El Mirage

Jimmy Webb | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 4, 2006)
• Original Release Date: 2006
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Collector's Choice
• ASIN: B000E112O8
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #340,925 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Jimmy’s one and only album for Atlantic featured George Martin production and the song ‘Highwayman’ that turned into a goldmine for Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, Waylon Jennings and Johnny Cash (and Webb, too, can you imagine the songwriting royalties this guy gets?)! A Collectors’ Choice Music exclusive!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Career songwriter's best contribution as a recording artist, January 2, 2008

By 

Elliot Knapp (Seattle, Washington United States) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: El Mirage (Audio CD)

Best known for writing hits that other artists made famous ("Up Up and Away," "Wichita Lineman," "MacArthur Park" and "Didn't We," to name a few), Jimmy Webb kept a pretty low profile as a recording artist, though not by choice. This album, as the excellent Collector's Choice Music liner notes describe, was his last concerted attempt in the 1970's of coming up with hit material that he himself recorded. Although history has shown that El Mirage really didn't succeed in garnering Webb a huge audience or any hits for himself, such results don't really reflect the excellent quality of the album. In fact, though the album wasn't a hit, a number of its songs did continue Webb's trend of providing hits for other artists.

The album's first cut, "The Highwayman," is one of the very best of the lot, emphasized by its later success by country super-group the Highwaymen. It's a mysterious narrative that links numerous colorful characters together. Webb's rough-around-the-edges voice fills each role excellently, supplemented by lush strings and French horn. These production values typify the entire album--lots of instruments, smooth textures, and plenty of backing vocals. It's easy to understand that Webb was going for some mainstream chart success and thus chose to outfit his record with as much pop trappings as possible, but the slick production works better on some songs than on others. Some of the less memorable songs are made to sound fairly dated by the production, proving that some modes of production and arrangement from the 70's have translated to modern times a bit better than others. Still, good songwriting shines regardless of production, and there are plenty of fine songs here.

"If You See Me Getting Smaller..." is mellow pop gold, matching many similar Eagles-esque tunes in quality, and is really enhanced by the female vocal arrangement. Other highlights are "P.F. Sloan," the heartfelt tribute to Webb's fellow songwriter (a song whose impact is only slightly dulled by the fact that Webb had already previously recorded it), and the gorgeous ballad "The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress." Some songs don't work quite as well, like the disco-inflected "Mixed-Up Guy" and the somewhat out-of-place synthesizer-heavy closer, "Songbird (A Meditation)."

Overall, El Mirage is one of Jimmy Webb's very strongest solo recordings, easily proving that he deserved recording success matching his songwriting success. I'd especially recommend this album and artist to fans of Jackson Browne, Elton John, and Warren Zevon (Webb's rough voice often reminds me of a less dark version of Zevon's) and any of the other mellow rock coming from the West coast in the 70's. If you think that genre's got nothing left to show you, Jimmy Webb may change your mind.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My desert island CD, March 31, 2004

By 

E. Scalet (Kansas City) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: El Mirage (Audio CD)

I'm so thrilled that I found this again . . . this is one of a short list of albums I would take with me to a desert island. Oh, there's a couple of false steps (Sugarbird), but when it's good it's great. Fave cut: If you see me getting smaller, I'm leaving.
This should be in EVERYONE'S collection.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of our ALL-TIME favorite albums!!, November 22, 2001

By 

Dan & Jeanne (Montana) - See all my reviews

This review is from: El Mirage (Audio CD)

My wife and I have almost 200 record albums, and this album is in the top 2 or 3; I cannot think of any album off the top of my head that we'd be less willing to part with! Absolutely love the songs on this record. We each have our personal favorites, and I suspect even those have changed at least a couple of times.We would highly recommend it to anyone.
We're planning to order the CD from you as soon as we decide what else to accompany El Mirage with...