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Glen Campbell and Jimmy Webb

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Mike Joyce
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Re: Glen Campbell and Jimmy Webb

Post by Mike Joyce »

Hi robduloc and Dee,
Wonderful comments guys.
I love that story about Jimmy being reluctant to sign his own album. Such humility.
A couple of questions.
1) What did Jimmy mean by the "I don't know Glen, I'm sort of past my Rand & McNally period".
2) How do you get rid of a wart with a penny ? Has Jimmy written a song about this subject LOL
3) robduloc, I bought the box set of the 5 CDs The original album series, which also includes the CD Words and Music. I mention this as it is an album not shown on the list of his discography page. There is some nice tracks on the CD including Love Song and Careless Weed.

It must have been a dream come true to actually meet Jimmy face to face. He did the same for me by signing a couple of CD's. I just wish I could have sat and talked with Jimmy for awhile and asked him several questions.
Perhaps next time round.
As regards Wichita Lineman. I must say it is hard to know what additional verse Jimmy would have written. Wouldn't it be great if he did that in a live concert to show what he had in mind. And yet in seems the songs simplicity is what gives it it's timeless quality. Perhaps fate made it so.


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Dee
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Re: Glen Campbell and Jimmy Webb

Post by Dee »

Hi, Rob! Welcome back!
Wow, you've become a bona fide Webb Head since you last posted here. Your new collection of JW recordings is outstanding AND you attended TWO concerts given by Jimmy Webb AND you met him as well.
I am happy for you!
When I read your Wichita Lineman story post below, it rang bells for me. Or should I say, Morse code signals? lol
I remember JW telling this WL story, you are right on the line with details such as the "Rand & McNally period", Glen asking for another "geographical" song, and other details.
It was a surprise for him, JW explained, to learn that GC had cut the song because JW wasn't finished writing it! [likely a songwriter's nightmare!]
In relation to Mike's post about when the telephone poles had left an impression on Jimmy, I don't know this detail. I do remember JW talking about his experience when seeing telephone lines on poles stretching across open country as he traveled. Something, too, perhaps about the existentialism of a lone lineman at his job on a lonely pole in the middle of nowhere?

Hopefully, Jimmy Webb will (1) release his wonderful "The Glen Campbell Years" tribute concert that includes his storytelling magic on disc and (2) do an audio book to accompany his upcoming autobiography.

He has a wonderful gift for "old-fashioned" storytelling, doesn't he? Did I share the "wart story" that Jimmy told a few of us after one of the M&Gs? If not, I will just say for now that we were completely under his storytelling spell...about how to remove a wart with a penny!

JW is very careful about signing his LPs and CDs for fans. After the first JW concert I attended, he held a meet and greet for his fans. One fan asked Jimmy to sign the front cover of an LP sleeve, one of JW's early studio albums. It may have been El Mirage. Jimmy hesitated and then said he didn't want to mess up (paraphrasing here, my memory is not as good as yours) the cover with his autograph --and offered to sign the back of the record album sleeve instead of the front. The fan must have looked disappointed because JW then signed the front. I felt his reluctance to sign the front and not mess up the album cover's art was very humble of Jimmy, as if his autograph was not worthy or something to be on the front of one of his own albums. Or perhaps he just loves the art design on that particular (now rare LP) album.

Aw, Rob, you are too, too kind to gift me your signed, previously virginal Highwayman album, if you will, and now an "electrifying" Highwayman album. It has now become a holy grail of an album, if you ask me. I don't feel worthy of it!
Let's chat offline about it, okay?

Did Jimmy share the story about when he first heard Glen singing "Turn Around, Look at Me" on a transistor radio? (Remember those little pocket radios that were a marvel in the sixties because radios had been, up until the time of the transistor radio's production, big clunky things, not transportable. I don't know how we went from transistor radios--the first generation walkman radios, to boom boxes, but this is a another story.) I believe Jimmy's radio was attached to a tractor JW was driving when working on his family's farm in Oklahoma.

Dee


robduloc
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Re: Glen Campbell and Jimmy Webb

Post by robduloc »

Jimmy Webb breaks the shrink wrap to one side so that the cellophane is still intact in case you want to keep and preserve the outer stickers, a feat! My "Voices" OST and Dee's "Highwayman" just need a plastic slip case, it is nice to see and know the part that's partially torn is by the Composer!

Way to go, Jimmy Webb!


robduloc
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Re: Glen Campbell and Jimmy Webb

Post by robduloc »

This last November I registered on the Jimmy Webb Community, I studied all the main albums on the front page and uh, purchased them all!

There were a few titles missing, his OST's. The CD for "The Last Unicorn" is ultra-rare, you know.

And I found a link where Jimmy Webb says around 1967 when Capitol were pushing a solo career the label issued a first release for all intensive purposes were just his demos, it resurfaced as a Japanese CD, but our Maestro said that it is, well, you get the picture.

So I had around 14 titles for him to sign, I am glad to know that there is a "Glen n' Me" tour, because I can bring all my GC memorabilia to that.

I did make sure to have him sign a very special copy of the Lp Glen Campbell "Highwayman".

The shrink wrap has three gold stickers, stating that it is a souvenir of Music City USA Country Music Factory Outlet.

He had to break the shrink wrap to sign it, of the 14 titles he signed for me that night this is the only album that smudged a little, I was out of breath by the time he was finished.

The ink is in silver and the part that smudged is where the last three letters of his last name go, on the dark blue background the silver ink does look like a lightning bolt and the smudge an electrical disturbance~ it was!

Dee sent me an autograph by him when she saw him in Nashville, that's why I'm saving this edition for a present, be looking on your stoop for a box!

Love,
Rob


robduloc
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Re: Glen Campbell and Jimmy Webb

Post by robduloc »

The first night I saw Jimmy Webb perform was the first time he had sung in a couple months, he spent most of the evening talking about Glen Campbell.


robduloc
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Re: Glen Campbell and Jimmy Webb

Post by robduloc »

Jimmy Webb turns to the audience and asks, "Does anyone know what a follow up song is"?

This is where I need a camera or pad to take notes, the magician revealing trade secrets, it isn't all smoke and mirrors- if I could remember the exact words to his reply, I very well may possess the secret formula for rocket fuel!

Something along the lines that a follow up song has to have some of the same words or conjure the same imagery.

Jimmy Webb continues.

After the success of "Phoenix" Glen Campbell calls... you have to take into account he can sing in 5 octaves and so it is always interesting to hear him talk in that unmistakable upper register of his and still be in the lower range at the same time, "Do you have a follow up to Phoenix with the name of a town in it".

"I don't know Glen, I'm sort of past my Rand & McNally period".

A pause over the phone, "Really"? "Well.. Do you have something... Geographical"?

I had a few pieces of paper or manuscript that was most of Wichita Lineman but I was far from done, but because he was in a hurry, and had Al de Lory working on all those great arrangements for him, I wrote a note on top of it to send off as a package, "Dear Glen and Al, it isn't finished but let me know if you see something about it you like, love Jimmy".

A couple weeks later I run into Glen Campbell, I stop and ask, "Did you find anything that you like about the song"

"Like it? We cut it"!


robduloc
Posts: 398
Joined: Sat Dec 20, 2014 1:43 pm

Re: Glen Campbell and Jimmy Webb

Post by robduloc »

Jimmy Webb turns to the audience and asks, "Does anyone know what a follow up song is"?

This is where I need a camera or pad to take notes, the magician revealing trade secrets, it isn't all smoke and mirrors- the hardware involved, if I could remember the exact words to his reply, I very well could have the secret formula for rocket fuel!

Something along the lines that a follow up song has to have some of the same words or conjure the same picture.

Jimmy Webb continues.

After the success of "Phoenix" Glen Campbell calls, you have to take into account he can sing in 5 octaves and so it is always interesting to hear him talk in that unmistakable upper register of his and still be in the lower range at the same time, Do you have a follow up to "Phoenix" with the name of a town in it.

I don't know Glen, I'm sort of past my Rand & McNally period".

A pause over the phone, "Really"? Well... do you have something... "Geographical"?

I had a few pieces of paper or manuscript that was most of Wichita Lineman but I was far from done, but because he was in a hurry, and had Al de Lory working on all those great arrangements for him, I wrote a note on top of it to send off as a package, Dear Glen and Al, it isn't finished but let me know if you see something about it you like, love Jimmy.

A couple weeks later I run into Glen Campbell, I stop and ask, "Did you find anything that you like about the song"

"Like it? We cut it"!


robduloc
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Joined: Sat Dec 20, 2014 1:43 pm

Re: Glen Campbell and Jimmy Webb

Post by robduloc »

It is.


robduloc
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Joined: Sat Dec 20, 2014 1:43 pm

Re: Glen Campbell and Jimmy Webb

Post by robduloc »

The applause at the beginning of Sergeant Pepper is instantly recognizable, The Beasty Boys knew this when they were able to sample or use it.

And so, sampling is tied to our a cultural experience, a frame of reference, any recording in the early 70's that I've never heard before I can usually guess within the year it it was produced.

I'm sure that Kenye West is saying Nina Simone meets Jimmy Webb is totally cool~ It Is !


robduloc
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Re: Glen Campbell and Jimmy Webb

Post by robduloc »

I woke up this morning after my initial post in this topic and felt like I had been downloaded into some sort of matrix, let me affirm Jimmy Webb can take it as a compliment if one of his works get sampled!

George Martin may have been one of the first Producers to do it.

He explains in his autobiography he had taped a comedy show at a University featuring Dudley Moore and Peter Cook, he used the applause for the beginning of Sergeant Pepper Lonely Hearts Club Band, the audience was dressed up in all their finery, jewelry and fur coats, the applause captures an audience that is totally stimulated.

And yes, Apple Records held tight reins on their material and made sure it was never sampled.

One of the first groups to get around that were The Beastie Boys, they were able to use the applause off Sergeant Pepper because the sound of the crowd was, well- Public Domain! Talk about, "Beyond The Fringe"!

The two shows I saw were the first two dates on Jimmy Webb's new tour, he spent around 11 minutes the first night talking about his song being sampled, that's why I felt I could jump in here.

It was interesting to hear Jimmy Webb's story vary over the course of the two evenings, the second night while he was talking about the Grammy's he mentioned that Dean Martin's family was up for a Lifetime Achievement Award, they were seated near the front of the stage, the sponsors waited for a commercial break, ran down and presented the award off camera leaning over the family before they could get up out of their seats, roughly three minutes before the broadcast resumed, truly a shame to the people Jimmy Webb cited as the guts of the industry.
Last edited by robduloc on Sat Feb 18, 2017 5:18 pm, edited 2 times in total.


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