Maps of Music

Across America (1996)

Where the lyrics of Across America take you, and where it was really made.

This live album was recorded over two nights in the Registry Hall at Ellis Island, an immigration site, to mark the end of Garfunkel's 12-year walk across America.

Key places

Live recording at The Registry Hall, Ellis Island (1996)

Live show The Registry Hall, Ellis Island — The album was recorded live over two evenings on 12 and 13 April 1996 in The Registry Hall at Ellis Island, New York. The point marks the hall where the recording took place. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Across America is the only live album by American singer Art Garfunkel
• It is the only official live recording he has released to date
• Recorded live over two evenings, 12 and 13 April 1996, in The Registry Hall at Ellis Island, New York
• Released to celebrate the end of his 12-year Walk Across America
• The UK version adds "I Only Have Eyes For You" as an extra track
• A 2-disc, 19-track version was given away in the UK with The Mail On Sunday newspaper

Background

• Garfunkel began walking across America in May 1984
• The album marks the completion of that walk
• The setlist draws on songs from the Simon & Garfunkel era and his solo albums
• It also includes a cover of the Beatles song "I Will"
• "Crying in the Rain" was first released on the 1993 album Up Til Now and is sung here with James Taylor as guest

Recording

• Recorded live at The Registry Hall at Ellis Island over 12 and 13 April 1996
• The recording was credited to Jon Harris, mixed by Stuart Breed and mastered by Stephen Marcussen
• Guests include James Taylor on "Crying in the Rain" and Garfunkel's son James on "The 59th Street Bridge Song"
• Other performers include Eric Weissberg on guitar, mandolin and bass, Warren Bernhardt on piano and keyboards, Tommy Igoe on drums and percussion, and Michael Brecker on tenor saxophone
• The album contains 17 tracks in the standard edition, with "I Only Have Eyes For You" added in the UK version

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · ja.wikipedia.org · www.discogs.com

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Arthur Ira Garfunkel, born November 5, 1941 in Forest Hills, Queens, New York.
• Met Paul Simon in sixth grade at PS 164, both cast in an elementary school play, Alice in Wonderland.
• Performed as Tom & Jerry in the late 1950s, imitating the Everly Brothers' close two-part harmony; "Hey, Schoolgirl" reached number 49 on the pop charts in 1957.
• Studied at Columbia University, earning a bachelor's in art history in 1965 and a master's in mathematics education in 1967.

Career

• Simon & Garfunkel reformed in 1963; "The Sound of Silence" reached number one on the Billboard pop charts in 1965 after producer Tom Wilson added electric backing.
• Hits included "Mrs. Robinson" (written for The Graduate, 1967), "Scarborough Fair", "The Boxer" and "Bridge over Troubled Water".
• The duo split after Bridge over Troubled Water (1970), then reunited occasionally, including for "My Little Town" (1975) and The Concert in Central Park (1981).
• Solo: Angel Clare (1973), Breakaway (1975), Watermark (1977), and Fate for Breakfast (1979), which gave him his first UK number one with "Bright Eyes".
• Acted in Mike Nichols films Catch-22 (1970) and Carnal Knowledge (1971); nominated for a Golden Globe for the latter.
• Earned eight Grammy Awards in total, and he and Simon were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990.
• Reunited with Simon for a 2003 world tour, followed by a 2004 free concert at the Colosseum in Rome.
• Released Father and Son with his son Art Garfunkel Jr. in 2024; on April 10, 2023 he cancelled his remaining concert dates.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Allmusic reviewer Stephen Thomas Erlewine gave the album 2 stars
• Allmusic: "Art Garfunkel returned to recording in 1997 with Across America, a live album intended to commemorate his walk across America."
• Allmusic said the record is largely made of oldies and works as a pleasant nostalgia trip
• Allmusic said it lacks enough distinguished performances to be a worthy addition even for devoted fans
• Allmusic singled out a version of "The 59th Street Bridge Song" sung with his six-year-old son as notable, while saying it is not accomplished

Reappraisal

• The 2 stars from Allmusic remain the only critical rating found for this album

Records

• The album is the only official live recording Garfunkel has released to date
• It was released to celebrate the end of his 12-year Walk Across America
• It was also issued as a freebie in the UK through The Mail On Sunday, as a 2-disc, 19-track edition

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The 1984 walk across America that this album celebrates was begun by Garfunkel in May of that year
• The UK-only Mail On Sunday edition was a 2-disc, 19-track version that included "America" and "Cecilia" in addition to the core tracks
• "Crying in the Rain" was originally a hit for the Everly Brothers, and James Taylor guested on it here as he did on the album Up Til Now
• Garfunkel's son took part in "The 59th Street Bridge Song" on this album
• Michael Brecker's tenor saxophone is one of the featured instrumental contributions in the lineup

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · ja.wikipedia.org

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