Although Simon and Garfunkel included Silent Night on their album Wednesday Morning 3 A.M. to much acclaim, coupling their intricate vocals with an underlying broadcast of the seven o'clock news that revealed the world to be anything but silent and holy, they never released a Christmas album. But several years later, Art Garfunkel teamed up with Jimmy Webb and Amy Grant to lend that voice which had echoed pristinely through the synagogue during many a Sabbath service to an album commemorating Christ's birth through the eyes of the animals.

My family has owned this album for several years, but since it does not consist of traditional Christmas music I never really listened to it. When I listen to Christmas music, I like to sing along. But as I prepared myself for the Art Garfunkel concert which I will be attending today, it occurred to me that I had this CD full of his music which I had never bothered to listen to. Appalled at this oversight, I pulled it out regardless of the fact that it is July. This Christmas, the album will be in regular circulation with the others.

Nearly all of the tunes on this album were written by Jimmy Webb, with the notable exception the traditional The Friendly Beasts, and all but four of the songs' lyrics were written by him as well. It is a cantata, an album that tells a story from start to finish. It begins with The Annunciation, when the angel announced to Mary that she would be bearing the son of God, and ends with Wild Geese, a little tune about how the geese pointed the way to Egypt for Mary, Joseph, and Jesus.

The lush arrangements are accomplished with the aid of the London Symphony Orchestra and the Kings College School Choir. Exquisitely performed from start to finish, it remains to the producers' credit that a song sheet is included (in four different languages -- English, Spanish, French, and German -- no less) because the choral segments are often difficult to understand. When the two A.G.s sing (isn't it nice how that worked out?), lyric sheets are unnecessary. Their voices are crisp and clear and sound rather loud compared to the softly crooning children.

My personal favorite in this collection is Incredible Phat, odd name aside. It chronicles the holy couple's arrival in Bethlehem and how the innkeeper's cat, seeing them rejected by his master, leads them to "the warmest place in town on the coldest night of the year."

Don't be scared off by the fact that this album does not boast familiar carols. It will soon become a favorite if you allow it the chance, even though it rates low on the sing-along-ability chart. For every once in a while, it's nice to just listen.

Garfunkel reviews:
Up 'Til Now
Everything Waits to Be Noticed
Garfunkel
Songs from a Parent to a Child
The Animals' Christmas
Angel Clare
Across America - DVD
Pittsburgh in Concert
Erie in Concert
Art Garfunkel website

Recommended: Yes