When I was young, I didn’t pay much attention to Glen Campbell.
Sure, I was aware he was a chart-topping country artist and even hosted a TV variety show, but he just wasn’t on my musical radar.
But due to a sequence of circumstances that began a month or two ago, I’ve been paying lots of attention to Mr. Campbell’s music lately, especially a surprising album he did in 2008 when he was 72 years old.
But before anything else, here’s a bit about Glen Campbell.
He was born in Billstown, Arkansas, in 1936, and started playing guitar at age 4 after his father bought him one for $5 at Sears as a gift.
He had a prolific series of hit songs in the 1960s and 70s, like “Gentle on My Mind” and “By the Time I Get to Phoenix” in 1967, “Wichita Lineman” in 1968, and “Rhinestone Cowboy,” which topped the Billboard Hot 100 in 1975.
Campbell won six Grammy awards (including four for the classic pair of 1967 songs), and his personality and stage presence led to him hosting the primetime variety show, “The Glen Campbell Good Time Hour,” from 1969 to 1972.
Campbell played on recordings by dozens of artists, from The Beach Boys to Elvis.
“Elvis and I were brought up the same humble way – picking cotton and looking at the south end of a north-bound mule,” Campbell once said.
He was even a member of “The Champs” when they had their huge hit, “Tequila,” in 1958.
Campbell didn’t write much music, but instead capitalized on his gift of sculpting others’ writings into highly popular sounds. Like many great singers, Campbell had a favorite song writer. His was Jimmy Webb, who wrote several of Campbell’s 3 ½-minute masterpieces like “Wichita Lineman,” “By the Time I Get to Phoenix” and “Galveston.”
OK, here are some details about my recent discovery of Glen Campbell’s music.
Not too long ago, I obtained a copy of a Glen Campbell “Best Of” compilation from 2013 aptly titled “Gentle on My Mind.” My wife, Wendy, grew up in a household where Campbell’s music was commonly played and it was cool to hear her sing along with several songs I wasn’t even familiar with.
But as I’ve sat and listened to his work, I’ve come to a complete understanding as to why so many people liked Glen Campbell. Many of the album’s 21 songs are like miniature opera or orchestral pieces, with lush instrumentation and Campbell’s vocals always in spot-on tone and pitch.
Among them was one that really caught my ear. It was a Tom Petty song, “Angel Dream.” Campbell’s version of it is gorgeous – a crisp and clean chunk of quality country rock. With a little bit of research, I found that the tune was part of an amazing project recorded in 2008 called “Meet Glen Campbell.”
I had to know more, so I searched a bit further and was amazed to find that the album consisted of covers of rock and roll songs by artists including U2, Green Day, Tom Petty, John Lennon and more. Part of the “more” is a version of The Foo Fighters’ “Times Like These.” It’s a mind-bogglingly well executed country-rock gem, with Campbell slowing down the song’s pace and crafting it into what sounds like his own creation.
Keep in mind, Campbell was 72 when he made the album. That’s wild.
A bit more research led to finding a YouTube video of him doing “Times Like These” on the Jay Leno Show in 2008. You would be wise to Google it and be as astonished as I was when I first witnessed it. Three of Campbell’s kids are in the band, and the song is stunning in its excellence.
I think I’ve watched the video about eight times. I also found two other YouTube entries of the song, one from a performance at The Troubadour in Hollywood (no video – just fantastic audio) and another from a British talk show.
I love how obvious it is on the Leno version that Campbell is enjoying the heck out of doing the music as he more or less reinvents himself with help from some family members.
I should mention that “Times Like These” has long been one of my favorite “hard rock” songs, and hearing Campbell’s treatment of it has been a real treat.
The “Meet Glen Campbell” project was the brainchild of Julian Raymond, who has produced dozens of recordings by a variety of artists, including from Fleetwood Mac, Cheap Trick, The Wallflowers, Hank Williams Jr. and many others. In the album’s liner notes, Campbell thanks his “new friend” Raymond, and credits him for “hand-picking” the 10 songs in the project.
I find myself mesmerized when I listen to it, and I believe each of the songs is phenomenally constructed and presented. Raymond certainly had a vision, and it masterfully came to fruition.
Campbell and Raymond collaborated on a couple more albums before Campbell died in 2017, but they absolutely nailed it with the “Meet” compilation.
Anyway, I’m glad I “discovered” Glen Campbell after all these years. He’s truly one of the all-time greats.
Doug Davison is a writer, photographer and newsroom assistant for the Houston Herald. Email: ddavison@houstonherald.com.