Disco de Glen Campbell: “All the Best”

I was anxious to get this album so asa to have most of Glen's music on one cd.Plus the fact that it is supposed to be remastered really hooked me. What a disappointment! The sound is terrible! How can it be worse than his GH CD from 1987.I bought Wichita Lineman Remastered from the same label "Capitol" and it sounded great. One reviewer called it thin and tinny but I would add and even worse is muffled. What a blunder. I'm out 20 bucks.

I've been a great fan of Glen Campbell for many years and the song that I love the best is "Wichita Lineman."

Although the sound quality of the cd isn't perfect, I suspect it's a lot to do with the quality of the original source tapes which may have deteriorated too much. Saying that, I have heard a lot worse and even allegedly remastered cds that have sounded a lot worse e.g. "Sports" from Huey Lewis and the News. Sound quality aside which really isn't all that bad, the track selections are quite good except for one of my personal favourites that's not on this disc, Dylan's "If Not For You."

If you are looking for a cd that's more or less representative of the best that this artiste has done over his career that's not too expensive and is on one disc, this is probably it. I know that despite the sound limitations, I still enjoy listening to this disc that's destined to remain among my favourites for years to come.

I am 53 and have waited a long time for a good comprehensive collection of Glen Campbell. The music is timeless. I work in an office with young people (23-31 yrs). We take turns playing CD's. All of them said what a great CD this is and they request it regularly. It is one of my favorites. The music is first rate. The recording quality is mediocre; which is why I gave it four stars instead of five. Nevertheless, the music sounds as good or better than when it was recorded 30 years ago.

This album is well worth the purchase price due to the integrity of the lyrics. The music is a bit dippy in some of the pieces, including Witchita Lineman, but all the favorites included on this disc are well worth the time to listen to and enjoy. No matter what you think of Campbell, this soup is good food. :-)

Glen Campbell is now an under-appreciated talent, as his superstar - even mega-star - status was prime in the 60s and 70s. However, the songs he recorded, both as top session musician on others' recordings, and his own recordings as a singer, stand the test of time. I could wish the selection of songs included one I'd seen him perform on television - MacArthur's Park - and I could wish this CD compilation had the selections in chronological order to better appreciate the sophistication of the talent and the choices he made. One has to assume, like most compilation CDs, the song list order is not designed to feature the artist but to grab the attention of a casual shopper, who typically doesn't glance beyond the first 5 song listings. Therefore, the most famous 'classic' Glen Campbell's are represented, as is the distinctive mournful quality of his voice, a rather strong vocalist, probably underrated even at the time of his greatest fame. Unfortunately, one would wish the cover versions of other performers' classics - "Let It Be Me," for one - were more adventurous in the arrangement. A literal version doesn't serve anyone. I would have preferred a version of the song(s) as if Glen Campbell had never heard them done before and how he would have interpreted/arranged the song(s) to suit himself. Some people find Campbell's voice too "vanilla" but really he is the icing on the cake. With the strange lilting sadness in all his vocals, even the upbeat song classics like "Southern Nights," his voice is never icky sweet, but just right. In fact, can anyone really imagine any other singer doing justice to "Witchita Lineman" or "Galveston" with the mournful quality of his voice alone? Even though many of the arrangements of songs are too syrupy - elevator music, as it's known - Glen Campbell the vocalist is surely unique, and that attribute will stand the test of time. If you just want to have a single rather comprehensive disk on hand, of this artist, then this is the one to grab - that's the reason I bought it.