Aww man! Even though we pretty much saw this one coming, it doesn't make us feel any better about it!
Lost one of the greats today!
Here's a great tribute courtesy of RollingStone.com.
Glen Campbell, the
indelible voice behind 21 Top 40 hits including "Rhinestone Cowboy,"
"Wichita Lineman" and "By the Time I Get to Phoenix," died
Tuesday. He was 81. A rep for Universal Music Group, Campbell's record label,
confirmed the singer's death to Rolling Stone. During a career
that spanned six decades, Campbell sold over 45 million records. In 1968, one
of his biggest years, he outsold the Beatles.
"It is with the
heaviest of hearts that we announce the passing of our beloved husband, father,
grandfather, and legendary singer and guitarist, Glen Travis Campbell, at the
age of 81, following his long and courageous battle with Alzheimer's
disease," the singer's family said in a statement.
Campbell was a rare
breed in the music business, with various careers as a top-level studio
guitarist, chart-topping singer and hit television host. His late-career battle
with Alzheimer's - he allowed a documentary crew to film on his final tour for
the 2014 award-winning I'll Be Me - made him a public face for
the disease, a role President Bill Clinton suggested would one day be
remembered even more than his music.
"He had that
beautiful tenor with a crystal-clear guitar sound, playing lines that were so
inventive," Tom Pettytold Rolling Stone during
a 2011 profile of Campbell. "It moved me."
Campbell was born in
1936 in Billstown, Arkansas, the seventh son in a sharecropping family of 12
kids. "We used to watch TV by candlelight," Campbell told Rolling Stone in 2011.
In his youth, Campbell
started playing guitar and became obsessed with jazz guitarist Django
Reinhardt. He dropped out of school when he was 14 and moved to Wyoming with an
uncle who was a musician, playing gigs together at rural bars. He soon moved to
Los Angeles and by 1962 had solidified a spot in the Wrecking Crew, a group of
session pros. In 1963 alone, he appeared on 586 cuts and countless more
throughout the decade, including the Byrds' "Mr. Tambourine Man,"
Elvis Presley's "Viva Las Vegas,” Merle Haggard's "Mama Tried"
and the Righteous Brothers' "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling."
"I’d have to pick
cotton for a year to make what I'd make in a week in L.A.," he said.
"I learned it was crucial to play right on the edge of the beat ... It
makes you drive the song more. You're ahead of the beat, but you're not."
Fellow Wrecking Crew member Leon Russell called Campbell "the best guitar
player I'd heard before or since. Occasionally we'd play with 50- or 60-piece
orchestras. His deal was he didn't read [music], so they would play it one time
for him, and he had it."
In late 1964, Brian
Wilson had a nervous breakdown on tour with the Beach Boys, and the band called
on Campbell to replace him on bass and high harmonies. "I took Brian's
place and that was just ... I was in heaven then – hog heaven!" Campbell
remarked.
"He fit right
in," said Wilson. "His main forte is he's a great guitar player, but
he's even a better singer than all the rest. He could sing higher than I
could!" Wilson even wrote an early song, "I Guess I'm Dumb," for
Campbell. His first hit was a cover of Buffy Sainte-Marie's antiwar song
"Universal Soldier." But Campbell's own political views tended to be
conservative. "The people who are advocating burning draft cards should be
hung," he said in 1965.
Campbell had his first
major hit in 1967, with "By the Time I Get to Phoenix," written by
Jimmy Webb, an L.A. kid with a knack for intricate ballads. "Glen's vocal
power and technique was the perfect vehicle for these, in a way, very
sentimental and romantic songs. And I think that you know we made some records
that were very nearly perfect. 'Wichita Lineman' is a very near perfect pop
record," Webb said. "I think in the process that Glen was a prime
mover in the whole creation of the country crossover phenomenon that made the
careers of Kenny Rogers and some other... many other artists possible."
The tune kicked off a
working relationship that included the haunting Vietnam War ballad "Galveston," the
tender "Gentle on My Mind" and
"Wichita Lineman," Campbell's first Top 10 hit. With swelling
orchestral arrangements and slick production, the songs weren't exactly
considered hip in the Sixties. "They felt packaged for a
middle-of-the-road, older crowd," said Tom Petty. "At first, you go,
'Oh, I don't know about that.' But it was such pure, good stuff that you had to
put off your prejudices and learn to love it. It taught me not to have those prejudices."
In 1968, Campbell won Grammys in both the country and pop categories,
including Best Country & Western Solo Vocal Performance, Male, Best
Country & Western Song and Best Vocal Performance, Male.
In the summer of 1968,
Campbell guest hosted the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. The successful appearance led to his own
variety show, The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour, which he hosted from 1969 until 1972. Artists like Ray Charles,
Johnny Cash and Linda Ronstadt performed on the show, which also gave a national
platform to rising country stars like Willie Nelson.
"He exposed us to a big part of the world that would have never had the
chance to see us," said Nelson. "He's always been a big help to
me."
A young Steve Martin was
a writer on the show. “He just went along with it," Martin said in I'll
Be Me. "He was completely game, and completely fun, and had kind of a
down-home sense of humor. It was just an incredible treat for us young writers
to be introduced to talent at that level at such a young age.”
Campbell's boyish
charisma led John Wayne to cast him in a co-starring role in 1969's True Grit. He later said that his acting was so
amateurish that he "gave John Wayne that push to win the Academy
Award." But the good times didn't last: His show was canceled; his first
feature film, 1970's Norwood, flopped; and the hits
dried up for a few years. Then, Campbell scored a smash with 1975's
"Rhinestone Cowboy." It began a comeback that included hits
"Country Boy (You Got Your Feet in L.A.") and "Southern
Nights." The hits slowed down again in the Eighties; in the Nineties he
opened up the Glen Campbell Goodtime Theatre in Branson, Missouri.
Campbell was married
four times, and has five sons and three daughters. In the early 1980s, while
battling alcoholism and cocaine addiction, Campbell made tabloid headlines with
a 15-month, high-profile relationship with country singer Tanya Tucker,
who was 22 years his junior. In 1981, he became a born-again Christian and in
1982 he married Kimberly Woollen, a Radio City Music Hall Rockette, who
helped Campbell clean up his life.
In 2003, he was arrested
for a hit-and-run, an incident that ended with him allegedly kneeing a police
officer in the thigh right before he was released. Campbell pleaded guilty to
extreme drunken driving and leaving the scene of an accident, and spent 10 days
in jail.
In 2011, Campbell, then
75, revealed that he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. In June of that
year, he announced he was retiring from music due to the disease. He released
his final album of original music Ghoston the Canvas(with guests Billy Corgan, Paul
Westerberg and Jakob Dylan) and embarked on a farewell tour with three of his
children backing him.
He played 151 shows on
his final tour. "The audience being there somehow triggers his ability to
access that other part of his brain," U2's The Edge said. "It's
incredible."
"This tour of his
just says, 'Here I am, here’s what’s happening to me,'" Clinton said.
"'I'm going out with a smile on my face and a song in my heart so you will
know,' - and that may be more of his enduring legacy than all the music he
made."
He spent his final years
in an assisted living facility. His friends and children would often spend days
with him playing him his old songs."Music utilizes all of the brain, not just
one little section of it," Woollen noted. "Everything's firing all at
once. It's really stimulating and probably helped him plateau and not progress
as quickly as he might have. I could tell from his spirits that it was good for
him. It made him really happy. It was good for the whole family to continue
touring and to just keep living our lives. And we hope it encourages other
people to do the same."
Earlier this year, Campbell
released Adiós, his final studio album, a collection of mainly
cover songs by Bob Dylan, Harry Nilsson and others, recorded after his Goodbye
Tour. "Almost every time he sat down with a guitar, these were his go-to
songs," daughter Ashley Campbell told Rolling Stone Country.
"They were very much engrained in his memory – like, so far back that they
were one of the last things he started losing."
"He had a beautiful
singing voice," Bruce Springsteen said in 2014. "Pure tone. And it
was never fancy. Wasn't singing all over the place. It was simple on the
surface but there was a world of emotion underneath."
Here's a clip of Waylon Jennings performing his hit song "Don't You Think This Outlaw Bit Done Got Out of Hand" on Cheryl Ladd's Television Special from 1979-- back from an era where just about anyone who was anyone on t.v. had some sort of variety show special! "The Cheryl Ladd TV Special" is notable for a couple of reasons. First, in 1979, Cheryl Ladd was at the peak of her Charlie's Angels' hotness. And a close second, of course, is because the hour long special features three fantastic Waylon Jennings' tunes, who was also at the peak of his powers in 1979. Here's a link to the entire specials if you're innerested.
Waylon Jennings - "I've Always Been Crazy" (1978) - RCA Victor
Hello Friends,
There's two great bits of trivia in regards to the life and career of Waylon Jennings. The first is, did you know that Waylon Jennings gave up his seat on Buddy Holly's plane the night of the infamous crash which killed Holly, Richie Valens, the Big Bopper, etc.?
The other is that he sang the Dukes of Hazzard theme song! This is a great, late 70's outlaw country record by the world-weary and coked-addled Jennings. It kicks off with the great title track, "I've Always Been Crazy" where Jennings confesses: I've always been crazy and the trouble that it's put me through I've been busted for things that I did, and I didn't do I can't say I'm proud of all of the things that I've done But I can say I've never intentionally hurt anyone
Awesome!
Also on the record is a cover of a Tony Joe White song ("Billy"), a Shel Silverstein-penned tune ("Whistlers & Jugglers"), a medley of Buddy Holly hits, a Merle Haggard cover ("Tonight The Bottle Let Me Down") and a cover of Johnny Cash's early hit, "I Walk The Line" (which in Jennings's hands takes on a whole new, more somber tone!) A must listen if you're into the boozy & druggie outlaw country movement of the late 70's.
Extra points for Jennings's coked out stare on the album's cover!
RATING: 4.5 close watches on this heart of mine out of 5
Willie Nelson - "Without A Song" (1983) - Columbia Records
Howdy Friends, This is a VERY early 80's sounding record by Shotgun Willie. Like 1978's remarkable Stardust and 1981's Somewhere Over the Rainbow, Without A Song is another foray into tin pan alley-style standards from the country crooner. And while Willie, of course, sounds great on vocals and guitar, there's that certain tinniness to the rhythm section and organ parts that seemed to permeate a lot of recordings in this era. All of the non-Willie guitar solos have that certain soft rock smoothness to them that borders dangerously close to sounding like Muzak. Things almost sound a little too polished. Here at the tiki bar we mostly like our records stripped down and raw-sounding. Especially with our Country records where the star of the song should be the song itself and not the slick production style! Or as Tiki T. is wont to say, "More thrills, less frills." This is no clearer than on the very dated version of "As Time Goes By", a duet between Willie and Julio Iglesias, which probably would have sounded great at some ridiculously rich kids' Bar Mitzvah in the early 1980's. The good news is that the title track is pretty amazing while "Once In A While", "Golden Earrings", "You'll Never Know", "To Each His Own" and the closing track, "A Dreamer's Holiday" are all really good. Even mediocre Willie is still better than mostly everything else! RATING: 4 never knows what makes the rain fall, never knows what makes the grass so tall out of 5
Calgary's Wilf Carter (or as he was known in the States, Montana Slim) is often considered to be the father of Canadian Country Music. We bought this at a thrift store for a dollar even though we never heard any of Wilf Carter's/Montana Slim's music. We figured, what do we have to lose for $1 and that great cover alone is worth the price of admission! In other words, how could we not buy this record? When we got home and listened to it, we were pleasantly surprised! Wilf Carter was a yodeling, guitar-picking singer of cowboy songs. Not too far removed from the likes of Hank Williams or Hank Snow or, especially, Jimmie Rodgers.
Lots of straightforward, honest cowboy songs about trains, whiskey, rustling cattle, Kentucky Moons and lost loves. Most of the arrangements are refreshingly sparse allowing most of the songs to feature Wilf's golden throat and his acoustic guitar. The album's highlight? Probably the drinking song, "Rye Whiskey".... Rye Whiskey, Rye Whiskey, Rye Whiskey I cryyyyyy- If I don't get Rye Whiskey, I surely will die- If the ocean was Whiskey and I was a duck, I'd swim to the bottom and never come up...
Great, now we're thirsty!
RATING: 4 there's a lovely knot in my lariat out of 5
Nurse your hangovers with this great tune by the inimitable Miss Loretta Lynn, the original Coal Miner's Daughter. (With a special appearance by Bill Monroe on rhythm guitar!)
Willie Nelson - "The Willie Way" (1972) - RCA Records
Hello Friends, Really good Willie Nelson record from his Nashville days. Much more traditional sounding than his "outlaw" sound that was peeking just around the corner. As usual it features some great Nelson songwriting on songs like "You Left Me A Long, Long Time Ago", "Wake Me When Its Over", "A Moment Isn't Very Long" and "I'd Rather You Didn't Love Me" and a couple of covers as well, including the fantastic take on the Kristofferson-penned, "Help Me Make It Through The Night".
The Willie Way would be his last record for RCA and would also mark his departure from the country music capital to the much weirder scene going on in mid-70's Austin, Texas. Light 'em up Willie! RATING: 4 jugs full of good ol' Mountain Dew out of 5
From his early singles like "(My Friends Are Gonna Be) Strangers", "The Bottle Let Me Down" and "I'm A Lonesome Fugitive" to his 2015 collaboration with longtime friend Willie Nelson on Django and Jimmie, Haggard will forever be remembered for his hard-livin', grizzly-sung underdog songs and for being a total badass.
They certainly don't make them like this any longer! R.I.P.
2015 is rapidly winding down and we're not only getting ready for the weekend but getting ready for Hi-Fi Holidays on Vinyl in the Valley.
This weekend we're planning on decorating the tiki bar, setting up the tree and mixing up some festive cocktails. We'll be spinning a few classic records to help set the mood as well.
For some reason, this extremely sad Kenny Rogers tune seems appropriate for this drizzly December Friday.
Mac Davis - "Baby Don't Get Hooked On Me" (1972) - CBS Records
Hello Friends,
We've been on quite the Mac Davis kick lately.
(Actually, someone gave the local Goodwill all their Mac Davis records. Their loss = Vinyl in the Valley's gain!)
This album is great!! Early 70's country-soft-rock at its peak!
Every single song is a potential Solid Gold classic with the title track being the top of the heap! (here) Songs like the opener, "Dream Me Home", "Everybody Loves A Love Song", "Whoever Finds This, I Love You" & the record's closer, "The Words (Don't Come Easy)" are velvety smooth soulful & sappy tunes that fall somewhere in between Dewey Cox and Bob Welch-era Fleetwood Mac. (Fleetwood Mac Davis?)
Things do start getting a little pervy on Side One's uptempo "Naughty Girl": Well Dixie Farmer was a hot young blooded, dimpled, devil child
A churnin', burnin', backseat bundle built to drive a young boy wild
She taught me all about life and love in a Georgia cotton field
I ain't never seen nothin' like her since and I know that I never will
She was a naughty girl
She took advantage of my youth
She was a naughty girl
But she taught me the gospel truth, woo-ooh
Actually, Dixie Farmer sounds like kind of a whore. But that isn't even the worst of it! How about a contender for best song title from 1972 with Side Two's "Spread Your Love On Me"? Eww! What a CREEP!!
Although, like most of the songs here, its as catchy as a case of the crabs*! (* Not that I would know!) RATING: 4.0 A little old man walks along shuffling through the autumn afternoon and the autumn leaves reminded him another summer's come and gone out of 5
Mac Davis - "Texas in My Rear View Mirror" (1980) - Casablanca Records
Hello Friends,
For a short period of time in the 1970's Casablanca Records dominated the music universe.
Due in no small part to the arena-sized success of KISS, as well as being directly involved in the ground floor of the burgeoning disco movement as early supporters of Giorgio Moroder & Donna Summer, Casablanca Records, for a time, looked unstoppable. But massive egos and cocaine habits usually force all good things to end a little sooner than they should and Casablanca was no exception. (For a great read with all the nasty details check out the book, "And Party Everyday: The Inside Story of Casablanca Records" by longtime Casablanca employee, Larry Harris!)
Anyway, by 1980, Casablanca was really branching out and delving into newer, and hopefully trendsetting, arenas. They flirted with some pop-oriented country music acts that were far removed from the more successful Outlaw Country movement going on elsewhere. They signed bands and performers like Pure Prairie League, Tony Joe White and singer-songwriter Mac Davis.
Born in Lubbock, Texas, Mac Davis made quite a splash in the late 60's by writing some hits for Elvis (including "In the Ghetto" & "A Little Less Conversation") as well as having his own Solid Gold hit in 1972's "Baby Don't Get Hooked On Me" (here).
Known for his not-so-subtle innuendos and often overtly sexual song lyrics (see: "Baby Spread Your Love On Me"... ewww), on paper his move to Casablanca Records in the late 70's seemed like a match made in heaven!
His 1980 release Texas In My Rear View Mirror is part country, part pop, part blue-eyed soul and part soft rock. A forgotten gem which lacks any truly big hits and whose songs are a little all over the place, but it still makes a great soundtrack for late summer listening when the days are still warm, but the nights start to get cool and crisp! Things get started with "Hooked on Music", a Johnny Cash-style shuffle which has Davis tipping his cap to his friend and mentor Elvis Presley as well as Lubbock Texas's original favorite son, Buddy Holly. "Remember When (Beverly's Song)" is as sugary sweet Solid Gold pop gem that borders very close to the tried-and-true Yacht Rock formula. "Me 'n Fat Boy" sounds like it could have been written by Paul Simon. "Hot Texas Night" is a sultry country rock ballad reminiscent of Rhinestone Cowboy-era Glen Campbell. Side One concludes with the great & sappy "Sad Songs". Featuring some great pedal steel guitar work, its probably the purest country song on the record it featuring great, sappy lyrics like: "Sad songs are like dumb old dogs Who can melt you by just lookin' up in your eyes, Like they're tryin' to tell you There'll always be someone who cares If you like or if you die..." From start to finish, Side One is really good. Again, its a little all over the place so you get a little bit of country, pop, soft rock, folk, et cetera. Side Two continues with that theme although the songs aren't quite as good! "Texas In My Rear View Mirror" IS good however. Really good. An autobiographical, bouncy country-pop tune about leaving the town that you grew up in order to head west in search fame & fortune and finding out that fame & fortune are cruel mistresses. All told without any semblance of bitterness or cynicism. The soft rock schmaltz is back with "Hello, Hollywood", think of the band America, but lighter... and with more saxophone. "Rodeo Clown" seems to be Davis's response to the more cynical Outlaw country artists of the time basically stating that he'd rather be a rodeo clown and make his fans laugh rather than make them introspective and depressed. Not a great song by any stretch. More 70's soft rock with "Secrets" which sounds like REALLY watered-down Hall & Oates. The record's last song, the gospel-inspired "In the Eyes of My People" isn't all that bad, but again its really over-produced and oozes schmaltz! Some songs on this record have aged better than others and this isn't one of 'em! Still, overall, not a bad record if you don't mind some cheese served with your whiskey sour!
RATING: 3.5 hot texas nights waiting for the rains out of 5
