Downtown Los Angeles, circa 1983

Downtown Los Angeles, circa 1983
STMcC in downtown Los Angeles, circa 1983

Sunday, May 7, 2017

MORE “DIAMONDS” THAN “RHINESTONES”, COWBOY

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THE GLEN CAMBELL COLLECTION (1962 - 1989)
Glen Campbell
released: 1997
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Glen Campbell, although he was a major music star for an entire decade (late 1960s through late 1970s), is now more like a punchline of a joke. The joke? I dunno. How ’bout: Is it music yet? No, it’s Campbell’s. (If you don’t remember the old Lipton soup commercial, you won’t get it.)
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A lot of people came to think of Glen as being too hokey, a kind of Wonder bread, pseudo-Country boy pandering to a mainstream music audience. But give an honest listen to THE GLEN CAMPBELL COLLECTION (1962-1989) and you’ll find that, like Dwight Yoakam, Glen’s no jokeum. (Nah, don’t blame me for THAT bad joke. I knew someone who knew someone who said he took a college class with Dwight -- before he was a big star, naturally -– and the teacher used to say in class, “Dwight Yoakam, he’s no jokeum.” Well, Dwight’s bank account ain’t no jokeum either, that’s for sure.)
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With the exception of two songs, every cut on this 40-track collection climbed into the Top 40 of either the Country or Pop music charts, with some appearing on both simultaneously. And some of them really carry me back to my youth, before I was wrecked by women, whiskey, ’n’ Wock ’N’ Woll (i.e., a time when “pleasure” wasn’t synonymous with “emotional and physical pain.” But, man, I miss those times!)
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I actually met Glen once, about 1979. A friend who used to baby-sit his kid took me back to his dressing room after we saw him perform at The Riviera Hotel in “Vegas, Baaabeee!”. And Glen seemed really... uhm... well... sweaty.
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I was playing THE GLEN CAMPBELL COLLECTION (1962-1989) in my car some years back, and my Ma (may she rest in Peace) said, “That’s Glen Campbell?! I never realized before what a good voice he had.” If my Ma liked it, that should tell you something. (Well, it tells you that she liked it, at the very least!)
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Some of these songs are beautiful lilting little numbers with an understated but powerful sentimentality. Such as GENTLE ON MY MIND (a gorgeous song!), WICHITA LINEMAN (reminds me of my Pa), and TRUE GRIT (the theme from the great John Wayne Western). Others wear their emotion right on their sleeves: WHERE’S THE PLAYGROUND SUSIE? (wasn’t he a bit old to be asking?), DREAMS OF THE EVERYDAY HOUSEWIFE (sad but I enjoy it), and BY THE TIME I GET TO PHOENIX (by the time YOU get to Phoenix, I hope to be long gone. I hate it here!)
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But surprisingly, Ol’ Glen really gets across the Joy of Salvation in a couple of upbeat Gospel songs: OH HAPPY DAY (which seriously rivals composer Edwin Hawkins’ version!) and the humorously clever Anti-Hippie statement, I KNEW JESUS (BEFORE HE WAS A STAR). Glen (who you’ll recall once spent a little time playing with... er, I mean “for”... The Beach Boys) was a musical chameleon. He proves in KENTUCKY MEANS PARADISE that he was no slouch when it came to the real down-home Country stuffs, and his WILLIAM TELL OVERTURE displays why he was once such a very sought-after studio musician (a member of The Wrecking Crew): he goes lickety-split over that fretboard.
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And in Glen’s tear-jerking ode to Mother, THE HAND THAT ROCKS THE CRADLE, Ted Harris penned one of my all-time favorite song lyrics. I call it “The Ultimate Anti-Feminism Anthem”. (According to the National Organization for Women, I’m marked for Hell ’n’ ready!)...
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He got here red and wrinkled, scared and cryin'
Then she took him up and held him to her breast
And he sure was glad to get what mama offered
Then he went to sleep and put his fears to rest

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It didn't seem to matter what he needed
He could always count on mama to supply
And regardless of the sleep she might be losin'
He always found a twinkle in her eye

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There ought to be a hall of fame for mamas
Creation's most unique and precious pearls
And Heaven help us always to remember
That the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world

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She taught him all the attributes of greatness
That she knew he couldn't learn away from home
And by the time she wore the cover off her Bible
Her hair was gray and her little man was gone

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There ought to be a hall of fame for mamas
Creation's most unique and precious pearls
And Heaven help us always to remember
That the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world

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At the risk of sounding like some sentimental fool (which I am), I just wanna say that I adore those words -- they create a lump in my throat and make my eyes moist. There’s no mention in there of Mama chasing my teenaged brother Napoleon through the house and how God performed a miracle to save him from being beaten to death by his own Mama and with his own walking crutch... but it’s just as well. Besides, Nappy brought it upon himself (like he always did).
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I can recall that my Pa used to like Glen’s SOUTHERN NIGHTS (a bouncy tune if there ever was one), and after he passed away, the song THEN YOU CAN TELL ME GOODBYE reminded my Ma of my Pa and it always made her cry. So diggin’ and cryin’ to Glen Campbell is just a McCarthy Family tradition.
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There are a few tracks on these discs that are more RHINESTONE than DIAMOND, but overall, THE GLEN CAMPBELL COLLECTION (1962-1989) is a REAL GEM.
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Yoey O’Dogherty, that funky editor of Morocco’s cowboy music magazine 'SADDLEBAGS ’N’ SIX-STRINGS', once said to no one in particular, “Play that Country music, White Boy”. Well, Glen Campbell plays it, and he plays it quite well for a guy not named Waylon Jennings.
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~ Stephen T. McCarthy
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10 comments:

  1. From what I gather, Glen is in the final stages of Alzheimer's, which breaks my heart. A wonderful voice and a tremendous guitar player, he was an integral part of my musical upbringing. A few months ago, I ran a Battle of the Bands on the song "I Remember You," and stumbled on his performance of it. I wanted to use it in the Battle, but it seemed like a cruel irony. His was easily the best performance, maybe even better than Frank Ifield's original, but there was something about featuring a song about remembering sung by a man whose memories have been taken from him that was in extremely bad taste.

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    1. JOHN, I'm not familiar with the song. At least I don't recognize the title. I'll have to check it out. But I think you made the right decision.

      Yeah, Glen really doesn't recognize anyone anymore and probably doesn't even know who he is and what he did. It really is heartbreaking! I'm a big fan of his music and this CD I've reviewed here gets plenty of playing time in my house and vehicle.

      I've used Glen twice in BOTB and he lost both times. But he got MY vote both times, and I was kind of bummed that he didn't prevail.

      ~ D-FensDogG
      [Link:) Ferret-Faced Fascist Friends

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  2. Hi Stephen, I'm a fan of anyone who sang a song in praise of mamas! I especially like the last stanza:

    "There ought to be a hall of fame for mamas
    Creation's most unique and precious pearls
    And Heaven help us always to remember
    That the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world."

    So sad that he has Alzheimer's.

    Julie

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    1. HiYa, GEM JULIE!

      Yes, Alzheimer's Disease is perhaps the saddest of all. It's as if people you love are being erased while you're still alive. I've not had any first-hand experiences with it, thank God, but I know it's horrible!

      ~ D-FensDogG

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  3. How sad that Glen Campbell has been afflicted by the dreaded Alzheimer's. Thanks for this comprehensive review, Stephen. I knew he was versatile, but not that he had been a member of The Wrecking Crew. I remember you mentioning how big a fan you are in a couple of your BOTBs and how you were bummed he didn't win. Keep trying, you never know. ☺ BTW, apologies for missing the last one - bad case of internet fatigue!

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    1. That's alright, DEBBIE. I can sure understand how you'd have Internet fatigue after A2Z. That's just way too much computer time for me, so I stay out of it and just wait for my corner of the Blogosphere to return to normal.

      Glad to see you survived though and are back again.

      ~ D-FensDogG
      'Loyal American Underground'

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  4. McCarthy darlin'

    I always liked Glen Campbell. We used to watch his variety show in the early 70s and loved it when he appeared on Hee Haw and other variety shows back in the day. Southern Nights is one of my favorites of his. Great recap of the CD.

    ~Mary

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    1. Thanks, MARY!

      Yeah, I remember his variety show, too. He seemed to have a pleasant personality.

      SOUTHERN NIGHTS is an earworm to me.

      ~ D-FensDogG

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  5. I always thought he was too clean for a cowboy. Your description, "sweaty" cracked me up! But he sure had the voice - and the twang to boot. Lots of great songs, as well as memories, in your missive, Reno. Thanks!

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    1. Thanks for stopping by, dIEDRE.

      Yeah, he looked more like a drugstore (or rhinestone) cowboy than a real Stetson 'n' Wranglers cowboy.

      But you know what? If you've never heard it before, go to YouTube and see if you can find his recording 'KENTUCKY MEANS PARADISE'. That's some serious down-home Country music. Nuttin' "Hollywood' about THAT sound.

      Also, check out his 'WILLIAM TELL OVERTURE'. Anyone who doesn't think Campbell could sling six-strings with the best of 'em will have difficulty 'splaining that. I would use it in a BOTB but I don't know if anyone could seriously challenge him.

      ~ D-FensDogG
      [Link:) Ferret-Faced Fascist Friends

      Delete

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