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Shopperworld - Meet Glen Campbell
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List Price: £15.99
Our Price: £8.98
Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours
Manufacturer: EMI
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Average Customer Rating:  
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Binding: Audio CD
EAN: 5099923575721
Label: EMI
Manufacturer: EMI
Number Of Discs: 1
Publisher: EMI
Release Date: 2008-08-25
Studio: EMI
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Editorial Reviews:
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The concept behind Meet Glen Campbell is so obvious it's a surprise that no one had thought of doing it before. Once Brian Wilson's touring replacement in the Beach Boys, then a megastar with his country inflected orchestral pop productions in the late sixties and early seventies, Glen Campbell has seen it all. Now in his seventies, his star has faded since his collaborations with young songwriter Jimmy Webb ruled the charts, but he remains a fine singer and a deft guitarist still. Taking ten recent songs by the likes of Tom Petty, Travis, Foo Fighters and even Green Day, and dressing them up in the expansive arrangements he's still remembered for effectively makes them his own property. Who knew that Travis's once torpid "Sing" needed only some Campbell magic to revive it? Green Day's "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)" is a perfect choice, its country roots always unconcealed, while the genesis of U2's "All I Want Is You" in the Stooges "No Fun" is made obvious even as Campbell's heartfelt version challenges Bono for sincerity. The closer, a stately version of John Lennon's posthumously released "Grow Old With Me", will be soundtracking wedding ceremonies for decades to come. Unlikely though it sounds, Meet Glen Campbell has to be count amongst the year's most successful comebacks. --Steve Jelbert
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: Brilliant update of country-pop legend
Comment: In contrast to Johnny Cash's stark reinvention at the hands of Rick Rubin on the American Recordings series, the cheekily titled Meet Glen Campbell sets out to simply reintroduce a legendary artist to contemporary audiences. Co-producers Julian Raymond and Howard Willing are quite obviously steeped in Campbell's classic hits and sound, and rather than reframing him in something stark or contrasting, they find relevancy in contemporary material and beautifully constructed arrangements that blend guitars, bass, drums, banjo, mandolin and strings. The layered instruments push the songs forward with soaring strings, shuffling country-pop rhythms, and background washes that give this release an updated sound without trying to completely recast its star. Campbell's voice is mixed further forward than on many of his classic hits, and he sounds remarkably at home atop non-Nashville production that perfectly blends acoustic and electric instruments. This is pop music in the vein of Campbell's iconic recordings of Jimmy Webb's songs, mixing craft and roots for the broadly accepting top-40 of four decades past.
The album's ten tracks are carefully selected from the catalogs of well-known modern pop artists, and adapted with flourishes of Campbell's earlier work. The rolling rhythm of "Gentle on My Mind," for example, is added to a cover of Tom Petty's redemptive "Angel Dream," and the dramatic strings introducing the Foo Fighters' "Times Like These" play upon the original opening of "Wichita Lineman." Among the album's highlights is a cover of Jackson Browne's "These Days," on which Campbell seems to reflect wearily on the chaos of his earlier years, and finds a modicum of satisfaction in simply having lived through it all. The arrangement of strings and acoustic guitars takes a cue from Nico's 1967 version, but Campbell's lengthy career and public life resonate deeply with the lyrics. The Replacements' "Sadly Beautiful" is arranged with strings in place of the original volume-controlled guitar counterpoint, and `70s soft-rock fans will recognize the underlying guitar vibrato from Bread's "If." Campbell's shell-shocked reading of Paul Westerberg's sorrowful lyrics is supported by layers of acoustic guitar, strings, keyboards and backing vocals. Even the Velvet Underground's "Jesus" is made to reflect Campbell's tumultuous history, recast from a libertine's consideration to an elder statesman's plea.
If there's a weakness to the album, it's the lack of new material. The all-covers format leaves listeners to compare Campbell's versions to the originals, rather than providing an opportunity to introduce definitive interpretations. Thankfully, many of the selections are pulled from albums rather than hit singles, and avoid the novelty of a mature artist trying to look hip. Even when Campbell does remake an icon, such as Tom Petty's "Walls" or Green Day's "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)," the songs are given new life from Campbell's classic sound. "Walls" opens with the sort of orchestral attack that cued the vocal of "Galveston" and "Good Riddance" is turned into a shuffle that's equal parts country and modern pop. Campbell's return finds his skills as a vocal interpreter undimmed, and his producers amplify his native talent with cannily picked songs and deftly arranged productions. [©2008 hyperbolium dot com]
Customer Rating: 
Summary: Biggest surprise of 2008
Comment: I am another who was fortunate enough to see one of his recent live concerts. Of course we were treated to all of his classics, plus a few tracks from this latest new album. These tracks were very pleasant and memorable. Infact, an exceptional set of songs that amount to an exceptional album.
This remakable return to form is acheived with songs written by other artists including John Lennon, U2, Tom Petty and Jackson Brown. Some of these tracks are quite addictive.
So, there it is. Not typical Glen Campbell perhaps, but certainly classical Glan Campbell. If this is your scene, then this album is a must.
Customer Rating:
Summary: I love this so much, I have to listen to it twice !
Comment: I bought two albums at the same time a week or so ago - and I must have been inspired. One was Sia's fantastic 'Some People Have Real Problems' (I must do a review on that!) and this beauty.
One of the other reviewers suggested that this is the best album of 2008 - it is right up there as a contender. The ten tracks are covers of some very fine songs, some I knew and some I didn't. The thing about Glen Campbell is that, at 72, his singing is still as good as ever. I've always liked him, but have nothing more than a compilation which features one or two of his songs.
One reviewer has criticised the production, but I think it just adds to the quality of the tracks on the album. It starts off with 'Sing', written by Fran Healey of Travis who, I must admit, I find extremely boring. However, this is a great song and a wonderful version, beautiful in it's full (as opposed to paired-down) production - a great opening track, which got me involved in the album. From there, the music just flows and the other nine tracks include a couple by Tom Petty, Jackson Browne, Billy Joe Armstrong (of Green Day), Lou Reed and John Lennon. It leaves me wanting to play the album again and again.
Yes, Glen is singing as well as ever and there are some lovely backing singers here. Instrumentally, there is a superb set of musicians, including GC himself - a great guitarist - and the arrangements are perfect.
This is Glen Campbell and friends, putting together an album in the Glen Campbell mould, but brought up to date. The length of the album is only 33:46, which is short. I would have like a couple more tracks, but if you want to listen to it a couple of times, you've only spent just over an hour doing so.
So, a brilliant album, a fantastic return from Glen Campbell which, I for one, hope will be followed up in a similar vein - I would welcome a second album of covers, a la 'Meet Glen Campbell Again'.
Customer Rating:
Summary: This is the way to do a covers album
Comment: Cash, Diamond, and now Campbell. Old pros finding new audiences with a combination of new material or new approaches to the craft of singing. Meet Glen Campbell works like a dream from start to finish. You can't really go wrong with songs written by the likes of Tom Petty and Jackson Browne can you? Even the vastly over-rated John Lennon can sound good when one of his songs is done well, and middle-order songsmith Fran Healy from Travis gets one of his dusted down for this album as well.
So, strong material sets the scene, and Campbell does them all justice, without sounding like he's trying too hard to please or prove a point. Slightly spoiled by a tad over-bright production in places that smothers Campbell's voice, the album is however, a sure-fire winner.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Classic Campbell
Comment: Glen Campbell is, quite simply, a master interpreter of other people's songs. In Jimmy Webb he found a songwriter whose lyrics and melodies were perfect pickings for him. They were made for each other. No one should need reminding that Wichita Lineman, Galveston, By The Time I Get To Phoenix and Where's The Playground Suzie were evocative, melodic counterpoints to the emerging hard rock sounds of the late 60s and early 70s.
Pitched somewhere in peoples' minds between Elton John and John Denver, Glen Campbell became largely irrelevant for the next three decades. Although he recorded during this period, with occasional success, the songs were generally bland, pointless and poorly produced. What he needed was a decent set of songs and a sympathetic producer who would recognise the strengths Glen possessed, someone who would recognise what made those earlier classics work.
Enter Julian Raymond and Howard Willing. Their arrangements and production are beautifully evocative of Campbell's greatest period. The Foo Fighter's Times Like These and Tom Petty's "Walls" echo Galveston with low tuned guitars and strings reminiscent of Al de Lory's original arrangements.
Using the Webb classics as a cornerstone the ten selections draw upon the literate work of John Lennon, Jackson Browne, Lou Reed, Tom Petty, Paul Westerberg, U2, The Foo's and Billie Joe. Raymond and Willing let Glen's voice take centre stage and with his sensitive interpretations and their evocative arrangements a hauntingly, beautiful album has emerged.
Simple really. Take a great singer, give him some great songs, mix in some sympathetic arrangements for strings and horns, throw in steel guitar, drums and keyboards and you have a classic record.
Highly recommended. Not a dud track to be heard.
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