I finally got my hands on this album last week, and I was especially excited because it contained
Bright Eyes, arguably my favorite Garfunkel song. The third track on this album, it thrives outside of the confines of
Watership Down -- so much so that it topped the British charts for six weeks. While only portions of it were heard in that beautiful film, and those enriched with lush orchestral arrangements, the entire song is found here, and it need not be known that it was written for a film about rabbits.
This ethereal song is full of natural images and only Garfunkel could properly convey the message of child-like wonder when pondering the very nature of existence and just what happens when "the light that burned so brightly suddenly burn(s) so pale." Strangely calming, the lyrics are perfectly suited to Art's floating voice as he asks "Is it a kind of dream?"
Clearly the highlight of the album for me, it is by no means the only worthwhile song. All the others have to do with romance, spanning the range from youthful optimism to miserable yearning.
Break Away, the title track of the best-selling solo album which included
My Little Town,
Scissors Cut, a Jimmy Webb song (also a title track) which is a play on the game "Scissors / Paper / Rock," and the overwhelmingly minor
99 Miles from L.A. are all closer to the latter end of that spectrum.
Second Avenue and
A Heart in New York use the city as a backdrop for churning emotions, and
I Only Have Eyes for You is a straightforward insistence of steadfastness.
I Have a Love, which ends the album, is taken straight from
West Side Story, and the giddiness of young love expressed in this duet with singer Leah Kunkel is undermined by the tragic outcome of this ill-fated love based on the story of Romeo and Juliet.
And now, my other favorites.
When a Man Loves a Woman starts out the album. Very different from the original version, it is full of birdsong, running water, and pan flutes. Art seems so immersed in the atmosphere that his voice is more an instrument than ever. You have to listen closely to distinguish the words because of the fluid manner in which he sings them. Towards the end, he multiplies his voice to create that same intricate harmony that Simon and Garfunkel were known for. Only this time, it's only Artie -- and I feel none the poorer for that.
All I Know was his auspicious entrance into his solo career. The glory of his sunrise virtually matched that of Simon and Garfunkel's sunset, firmly establishing him as a solo artist and proving that he could manage just fine on his own. Simple but beautiful, it is well suited to come after
What a Wonderful World, which states "Don't know nothin' 'bout nothin' at all" except that "I love you."
This song is given a more mellow treatment by Art and singing buddies Paul Simon and James Taylor than the bouncy version to which Harrison Ford and Kelly McGillis danced in
Witness, but it is no less enjoyable. And as he lists all of the subjects of which he has no knowledge, I am inclined to forget that he earned a Masters in Mathematics from Columbia University. For a brief moment, he's just a hapless teen with a hopeless report card in love with a girl who expects a bit more.
And this teenage idealism comes across even stronger in
So Much in Love, because in this song the object of his affections reciprocates his adoration. This one is bouncy, sure to leave you drumming your fingers or tapping your feet. Perfectly suited to a barbershop quartet, Art accomplishes that effect seamlessly. Very well done, this song is just plain fun.
After you've listened to the album, or maybe before, read the liner notes. I can't recall ever having read better. The writer, Jim Feldman, writes so eloquently of Art Garfunkel that one would be inclined to fall in love with him without ever having heard his voice. Kudos to Mr. Feldman for making the reading of the inside pages of the album cover a thoroughly enjoyable experience.
This album is a testament to all that Art Garfunkel has done on his own. That is to say, without Paul Simon. He has worked with many talented songwriters and singers since then, but now, he gets to be more than just "that tall fellow standing in Paul's shadow." Indeed, a look at his solo work makes it ever more clear that he was absolutely instrumental to Paul's early success. In the years since
Bridge, he has earned autonomy and a chance to do things he never could have done with Paul. And we get the best of both worlds.
Garfunkel reviews:
Up 'Til Now Everything Waits to Be Noticed Garfunkel Songs from a Parent to a Child The Animals' Christmas Angel Clare Across America - DVD Pittsburgh in Concert Erie in Concert Art Garfunkel website
Tower Records
