Art Garfunkel

 

I discovered Art Garfunkel's solo career well after I had already become a great fan of Simon and Garfunkel.  I had only been a lukewarm fan of Paul Simon's post-S&G albums (based on personal taste not the quality of the albums) and thus assumed that I would not enjoy Garfunkel's work any more than that.  I was fortunate enough to be handed an old vinyl copy of his first album Angel Clare, however, and was blown away after one listen.  Not only was his voice still amazing, but I really liked the kinds of music he was able to explore on his own---from the sweeping anthems reminiscent of "Bridge..." and "For Emily..." in previous times to an obvious interest in Old World musical traditions and songs with heavy emotional content.  I knew then and there that I was a definite Art Garfunkel fan and began looking for and buying many of his later works.  Below are comments on many of those albums.

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Angel Clare (1973)
This is the album that proves that Art Garfunkel has not only a great voice, but an amazing interpretive ability as a singer and producer as well. (Indeed, he claims he spent 80% of his time meticulously refining the arrangements and instrumentation on the album.) The songs on the album are largely ballads and old traditional melodies drawn from a variety of sources and lyricists. On their own, the lyrics of most of the songs are already wonderfully composed. Whatever the merits of the songs themselves, however, all are chosen as perfect arenas for Art to demonstrate both his vocal range and his capacity to convey emotional depth in song. This is definitely one of my favorite albums.

Traveling Boy (P. Williams, R. Nichols)
Down in the Willow Garden (C. Monroe)
I Shall Sing (V. Morrison) 
Old Man (R. Newman)
Feuilles-oh/Do Space Men Pass Dead Souls on Their Way to the Moon
         (Traditional/J.S. Bach, L. Grossman)
All I Know (J. Webb)
Mary Was an Only Child (J. Milchberg, A. Hammond, M. Hazlewood)
Woyoya (Sol Amarfio and Osibisa)
Barabara Allen (Traditional)
Another Lullaby (J. Webb)

 

Breakaway (1975)

Though still reflective of the "slow melodic" style of his previous album, Art's second solo album is decidedly much more pop-oriented than his first. This does not mean that it lacks gentle ballads, interesting lyrics, and strong interpretations. It does mean, however, that rather than traditional/classical tunes, Garfunkel drew from more current themes and romantic standards for the album---an arena in which he would stay for many years thereafter. Of all his solo work, Breakaway was Art's biggest commercial success as well. Another of my favorite albums.

 
I Believe (When I Fall in Love It Will Be Forever) 
Rag Doll
Break Away 
Disney Girls
Waters of March
My Little Town
I Only Have Eyes for You
Lookin' for the Right One
99 Miles from L.A.
The Same Old Tears on a New Background

 

Watermark (1978)

This album began with a basic idea---center a record around the already successful singer/songwriter combination of Art Garfunkel and Jimmy Webb. Some of the more passionately sung/written songs on the album ("Shine It on Me", "All My Love's Laughter", "Wooden Planes") define its overall feel as an album containing soft, rich songs which carry a definite yet subdued intensity. Also on the album are some non-Webb songs including "What a Wonderful World".

 
Crying in My Sleep (J. Webb)  
Marionette (J. Webb)  
Shine It on Me (J. Webb)  
Watermark (J. Webb)  
Saturday Suit (J. Webb)  
All My Love's Laughter  (J. Webb)  
(What a) Wonderful World 
Mr. Shuck 'n' Jive (J. Webb)   
Paper Chase (J. Webb)  
She Moved Through the Fair
Someone Else (1958)  (J. Webb) 
Wooden Planes (J. Webb)  

 

Fate for Breakfast (1979)

Art's fourth album called Fate for Breakfast contrasts sharply with his previous one with a much slicker production and almost "lounge club" feel. Despite some rather weak songs ("In a Little While"), the album does contain several very good songs. My favorites are the more "ethereal" ones such as "Finally Found a Reason", "Take Me Away", and "Miss You Nights".

 
In a Little While (I'll Be On My Way) (D. Belfield)
Since I Don't Have You (J. Beaumont et al.)
And I Know (M. Sembello, D. Batteau) 
 Sail on a Rainbow (S. Bishop)
Miss You Nights (D. Townsend)
Bright Eyes 
Finally Found a Reason (M. Sembello, D. Batteau, et al.)
Beyond the Tears (B. Gundry, J. Comanor)
 Oh How Happy (C. Hatcher)
When Someone Doesn't Want you (J. Staton)
Take Me Away (L and G. Gullikson) 

 

Scissors Cut (1981)

This album would be the last for Garfunkel until the late eighties and is kind of a close for this era of his music.  (1988's Lefty tried to restart this line but was largely inferior).  This album is goes back to some of Art's previous work in that it sounds part -Watermark and part-Breakaway in style.  It yielded the memorable "A Heart in New York" as well as several more interesting Jimmy Webb collaborations.

A Heart in New York (B. Gallagher, G. Lyle)
Scissors Cut (J. Webb)
Up in the World (C. T. Ward)
Hang on In (N. Ballitt)
So Easy to Begin (J. Shear)
Bright Eyes  (M. Batt)
Can't Turn My Heart Away (J. Jarvis, E. Kaz)
The French Waltz (A. Mitchell)
In Cars  (J. Webb)
That's All I've Got to Say (J. Webb)


 

Everything Waits to Be Noticed (2002)
 (w/ Maia Sharp and Buddy Mondlock)

After years of touring, individual songs, special projects, and pursuits of non-music interests, Art Garfunkel has finally released a new album of songs in collaboration with Maia Sharp and Buddy Mondlock. It even marks his debut as a co-song writer. The following is the review I posted on Amazon.com:

Though it may more rightly be called a trio album, Everything Waits to Be Noticed is intended to mark Art Garfunkel's return as a full-fledged artist. Be warned, the feel of the album is somewhat different from the bulk of his earlier solo work, perhaps a little more upbeat, more instrument driven, and---needless to say---more focused on harmonies. It works very well however. Art has obviously surrounded himself with high caliber talent as always.
The songs "Perfect Moment" and "What I Love About Rain" are most reminiscent of Art's past work and, not surprisingly, are my favorites. All the songs have an appeal, however, and the opening tracks of this album will catch your attention with their intricate vocals and "bounce" and---as several have attested---should convince you to get this album.

 
Bounce (G. Lyle, B. Mann)
The Thread (A. Garfunkel, B. Mondlock, M. Sharp)
The Kid (B. Mondlock)
Crossing Lines (M. Sharp, G. Burr, D. Haseltine) 
Everything Waits to Be Noticed (A. Garfunkel, B. Mondlock, M. Sharp)
Young and Free (R. Julian)
Perfect Moment (A. Garfunkel, B. Mondlock, P. Pettis)
Turn, Don't Turn Away (A. Garfunkel, B. Mondlock, B. Mann)
Wishbone  (A. Garfunkel, B. Mondlock, M. Sharp)
How Did You Know? (A. Garfunkel, B. Mondlock, M. Sharp)
What I Love About Rain (L. Aschmann, T. Kimmel)
Every Now and Then (B. Mondlock, G. Brooks)
Another Only One (M. Sharp, C. Faizi)

 

Some Enchanted Evening (2007)

After a few years of touring with Paul in a Simon & Garfunkel reunion, Art returned to his solo efforts by following the popular trend of recording an album of popular American standards.  Some of his early success came from covers of similar classic works so it is not a surprise that he would release such an album.  He even pairs up again with Richard Perry who produced his 1975 success Breakaway.  Art does very well here in applying his light and easy singing style to a variety of famous romantic ballads by the likes of Mercer and Rodgers & Hammerstein. The album opens up well with its first three songs recalling Art's work on songs such as "since I Don't Have You" and "When a Man Loves a Woman".  Unfortunately much of the instrumentation on the rest of the album is rather disappointing, relying heavily on synthesized strings and programmed percussion (with the exception of the lovely "You Stepped Out of a Dream").  I find this a bit of a surprise since I've always been impressed with the caliber of musicians Art has used on past albums and in concerts.  Unfortunately, a number of the songs end up sounding like cheap karaoke as a result.   

 
I Remember You (Mercer/Schertzinger)
Someone to Watch Over Me (Gershwin/Gershwin)
 Let's Fall in Love (Arlen/Koeler)
 I'm Glad There is You (Dorsey/Madeira)
 Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars (Corcovado) (Jobim/Lees)
 Easy Living (Robin/Rainger)
 I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face (Learner/Loewe)
 You Stepped Out of A Dream (Kahn/Brown)
 Some Enchanted Evening (Rodgers/Hammerstein)
 It Could Happen to You (Burke/Van Heusen)
 Life is But a Dream (Cita/Weiss)
 What'll I Do (Berlin)
 If I Loved You (Rodgers/Hammerstein)