound Halo A21+, Denafrips ares ii, Parasound P6, Marantz CD, Cambridge CD transport. With all equipment BOTW is a poor recording.  I then listened to Simon & Garfunkel Live in Central Park, 1982.  The same songs sounded like real music with real musical instruments!  The improved sound was unmistakable.  Am I wrong?

Everything is best on vinyl. Everything. 

The better your equipment gets, the worse that old, sub-par recordings sound.  I did find something that really helps on these anemic sources.  Since I bi-amp, I use a separate amp AND and preamp for the bass. With a double pole, double throw switch, I bypass the sub crossover to add harmonics to fill in for these ancient recordings.  You can do this without the second preamp, but I also get to choose how much bass I add, and without phase shift.

The better your equipment gets, the worse that old, sub-par recordings sound.

I would say the worse they sound compared to the best recordings on same system for sure but any other comparison is highly subjective.