Angel Clare
Encyclopedia
Angel Clare is the debut album by Art Garfunkel
released in 1973. It is his highest charting solo album, peaking at number 5 and contains his only Top 10 hit in the US, "All I Know" which peaked at number 9. It also contained two other Top 40 hits, "Traveling Boy" and "I Shall Sing". It was produced by long-time Simon & Garfunkel producer Roy Halee
, alongside Art Garfunkel.
The name Angel Clare comes from the name of a character in Thomas Hardy's book, Tess of the d'Urbervilles
.
and Roger Nichols
, the song describes the story of a young man heading for the road, leaving a lover behind. The piano opening riff was made by Larry Knechtel
, with J.J. Cale
performing the guitar solo. Garfunkel took three takes on the vocal, with the first two failing because he couldn't keep his voice loud enough during the first middle eight. Sally Stevens performs the soprano note at the start of the guitar solo.
"Down in the Willow Garden
," the second track, was a country classic popularised by singer-songwriter
Charlie Monroe
, about a young man who kills his lover in the town's willow garden, and the events that follow, from his attempts to hide the body to his father's hypocritical advice and, finally, his own demise. Paul Simon
sang harmony on the final verse and chorus with Garfunkel, along with Jerry Garcia
playing lead guitar (overdubbed later by Roy Halee
in San Francisco). Garfunkel went on to say it was one of his favorite country songs and loved the ability to work with Simon once again.
"I Shall Sing", the third track of the album, was the second single of the album. The Van Morrison
Reggae
based song (which would later be a hit for Boney M
) was changed from Reggae to a Latin beat by Jim Gordan, with Jules Broussard performing the sax solo, based on an Antonio Carlos Jobim
song that he had heard early that year.
"Old Man" was the most controversial track of the album, because of Garfunkel interpretation of the song. Garfunkel himself admitted that he tended, in those days, to listen to the melody before the words, and so was quite happy to embed a strong string arrangement and vocal changes. Randy Newman
, the song's composer, however, went on to say that he actually loved Garfunkel's version, despite bad press from Rolling Stone
Magazine. Strings were supplied by Peter Matz
, Stuart Canin, Ernie Freeman, and Jimmie Haskell, with Garfunkel having arranged the vocals, strings, and instrumentation himself. The highest note of the song, an F5, is also the highest note on the album, on the line "The Birds Have Flown Away."
"Feuilles-Oh/Do Space Men Pass Dead Souls On Their Way To The Moon?", the fifth track of the album, was a clever combination of the traditional Haitian folk song with a middle section based on the melody of J.S. Bach's "Oratorio de Navidad Choral N°33" and lyrics by Garfunkel's then fiancée, Linda Marie Grossman. The couple were married at her Nashville home a month after the album's release (October 1st, 1973) but divorced less than two years later (August 1975), with Garfunkel later saying that not only did he not love her, but he did not like her much during their short marriage.
"All I Know
", the sixth track of the album, was the first single of the album. The Jimmy Webb
composition became Garfunkel's highest US Charting single.
"Woyaya" is a cover of a song by the Afro-pop band Osibisa that was released two years prior.
Side two
Art Garfunkel
Arthur Ira "Art" Garfunkel is an American singer-songwriter, poet, and actor, best known as being a member of the folk duo Simon & Garfunkel...
released in 1973. It is his highest charting solo album, peaking at number 5 and contains his only Top 10 hit in the US, "All I Know" which peaked at number 9. It also contained two other Top 40 hits, "Traveling Boy" and "I Shall Sing". It was produced by long-time Simon & Garfunkel producer Roy Halee
Roy Halee
Roy Halee is an American record producer and engineer, best known for working with Simon and Garfunkel.Halee grew up on Long Island, New York. His father, also named Roy Halee, provided the singing voice for Mighty Mouse in late 1940s Terrytoons cartoons, as well as the voices of Heckle and Jeckle...
, alongside Art Garfunkel.
The name Angel Clare comes from the name of a character in Thomas Hardy's book, Tess of the d'Urbervilles
Tess of the d'Urbervilles
Tess of the d'Urbervilles: A Pure Woman Faithfully Presented, also known as Tess of the d'Urbervilles: A Pure Woman, Tess of the d'Urbervilles or just Tess, is a novel by Thomas Hardy, first published in 1891. It initially appeared in a censored and serialised version, published by the British...
.
Songs
"Traveling Boy" was the third single of the album and the opening track. Written by Paul WilliamsPaul Williams (songwriter)
Paul Hamilton Williams, Jr. is an Academy Award-winning American composer, musician, songwriter, and actor. He is perhaps best known for popular songs performed by a number of acts in the 1970s including Three Dog Night's "An Old Fashioned Love Song", Helen Reddy's "You and Me Against the World",...
and Roger Nichols
Roger Nichols (songwriter)
Roger Nichols Roger Nichols Roger Nichols (born in Missoula, Montana, is an American composer and songwriter. He is a multi-instrumentalist who plays violin, guitar, bass, and piano.-Biography:...
, the song describes the story of a young man heading for the road, leaving a lover behind. The piano opening riff was made by Larry Knechtel
Larry Knechtel
Lawrence William "Larry" Knechtel was an American keyboard player and bassist, best known for his work as a session musician with such artists as Simon & Garfunkel, Duane Eddy, The Beach Boys, The Mamas & the Papas, The Partridge Family, The Doors, and Elvis Presley, and as a member of the 1970s...
, with J.J. Cale
J.J. Cale
JJ Cale , born John Weldon Cale on December 5, 1938, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, is a Grammy Award-winning American singer-songwriter and musician. Cale is one of the originators of the Tulsa Sound, a loose genre drawing on blues, rockabilly, country, and jazz influences. Cale's personal style has...
performing the guitar solo. Garfunkel took three takes on the vocal, with the first two failing because he couldn't keep his voice loud enough during the first middle eight. Sally Stevens performs the soprano note at the start of the guitar solo.
"Down in the Willow Garden
Down in the Willow Garden
"Down in the Willow Garden", also known as "Rose Connelly" is a traditional Appalachian murder ballad about a man facing the gallows for the murder of his lover: he gave her poisoned wine, stabbed her, and threw her in a river. It originated in the 19th century, probably in Ireland, before becoming...
," the second track, was a country classic popularised by singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
Charlie Monroe
Charlie Monroe
Charlie Monroe was an American country and bluegrass music guitarist.-Biography:Monroe was born on his family's farm in Rosine, Kentucky; he was the older brother of the mandolin player Bill Monroe. His sister Bertha also played guitar, and brother Birch, fiddle...
, about a young man who kills his lover in the town's willow garden, and the events that follow, from his attempts to hide the body to his father's hypocritical advice and, finally, his own demise. Paul Simon
Paul Simon
Paul Frederic Simon is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist.Simon is best known for his success, beginning in 1965, as part of the duo Simon & Garfunkel, with musical partner Art Garfunkel. Simon wrote most of the pair's songs, including three that reached number one on the US singles...
sang harmony on the final verse and chorus with Garfunkel, along with Jerry Garcia
Jerry Garcia
Jerome John "Jerry" Garcia was an American musician best known for his lead guitar work, singing and songwriting with the band the Grateful Dead...
playing lead guitar (overdubbed later by Roy Halee
Roy Halee
Roy Halee is an American record producer and engineer, best known for working with Simon and Garfunkel.Halee grew up on Long Island, New York. His father, also named Roy Halee, provided the singing voice for Mighty Mouse in late 1940s Terrytoons cartoons, as well as the voices of Heckle and Jeckle...
in San Francisco). Garfunkel went on to say it was one of his favorite country songs and loved the ability to work with Simon once again.
"I Shall Sing", the third track of the album, was the second single of the album. The Van Morrison
Van Morrison
Van Morrison, OBE is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and musician. His live performances at their best are regarded as transcendental and inspired; while some of his recordings, such as the studio albums Astral Weeks and Moondance, and the live album It's Too Late to Stop Now, are widely...
Reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
based song (which would later be a hit for Boney M
Boney M
Boney M. is a Eurodisco group created by German record producer Frank Farian. Originally based in Germany, the four original members of the group's official line-up were Jamaicans Liz Mitchell and Marcia Barrett, Maizie Williams from Montserrat and Bobby Farrell from Aruba...
) was changed from Reggae to a Latin beat by Jim Gordan, with Jules Broussard performing the sax solo, based on an Antonio Carlos Jobim
Antônio Carlos Jobim
Antônio Carlos Brasileiro de Almeida Jobim , also known as Tom Jobim , was a Brazilian songwriter, composer, arranger, singer, and pianist/guitarist. He was a primary force behind the creation of the bossa nova style, and his songs have been performed by many singers and instrumentalists within...
song that he had heard early that year.
"Old Man" was the most controversial track of the album, because of Garfunkel interpretation of the song. Garfunkel himself admitted that he tended, in those days, to listen to the melody before the words, and so was quite happy to embed a strong string arrangement and vocal changes. Randy Newman
Randy Newman
Randall Stuart "Randy" Newman is an American singer-songwriter, arranger, composer, and pianist who is known for his mordant pop songs and for film scores....
, the song's composer, however, went on to say that he actually loved Garfunkel's version, despite bad press from Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
Magazine. Strings were supplied by Peter Matz
Peter Matz
Peter Matz was an award winning American musician, composer, arranger and conductor. His musical career in film, theater, television and studio recording spanned fifty years, and he worked with a number of prominent artists, including Marlene Dietrich, Noël Coward and Barbra Streisand...
, Stuart Canin, Ernie Freeman, and Jimmie Haskell, with Garfunkel having arranged the vocals, strings, and instrumentation himself. The highest note of the song, an F5, is also the highest note on the album, on the line "The Birds Have Flown Away."
"Feuilles-Oh/Do Space Men Pass Dead Souls On Their Way To The Moon?", the fifth track of the album, was a clever combination of the traditional Haitian folk song with a middle section based on the melody of J.S. Bach's "Oratorio de Navidad Choral N°33" and lyrics by Garfunkel's then fiancée, Linda Marie Grossman. The couple were married at her Nashville home a month after the album's release (October 1st, 1973) but divorced less than two years later (August 1975), with Garfunkel later saying that not only did he not love her, but he did not like her much during their short marriage.
"All I Know
All I Know
"All I Know" is 1973 pop ballad written by Jimmy Webb, and recorded by over 20 different artists. Art Garfunkel's original 1973 rendition for his solo debut album, Angel Clare, is the most well-known and the highest-charting version, peaking at number nine on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one on...
", the sixth track of the album, was the first single of the album. The Jimmy Webb
Jimmy Webb
Jimmy Webb is an American songwriter, composer, and singer. He wrote numerous platinum selling classics, including "Up, Up and Away", "By the Time I Get to Phoenix", "Wichita Lineman", "Galveston", "The Worst That Could Happen", "All I Know", and "MacArthur Park"...
composition became Garfunkel's highest US Charting single.
"Woyaya" is a cover of a song by the Afro-pop band Osibisa that was released two years prior.
Track listing
Side one- "Traveling Boy" (Paul WilliamsPaul Williams (songwriter)Paul Hamilton Williams, Jr. is an Academy Award-winning American composer, musician, songwriter, and actor. He is perhaps best known for popular songs performed by a number of acts in the 1970s including Three Dog Night's "An Old Fashioned Love Song", Helen Reddy's "You and Me Against the World",...
, Roger NicholsRoger Nichols (songwriter)Roger Nichols Roger Nichols Roger Nichols (born in Missoula, Montana, is an American composer and songwriter. He is a multi-instrumentalist who plays violin, guitar, bass, and piano.-Biography:...
) – 4:55 - "Down In The Willow Garden" (Charlie MonroeCharlie MonroeCharlie Monroe was an American country and bluegrass music guitarist.-Biography:Monroe was born on his family's farm in Rosine, Kentucky; he was the older brother of the mandolin player Bill Monroe. His sister Bertha also played guitar, and brother Birch, fiddle...
) – 3:54 - "I Shall Sing" (Van MorrisonVan MorrisonVan Morrison, OBE is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and musician. His live performances at their best are regarded as transcendental and inspired; while some of his recordings, such as the studio albums Astral Weeks and Moondance, and the live album It's Too Late to Stop Now, are widely...
) – 3:30 - "Old Man" (Randy NewmanRandy NewmanRandall Stuart "Randy" Newman is an American singer-songwriter, arranger, composer, and pianist who is known for his mordant pop songs and for film scores....
) – 3:20 - "Feuilles-Oh/Do Space Men Pass Dead Souls On Their Way To The Moon?" (Traditional/Johann Sebastian BachJohann Sebastian BachJohann Sebastian Bach was a German composer, organist, harpsichordist, violist, and violinist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque period and brought it to its ultimate maturity...
, Linda Grossman) – 3:07
Side two
- "All I KnowAll I Know"All I Know" is 1973 pop ballad written by Jimmy Webb, and recorded by over 20 different artists. Art Garfunkel's original 1973 rendition for his solo debut album, Angel Clare, is the most well-known and the highest-charting version, peaking at number nine on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one on...
" (Jimmy WebbJimmy WebbJimmy Webb is an American songwriter, composer, and singer. He wrote numerous platinum selling classics, including "Up, Up and Away", "By the Time I Get to Phoenix", "Wichita Lineman", "Galveston", "The Worst That Could Happen", "All I Know", and "MacArthur Park"...
) – 3:43 - "Mary Was An Only Child" (Jorge Milchberg, Albert HammondAlbert HammondAlbert Hammond OBE is a British singer, songwriter and record producer from Gibraltar.-Birth and early success:Hammond was born in London, England, where his family had been evacuated to from Gibraltar during World War II. His family returned to Gibraltar shortly after his birth, and there he grew...
, Mike Hazlewood) – 3:26 - "Woyaya" (Sol Amarfio, OsibisaOsibisaOsibisa is a British Afro-pop band, founded in London in 1969 by four expatriate African and three Caribbean musicians. Osibisa were one of the first African bands to become widely popular, leading to claims of founding World Music.-History:...
) – 3:15 - "Barbara Allen" (Traditional) – 5:22
- "Another Lullaby" (Jimmy Webb) – 3:29
Musicians
- Art Garfunkel – vocals
- J.J. CaleJ.J. CaleJJ Cale , born John Weldon Cale on December 5, 1938, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, is a Grammy Award-winning American singer-songwriter and musician. Cale is one of the originators of the Tulsa Sound, a loose genre drawing on blues, rockabilly, country, and jazz influences. Cale's personal style has...
– guitar - Jerry GarciaJerry GarciaJerome John "Jerry" Garcia was an American musician best known for his lead guitar work, singing and songwriting with the band the Grateful Dead...
– guitar (On Track 2) - Paul SimonPaul SimonPaul Frederic Simon is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist.Simon is best known for his success, beginning in 1965, as part of the duo Simon & Garfunkel, with musical partner Art Garfunkel. Simon wrote most of the pair's songs, including three that reached number one on the US singles...
– guitar, vocals (On Track 2) - Jules Broussard – saxophone (On Track 3)
- Larry CarltonLarry CarltonLarry Carlton is an American jazz, smooth jazz, jazz fusion, pop, and rock guitarist and singer. He has divided his recording time between solo recordings and session appearances with various well-known bands...
– guitar - Peter MatzPeter MatzPeter Matz was an award winning American musician, composer, arranger and conductor. His musical career in film, theater, television and studio recording spanned fifty years, and he worked with a number of prominent artists, including Marlene Dietrich, Noël Coward and Barbra Streisand...
– strings - Fred Carter, Jr.Fred Carter, Jr.Fred Carter, Jr. was an American guitarist, singer, producer and composer.- Early career :Carter was raised in the delta country in Winnsboro, the seat of Franklin Parish in northeastern Louisiana. Carter grew up with the heavy musical influences of jazz, country & western, hymns, and blues...
– guitar - Louie Shelton – guitar
- Jim GordonJim Gordon (musician)James Beck "Jim" Gordon is an American recording artist, musician and songwriter. The Grammy Award winner was one of the most requested session drummers in the late 1960s and 1970s, recording albums with many well-known musicians of the time, and was the drummer in the blues-rock supergroup Derek...
– drums - Hal BlaineHal BlaineHal Blaine is an American drummer and session musician. He is most known for his work with the Wrecking Crew in California. Blaine played on numerous hits by popular groups, including Elvis Presley, John Denver, the Ronettes, Simon & Garfunkel, the Carpenters, the Beach Boys, Nancy Sinatra, and...
– drums - Stuart Canin – violin
- Ernie Freeman – strings
- Mark Friedman – recorder
- Jimmie HaskellJimmie HaskellJimmie Haskell born Sheridan Pearlman 1936 in Brooklyn, New York is a prolific American composer and arranger for a variety of popular singers and motion pictures.-Biography:...
– strings - Milt HollandMilt HollandMilt Holland was an American drummer, percussionist, ethnic musicologist, and writer in the Los Angeles music scene who pioneered the use of African, South American, and Indian percussion styles in jazz, pop and film music, traveling extensively on those continents to collect instruments and to...
– percussion - Larry KnechtelLarry KnechtelLawrence William "Larry" Knechtel was an American keyboard player and bassist, best known for his work as a session musician with such artists as Simon & Garfunkel, Duane Eddy, The Beach Boys, The Mamas & the Papas, The Partridge Family, The Doors, and Elvis Presley, and as a member of the 1970s...
– keyboards - Jorge Milchberg – percussion, charango (On Track 7)
- Dorothy Morrison – vocals
- Michael OmartianMichael OmartianMichael Omartian is an Armenian-American singer-songwriter, keyboardist, and music producer. He has been a participant in over 350,000,000 albums and CD’s sold worldwide, as a producer, arranger, artist or musician, during a career that has spanned over 38 years...
– keyboards - Joe OsbornJoe OsbornJoe Osborn is an American bass guitar virtuoso, notable for his work as a session musician in Los Angeles and Nashville during the period from the 1960s through the 1980s. Osborn's work is widely admired by fellow musicians.Osborn began his career working in local clubs, then played on a hit...
– bass - Dean ParksDean ParksDean Parks is an American session guitarist and record producer from Ft. Worth, TX.-Albums:Dean was member of The North Texas State One O'clock Lab Band before moving to Los Angeles to work with Sonny and Cher in 1970. Dean is best-known through his many contributions to albums by Steely Dan...
– guitar - Carl RadleCarl RadleCarl Dean Radle was a bass guitarist who toured and recorded with many of the most influential recording artists of the late 1960s and 1970s...
– bass - Jack SchroerJack SchroerJohn Henry "Jack" Schroer was a saxophonist, pianist and arranger best known for his work with Van Morrison in the 1970s as a member of his band The Caledonia Soul Orchestra....
– saxophone - St Mary's Choir – vocals (On Track 8)
- Sally Stevens – vocals
- Tommy Tedesco – bouzouki, mandolin
- Jackie Ward Singers – vocals
Production
- Art Garfunkel – producer
- Ron Coro – art direction
- Jim MarshallJim Marshall (photographer)James Joseph Marshall was a photographer, often of rock stars...
– photography - Mark Friedman – recording
- Roy HaleeRoy HaleeRoy Halee is an American record producer and engineer, best known for working with Simon and Garfunkel.Halee grew up on Long Island, New York. His father, also named Roy Halee, provided the singing voice for Mighty Mouse in late 1940s Terrytoons cartoons, as well as the voices of Heckle and Jeckle...
– producer, engineer - George Horn – mastering
Chart positions
| Chart | Position |
|---|---|
| Canadian RPM Albums Chart RPM (magazine) RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,... |
6 |
| Norwegian VG-lista Albums Chart VG-lista VG-listen is a Norwegian record chart. It is weekly presented in the newspaper VG and the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation program Topp 20. It is considered the primary Norwegian record chart, charting albums and singles from countries and continent around the world. The data is collected by... |
20 |
| UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
14 |
| U.S. Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
5 |