Angel Clare
| Angel Clare | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by Art Garfunkel | ||||
| Released | September 11, 1973 | |||
| Recorded | Grace Cathedral, San Francisco, 1973 | |||
| Genre | Soft rock | |||
| Length | 38:36 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Producer | Art Garfunkel, Roy Halee | |||
| Art Garfunkel chronology | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   |
| Robert Christgau | C |
| Rolling Stone | favorable |
Angel Clare is the debut solo studio album by Art Garfunkel, released on September 11, 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" (#102 Bubbling under the Hot 100, #38 Adult Contemporary) and "I Shall Sing" (#38 Hot 100, #4 Adult Contemporary). It was produced by long-time Simon & Garfunkel producer Roy Halee, alongside Art Garfunkel.
The title, Angel Clare, comes from the name of a character in Thomas Hardy's novel, Tess of the d'Urbervilles.
"Traveling Boy" was the third single of the album and the opening track. Written by Paul Williams 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 favourite country songs and loved the ability to work with Simon once again. Garcia, however, was less pleased with the results, referring to his contribution as "an overdub in a sea of overdubs" and expressing his dismay at not having been allowed any improvisational freedom.
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