Art Garfunkel Album: “Angel Clare”

"Angel Clare",released in 1973,showed that Artie could do very well without Paul Simon,just as Paul's excellent 1972 solo album showed he could make it on his own as well.While Garfunkel's output isn't as creative or adventurous as Simon's since Art didn't write most of his material,there's nonetheless a weath of quality music he's made throughout his career.And quality is in full supply on "Angel Clare",from the grand,lovely ballad "All I Know"(which was featured on the last first-season episode of Nip/Tuck),the jaunty Van Morrison-penned "I Shall Sing","Old Man","Mary Was An Only Child",and the traditional tunes "Barbara Allen" and "Feuilles-Oh/Do Space Men Pass Dead Souls On Their Way To The Moon?".Beautiful listening for any one with a great ear for music.Also recommended:Breakaway,Watermark,Fate For Breakfast,Scissors Cut,and Everthing Waits To Be Noticed.

I absolutely relate to A.K. Salmon's review. I loved this as a tape long ago, and when I heard "All I Know" on the Nip/Tuck finale, it literally brought tears to my eyes. Some lyrics just ring so powerfully true, and the purity of Garfunkel's voice just pierces right through you. It's two days since the show, and the song is still weaving through my head...

I am 11 yrs. old I was 10 yrs. old when my dad introduced me to Angel Claire. I was expecting to hear some more of Dad's junk. We made a bet that I wouldn't like it. Then he put it on and I was speechless.(Darn, I still owe him 20 bucks.) If I am having a bad day I can turn this on and I feel great afterwards. Buy this CD and I guarantee you will walk away satisfied.

I heard all of the rumors... it's exactly what rock critics and the public love to do...

they love to turn a divorce into justification for one versus the other... whether it's John over Paul... and now, in this case Paul over Arty...

Well, despite the fact that everyone said Art's solo stuff didn't hold water... I have now bought three of his albums within the past two weeks... this one is a masterpiece from start to finish and is riddled with the sounds of Simon and Garfunkel...

I Guess I might be biased.. I'm a singer and Garfunkel just has the voice for me... it's not that I don't like Paul Simon's voice.. it's nice... but Art has passion, and emotion.. and is able to do all sorts of stuff with his voice (like a male Mariah Carey)

this guy also knows how to arrange well... just listen to his multi-tracked vocal arrangements.. they fit in so well with the impeccable production... This album may take atleast a few listens for most Simon and Garfunkel fans, but I can almost guarentee that you'll be hooked like I am eventually.

Unlike his long-time partner Paul Simon, Art Garfunkel was not gifted as a songwriter, and when the two broke their partnership many in the music world suggested that Garfunkel had essentially ridden Simon's coat tails; Simon, it was argued, had the real talent and Garfunkel was little more than an excellent back-up singer. When Simon's first solo recordings proved major successes, critics and public alike began to write Garfunkel off. Then came ANGEL CLARE, a recording that proved equal in both skill and public success, reaching number five on the charts and spawning no fewer than three chart hits: "All I Know," "Traveling Boy," and "I Shall Sing."

Released in 1973, the album is titled ANGEL CLARE--a reference to a character in Thomas Hardy's nove TESS OF THE D'URBERVILLES, a man who abandons his wife and thus precipitates her downfall. More than one has suggested that the choice of title is a covert swipe at Paul Simon, but even if true the album and the novel share a similar tone: a glittering beauty that is superficial mask to a deep and delicately expressed lyric sorrow. Every track on ANGEL CLARE is flawlessly rendered, mesmerizing in artistry; every track is also poignant, at times painfully so.

Garfunkel's voice has always been noted for an almost inhuman delicacy, and here it is blessed with both the tones of a flawlessly played instrument and a tender humanity. The arrangements provide a perfect setting for both, and while the three best know songs are certainly extraordinary, my own favorites are three different selections. "Mary Was An Only Child" is a dark and pitiful portrait of a little girl lost, performed by Garfunkel with a tremendous calm that is considerably more powerful than any more emotional interpretation could be. As originally written and recorded by Osibisa, "Woyaya" was Carribean-inflected; performed here with a strange jangle of strings and percussion and a children's chorus, it suddenly develops, condenses, and then flecks with hope all the trials and tribulations of those who are unsure of their path. And then, of course, there is "Barbara Allen," a variation of the classic English ballad dating from the 1600 and 1700s hundreds. Many have recorded it over the years, but none have ever owned it as Garfunkel does.

Overall, Garfunkel's musical career has lacked the broad popular appeal that Paul Simon's career has had--but one thing's for sure. It isn't for lack of artistry. And you need look no further than ANGEL CLARE for proof. Strongly recommended.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer