|
contents | blues | |||||||||||||
| Glen Campbell's Top Tracks Remastered for New 'Greatest Hits' CD 16 of Glen Campbell's most popular hits have been remastered by Capitol/EMI for Glen Campbell: Greatest Hits, a new CD and digital collection to be released February 10. Campbell's triple Grammy-winning 1967 single, "Gentle On My Mind, " is included, as well as his first Top 10 hit, "By the Time I Get to Phoenix, " the title track from his 1968 Grammy winner for Album of the Year, and the #1 smash singles "Rhinestone Cowboy, " "Wichita Lineman" and "Galveston." Two tracks from Campbell's critically-acclaimed 2008 album, Meet Glen Campbell, are also included. In 1969, Glen Campbell had it all - sunny good looks, dazzling guitar chops, a breathtaking tenor voice, and his own network television show. "The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour" was weekly destination viewing for millions on Sunday nights because of the abundant talents of its star. A string of gigantic hit records had brought Campbell to this career pinnacle. The "Goodtime Hour" theme song was John Hartford's lilting "Gentle On My Mind, " which Campbell had brought to fame in 1967, winning Grammy Awards for the Song, Single and Male Vocal Performance of the Year. The follow-up single, Jimmy Webb's stunningly melodic "By the Time I Get to Phoenix, " became Campbell's first Top 10 hit and led to the singer and guitarist's close association with that songwriter, as well as 1968's Grammy Award for Album of the Year. Campbell's version of Webb's haunting "Wichita Lineman" was hot on the charts the week the star's TV show debuted in January 1969, and his thrilling performance of Webb's "Galveston" followed it to #1 on the charts just a few weeks later. Other golden tunes that led to Glen Campbell's national stature included 1968's "Dreams of the Everyday Housewife, " "I Wanna Live" and "Hey Little One." This cluster of 1960s classics was only the beginning. By the time his TV series wound down in the summer of 1972, Campbell had struck gold with "Try a Little Kindness, " "Honey Come Back" and "True Grit, " the title tune of his cinematic debut co-starring the iconic John Wayne. In addition to his gleaming vocals, most of those records were characterized by Campbell's prominent guitar lines and lush, sweeping string arrangements by producer Al De Lory. This partnership continued with 1970's "It's Only Make Believe, " Campbell's hit revival of Conway Twitty's classic ballad. A respected and sought-after session guitarist, Campbell's playing is heard on many of America's greatest popular songs of the era, including Frank Sinatra's "Strangers In The Night, " The Righteous Brothers' "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin', " Elvis Presley's "Viva Las Vegas, " five tracks on The Beach Boys' seminal 1966 album, Pet Sounds (Campbell also toured with The Beach Boys in 1965). Campbell also performed on recordings by Ricky Nelson, Nat King Cole, Merle Haggard, Waylon Jennings, Bobby Darin, Dean Martin, Nancy Sinatra, The Monkees, Wayne Newton, and on Phil Spector-produced hits, including Darlene Love & the Crystals' "He's A Rebel" and The Ronettes' "Be My Baby, " among others. In the mid 1970s, Campbell teamed with producers Dennis Lambert and Brian Potter, who at the time were mostly known for working with rhythm-and-blues artists such as The Four Tops and Tavares. This new partnership resulted in yet another career-defining single, 1975's soaring "Rhinestone Cowboy." The team also created the succeeding hit, "Country Boy (You Got Your Feet in L.A.), " which Lambert and Potter co-wrote for Campbell. In 1977, Campbell added the skill of record producing to his resume. Collaborating with co-producer Gary Klein, he recorded the funky "Southern Nights, " written by New Orleans music legend Allen Toussaint. This became yet another Campbell career milestone. In 2008, Campbell returned to Capitol Records and released his first new studio album in 13 years, Meet Glen Campbell. Produced by Julian Raymond, the critically-acclaimed album includes songs from the repertoires of Green Day, Foo Fighters, Tom Petty, The Replacements and other seemingly unlikely artists, which pleasantly surprised fans and journalists around the world. "Glen Campbell is still on the line with a rocking new CD, " raved USA Today. "Campbell, at 72, has entered extraordinary new territory, " said Daily Variety, while Relix magazine called Meet Glen Campbell "a contender for comeback album of the year." In a legendary music career that spans more than five decades, Glen Campbell has achieved chart-topping, platinum-selling pop and country success singing everyday tales of life, love, work and heartache. In addition to his five Grammy Awards, Campbell has been honored with trophies for Male Vocalist Of The Year from both the Country Music Association (CMA) and the Academy Of Country Music (ACM). Inducted into the CMA's Hall Of Fame, he has also been awarded its top Entertainer Of The Year honors, and the ACM has honored him with its prestigious Pioneer Award. Blender magazine has inducted "Wichita Lineman" to its list of "Greatest Songs Ever, " and the UK's New Musical Express ranked "Lineman" at #46 in its list of "The 100 Greatest Singles, Ever." Glen Campbell has released more than 75 albums, which have sold in excess of 40 million copies around the world. Of his 76 charting releases, 27 have reached Billboard's Top 10. write your comments about the article :: © 2008 Jazz News :: home page |