MP3: Glen Campbell – “Times Like These” (Foo Fighters cover) from Meet Glen Campbell, out now on Capitol.
Campbell played guitar on some of the best records of all time as a member of the Wrecking Crew, he toured and recorded with the Beach Boys, and he sang the definitive versions of two of my favorite songs from my childhood: “Rhinestone Cowboy” and “Southern Nights.” His latest album has him covering the Replacements and the Velvet Underground, among others.
Five years ago today, he was arrested on drunken driving, hit and run, and assault charges. In jail, Campbell attempted to knee a police sergeant in the nards, but the cop turned and took it in his “upper right thigh.”
Glen Campbell: Web, Wiki, mugshot.
Video: Foo Fighters – “Times Like These” (acoustic)
Meet Glen Campbell tracklist:
Sing (Travis)
Walls (Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers)
Angel Dream (Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers)
Times Like These (Foo Fighters)
These Days (Jackson Browne)
Sadly Beautiful (The Replacements)
All I Want Is You (U2)
Jesus (Velvet Underground)
Good Riddance [Time of Your Life] (Green Day)
Grow Old With Me (John Lennon)
I love Glenn Campbell. When I was very, very young my two favorite singers were Campbell and Elton John (because of the Donald Duck suit and the cover of Goodbye Yellow Brick Road).
Anyone who has even the faintest memory of the 70s needs to check out the “Southern Nights” clip. Glenn is wearing shorts and jamming with everyone’s dad’s friend Jerry Reed at what appears to be a family campground. I fully expected my grandparents bluegrass band the Blue Water Rovers to step up next.
I absolutely loved “Rhinestone Cowboy” as a very young child. I distinctly remember spinning the 45 on my little portable Bee Gees turntable (it was a gift — I didn’t care about the Bee Gees then, and I still don’t).
But it seems odd to me now that kids would love that song so much. Sure, kids love cowboys, but it’s a really sad, cynical song. It pretends to be hopeful, but the music clearly tells us otherwise. The music says, “No matter how much compromisin’ you do, boy, the lights are never gonna be shinin’ on you.”
Wow, childhood memories here too.
Glen Campbell was one of the very few acts my non-musical parents were into. I think they liked the fact that he toured with the Beach Boys. (Which still weirds me out.) I have a vague recollection of a Beach Boys live album featuring Glen Campbell on the hi-fi.
In our house it was Elvis (for my mom), Linda Ronstadt (for my dad), the Beach Boys and Glen Campbell (for the both of them).
And didn’t Alvin and the Chipmunks do a version of “Rhinestone Cowboy”? I think my sister had the “country chipmunk” record, and I’m pretty sure there was a “Rhinestone Chipmunk” cover on there. (And a WIllie Nelson/Waylon Jennings “Mamas don’t let your babies grow up to be chipmunks” one as well.)
I swear I remember a “Rhinestone Chipmunk” too, but this page is the only mention of it I can find on the whole web!
Yes, Urban Chipmunk. I loved that album as much as I loved Chipmunk Punk.
Anything Campbell ever did can be forgiven because of ‘Wichita Lineman’. That song is pure gold.
My household was big Glen Campbell fans too, we even watched the Goodtime Hour when it was on.
In fact, come to think of it, I think we watched every variety show ever put on network TV, including Shields & Yarnell and Captain & Tennille.