"Wichita Lineman": C/D

You're absolutely right, JBR.

Ok, new thread. "Highwayman": C/D? Except that's Jimmy Webb, too, so maybe there's not much question. Has the man ever written a bad song?

We were listening to a 'Classic Country' Time-Life comp. at work one day; y'know, Jackson, Harper Valley PTA, Crying In The Chapel, etc. and Wichita Lineman was the last track. I must have played it a good 7 times consecutively(it was a slow thursday night..). Lucky my coworker was also into it. What a brilliant song. The baritone guitar solo; yum.

Anyone into Belle and Sebastian should have noticed the tribute at the end of their Photo Jenny. I'm so impressed everytime I hear it.

Don't know the Highwayman. Anyone for Galveston, though?

Higwayman is an extraordinary piece of work too. Galveston also. And the entirity of 5th Dimension's 'The Magic Garden'. I'd suggest Jimmy for the 'underrated lyricist' thread too.
The song of Jimmy's which seems to divide people the most is Macarthur Park, so I was gonna suggest that, until I noticed this:
Macarthur Park - Classic or Superstar?

Like I said, divisive.

His version of Galveston is on the same tape.

Hate those Al DeLory strings, though.

"Carpet Man" by Webb, done by Fifth Dimension, is a great song too.

My version doesn't have this. It's really annoying because amazon (.co.uk) initially listed it as having 'Wichita Lineman', so I ordered it from them (though it wasn't the cheapest). Then the copy that turned up didn't have it. And now it looks like you can't get it with 'Lineman' on. Where did you get yours, Vic?

Ah, it does seem to be a bonus track on some versions of that album. Is it re-recorded, do you know? Wouldn't mind having it on CD, if it's the version I'm thinking of.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/musicclub/doc_classicsingles.shtml

documentary on the classic song.

and I mean classic.

oh wow. That's perfect.

Classic of course as are “Galveston” and “By the Time I get to Phoenix.” As a poster mentioned up-thread, Glen can really bring it with the guitar, a very versatile and fluid player. I'd love to hear an all acoustic CD. Rick Rubin, where are you?

weird that I started this thread four years ago. Some things don't change -- it's still one of my favorite songs.

Great song. Gentle On My Mind is my absolute favorite by him.

You know, Glen Campbell "20 Greatest Hits" is a record v v worth owning. It will never make you cool, but it will make you happy.

100% classic--during the YSI days, somebody (to whom I am forever grateful) posted Jimmy Webb's version from "Ten Easy Pieces". Ever since it has occupied the top slot on my most played songs on iTunes.

For Glen Campbell, go for The Capitol Years, Disc 1.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Dennis Brown had a great rootsy reggae version of this song.

Recently Listened Tracks

Glen Campbell – Wichita Lineman 21 minutes ago
Glen Campbell – Wichita Lineman 24 minutes ago
Glen Campbell – Wichita Lineman 27 minutes ago
Glen Campbell – Wichita Lineman 31 minutes ago
Glen Campbell – Wichita Lineman 43 minutes ago
Glen Campbell – Wichita Lineman 46 minutes ago
Glen Campbell – Wichita Lineman 50 minutes ago
Add this track to your playlistGlen Campbell – Wichita Lineman 53 minutes ago

I picked up a vinyl copy last month...only $4!

It's true: "Gentle on My Mind" is as good as "Wichita Lineman".

According to Wiki, the song was inspired by Doctor Zhivago. I don't see that at all, but ok.

Also, "Rhinestone Cowboy" makes me want to watch the silly-but-kinda-good Sidney Pollack movie The Electric Horseman.

Facing imminent unemployment, I've been haunting employment sites and came across this

Probably would be miserable, but oh the joy of answering when asked what you do, to be able to say:

"I am a lineman for the county"

I gotta go with Galveston

don't know about thta one, but maybe it's only because I've lived near Galveston, and been there many times, and it's a fucking shithole. You ever been swimming, and come back with tarballs stuck in your pubic hair? Only in Galveston.
― Kenan Hebert (kenan), Friday, February 28, 2003 8:20 AM (6 years ago)

This is too bad, because in the song it sounds like paradise

This is one of the most beautiful songs ever. I love it so.

Something truly bizarre though is Kool and the Gang's instrumental cover:

http://www.imeem.com/rnbmusic3/music/zBm9g26_/kool-the-gang-wichita-lineman/

have a gomez cover of this somewhere

It's true: "Gentle on My Mind" is as good as "Wichita Lineman".

word

meters cover of this is great. it's just this trebly guitar note at the start that you hear and don't recognise, then there's that tiny little deviation that makes you realise. the same thing happens with tav falco doing goldfinger but that's kind of more funny than moving.

i remember jumping for joy on finding glen campbells 'god only knows cover' on one of the million '20 greats' type comps which all manage to miss out one essential track and being distraught to then find out its dreadful

some good listenin' here:

http://images.uulyrics.com/cover/g/glen-campbell/album-capitol-years-6577.jpg

(impeccably curated by Bob and Pete from St. Etienne)

"Gentle on My Mind" is fine but no WL

Jimmy Webb agonizes to this day over "wrongly" rhyming "time" with "line".

i bought that Capitol Years comp so I could get Guess I'm Dumb, because I was a Brian Wilson fanatic, but I fell for Glen too, the entire first disk is great, and the highlight might be Morning Glory with Bobbie Gentry.

The Capitol Years is obviously essential for any serious Glen Campbell fan. But there are a few critical omissions, most notably his godlike cover of Joni Mitchell's Both Sides Now which rivals Wichita for his best song ever. Another is Roll Me Easy, from the 1974 Reunited album he did with Jimmy Webb. Adoration is the best song from that to make the Capitol comp.

highlight for me on that comp is "Country Boy (Got Your Feet In L.A.)"...or "Dreams Of The Everyday Housewife"...or maybe "Just Another Piece Of Paper"...oh, I can't make up my mind..now see what you've started!

Glen is a fucking legend. saw him live recently and he's still got it. also his latest album had a Velvet Underground cover on it, so he obviously wins at life.

I read his autobiography, Rhinestone Cowboy, which I got at a stoop sale for a buck. I also read Neil Diamond's biography. And when they came to install an air conditioner in my brooklyn apt, they needed two objects to balance the AC's feet on out on the window sill, so I offered up those two books, which they used, spines facing out, so for the better part of 3 years, if you looked up to my 3rd floor window, you'd see the Glen Campbell and Neil Diamond books.

Lots of cocaine in his book.

oh, and another thing: the vocal track on "They'll Never Take Her Love Away From Me", I don't care what kinda of sound system you're listening to that on, it is right there, wrapping its arms around your shoulder like an old friend...

yeah, roll me easy is pretty good, should be on that comp

Surely everyone likes Glen Campbell, don't they?

I would have put this down to my dad's kind of thing, but saw him on jools holland recently and found it greatly moving. he did wichita, of course

Jamming with Stevie Wonder on "Blowin' In The Wind."

didn't remember that Glen could hit those high notes.

100% eternal, irrefutable classic. one of the greatest songs of all time.

in seinfeldian terms, it's my desperado.

Dennis Brown had a great rootsy reggae version of this song.

― novamax, Sunday, June 17, 2007 3:06 PM (6 years ago)

100% my favorite version--

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMTj1Emtl0U

i love how its like oh wow reggae dude doing a country standard but it ends up being psychedelic soul instsead

I usually wonder if people who post track ID threads are just not very good at creatively Googling things, but this one is killing me: I heard (and possibly own) a version of this sung by a woman who I thought was Judee Sill. Trying to find it just now, it doesn't appear Judee Sill ever covered this. So then I started thinking maybe it was Kate Wolf. Nope. Any help? It could very well be some obscuro private press cosmic country thing, but I have no idea and I'd really love to hear it again. In my mind, it sounds almost exactly like Judee Sill, but I also probably haven't heard it in 10 or 15 years.

I don't know, but this song is beyond classic. One of the best songs ever written, I'd say.

I'm thinking of this song a lot lately. Timely revive.

Because Leon Russell just passed and another Shindog won't be far behind?

The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) has a big office building near my workplace, and some of the leased overflow space belongs to our pals at CERT.org - I get to go over there for meetings every once in a while.

There's a big statue called THE LINEMAN in the lobby. I need that statue more than I want it. He reminds me that I'm still on the line.

It's a great song, and the sound of the original will never escape (for me) the association with James May plowing an old crappy jaguar around a rally track, but the lyrics are evocative to me because of my own life choices, career and marriage, and the imagery reminds me of my first real paycheck job, driving an hour on a two-lane drag across the Alabama-Tennessee border five days a week for $300 every Friday.

xpost - Sergio Mendes & Brazil 66?

http://i.imgur.com/F430NTV.jpg

"if it snows, that stretch down south won't ever stand the strain" is some sick alliteration

That song is an entire alternate universe.

It's amazing.

Wimmels, is it this one?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugvbqBqVU2c

(list of 139 artists who covered this might help you)

ooh marti pellow

^^^ I think that's it!! But I am registering zero connection with that artist's name (Jeannie Seely), so how did I hear it? Maybe a mix someone made me? Anyway, I can't be sure, because it was so long ago, but this is the closest I've heard to what I remember (and it is really nice)

even i have done this at karaoke

Me too.

^^^ I think that's it!! But I am registering zero connection with that artist's name (Jeannie Seely), so how did I hear it? Maybe a mix someone made me? Anyway, I can't be sure, because it was so long ago, but this is the closest I've heard to what I remember (and it is really nice)

― Wimmels, Wednesday, November 16, 2016 3:53 PM (two hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Same initials as Judee Sill perhaps? :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t74BiBmBizk

the best song

ooh marti pellow

― nxd, Wednesday, November 16, 2016 3:25 AM (six hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

^^^