BREAKAWAY
ART GARFUNKEL
ART GARFUNKEL
In an earlier post I pointed out my fascination with the album cover of Herb Alpert’s “What Now My Love.” This album from 1975, a decade later, shares a similar approach. And to take this a step further, two years later Leonard Cohen would almost note for note recreate this cover for his “Death Of A Ladies Man.” The big difference being that this would be the pinnacle of Garfunkel’s solo career. For Cohen it would be a side road on his lifelong journey towards his version of salvation.
I’m not sure where the tradition of this type of pose originated, but it is compelling as a photograph and very effective as an album cover. The women on these covers seem to be vying for the musician’s attention. In the case of Art and Herb the men are being told something that they’re apparently willing to listen to, but not ready to respond to. Their facial expressions are nearly identical.
No doubt the setting for this one is a late dinner with drinks at some New York restaurant. Maybe it’s the after party for the completion of the album. Art knows that he has finally shaken the “and” Garfunkel tag and come up with one of pop music’s classic albums. During his years with Simon the song was always the focus, from here on out it would be Art’s voice. The public had yet to hear anything from the album, but he knew he was on the verge. It felt good to know what others would soon discover. It was a time for celebration. It was time to unwind with friends. It was a time of innocence.
The table is littered with the spoils of a long and smoky evening. It’s anyone’s guess how many times the ashtray has been emptied. An empty cocktail tumbler sits before him. There’s no telling if it’s his first or last of the night. Both women seem to have some claim to his attention, if not his affection. Tonight everything is up for grabs. The one on the right is reportedly his late girlfriend and actress Laurie Bird. (You may know her as “the girl” in the film “Two Lane Blacktop.”)
He looks straight ahead into the camera, or maybe the night, giving no notice to anything else in the frame. The look, like Alpert’s, is a bit weary and unreadable, but he’s not giving in either. With his choirboy looks and angelic voice he was as much an icon of the sixties as anyone sporting long hair and bell bottoms. The cowboy shirt is perhaps the centerpiece of the photo. It nods to his youth, but the setting is anything but broomstick cowboy and those ladies aren’t damsel’s in distress. The fifties and sixties took his youth but not his looks. For him his boyish looks and charm were still very much a part of his currency. But now it was the seventies with everyone on their own and he had to make his own way like the rest. He could still play the game and pretend.
The typewriter font replicated across the top is perfect for those thumbing through albums in a bin and completes a perfect cover. The title is there and draws you in as though you’re descending on the scene. You’ve stumbled on a “setting.” It’s as though you’re only invited because you came in for a nightcap or to shake off the rain.
Under the guidance of Richard Perry he was finally able to take his voice to places that he would have never imagined. He was thirty four years old and his voice was as beautiful as ever. Every song ever written was now available to him. He and Perry came up with an unimpeachable set list that has stood the test of time. The album contains no missteps and the only regrets are the dozens of songs your mind can conjure up that would have been perfect in this setting.
Photographer Norman Seeff has done countless album covers over the years. His work can be found in just about any stack of vinyl you choose to browse. This one ranks with his best work because it shows an artist in a backdrop that is real to his life, but not necessarily ours. We don’t begrudge Art his place though because he earned it one verse at a time.
I’m not sure where the tradition of this type of pose originated, but it is compelling as a photograph and very effective as an album cover. The women on these covers seem to be vying for the musician’s attention. In the case of Art and Herb the men are being told something that they’re apparently willing to listen to, but not ready to respond to. Their facial expressions are nearly identical.
No doubt the setting for this one is a late dinner with drinks at some New York restaurant. Maybe it’s the after party for the completion of the album. Art knows that he has finally shaken the “and” Garfunkel tag and come up with one of pop music’s classic albums. During his years with Simon the song was always the focus, from here on out it would be Art’s voice. The public had yet to hear anything from the album, but he knew he was on the verge. It felt good to know what others would soon discover. It was a time for celebration. It was time to unwind with friends. It was a time of innocence.
The table is littered with the spoils of a long and smoky evening. It’s anyone’s guess how many times the ashtray has been emptied. An empty cocktail tumbler sits before him. There’s no telling if it’s his first or last of the night. Both women seem to have some claim to his attention, if not his affection. Tonight everything is up for grabs. The one on the right is reportedly his late girlfriend and actress Laurie Bird. (You may know her as “the girl” in the film “Two Lane Blacktop.”)
He looks straight ahead into the camera, or maybe the night, giving no notice to anything else in the frame. The look, like Alpert’s, is a bit weary and unreadable, but he’s not giving in either. With his choirboy looks and angelic voice he was as much an icon of the sixties as anyone sporting long hair and bell bottoms. The cowboy shirt is perhaps the centerpiece of the photo. It nods to his youth, but the setting is anything but broomstick cowboy and those ladies aren’t damsel’s in distress. The fifties and sixties took his youth but not his looks. For him his boyish looks and charm were still very much a part of his currency. But now it was the seventies with everyone on their own and he had to make his own way like the rest. He could still play the game and pretend.
The typewriter font replicated across the top is perfect for those thumbing through albums in a bin and completes a perfect cover. The title is there and draws you in as though you’re descending on the scene. You’ve stumbled on a “setting.” It’s as though you’re only invited because you came in for a nightcap or to shake off the rain.
Under the guidance of Richard Perry he was finally able to take his voice to places that he would have never imagined. He was thirty four years old and his voice was as beautiful as ever. Every song ever written was now available to him. He and Perry came up with an unimpeachable set list that has stood the test of time. The album contains no missteps and the only regrets are the dozens of songs your mind can conjure up that would have been perfect in this setting.
Photographer Norman Seeff has done countless album covers over the years. His work can be found in just about any stack of vinyl you choose to browse. This one ranks with his best work because it shows an artist in a backdrop that is real to his life, but not necessarily ours. We don’t begrudge Art his place though because he earned it one verse at a time.
“I’m sailing right behind…”
1 comment:
Amazing analysis. All accurate. J
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