Search - Art Garfunkel :: Angel Clare

Ten Gorgeous Songs About Death and Loss

R. W. Rasband | Heber City, UT | 02/07/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I got this record in 1973 as a gift when I just a kid at a very impressionable age and listened to it a lot, but lost track of it over the years as CD's replaced vinyl albums. I recently listened to the CD and heard the music for the first time in 20 years and had an interestingly complex reaction. I knew the music by heart and it brought back some very pleasant nostalgic memories. But my added life experience caused me to realize that this is a much darker record than I was able to comprehend as a kid. The production is state-of-the-art 1970's American pop, which means you can't find more beautiful work. And Garfunkel's famous tenor voice is thrilling. What I didn't realize at the time is how tenderly he sings about pain. loss, and death; evey song on the album is about these subjects. Check out his famous cover of Randy Newman's "Old Man" which is less shocking in its rawness than Newman's version, but no less devastating. Or "Mary Was an Only Child", which could be a Flannery O'Connor story set to music. Or Van Morrison's "I Shall Sing" which is about carrying on in the face of tragedy. Or a traditional song about murder ("Down in the Willow Garden") or a traditional song about the deaths of star-crossed lovers ("Barbara Allen"). These songs aren't sentimental; the orchestrations are full but restained and orginal at the same time. This remains a great album, one of the high points of mainstream American music in the '70's."

A Fine Debut Album

B. J O'Connor | Holmdel,NJ USA | 10/31/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

""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."

Can't wait for this CD to arrive!

T. Berg | Murrieta CA | 10/08/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"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..."