Twilight of the Renegades

Jimmy Webb | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 16, 2005)
• Original Release Date: 2005
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sanctuary
• ASIN: B000A6T2E4
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #315,969 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Without Regret, August 21, 2005

By 

Lee Armstrong (Winterville, NC United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Twilight of the Renegades (Audio CD)

Those of us who love Jimmy Webb as a performer and as a songwriter have waited with bated breath for 9 years for a new set of songs. As the Rhino set "The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress: Jimmy Webb in the 70s" documents, Webb was an immensely powerful and inventive singer and songwriter. His albums have held their value as fans clamour to get copies. This set is probably not the place to begin for those seeking to hear the voice behind "Up, Up & Away" & "MacArthur Park." From the artwork sketch of a tired Jimmy and the cowboy sitting on his horse & the "Twilight" title, Webb is not going out with best shot, if this is intended as a parting shot. But his ardent fans like me will still welcome hearing yet a few more of his songs and his voice, even if it sounds a bit tired and offhand, not quite so full of passion at it had been. Vocally, the closer "Driftwood" written 15 years ago musters a great deal of passion and has Webb's lovely voice backed by his sister Susan whose voice blends seamlessly with Jimmy, "Through rainfall close ashore, Through the spray swept away, To the coastline tossed & torn, thrown high & falls to rest, Oh like people, baby like you & I." "How Quickly" has nice energy with Ira Segel's guitar percolating rhythmically and Beth Nielsen Chapman's vocals supporting the lovely melody, "So swiftly you turn without regret to the arms of your new lover, How quickly we forget." "Just Like Marilyn" is also a treat with Webb's witty lyrics, "In this old Ramada Inn bar singing 'All In Love Is Fair,' In this overstuffed naugahyde lounge with the organ thin trying to sound just like a singing violin." Of the other tracks, "Paul Gauguin In the South Seas" experiments with dissonance, painting a sonic landscape more than a pop song. "Class Clown" is a nice tune with Webb witty & worldly wise. While any Jimmy Webb set is going to have depth and intelligence, this is not the best. Knowing that, fans should still explore with confidence the nuances of this master musician's latest offering. Enjoy!

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Webb's Tales of Renegades and Other Humans, June 7, 2005

By 

Juan Mobili (Valley Cottage, NY USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Twilight of the Renegades (Audio CD)

I have now listened to the Twilight of the Renegades, a little after dawn, as the afternoon ended, and at night. The times of the day, I imagine, that might have inspired some of these songs.
As happy as I am that Webb has released an album again, the offerings here are of different caliber, never less than well crafted and conceived and, in the case of certain songs, reaching the potential to be new classics.
All in all, this is not as superb an album as his "Ten Pieces," it lacks the emotional thread and intense honesty that was oozing out of each of that classic album's songs.
In Twilight of the Renegades there are, of course, several great Webb songs, "No Signs Of Age," "Skywriter." or "She Moves, And Eyes Follow" and one, to my taste, rather forgettable one: "Spanish Radio."
The rest, still, is probably better than most stuff being hailed lately. After all, this guy could probably stand side by side with Bacharach or Cole Porter or Stevie Wonder among the fundamental writers of popular song.
Yet, I'm not completely taken by this album as a whole. Perhaps it is my bias -I do compare Webb to Webb and not to other lesser artists- that, for me, this album cannot sustain the intensity and intelligence I expect from this man.
Still, take the opener, "Paul Gauguin In The South Seas," for instance. The song manages moments of sheer beauty, the words among Webb's most touching, yet it can move into passages where the orchestration and few tired songlines might remind you of a potential Disney movie theme alla Phil Collins. Both poles, present throoghout the album, in the very same song.
All that said, it is not a five star album nor a disappointment deserving of a harsh three-star review. So "four" it is. If nothing else, for the new glories.

PS: The fact that, as I'm writing these words, a domestic release of this album has not even been announced is nothing less than a shame.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Webb the Melodic, August 24, 2005

By 

Jerry Jazzman "melodic music" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Twilight of the Renegades (Audio CD)

After witnessing Jimmy Webb and Glen Campbell perform in New York at Feinstein's this year, I was eagerly awaiting this CD.At that show Campbell sang No Signs of Age which is included on this disk and Webb performed Time Flies solo.Both songs are destined to be standards-there melodicism and timeless lyrics move and inspire. How many albums include even 1 standard? A standard is a song singers want to sing regardless of music trends for eternity.The rest of the album includes gems such as How Quickly which after repeated listens inspires with it's sad message-- a feat few songwriters can carry off.The beauty of Webb's writing as in Skywriter and She Moves is his melodies married to his lyrics is masterful.There is a variety of Webb offerings on this album.But most of all it contains some of his most moving ballads.Skywriter,Time Flies,She Moves,and No Signs of Age are songs singers will want to sing and players will want to play.Thank you Jimmy.