Glen Campbell: Southern Nights + Basic CD Track Listing

A list by checkmate

Glen Campbell Southern Nights + Basic (1977)
This Compilation Released August 12, 2003\n'Southern Nights' Originally Released 1977\n'Basic' Originally Released 1978\n\nAMG EXPERT REVIEW: (This Compilation) Following Raven's exemplary 2002 reissue of Rhinestone Cowboy/Bloodlines by a year, the label's 2003 two-fer of 1977's Southern Nights and 1978's Basic isn't as thematically linked as its predecessor, which were both written and produced in large part by Dennis Lambert and Brian Potter. These two records share a similar sound -- the high-gloss, professional production common to most soft rock and country-pop crossovers of the late '70s -- but they're different in approach. Southern Nights contains the work of a number of frequently incompatible songwriters, so it's an album of moments. Granted, those moments -- including the singles "Southern Nights" and "Sunflower," a cover of "God Only Knows," and two songs from Jimmy Webb -- are very good, but the inconsistency of the album is put into sharp relief by its pairing with Basic, an album devoted to the songs of Michael Smotherman, a mellow singer/songwriter (and former Captain Beefheart sideman) who has been forgotten but was a good, sturdy writer within the conventions of '70s soft rock. Basic may not have had hits outside of "Can You Fool" (which wasn't all that big anyway), but it stands as the more satisfying of the two records on this two-fer -- and it likely wouldn't have gotten a reissue if it wasn't paired with the bigger hit Southern Nights. In addition to good notes from Keith Glass, Raven expanded this release with three bonus tracks: "Another Fine Mess" (a small gem from the soundtrack to the Burt Reynolds film The End, written by Paul Williams, and originally released as the B-side to "Can You Fool"), and two rarities from the 1975 compilation album Arkansas -- a 1967 cover of Leon Payne's "You've Still Got a Place in my Heart" and the 1969 "Arkansas," a good, if slightly dated, country-pop song that would have fit well onto any of Glen Campbell's late-'60s albums. These help elevate an already fine package into something that is necessary for any serious Campbell fan. -- Stephen Thomas Erlewine\n\nAMG EXPERT REVIEW: ('Southern Nights') Following two excellent records made with producers Dennis Lambert and Brian Potter, Glen Campbell turned to Gary Klein for 1977's Southern Nights, a record that retains some of the feel of Rhinestone Cowboy and Bloodline but is simultaneously too streamlined and diffuse, never developing the unified sound of either of its predecessors. That hardly means it's a bad album, of course; but it does mean that it's a record of moments, individual bright spots that stand alone and never quite gel into something cohesive. Part of the problem is that the best moments have different, not necessarily complimentary, moods. There are the two big singles, Allen Toussaint's "Southern Nights" and Neil Diamond's "Sunflower," both sharing a cheerful catchiness and a bright, colorful feel. Then, there is a pair of songs from Jimmy Webb, "This Is Sarah's Song" and "Early Morning Song." While not on the level of the fine Reunion, they both offer further proof that Campbell is Webb's best interpreter. Along with a good, albeit slightly maudlin, reading of Brian Wilson's "God Only Knows," the other highlights are two songs from Michael Smotherman, a singer/songwriter who would be given a greater showcase on Campbell's next effort, Basic. Although now a forgotten songwriter, Smotherman was a solid tunesmith, firmly within the '70s sensitive singer/songwriter tradition, and his songs bring out the best in Campbell. The rest of the record -- "Guide Me," "Let Go," "How High Did We Go" -- are also from forgotten writers, and they're entirely too generic soft rock, emphasizing that Smotherman had some true skills (something that Basic confirmed). So Southern Nights is a bit of a mixed bag, but those three separate sets of highlights are excellent and help elevate the record to one of Campbell's better ones, no matter how flawed it ultimately is. -- Stephen Thomas Erlewine\n\nAMG EXPERT REVIEW: ('Basic') If 1977's Southern Nights was scattered, containing too many incompatible songwriters, Glen Campbell solved that problem with 1978's Basic, relying only on Michael Smotherman for material. The only other writer given that kind of showcase by Campbell was Jimmy Webb While Smotherman is hardly on the same par with Webb -- to begin with, he's not nearly as idiosyncratic or have as personal a viewpoint -- he is, nevertheless, a good, sturdy writer, working within the '70s singer/songwriter tradition with a fondness for mellow, catchy soft rock. He may be a little generic in some senses, but in the best sense. The songs on Basic work well according to the conventions of MOR soft rock and they're very ingratiating without a down moment on the record. Campbell responds to this strong set of songs with a committed, convincing vocal performance and, along with producer Thom Thacker (the team behind all but one cut on this record -- "Can You Fool" was recorded with Dennis Lambert and Brian Potter), has constructed an appealingly high-glossy professional pop record that glides along easily from beginning to end (although it does stumble slightly on its closer, "Grafhaidh Me Thu," a bagpipe-driven instrumental that is out of place with the rest of the record). If there are no classic moments -- as there were even on Southern Nights -- Basic makes up for it through its sheer consistency, since Campbell always had trouble delivering records that held their own from start to finish (even his classic '60s records could be uneven). Given its lack of big hits, this is not one for the casual listener. But most serious fans will likely concede that Basic is his last great album. -- Stephen Thomas Erlewine\n\nHalf.com Album Notes\n2 LPs on 1 CD: SOUTHERN NIGHTS (1977)/BASIC (1978).\n\nAmazon.com Customer Review\nNot as good as his Rhinestone Cowboy/Bloodline cd, September 10, 2003 \nReviewer: rickv01 from Casselberry, Florida USA \nThis is the second of cds released by Raven Records featuring a duo of Glen's albums from the 1970s. The previous one, "Rhinestone Cowboy/Bloodline", is a must have. This one, featuring the albums "Southern Nights" from 1977 and "Basic" from 1978, doesn't quite compare. The "Southern Nights" album was a little bit of a let down for me when it first came out, following the solidly great albums of "Reunion", "Rhinestsone Cowboy" and "Bloodline" from '74, '75, and '76 respectively. Engineering wise, it is exceptional with clear, pristine sound. The two hit singles from the album - Allen Toussaint's "Southern Nights" and Neil Diamond's "Sunflower", would give the impression it is an album of rythmic, upbeat songs. Alas it isn't. Most of songs are slow ballads, three excellent - the Beach Boys hit "God Only Knows", and the Jimmy Webb tunes - "This is Sarah's Song" and (really great) "Early Morning Song". Three others - "Guide Me", "I'm Getting Used to the Crying" and "How High did We Go" were perhaps the blandest songs Glen ever recorded. "For Cryin' out Loud", a decent, uptempo tune, was the first song Glen recorded by Michael Smotherman, who would write/co-write all of the songs on the follow up album - "Basic". Lastly, "Let Go", a hit previously for the writer Brian Cadd, seems out of place on the album, though not a bad song. The second album on the cd - "Basic", holds its own, though it was probably a mistake to rely exclusively on Smotherman's songwriting, as it didn't fare near as well as "Southern Nights". "Can you fool", "I'm gonna love you", "You've got to Sing it Nice and Loud", "Let's all Sing a Song About It", "California", "Never Tell You no Lies" are the best songs from the album, though I personally like them all. Two bonus tracks on the cd - "Arkansas" and "You've Still Got a Place in My Heart" are good, but obscure songs he did in the Sixties and don't belong here. The other bonus track, Paul Williams "Another Fine Mess", from the 1978 Burt Reynolds movie "The End", was released only as a single just before the release of "Basic", and is a good, strong song, as one would expect from Williams. Overall, I recommend this duo cd. \n\nAmazon.com Customer Review\nIf for no other reason, buy this album for the cover photo!!, September 12, 2003 \nReviewer: Mitch from Beaumont, TX \nThe photo of Glen on the porch in the leisure suit is a classic, isn't it? No, seriously, though, "Southern Nights" continues to be my favorite Glen Campbell song, and one of my favorite songs of all time. It has a very very addictive beat and tune to it that can have you humming or singing it to yourself all day long, once it gets in your head. I basically bought this album to commemorate that one song. However, there are other good songs here, namely "Sunflower" and "Early Morning Song". It is my belief that "Early Morning Song" is, without a doubt, Glen Campbell's finest song that never made it onto the charts. Outstanding vocal performance that compares with his classic "By the Time I Get to Phoenix". Other good songs from the Basic album are "Can You Fool" and "Stranger in the Mirror". Overall a good pair of albums that is nice to add to the collection. They'll have you "whistlin' tunes that you know and love so." \n\nAmazon.com Album Description\nOne of Glen Campbell's most important & biggest selling 70s albums, 'Southern Nights' (1977), along with the intriguing & elusive, 'Basic' (1978), both are unavailable domestically. This Aussie exclusive twofer includes three bonus tracks, 'Another Fine Mess' (from the film The End), 'Arkansas', & 'You've Still Got A Place In My Heart'. 24 tracks. Raven. 2003 YEAR: 1977
This country cd contains 24 tracks and runs 71min 47sec.
Freedb: 8410d118

Categories

Latest lists

Glen Campbell: Southern Nights + Basic CD Track Listing

Category

Tags

cyList

Legal