I have never seen Glen Campbell in concert. I really like him, and his music although the opportunity has presented itself a number of times, I chose not to. Intentionally.
Todays disc is a Glen Campbell disc, its called Wichita Lineman The Best of Glen Campbell and it was released in the 90’s by Castle Communications. That sentence alone should indicate the quality of this recording. That sentence should tell you everything you need to know about this disc.
I have never seen Glen Campbell purely because of this disc, you see this is a live recording, unsure where, and the only date I can pin it to is pre 1990. It contains many covers, but that’s OK, he is a covers man. What galls me though, what angers me beyond belief and what makes state that Campbell will never get a penny of my money is, and he is totally to blame for this and not Castle Communications, is that he condenses, arguably some of the greatest songs ever , into medleys, into shortened versions, into passing nods. Bastard. 0 out of 10.
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Bit harsh that Peter, on Glen and Castle. The Castle label was a bit pants, but they put some decent blues out I think. I don't mind a medley myself ......
ReplyDeleteMedleys are ok if you have the strength of a set to pull it off, but outside of that anything of quality was condensed into a sub 2 minute version. Dreadful, not the songs, the delivery.
ReplyDeleteThis set was recorded in the UK in 1981, possibly at The Cornwall Coliseum, Carlyon Bay, St Austell. By that time, i guess Glen Campbell got tired of doing the same songs over and over and put 3 of them, Wichita Lineman, Galveston, Country Boy) into a medley. Not the best versions I agree, he sounds a little bored doing them. But, for me this album is noteworthy because almost a complete album worth of often lesser known material which Glen Campbell never recorded elsewhere:
ReplyDelete- "Heartache Number Three" (written by harmonica/organ player Steve Hardin)
- "Please Come To Boston" (perfect 3-part harmony)
- "Bluegrass Medley" (you can't possibly not love this medley)
- "Milk Cow Blues" (one of the few blues song Glen Campbell recorded, and a very effective one too)
- "Rollin' (In My Sweet Baby's Arms)" (dazzling musicianship by banjo player Carl Jackson, Steve Hardin on harmonica, TJ Kuenster on piano and Glen on electric guitar)
- "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" (one of the finer covers of this Hank Williams song)
- "Loving Arms" (Tom Jans)"
Together with really groovy renditions of two obscure album tracks "Trials and tribulations"
(1978) and "It's Your World Boys and Girls" (1981) and some other stuff this makes this album one of my favorites. But you have to listen beyond the first 4 - 5 tracks.