HiRez Poll Garfunkel, Art - ANGEL CLARE [SACD]

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Rate the SACD of Art Garfunkel - ANGEL CLARE

  • 6

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 5

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 4

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 3

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 2

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 1: Poor Content, Surround Mix, and Fidelity

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    49

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Please post your thoughts and comments on this 2018 Multichannel SACD of the classic Art Garfunkel album "Angel Clare". This Multichannel SACD features the first official release of the 1970s Quadraphonic mix in over 40 years! :yikes

(n) :) (y)

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CDSML8534
 
A definite improvement sound wise over the Quad era SQ LP and Q8 Tape.
Surprising amount of low end on "I Shall Sing".

An "8" here.
 
Wow, another winner as far as I'm concerned. The songs chosen on this disc are generally more interesting than Breakaway (for me anyway), but I would say the warmness of this one is ever so slightly less than Breakaway.

Either way, that's nitpicking honestly. I love this one too and man....such good music. I'm proud to say I love 1970's music...I really do. Art is fantastic. In reality, down to the decimal....I voted this one slightly less than Breakaway...but it all rounds up to a 9 for me.

For me, the Garfunkel releases are simply home run releases. Love it and please more.....I will buy them all with no hesitation.
 
I was a Simon & Garfunkel fan beginning with The Sounds of Silence LP, and after their breakup continued to purchase all of Paul Simon's solo work. Although I loved Art Garfunkel's voice, for some reason Angel Clare is the only record of his I ever bought. The album has a personal connection for me because I was married the same month and year of this album's release, which of course makes it impossible to do an "objective" review since the music is so entangled in a skein of memory and nostalgia. Still, unlike many albums from that time, I like Angel Clare about as much now as the first time I heard it.

Personal musings aside, I never imagined I'd get to hear this in a first-rate Quad remaster. Listening to this last night at a moderately loud volume (sitting in the sweet spot with no distractions whatsoever) I was bowled over by the sound quality. Many of the subtle instrumental flourishes that were buried on the dense stereo mix are gloriously present in this discrete Quadraphonic remaster by Michael Dutton.

I also love the eclectic song selection, everything from the traditional ballad Barbara Allen to contemporary tunes by Jimmy Webb, Randy Newman, and even a lovely J.S. Bach passage worked into a short medley. Garfunkel's exceptional vocals hold together this diverse mixture of compositions. Orchestration that might be overly-sentimental in a different setting simply enhances the emotional intensity of these songs thanks to his amazing singing ability.

Nothing short of a 10 will do :)
 
I'd never heard the album before so its new to me. I like the Quad mix it fits the music and is of its time, so an 8. I think the sound quality is actually really good for an old recording and its been very well converted, so a 9, musicianship is excellent as you'd expect so a 9, I find the tracks a mixed bunch, some I'm not keen on, others I like, so an 8. So its an 8.5 from me, so rounding up its a 9. Great value disc.
 
I'm not familiar with this particular album, so I have to give it a few more spins before I vote. But I have noticed that the recording seems to be a bit more "grainy" sounding than Breakaway at times. I have noticed it with a few Dutton Vocalion popular recordings that I have from this era...Some are on the slightly grainy side in the upper-midrange-ish area. Not a major issue, but an observation. Perhaps it's in the master tapes and the high resolution of SACD exposes it.
 
Wow, i really ended up liking this one. I almost didn't order this one because i have the album and never cared that much for the songs, and i heard the quad lp and wasn't impressed with the quad mix. But i am really super glad i took a chance on this one. The quad mix is great, sounds a lot better than the lp, really discreet. I also am enjoying the songs very much, everything sounds better in quad, woo hoo. I voted 9. :banana:
 
Voted 8. This album strikes me as being very eclectic, but I like it. Was Art searching for a niche? Overall I think the material is a little weaker than Breakaway. The recording quality and mix is excellent.
 
Never heard this album before beyond the two hit singles, but it’s a winner. Artie was definitely trying to keep the S&G vibe going with this one and it’s much more ambitious than “Breakaway” in that regard.

I like it a lot! Great quad mix. I give it a “9”. I will play it a lot!
 
Voted a 9. One of my favorite SQ LPs from the '70s made even better in hi-def discrete. This is a great quad disc if you like this kind of music.
 
All I Know and I Shall Sing are primo prime time.
Epic vocal on the Webb...that ending with bells and whistles:) and Artie reaching for the stars....
possibly my fave solo vocal of his, loved it since it was a hit way back when...
 
One thing I must say I don't care for as far as the material is that it's so dark. ..and the pacing is strange. So, in a way the album is a bit of a downer to me especially compared to Breakaway which has a much breezier and happier vibe. Someone mentioned looking for a niche....yet it does have the singles and a couple of the album tracks to benefit it...it must have been difficult to search for a solo direction he was comfortable in.
 
One thing I must say I don't care for as far as the material is that it's so dark. ..and the pacing is strange. So, in a way the album is a bit of a downer to me especially compared to Breakaway which has a much breezier and happier vibe. Someone mentioned looking for a niche....yet it does have the singles and a couple of the album tracks to benefit it...it must have been difficult to search for a solo direction he was comfortable in.

Yes, I would agree that finding a solo direction after S&G was probably difficult for Garfunkel. Breakaway while generally lighter than Angel Clare has My Little Town, a typical S&G dark song and arguably the darkest from both Garfunkel albums:

"Dreaming of glory
Twitching like a finger
On the trigger of a gun
Leaving nothing but the dead and dying
Back in my little town"

Those lyrics, when taken out of context, give me the creeps...especially this day in age. :rolleyes:
 
WOW. A solid 10.

This is now a surround reference/demonstration disc for me, possibly at the very top of my list. It's that good.

The album is new to me. I listened to it once in stereo, as is my preference with unfamiliar recordings, rather passively while doing other things. I found it pleasant, but milquetoast; nothing grabbed my attention. Today, I finally had the chance to fine tune my surround setup in my new house and chose to inaugurate it with this disc, excited but expecting to be underwhelmed as before.

I could not have been more wrong. From the first swell of the strings in the rear channels, I knew I was in for a treat. A friend and fellow musician once gave me the advice, "Find music that makes you cry," which really hits the nail squarely on the head, doesn't it? This album, in quad, does it for me. It is truly special.

MIX: A masterclass from Roy Halee (and some other unsung heroes, I'm sure). This is not a "four corner" mix, nor does it come off as experimental, but is fairly discrete and quite immersive. Placements seem to be just right most of the time, and there are relatively few gimmicks. A strong front stereo image is maintained throughout the record, and the front phantom center is incredibly well defined, making me wonder at times whether Art isn't really singing to me from the center channel (I checked; he isn't!). Special shoutout for the rear-centered drum kit in "Another Lullaby:" unconventional, but it works brilliantly and does not distract the listener but rather enhances the experience.

FIDELITY: This record must have been a true hifi effort in 1973. The tapes are plainly still in excellent condition today, and Michael Dutton has managed to capture and enhance all the brilliance contained therein. Instruments and voices, especially Garfunkel's leads, are near-lifelike in their presentation unless deliberately effected to sound otherwise. The overall sonic character is warm, but not overly so, with plenty of definition in the high end and no bloat in the bass. The dynamic range is excellent and feels completely natural (listen to the swells in "Traveling Boy").


CONTENT: Art Garfunkel is a fine singer with a pleasant voice, and the songs chosen for this project suit him well, but what really make the record are the arrangements played by some killer session musicians. They are at times dense, others sparse, but always engaging and serving the music. The strings are lush and full without being saccharine sweet, and the occasional organ skirts the edge of cheesy with enviable deftness. They were seemingly made for quad, and I didn't fully appreciate them until hearing them in this format.


PACKAGE: There's no doubt that Dutton's labels, Vocalion included, engineer their products to meet a price point. There's nothing aesthetically special about the standard black-tray jewel case with generic traycard and booklet replicating original album art, but there is some value added in a new, bespoke essay in the booklet. I really can't deduct any points for the package, though, because I like the price and the disc is well protected. (N.B. I did notice a typo in the SACD TOC: "Angel Clair." Whoops...)

Really and truly, I can't recommend this disc highly enough. Buy it while it's in print.
 
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