Maps of Music

Fate for Breakfast (1979)

Where the lyrics of Fate for Breakfast take you, and where it was really made.

This album was Garfunkel's first to miss the US Top 40, yet it reached the top ten in some European countries and its European edition's 'Bright Eyes' became a UK number one.

Key places

Basic tracks recorded in Hollywood (1979)

Recording site The Sound Factory — Most of the album's basic tracks were recorded at The Sound Factory in Hollywood, California, excluding two songs. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Horns recorded in Burbank (1979)

Recording site The Enterprise (Burbank) — Horn parts were recorded at Kendun Recorders in Burbank, California, which is a city-level location. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Backing vocals in San Fernando (1979)

Recording site Red Wing Studio (San Fernando) — Backing vocals on And I Know were recorded at Dawnbreaker Studio in San Fernando, California, shown at city-level precision. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Strings recorded at AIR Studios (1979)

Recording site AIR Studios — String instruments were recorded at AIR Studios in London, England, for this album. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

London studio credited in the recording (1979)

Recording site Wessex Sound Studios — Wessex Sound Studios in London is listed among the London studios linked to the album's recording. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

London studio credited in the recording (1979)

Recording site Lansdowne (London) — Lansdowne Studios in London is listed among the London studios linked to the album's recording. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Fate for Breakfast: fourth solo studio album by Art Garfunkel
• Released March 1979 (15 March 1979) on Columbia Records
• Charted at number 67 on the US Billboard chart, his first album to miss the US Top 40
• No US Top 40 singles on the album
• Reached the top ten in some European countries
• European release includes 'Bright Eyes', featured in the film version of Watership Down
• 'Bright Eyes' reached number one in the UK and was that country's biggest-selling single of 1979
• Six different sleeves exist, each with a different shot of Garfunkel at the breakfast table

Background

• Album followed Garfunkel's earlier solo work and carried a contemporary light pop direction
• Includes a cover of Cliff Richard's 1976 hit 'Miss You Nights'
• Track 'And I Know' later covered by David Sanborn
• International success came mainly from Europe, despite weak US chart placement

Recording

• Louie Shelton produced the album
• Basic tracks for most songs recorded at The Sound Factory in Hollywood, California
• Basic tracks for 'Since I Don't Have You' and 'When Someone Doesn't Want You' recorded at A&R Recording Studios
• String parts recorded at AIR Studios in London
• Horn parts recorded at Kendun Recorders in Burbank, California
• Backing vocals on 'And I Know' recorded at Dawnbreaker Studio in San Fernando, California
• Mixing done at A&R Recording Studios in New York City

Cover

• Design by John Berg, photography by Edie Baskin, photo stylist Franne Lee
• Six different sleeves, all showing Garfunkel at a breakfast table

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · it.wikipedia.org · ko.wikipedia.org

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

Reappraisal

• Rolling Stone reviewer Ken Tucker described the music as a series of pop melodies, coolly lulled, sparsely orchestrated but numbing in their similarity of tone
• AllMusic critic William Ruhlmann said that for his fourth solo album Garfunkel made a light contemporary pop record in the vein of Breakaway, but that most of the material was mediocre and the backing was skilled and insensitive

Records

• Missed the US Billboard Top 40, charting at 67, his first album to do so
• Contained no US Top 40 singles
• Reached the top ten in some European countries
• Certified gold in the United Kingdom for 100,000 copies sold, per the Italian edition of the article
• The European release's 'Bright Eyes' reached number one in the UK and was that country's biggest-selling single of 1979

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · es.wikipedia.org · it.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The album was issued in six different sleeves, each showing Garfunkel at the breakfast table from a different angle.
• 'And I Know' was later covered by David Sanborn as 'Love Will Come Someday' on his 1982 album As We Speak.
• The European edition includes 'Bright Eyes', which also appeared in the film version of Watership Down.
• The album closes with a cover of Cliff Richard's 1976 hit 'Miss You Nights'.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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