In 2011, Glen Campbell released the critically acclaimed "Ghost On The Canvas," a brilliant comeback record that was sadly also his farewell album. His Alzheimer's had taken a turn for the worse. A tour followed, which I was lucky enough to catch at NYC's Town Hall. It was a night that my pal and I will never forget.
Glen Campbell's comeback, which actually saw one more record release, first began in 2008 with a lot less fanfare. "Meet Glen Campbell," featuring mostly rock covers of songs by Tom Petty, Foo Fighters, Green Day and Paul Westerberg had come out, and a triumphant showcase at the Troubadour in West Hollywood took place. That show has now been released on "Live From The Troubadour" and this set is an absolute kicker!
I am always skeptical of live albums. I have my favorites. Some obvious like The Who "Live At Leeds" or Aretha at the Fillmore. Some not so obvious like Jerry Lee Lewis and the Nashville Teens "Live At The Star Club." But it bothers me when live records get edited and doctored up so much, you no longer know what is and isn't live. Thin Lizzy's million seller "Live & Dangerous" is a great listen, but more than half of it was rerecorded. David Bowie's "Stage" rearranges the set, fades in and out of songs and simply sounds fake.
This new Glen Campbell set feels right. It captures the small club atmosphere, the mix is perfect and Glen is imperfect, but only enough to assure you that this is the real deal. That said, the performance is wonderful. It covers almost all of the covers from "Meet Glen Campbell" and has all the right classics, not to mention some of Campbell's mind-boggling guitar playing.
"Live From The Troubadour" is just the right length with a killer setlist, and if you are a fan, you should get this baby, toot sweet.
14 comments:
These three tracks are strong. Glen's voice sounds very good and his guitar playing, especially on Galveston, is special. Thanks for the tip.
- Paul in DK
Nothing on Glen...however picked up a copy of "The Best Of Atlanta Rhythm Section The Millennium Collection" and upon reading the liner notes..huum...still got a plug in for Todd. How many did you do?
...still got a plug in for Todd. How many did you do?
Plugs for Todd or liner notes?
I might have done a dozen or so Millenium Collections, a few other UMG comps, some for Sony...Eddie Money Best of...Can't remember all the titles.
Liner notes. Did you manage to get a plug in for Todd on the others?
@Jobe,
I honestly don't think so, but it's entirely possible. What did I say in the ARS CD?
Thanks for the tip on the Glen Campbell. I really liked the last few albums he did, and this live set sounds terrific. Will be checking it out.
Verbatim, "Angel (What in the world's come over us) didn't fare so well, only reaching #75. Musically, it was a wonderful achievement. A mid-tempo shuffle with some fine guitar work from Barry Baiely, this stand-out track owes more to the Philly-based, blue eyed soul of Todd Rundgren and early Hall and Oates than to the southern rock stereotype that was eventually applied to the band."
Enjoyed his late career resurgence very much! Thanks for the tip. Down on live albums? Aretha also had Amazing Grace (and the film!). And Talking Heads concert film Stop Making Sense and The Band's The Last Waltz and my favorite Jazz on A Summer's Day. Are films cheating? And there's James Brown's Live at the Apollo.... Though these are the exceptions; in general, I agree with you.
Michael Giltz,
I didn't say I was "down on live albums." I said I was skeptical. Those you mention are all fine, though I still say the crowd sounds on JB's Apollo are enhanced.
This is really great. I love this
As you know, Sal, some of the doctored "live" albums are still pretty great anyway. Whether or not they're truly "live" matters less to me especially they wind up being superior to their studio counterparts--Kiss Alive I & II come to mind. Like Kiss, some artist's best albums are live ones. The original Hot August Night is my favorite from Neil Diamond.
I also dig Judas Priest's Unleashed in the East (Rob Halford reportedly had a cold during the taping and had to re-record all his vocals).
That Glen Campbell live album looks to be worth having.
Jeff,
I don't disagree Kiss Alive and Hot August Night are classics. (Never liked "Unleashed In the East" and I love Priest.) But I never reach for these records over "Kiss" or "Dressed To Kill," two records I still enjoy to this day.
I take your point about being skeptical about "live" albums rather than being down on them in general. It was a distinction I failed to make. And yet, still, a list of favorite live albums would be good. I heretically might include the studio/live hybrid Rattle and Hum by U2 (which i inexplicably love) as well as the more deserving Under A Blood Red Sky, among many others. Not a type of album I've given much thought to. For Neil Diamond, Hot August Night is fun to me but not nearly as iconic as Greatest Hits and Greatest Hits Vol. 2 and his recent run with 12 Songs (his single best album) and Home Before Dark career peaks. And do Hall & oates hit live album hall of fame w their Apollo show?
Michael Giltz,
I am not a fan of any of the records you mention. "Under A Blood Red Sky" is barely a half hour, and to be honest, I prefer post "Joshua Tree" U2. The studio tracks on "Rattle & Hum" work for me more than the live tracks. And that Hall & Oates has a terrible setlist, though the Motown medley was fun.
A full post on live albums might be a good idea, but it is also work, if I do it properly. I can probably put together a Top 10, though a nice accurate full set bootleg, warts and all, is more my speed.
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