The first album is a collection of duets with Glen Campbell (a particularly interesting combination of voices) and features several interesting songs. The medley of By the time I get to Phoenix (sung by Glen) and I say a little prayer (sung by Anne) is clever, but it doesn't quite work for me. The remainder of the album is much better, including fine versions of Canadian sunset, United we stand, Ease your pain and Let me be the one.
The second album, Danny's song, contains five studio tracks followed by five live tracks. To my ears, the five studio tracks are the best on this entire CD. They include Danny's song (one of Anne's own classics), Killing me softly with his song (a song that was written after it's writer had seen a Don McLean concert) and He thinks I still care (a cover of the old George Jones country classic, She thinks I still care, adapted for Anne). The live cuts include versions of songs that Anne had already recorded studio versions of. One of them, Ease your pain, also appears on the Glen Campbell duets album that makes up the other half of this CD.
There is plenty of great music to listen to here, though these are not among the strongest albums that Anne recorded during her long and distinguished career.
Anne Murray and Glen Campbell had worked together on Glen's TV show, and it was just natural for them to record a duet album. The results are brilliant. Their voices blend perfectly without one of the stars trying to outshine or outsing the other. The album opens with "You're Easy to Love" and that is just how you will feel about this highly underrated album. Every song on this album could have been a hit-"United We Stand" is quite engaging. "My Ecstasy" is particularly brilliant. Why aren't there more vocal performances like this these days ? As a bonus you get the equally brilliant and Grammy winning album "Danny's Song" featuring the smash hit title song penned by Kenny Loggins. You will also find the inspiring "One Day I Walk" (penned by fellow Canadian Bruce Cockburn), the dreamy "Let Sunshine Have it's Day" (this song will transport you into a world of vocal longing and of hope). Finally the quite touching "I'll be Home" perfectly encapsulates all the emotions one feels when longing for home. These two albums are brilliant on their own but together they make an indispensable companion to any collection of serious music lovers.
A pleasant album, and it has that duet re-do of GC's 1967 career establishing hit single. Capitol spun off one 45 single, Capitol 3200, "By the Time I Get to Phoenix/I Say a Little Prayer" (matrix s45-77076)/(flip--)"All Through the Night" (matrix s45-77355), which was a relative stiff, peaking at #81 for two weeks on Billboard's Hot-100, #40 for two weeks C&W, and #13 for two weeks on the easy listening singles chart, beginning 10/23/71. It was a cover of a soul pairing by Dee Irwin & Mamie Galore, "By the Time I Get to Phoenix/I Say a Little Prayer" on Imperial 66334 45 single which hit just one week at #114 on the "Bubbling Under the Hot 100" chart on 12/14/68. Capitol cancelled the second Anne Murray/Glen Campbell single, #3287, "United We Stand" (matrix s45-77487)/"Ease Your Pain" (matrix s45-77531) This album seems to be the third time that Capitol attempted a promotional pairing on two artists on its roster with Glen Campbell, the prior two being the 1968-early '69 Bobbie Gentry singles and albums, then another Bobbie Gentry/Glen Campbell attempt in 1970 with the Uk-to-U.S. Atlantic Ocean crossover hit, "All I Have to Do Is Dream," and a planned but never released second album. The ANNE MURRAY/GLEN CAMPBELL album was a respectible hit on the C&W album charts on both Billboard and Cash Box, though on the pop Lp charts it continued his downward trend which started in early '70 with OH HAPPY DAY and NORWOOD.
There were/are three confirmed and four possible unissued tracks from the sessions that produced ANNE MURRAY/GLEN CAMPBELL still in Capitol's vaults:
Matrix 77077, "Heaven Is Here" (recorded 7/21/71)
Matrix 77078, "Break My Mind"
Matrix 77214, "Summer Knows" --likely Murray/Campbell duet
Matrix 77260, "Home Again" --likely Murray/Campbell duet
Matrix 77261, "My First Night Alone with You" --likely Murray/Campbell duet
Matrix 77262, "A Stone's Throw" --likely Murray/Campbell duet
Matrix 77485, "Oh Boy" (recorded 10/06/71; the bulk of the album tracks were recorded/assigned matrices on this date. I believe "Oh Boy" is the Buddy Holly song.)
