"Panama Limited Jug Band" by PANAMA LIMITED JUG BAND – September 1969 UK Debut LP on Harvest Records (February 2014 UK Esoteric Recordings 'Expanded Edition' CD Reissue and Remaster with Two Bonus Tracks) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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"...Wildcat Squall..."

 

Taking their name from a Bukka White song about a train run by the infamous Panama Ltd – these obscure English jug-band-music enthusiasts were steeped in Black Country Blues, Acoustic Folk and Americana and were stalwarts of the vibrant Blues/Folk gigging scene in late 60ts London.

 

Always a rare vinyl LP original from late 1969 on Harvest Records (complete with Hipgnosis artwork), "Panama Limited Jug Band" was hard to find at the time and sold to a limited audience. And it has to be said that this Esoteric Recordings 'Digitally Remastered' Expanded Edition CD Reissue from early 2014 isn't exactly a whole lot easier to find either (it's been deleted a while now) - both having fallen off the face of the earth decades/years ago.

 

For sure this happy-hour hybrid music is extraordinarily dated and will not be for everyone, but if you're a lover of this John Peel-produced and championed group of reprobates - then his fantastic sounding Remaster CD is the baby for you.

 

The Audio on this sucker is truly gorgeous – remastered by BEN WISEMAN for Esoteric from original tapes. Panama Limited Jug Band made only one more album called "Indian Summer" issued one year later in September 1970 on Harvest SHVL 779 and Esoteric Recordings have also reissued and remastered that for 24 February 2014 on ECLEC 2436 (Barcode 5013929453647, also with two bonus tracks).

 

As a listen, the self-titled debut doesn't all work for me, but the cuts that do are magical in their own downhome Skiffle-shuffling kind of a way. Let's get to the details...

 

UK released 24 February 2014 - "Panama Limited Jug Band" by PANAMA LIMITED JUG BAND on Esoteric Recordings ECLEC 2435 (Barcode 5013929453548) is an 'Expanded Edition' CD Reissue and New Remaster with Two Bonus Tracks that plays out as follows (52:38 minutes):

 

1. 38 Plug [Side 1]

2. Going To Germany

3. Canned Heat

4. Viola Lee

5. Alabamy Bound

6. Overseas Stomp

7. Round & Round

8. Cocaine Habit

9. Wildcat Squall [Side 2]

10. Don't You Ease Me In

11. Rich Girl

12. Sundown

13. Jailhouse

14. Guitar King

15. Railroad

Tracks 1 to 15 are their UK debut album "Panama Limited Jug Band" - released September 1969 in the UK on Harvest SHVL 753 and in the USA on Harvest SKAO-387. The American LP (same name and artwork) had only 10 tracks, dropping five - "Alabama Bound", "Overseas Stomp", "Round & Round", "Jailhouse" and "Guitar King". Produced by JOHN PEEL - it didn't chart in either country.

 

The 10-Track US album can be sequenced from this CD Remaster as follows:

Side 1: Tracks 1 to 4 and 8

Side 2: Tracks 9 to 12 and 15

 

BONUS TRACKS:

16. Lady Of Shallot

17. Future Blues

Tracks 16 and 17 are the A&B-sides of a stand-alone UK 45-single on Harvest HAR 5010 issued 28 November 1969.

 

Musically - think Mungo Jerry circa 1970 with Kazoos, Jug bottles blowing, whooping vocals, washboards, harmonicas, mandolins, sort of foot-stomping mad Judy Henske vocals (Liz Hanns) with a slight Beefheart soundscape when the male lead sings (Denis parker) with lyrics about drinking and farming and cocaine and infidelity and jailhouses and more drinking - with a jolly good old Folk Blues time being had by all.

 

Liz Hanns handles the opener "38 Plug" while Denis does a slag-off duet vocal with Liz on "Going To Germany". But my poison is their cover of "Canned Heat" where they left-right speaker their vocals against a mandolin/national steel backdrop. It's beautifully clear as they give it "...woke up this morning with Canned Heat blues all around my bed..." But stuff like "Overseas Stomp" is bad and I can see why they dropped it from the edited US LP. "Wildcat Squall" is a fab Harmonica vs. Mandolin shuffle with Parker and Hanns sharing shouts and singing. 

 

Gorgeous audio kicks in again for the excellent "Don't You Ease Me In" where Liz sounds like she’s channelling a drunken Jo Ann Kelly egged on by locals to give it some sing-for-my-supper over by the old Joanna. Jug Band shuffle returns with "Rich Girl" where it’s all hay-wagons and whiskeys and my gal getting high (might be there in the morning if both of them don’t get killed). Our lady feels so blue in "Sundown" – another nugget in National Steel Guitar vs. Harmonica mode – journey to the madhouse cause she feels so bad (baby left town you see). A variant of "Viola Lee" was even covered by The Grateful Dead on their 1967 debut (originally done by Jim Kweskin & The Jug Band in 1966).

 

Speaking of out-there music - with its fuzzed-up lead electric guitar and rockin' out nature, the A-side of their stand alone 45-single "Lady Of Shallott" written by Liz Hanns is more Psych than Jug Band and comes as a shock (and pleasant surprise) after the Acoustic Blues nature of the whole debut album. Its B-side "Future Blues" is a Traditional done more like the LP cuts - Acoustic Blues. Crackin' little 7" single that.

 

"Panama Limited Jug Band" will not be for everyone as I said, but its ramshackle heartfelt shuffling is beloved by those who dig their Kazoo as much as they do their tales of lovers in the jailhouse with a jug of moonshine cracked beneath their feet and a lawyer's name on their lips (if they could only remember the number).

 

They would change their name to simply Panama Limited for their second and last album "Indian Summer" issued September 1970 but this is where the giggles started. Great fun and a wonderful-sounding CD Remaster - just good luck finding one...

"The Allman Brothers Band" by THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND – November 1969 US Debut LP on Atco in Stereo eaturing Gregg and Duane Allman with Dickey Betts (October 1997 UK Polygram/Capricorn Classics Straightforward CD Reissue and Remaster) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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"...Whipping Post..."

 

By November 1976 and the hodgepodge live-in-the-70ts release of "Wipe The Windows, Check The Oil, Dollar Gas" (they had disbanded by then) - The Allman Brothers Band already had two other live sets behind them - the celebrated "Live At Fillmore" (1971) and the part live "Eat A Peach" (1972) - both doubles.

 

I mention their propensity for live albums because they always seemed to me to be a band 'scorching' on stage whilst their studio output lacked a certain bite - especially given their legendary status (I'd count "Brothers & Sisters" from 1973 as the exception).

 

Which brings me to their 4 November 1969 self-titled debut - not exactly plodding for damn sure, but more workmanlike than I would want. As an album, it's a Blues Rock beginning for our heroes with five originals and two clever cover versions. Here are the whipping posts...

 

UK released 14 October 1997 - "The Allman Brothers Band" by THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND on Polygram/Capricorn Classics 531 257-2 (Barcode 731453125728) is a straightforward CD Reissue and Remaster that plays out as follows (33:23 minutes):  

 

1. Don't Want You No More [Side 1]

2. It's Not My Cross To Bear

3. Black Hearted Woman

4. Trouble No More

5. Every Hungry Woman [Side 2]

6. Dreams

7. Whipping Post

Tracks 1 to 7 are their debut album "The Allman Brothers Band" – released November 1969 in the US on Atco SD 33-308 in Stereo (part of their Capricorn Record's Series) and November 1969 in the UK on Atco Records 228003 also in Stereo. Produced by ADRIAN BARBER – it finally charted December 1969 and peaked at No. 188 on the Billboard LP charts (didn't chart UK). All tracks written by Gregg Allman except "Don't Want You No More" and "Trouble No More" which are Spencer David Group and Muddy Waters cover versions.

 

Band was:

GREGG ALLMAN - Lead Vocals and Organ

DUANE ALLMAN - Slide and Lead Guitars

DICKET BETTS - Lead Guitar

BERRY OAKLEY - Bass and Backing Vocals

JAI JOHNSON and BUTCH TRUCKS - Drums, Congas, Percussion

 

The gatefold slip of paper in these Capricorn Classics that masquerades as an 'inlay' is a bit of sad joke and the only extra piece of info afforded in the Remaster Engineer SUHA GUR - a Universal/Polygram Audio Engineer I've sung the praises of many times before. If he's had a hand at the tapes, I want to hear it (he's done much of The Allman Brothers catalogue, Joe Cocker, Kansas, Fairport Convention, Cream and more). 

 

At least that infamous six-piece band nude in the stream photo that adorned the original vinyl gatefold is here, but nothing else, which as an appreciation lets the side down badly. But the Audio rocks and a price lean-in of a fiver or thereabouts, gives the listener great value for money. British original LPs of The Allman Brothers Band debut on that Plum Atco label made no impact in terms of UK sales and so are notoriously rare. This is a cool way to get access to the music...

 

Their instrumental cover of the Spencer Davis Group track "Don't Want You No More" (a B-side to the British-released "Time Seller" 45-single in July 1967 on Fontana TS 854) starts out almost Prog Rock-ish until it melts by way of a segue into the first original of the LP - "It's Not My Cross To Bear". Featuring the first vocal, Gregg sits down and writes his gal a letter (tomorrow he'll up and on his way) – the song a slow deep Blues Rock. But whilst Gregg puts on his most Soulful voice, what catches your ear most is the duet soloing after he stops singing, which is just great (the Remaster is powerful on this one). I was never sure of "Black Hearted Woman" - it's good but not my fave and that crude guitar-in-one-speaker with the-second-in-another hasn't worn the years well. Side 1 finishes with Muddy Waters and a cover of his 1955 Chess Records classic "Trouble No More" - all jaunty and rocking in that Allman Brothers way.

 

Side 2 gives it some distant slide as it opens with "Every Hungry Woman", a 4:12 minute chug-rocker with doctors calling and guitars duetting across speakers. Far better for me is "Dreams" - a 7:16 minute swoon that sounds like its floating title suggests. This feels like a band becoming something special - sussing out a vibe and going after it - guitar soloing that actually sounds innovative and babbling-brook cool. Buddy Miles did a stunning shorter cover version of "Dreams" on his second studio album "Them Changes" LP on Mercury Records released June 1970 (featured members of Booker T & The MG's band, see my separate review). And of course when Universal issued a decent 4-disc retrospective for the CD revolution, "Dreams" was chosen as Allman Brothers title. And then the boys pull out the jagged Rock-Blues rhythms of "Whipping Post" – a track that would take up a whole side on the legendary "At Fillmore East" double live album - here a sprightly 5:16 minutes of Bass-Thumping Rock-Guitar joy.

 

Even in re-evaluation terms and with 50+ years of hindsight, you couldn't call "The Allman Brothers Band" debut a balls-to-the-wall meisterwerk. But it's a solid little shin-kicker and this Remastered CD of it does my dreams just fine...

"The Legacy [1961-2017]" by GLEN CAMPBELL – Featuring Bobbie Gentry, Anne Murray, Jimmy Webb, Leon Russell and many more (June 2019 UK and EU UME/Capitol Nashville 4CD 78-Song Book-Wallet Reissue – Remasters Originally Done For The 2003 Box Set)- A Review by Mark Barry...

 

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"...Gentle On My Mind..."

 

What you have here is a Re-Release loosely called the 2019 Reissue Edition.

 

When first US-only issued back in October 2003 on Capitol Nashville 72435-90493-2-8, this 80-Track 4CD Box Set was called "The Legacy [1961-2002]" and had Disc 4 containing 15 live cuts (which made sense at the time).

 

But with Campbell's passing in early August 2017 aged 82, Capitol slimmed down the earlier big box to a more space-friendly card-wallet fold-out set up, rejiggered Disc 4 to contain 13 tracks from studio albums issued between 2003 and 2017 (including stuff from his hugely popular swan-song album "Adios"), used the same quality Bob Norberg Remasters for Discs 1 to 3 (those tracks remain unchanged), updated the liner notes to include the later stuff and his loss - and finally re-titled the whole 78-song shebang as "The Legacy [1961-2017]" - a more accurate description. This '2019 Reissue Edition' was also re-released in both the USA and Europe (a first time for UK/EU fans).

 

There's a heap to get Gentle On Our Minds, so let's get walkin' to that gurglin' cracklin' cauldron by some train yard...

 

UK released 21 June 2019 - "The Legacy [1961-2017]" by GLEN CAMPBELL on Ume/Capitol Nashville 00602577150609 (Barcode 602577150609) is a 78-Track 4CD Reissue in Slimmed Down Card Book Packaging (same Booklet and Remasters as the 2003 Original). The 2019 Reissue Edition plays out as follows...

 

CD1 (54:30 minutes, 21 tracks):

1. Turn Around, Look At Me (October 1961 US 45-single on Crest 45-1087, A-side)

2. Kentucky Means Paradise (from his 1962 US debut LP "Big Bluegrass Special" on Capitol ST 1810 in Stereo, credited to 'The Green River Boys & Glen Campbell' - see also Track 12)

3. Too Late To Worry - Too Blue To Cry (from his 1963 second studio album "Too Late To Worry – Too Blue To Cry" on Capitol ST-1881, first LP credited to just Glen Campbell)

4. The Universal Soldier (September 1965 US 45-single on Capitol 5504, A-side, Buffy St. Marie cover)

5. Guess I'm Dumb (June 1965 US 45-single on Capitol 5441, A-side - a Beach Boys cover)

6. Burning Bridges (from the 1967 US LP "Burning Bridges" on Capitol ST-2679 in Stereo)

7. Just To Satisfy You (from the 1967 US LP "Burning Bridges" on Capitol ST-2679 in Stereo)

8. Less Of Me (from the 1967 US LP "Burning Bridges" on Capitol ST-2679 in Stereo)

9. Gentle On My Mind (from the 1967 US LP "Gentle On My Mind" on Capitol ST-2809 in Stereo - a John Hartford cover)

10. Cryin' (from the 1967 US LP "Gentle On My Mind" on Capitol ST-2809 in Stereo - a Roy Orbison cover)

11. By The Time I Get To Phoenix (from the 1967 US LP "By The Time I Get To Phoenix" on Capitol ST-2851 in Stereo - a Jimmy Webb song)

12. Tomorrow Never Comes (from his 1963 second studio album "Too Late To Worry – Too Blue To Cry" on Capitol ST-1881, first LP credited to just Glen Campbell - an Earnest Tubb cover)

13. Hey, Little One (from his 1968 US LP "Hey, Little One" on Capitol ST-2878 in Stereo - a Dorsey Burnette cover)

14. I Wanna Live (from his 1968 US LP "Hey, Little One" on Capitol ST-2878 in Stereo - a John Loudermilk cover)

15. Turn Around And Look At Me (New Version) (from his 1968 US LP "Hey, Little One" on Capitol ST-2878 in Stereo)

16. The Legend Of Bonnie And Clyde (from the 1968 US LP "A New Place In The Sun" on Capitol ST-2907 in Stereo – a Merle Haggard/Buck Owens cover)

17. Let It Be Me (from the 1968 US duet LP "Bobbie Gentry And Glen Campbell" on Capitol ST-2928 in Stereo - an Everly Brothers cover)

18. Scarborough Fair/Canticle (from the 1968 US duet LP "Bobbie Gentry And Glen Campbell" on Capitol ST-2928 in Stereo - a Simon & Garfunkel cover)

19. Wichita Lineman (from the 1968 US LP "Wichita Lineman" on Capitol ST-103 in Stereo - a Jimmy Webb song)

20. Dreams Of The Everyday Housewife (from the 1968 US LP "Wichita Lineman" on Capitol ST-103 in Stereo - a Chris Gantry cover)

21. Reason To Believe (from the 1968 US LP "Wichita Lineman" on Capitol ST-103 in Stereo - a Tim Hardin song)

 

CD2 (61:00 minutes, 21 tracks, Stereo):

1. Galveston (from the 1969 US LP "Galveston" on Capitol ST-210 - a Jimmy Webb song)

2. Where's The Playground Susie (from the 1969 US LP "Galveston" on Capitol ST-210 - a Jimmy Webb song)

3. If This Is Love (from the 1969 US LP "Galveston" on Capitol ST-210)

4. True Grit (from the 1969 Soundtrack LP "True Grit" on Capitol ST-263 - Elmer Bernstein/Don Black song)

5. Try A Little Kindness (from the 1970 US LP "Try A Little Kindness" on Capitol E-SW-389)

6. Honey, Come Back (from the 1970 US LP "Try A Little Kindness" on Capitol E-SW-389)

7. One Pair Of Hands (from the 1970 US LP "Oh Happy Day" on Capitol SW-443)

8. All I Have To Do Is Dream (February 1970 US 45-single duet with Bobbie Gentry on Capitol 2745, A-side - an Everly Brothers cover, Boudleaux Bryant song)

9. Everything A Man Could Ever Need (from the 1970 US Motion Picture Soundtrack LP to "Norwood" on Capitol SW-475)

10. It's Only Make Believe (from the 1970 US LP "The Glen Campbell Goodtime Album" on Capitol SW-493)

11. Pave Your Way Into Tomorrow (from the 1970 US LP "The Glen Campbell Goodtime Album" on Capitol SW-493)

12. MacArthur Park (from the 1970 US LP "The Glen Campbell Goodtime Album" on Capitol SW-493)

13. Dream Baby (How Long Must I Dream) (from the October 1971 US LP "The Last Time I Saw Her" on Capitol SW-733 - a Roy Orbison cover, Cindy Walker song)

14. The Last Time I Saw Her (from the October 1971 US LP "The Last Time I Saw Her" on Capitol SW-733 - a Gordon Lightfoot cover)

15. I Say A Little Prayer/By The Time I Get To Phoenix Medley (from the November 1971 US duet LP "Anne Murray/Glen Campbell" on Capitol SW-869)

16. The Last Thing On My Mind (from the 1972 US LP "Glen Travis Campbell" on Capitol SW-11117 - a Tom Paxton cover)

17. I Knew Jesus (Before He Was A Star) (from the 1973 US LP "I Knew Jesus (Before He Was A Star)" on Capitol SW-11185)

18. I'm So Lonely I Could Cry (from the 1973 US LP "I Remember Hank Williams" on Capitol SW-11253)

19. Houston (I'm Comin' To See You) (from the April 1974 US LP "Houston (I'm Comin' To See You!)" on Capitol SW-11293 - a David Paich song)

20. Bonaparte's Retreat (from the April 1974 US LP "Houston (I'm Comin' To See You!)" on Capitol SW-11293)

21. The Moon's A Harsh Mistress (from the October 1974 US LP "Reunion: The Songs Of Jimmy Webb" on Capitol SW-11336)

 

CD3 (73:51 minutes, 23 songs, Stereo):

1. Rhinestone Cowboy (from the June 1975 US LP "Rhinestone Cowboy" on Capitol SW-11430 - a Jimmy Webb song)

2. Country Boy (You Got Your Feet In L.A.) (from the June 1975 US LP "Rhinestone Cowboy" on Capitol SW-11430 - a Dennis Lambert/Brian Potter song)

3. Arkansas (from the January 1975 US LP Compilation "Arkansas" on Capitol SM-11407)

4. Don't Pull Your Love/Tell Me Goodbye (from the April 1976 US LP "Bloodline" on Capitol SW-11516 a Medley of Dennis Lambert/Brian Potter and John Loudermilk covers)

5. Southern Nights (from the 1977 US LP "Southern Nights" on Capitol SO-511601 - an Allen Toussaint cover)

6. Sunflower (from the 1977 US LP "Southern Nights" on Capitol SO-511601 - a Neil Diamond cover)

7. God Only Knows (from the 1977 US LP "Southern Nights" on Capitol SO-511601 - a Beach Boys cover)

8. I'm Gonna Love You (from the 1978 US LP "Basic" on Capitol SW-11722)

9. Can You Fool (from the 1978 US LP "Basic" on Capitol SW-11722)

10. Highwayman (from the 1979 US LP "Highwayman" on Capitol EST-12008)

11. Somethin' 'Bout You Baby I Like (from the 1980 US LP "Somethin' 'Bout You Baby I Like") on Capitol SOO 12075)

12. Any Which Way You Can (from the 1981 US LP "It's A World Gone Crazy" on Capitol SOO-12124)

13. I Was Too Busy Loving You (from the 1982 US LP "Old Home Town" on Capitol 90016-1 - a Jimmy Webb song)

14. Faithless Love (from the 1984 US LP "Letter To Home" on Atlantic America 7 90164-1 - a John David Souther cover)

15. A Lady Like You (from the 1984 US LP "Letter To Home" on Atlantic America 7 90164-1 - a Jim Weatherly/Keith Stegall song)

16. The Hand That Rocks The Cradle (from the 1988 US CD "Still Within The Sound Of My Voice" on MCA MCAD-42009 - a duet with Steve Warner)

17. I Have You  (from the 1988 US CD "Still Within The Sound Of My Voice" on MCA MCAD-42009)

18. If These Walls Could Talk (from the 1988 US CD "Light Years" on MCA 42210 - a Jimmy Webb song)

19. Unconditional Love (from the 1991 US CD "Unconditional Love" on Capitol CDP 7 90992 2)

20. She's Gone, Gone, Gone (from the 1990 US CD "Walkin' In The Sun" on Capitol CDP 7 93884-2 - a Harlan Howard cover)

21. Show Me Your Way (from the 1992 US CD album "Show Me Your Way" on New Haven NHCD 20012 - a duet with Anne Murray)

22. Only One Life (from the 1992 US CD "Wings Of Victory" on New Haven NHCD 20021-2 - a Jimmy Webb song)

23. Somebody Like That (from the 1993 US CD "Somebody Like That" on Liberty CDP-0777-7-97962-2-9)

 

CD4 (43:02 minutes, 13 tracks):

1. You'll Never Walk Alone (Hammerstein & Rodgers cover)

2. People Get Ready (Curtis Mayfield cover)

3. Amazing Grace (Gospel Traditional cover)

4. Lean On Me (Bill Withers cover)

Tracks 1 to 4 from the 2003 CD album "Love Is The Answer")

5. Times Like These (Foo Fighters cover)

6. These Days (Jackson Browne cover)

7. Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life) (Billie Joe Armstrong cover)

Tracks 5 to 7 from the 2008 CD album "Meet Glen Campbell"

8. Ghost On The Canvas (Paul Westerberg of The Replacements cover) - from the 2011 CD album "Ghost On The Canvas"

9. Waiting On The Comin' Of My Lord - from the 2013 CD album "See You There"

10. I'm Not Gonna Miss You - from the 2014 CD album "I'll Be Me"

11. Everybody's Talkin' (Fred Neil song, Nilsson cover)

12. It Won't Bring Her Back (a Jimmy Webb song)

13. Adios (a Jimmy Webb song) 

Tracks 11 to 13 from the 2017 CD album "Adios"

With his signature/name embossed in gold on the front sleeve and seven colour / black & white photos of Glen giving it some Country Rock (with his so square haircut) across the seven inner fold-out flaps - "The Legacy [1961-2017]" feels and looks classy for damn sure. Its reduced Christmas Card Size actually suits and has a slide-in flap for all 4-CDs, whilst the fifth houses the 58-page colour booklet.

The detached booklet is beautifully laid out with period photos right up to the 00s, a tasty thing to see and read (Mark Copeland compiled it in conjunction with GC). Every song has discography details – the sessionman-list citing the likes of Hal Blaine, Jim Gordon, Al Casey, Bob Felts, Leon Russell (before a solo career) and vocal duets/songwriting partnerships with Bobbie Gentry, Anne Murray, Jimmy Webb many more. The back leaves of the booklet have collage pages of every one of his albums pictured in colour. Very well done as I say. Downsides - it might have been better had the actual entries stated catalogue numbers – full release dates etc – and surely with the 2019 updated reissue – a fifth disc could have been a visual – DVD or BLU RAY – but alas.

The Superb and Clean Audio is the 2002 Remasters done at Capitol by BOB NORBERG for the original 2003-issued Box Set (used again) and while you could argue that the overall number of tracks is down from 80 to 78, Disc 4 now makes a whole lot of sense and sounds utterly amazing – like a really well-produced slick Country Rock album of the 90s or 00s. To the tunes...

 

All the huge hits are here - "By The Time I Get To Phoenix", "Galveston", "Gentle On My Mind" and loads more - his genius being a crossover from pure Country to the beginnings of Country-Pop or Country-Rock as we like to call it now. John Hartford's mini masterpiece "Gentle On My Mind" is a perfect example. His original US 45-single on RCA Victor 47-9175 was issued in April 1967 and is the 'most' hick Country tune imaginable - all pedal steels and a few bars short of yee-haws into the mix. In its original form (which many adore or even prefer over Campbell's) - it is pure Country through and through.

 

Glen Campbell's genius was to hear the potential in the tune and his recording gives it that gorgeous "Everybody's Talkin'" rolling guitar thing that suddenly made it Country-Pop and therefore more accessible to a much bigger audience. Campbell's version was recorded and in the shops by June 1967 on Capitol 5939. It caused a stir and bubbled under to an eventual healthy placing of No. 62 on the Pop charts. But with the album of the same name and a 45-reissue in July 1968, it suddenly took off and headed up to No. 39. The song "Gentle On My Mind" has had extraordinary legs - then and now. Dozens recorded it along the lines of Campbell's interpretation (which has now become something of a default position) and that goes up to 'The Band Perry' whose version issued in 2009 now has over 15-millions views on YouTube.

 

While CD1 and CD2 are full of these kinds of melodies, that other huge collaboration in his life would come with ace-songwriter Jimmy Webb, whose name (when you peruse the lists above) is on a lot of the songs across 'all' the CDs. I wish there was more representation from the mid-70s "Reunion" album with Webb (a bit of a lost classic that), but you can feel his goods all the way to the end. In fact his two for the "Adios" album (recorded five years before issue and amongst his very last recordings) - including that touching title track that would bring a tear to even the most hardened of hearts - are just as good as the 60ts and 70ts stuff. Special mention should also go to Disc 4 where Campbell's solitary composition "I'm Not Gonna Miss You" (recorded in January 2013 with his old playing crew from the 60ts) is an absolute highlight and quite rightly referred to in the updated liner notes by JOEL SLEVIN as a 'masterpiece'.

 

For sure I can remember a time when Glen Campbell and his ah-schucks white picket fence cleanliness was thrown by Rock types like me into the Easy Listening punishment bins and made to slurp less-than-cool-aid with the likes of Frank Sinatra and Burt Bacharach. But time and reappraisal has made us all see those guys and the hugely likeable Glen Campbell as pioneers of their own and their recorded legacy worthy of classy tomes like "The Legacy..."

 

Nicely done and Adios on your journey to that great songsmith in the sky...