From the archives of
Stranger than Fiction comes something that unsettled the equilibrium of my world a little over the weekend.
Buddy of mine with impeccable muso credentials asks me over the weekend whether I'd heard the new Glen Campbell album. Replied I hadn't, and confessed I thought Glen was cashing in the Grand Ole Opry Alumni Pension Fund cheques on a ranch somewhere in Texas. He is 72 years old, after all!
Having convinced my buddy I do respect Campbell (not being one of the young bucks who think
Rhinestone Cowboy and run the other way), and knowing that he is a great composer, highly regarded technical guitar player and former session hotshot and, weirdly, former stand-in Beach Boy of note, I kept an open mind as he slipped it into his CD player.
Wow. What can I say. I was truly impressed not only by the sound of his vocal (72 years old!!!), but the production and arrangements which are outstanding. BUT, wait for it: its a covers album called
Meet Glen Campbell (ironic album title of the decade ?) and contains the following cover versions:
'Jesus' (Velvet Underground)
'All I Want Is You' (U2)
'Times Like These' (Foo Fighters)
Grow Old With Me' (John Lennon)
'Angel Dream' (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers)
'Sadly Beautiful' (The Replacements)
'Sing' (Travis)
'These Days' (Jackson Browne)
'Walls (Circus)' (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers)
'Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)' (Green Day)
The only thing weirder than the song selection is the way in which the
Wichita Lineman, IMHO, pulled it off.
If you're interested (and off-hand I can think of only Fritz who may be :-[), grab some audio samples here:
http://www.glencampbellshow.com/ (listen to Green Day's
Good Riddance!!)
http://meetglencampbell.com/www_us/index.htm
Articles here:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080829/music_nm/campbell_dc
http://www.azcentral.com/ent/music/articles/2008/09/10/20080910glencampbell.html
Riaan C
