Customer Reviews

Reunion: Songs of Jimmy Webb

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Like the other reviewers, I had the incredibly good fortune to stumble upon this LP back in the 70's. I was no Glen Campbell fan but repected Webb as a songwriter (and later as an arranger) but would never, ever regard Jimmy as a 'singer'. I only new one song "the moon's a harsh mistress" which immediately blew me away when I heard it at my uni's coffee shop one folkie concert night.
Anyway, the LP was only 2nd hand so I payed my 3 bucks or whatever and took it home to play. For my money I received years of joy from the combination of brilliant songwriting and masterful interpreting that were lovingly produced in an almost flawless sequence. You sing, cry, smile wryly at the accuracy of the emotions expressed - even after hearing it a hundred times. Neither Campbell or Webb has done anything better than this - sadly - but then again, how could they. This is a fluke combination that somehow jelled to create a piece of art that I would take with me onto any deserted island. Do not hesitate to acquire this gem.

This is an excellent album, and good news that it is now available in the US, but there is an earlier version released in Australia called Reunited.

For both versions, the sound has been remastered, and the full album is there. The difference is in the bonus tracks selection. While this US version features two of Campbell's & Webb's classic collaborations (Phoenix & Wichita), they are relatively easy to find. The Australian version, on the other hand, compiles 90% of Glen's subsequent coverage of Jimmy's songs, and some of these are very rare on CD. It's at least double the length of the US CD, but of course costs a bit more as an import.

I'm still giving this a 5-star for the strength of the original Reunion album and the remastered sound.

This recording is so good I won't waste your time on a lengthy review. Buy it and listen. This is pop music at its most emotionally moving best. Glen's singing is flawless. The arrangements are delicious. The songs are moving. Thirty years after its original release and my first listen to this album, I can't stop the tears that well up from the emotion of the lyrics. Get over whatever prejudices you might have about Glen Campbell or Jimmy Webb or pop music in general. You deny yourself one of the greatest musical treats offered up in the last half of the twentieth century if you do not get this album and listen to it until it captures you as it has captured me.

Don't get me wrong. Most of this album is very good although I do not feel that the two bonus tracks the label tossed on the front end fit well with this particular musical statement. Frankly, they seem a bit dated here. Nevertheless, Jimmy Webb is a master songwriter and Glen Campbell is one of his best interpreters. My absolute favorites are "Adoration," "Ocean In His Eyes" and "The Moon's A Harsh Mistress." The remastering is a bit uneven but the original recordings from 1974 were probably too difficult to fully restore. Still, I am happy that this album found its way into re-release. Get this one. You won't regret it.

This CD, which was originally released on vinyl in 1974 as "Reunion", shows Glen Campbell and Jimmy Webb at the top of their respective games. Campbell's soaring vocal range and complimentary guitar accompaniment are perfect for his interpretation of Webb's tunes. Jimmy Webb's songwriting prowess is at it's most definitive on these tracks and his skills as an arranger, which are unsurpassed, superbly augment his compositions. I believe that these arrangements, especially the string lines, even surpass those which he scored for Richard Harris's album (1968) "A Tramp Shining"-for which Jimmy was awarded 3 Grammy's, one of which was for orchestration. I waited years for this CD to be released. It's one of the best ever made!

I am old enough to have purchased this album when it came out in the 70s. Though at the time I listened exclusively to rock music, and played in rock and roll bands, I had always admired the writing of Jimmie Webb. I bought the album (almost embarassed to go to the check-out with a country album) and was transformed. Whatever you may think of country music today, no unbiased listener could fail to acknowledge the brilliance of Glen Campbell's talent nor the emotional depth of Webb's compositions. When CDs first started to appear in the 1980s and I, like so many were then doing, was deciding which of my records were worth purchasing in the new format, this record was the one I waited for. This was the record I prayed would one day come out in CD. And now, twenty years later, that prayer has been answered.

All the publicity surrounding Glen Campbell of late took me back to a record I feel is his best. "Reunion" is that rarest of efforts - a classic very few people are aware of. At his best (like here) Glen Campbell was a peer of The Beach Boys, The Mamas and the Pappas, Harry Nilsson, Jimmy Webb (the performer) and that particular brand of late 60's pop that came out of southern California. Glen Campbell is a pop singer.

This is a pop record in the best sense of that much maligned word. Webb's music and input is obviously central. He wrote most of the tunes and his hand can be heard in arrangement sense and in Campbell's brilliant delivery (as Webb related material always seems to bring out the best in the singer). The Little Feat tune "Roll Me Easy" opens the set and you would think it was written for Campbell. The lyrics are a little off his standard fare ("eloquent profanity just rolls right off my tongue"), but he nails it. The standouts here are "Wishing Now", "Ocean In His Eyes" and "The Moon's A Harsh Mistress".

Listening to the intricate lyrics amongst the lush arrangements, one would think Webb the lyricist and Campbell the vocalist invented wistfullness (in the pop music sense). These songs juxtaposed to the kind of music one is likely to hear on pop radio now days (from the overtly dumb, to the overtly calculated, to the equally calculated "modern" country) blows the mind. To think so much ground has been lost in the almost forty years since "Reunion" was released is sad indeed (though a reflection of everything else lost in that time period).

Be warned, on first listen, this record might leave you scratching your head. It is upon repeated listenings that the pearl is delivered. The songs are not as easily accessible as "Wichita Lineman" and the other mega-hits from the Campbell/Webb catalogue, but they are every bit as brilliant and the tougher-to-access character makes the payoff all the better. Campbell has been largely known as a "singles" artist, having made some uneven and quickly produced LP's (though some of those LP's delivered some unforseen minor classics - see "Reason To Believe", "I Don't Believe You" and "Love Is Not A Game", to name a few). It is the very fact that this LP appears to have been made with focus on the whole as opposed to ensuring there is an obvious single (there is not) that makes it even more unique.

Bottom line is this is classic pop music and is recommended highly.

Put briefly, this is the best album of pop music that I have ever heard. That may seem a bit strong, but the "Reunion" project brought out the best in Jimmy Webb as a songwriter/arranger and also brought out an emotional depth in Glen Campbell that I have never heard in any of his other work. Two great talents created a true classic.

That being said, this version of "Reunion" is fine, in that it reflects the original album....but do look for the same title with more songs, as it has the absolute cream of the crop of Webb-Campbell collaborations. "Reunion" is a Must Buy CD, but do yourself a favor by looking further.

Later: scanning availability, it appears the Australian import with many more tracks is no longer available. The version I'm reviewing is what is available and should not be passed up, its that good.

This album is truly a classic from two of the masters of country music. Their connection is magical! From the traditional favorites to the never before heard cuts, this is one of the best collaborations I've heard in a long time.

Back in the 70's I bought every Glen Campbell LP that I could find. I loved his music. But this album stood out from all the rest as the best, in my opinion. I didn't recognize a single song on it (did not have Witchita Lineman or By The Time I Get To Phoenix on original album) but once I listned to it I was enthralled. Roll Me Easy is my favorite but they are all good. It still amazes me that someone had the intelligence to put this album together, for Glen Campbell singing Jimmy Webb is almost perfect. I will now be able to return to an old favorite and enjoy the music as much as I did the first time I bought it. I would highly recommend this for your collection.