Disco de Glen Campbell: “By the Time I Get to Phoenix”

By The Time I Get to Phoenix is one of Glen Campbell's best albums ever. He is in excellent form throughout this album; he performs with panache and I'm very impressed. I bought this on vinyl many year sago--and I practically worse out the grooves from playing it! The quality of the sound on this CD is excellent and that artwork is faithful to the record album artwork.

These songs are all terrific; there's not a dud in the bunch. The title song by Jimmy Webb opens the album with Glen singing beautifully; he does this passionately and with great sensitivity. No wonder Glen enjoyed a huge fan base! The strings are used very well in the musical arrangement and Glen's sophisticated phrasing makes his performance very strong and memorable. "Homeward Bound," a number by Simon and Garfunkel, gets the royal treatment from Glen; he does a cover of their song singing straight from his heart. He also handles complex tempo and key changes like the masterful artist he was and still remains; and that's quite an accomplishment. "Tomorrow Never Comes" is poignant and Glen delivers this faultlessly. The backup chorus does a great job--not that Glen ever really needed backup, but they do sound pretty good.

"Cold December (In Your Heart)" is quite well done; the music that plays as Glen sings makes this number especially powerful. "My Baby's Gone" has Glen squarely in the spotlight; and that's quite all right by me! "My Baby's Gone" is another tune with a poignancy that truly moves me; and listen for an upbeat "Back in the Race" that has Glen once again performing at his usual very best. Excellent!

"Hey Little One" lets Glen show off the operatic qualities of his voice; he never lets go of a superfluous note. "Bad Seed" has a lush arrangement; and "I'll Be Lucky Someday" is a stunning number. "You're Young and You'll Forget" has Glen singing about a love that can never be; and the album closes beautifully with Glen Campbell performing "Love Is a Lonesome River." "Love Is a Lonesome River" is extremely beautiful and Glen delivers it so well that I wish the album had eleven songs more!

Glen Campbell fans should consider this a must-have for their collections; it also makes a great CD for newcomers to Glen's artistry. Glen Campbell gives so much of himself on each and every song here; and we're all better off for his sharing his talent with us.

Glen Campbell / By The Time I Get To Phoenix:

Very few artists are able to release two good albums in one year, let alone two Masterpiece albums as Glen Campbell did in 1967. After his amazing "Gentle on my mind" album, he released this "By the time I get to Phoenix" album and met with the same great success as the previous release. Much of that success comes from the fact that he followed the same pattern of using various songs from various songwriters from various genres, including a couple of his own songs. Not only does Glen use Jimmy Webb's title track, but he does his great versions of songs from Paul Simon, Ernest Tubb, Bill Anderson, Jerry Reed, and others. This is another Masterpiece. This one earns Five Stars.

As a person with a low IQ, I go for the simple songs. Nothing to strain my limited mental faculties. This is money for shlubs like me.

This album was released originally just before I went to Viet Nam. I had a recording over there and listened to it constantly. When I saw it available again in CD, I jumped all over it. Had a good time listening to it and remembering....

Highly recommended tribute to one of the greatest artist of our time. A must have for all serious music fans.