The Crock of Glen Campbell
Let me preface this by saying that I grew up in the south and thusly couldn’t avoid classic country music. My mother still owns the Jeanne C. Reilly 8-track that she lip-synched to at her middle school talent show. Her most prized possession is a shirt with a possum in a rocking chair signed by George Jones (known as the Old Possum…famous for his song “I don’t need no rockin’ chair”. Get the joke?). Anyway, my point is that I’m familiar with Glen Campbell, I even respect a lot of his work, mainly the song “Galveston”.
Even knowing Glen Campbell’s music, and maybe because of it, I was shocked, SHOCKED at how much I enjoyed listening to snippits of his new album, Meeting Glen Campbell on NPR’s Fresh Air this afternoon.
It’s an album of covers ala Johnny Cash, but unlike Cash, Campbell’s voice is clear and his songs sound decidedly un-Campbell like. Sure, knowing that it’s Campbell makes it easier to recognize his twang, but his voice is unwavering and soulful and surprisingly modern. I even enjoyed the interview with Campbell on the radio program and the way he laughed off being pinned down to any genre, saying he wasn’t country, rock, or “crock”. I also learned that before getting notoriety as a solo artist, he worked as a session musician on tracks like The Ronettes’ “Be My Baby” and on Pet Sounds.
Here is the track listing for Meet Glen Campbell:
‘Sing’ - Travis
‘Walls’ - Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
‘Angel Dream’ - Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
‘Times Like These’ - Foo Fighters
‘These Days’ - Jackson Browne
‘Sadly Beautiful’ - The Replacements
‘All I Want Is You’ - U2
‘Jesus’ - Velvet Underground
‘Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)’ - Green Day
‘Grow Old With Me’ - John Lennon
All that being said, I’ve only heard the Travis and Velvet Underground covers but they both were fantastic, sung earnestly and phrased beautifully.
I might have to break down and buy a Glen Campbell album.
