Yeah, I said Glen Campbell, you got a problem with that? The next time I talk music it will be my summer music buying wrap up, but this little oddity snuck in during August, so I figured, better add it to my lost summer of music purchases.
The buzz about the new Glen Campbell is that it’s an album of covers. That’s part of the appeal. Of course, “Meet Glen Campbell” should not be compared to any of the Johnny Cash “American Recordings” albums; that would be sort of like comparing, I don’t know, something super bad ass, with something not quite so. The Cash covers were revelations, these covers, just can’t hold up to them.
That said, there is a lot to love about this CD. Campbell’s producer took a handful of songs that were originally small, intimate, and pared down, and handed them over to get the big, bold, 60’s/70’s Glen Campbell treatment. Many people are all a buzz over the cover of Green Day’s song “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)”. Personally, I’m a freak in the fact that I have never been a fan of this song. Save it for high school dances, and teen television dramas, is what I say. Campbell didn’t manage to change my opinion. On the other hand, I also have never been too fond of the Travis song “Sing”, but in Campbell’s hands I find this to be my favorite track on the album. My other big favorite is his cover of Tom Petty’s “Walls”.
In my opinion, it’s time more people met Glen Campbell, and this is a pretty accessible way to do that.
“Sing”, this is a live performance and in my opinion not as good as the album version, but it will give you an idea as to what I’m talking about.
It’s ok, that’s the “traiditional” spelling…
One suggestion, to help those of us who are typing-impaired:
An edit button would be nice.
“insturments”, indeed.
Somebody get that poor man a mic stand! I mean, geez, people, he’s a legend of country music, and you just leave him out there,swinging one arm while he waits to switch hands? I know he may have said he didn’t want one, but come on, the man is humble!
Anyhoo….the Rhinestone Cowboy acquits himself admirably here, I’d say. I’ve always preferred country music that uses a lot of the traiditional insturments, like the banjo, and that harpsichord-thingy (lookit me with the technical jargon), so this is as close to my taste as country music gets in some ways.
I went to the Myspace page, too, and yeah, Good Riddance….I like it, myself. I particularly like the infusion of a more upbeat tempo with the percussion.
There, Becca, will that do?
You can hear the Album version of Sing (and a few of the others) on his myspace site, http://www.myspace.com/glencampbell
I’m not going to say he sounds young and vibrant, but you know, he also doesn’t sound like some old Country music singer. If I had to drawn comparisons to other artists from this album, I’d say Tom Petty, Roy Orbison, John Mellencamp, etc. And you know what those artists all have in common? I like their music.
This album was fresh and interesting, I like all the tracks I’ve heard so far.