Rhinestone Cowboy sounds like a cowboy from Arkansas moved to Beverley Hills in the 70’s and wrote a bunch of theme songs for sitcoms and game shows during his time in Los Angeles. I can literally see the introduction credits in my head– character in various locations going about their day, noticing the camera, and as the camera zooms into a freeze frame their name rolls across the screen before it cuts to another character. The whole album sounds like that and I absolutely love it.
Glen Campbell’s unique blend of country and soft pop was a recipe that produced numerous chart-topping hits for him during the 70’s and 80’s. But before he found success as a solo artist he cut his teeth as a session guitarist as a member of “The Wrecking Crew”, being featured records by luminaries such as Elvis Presley, Merle Haggard, and Frank Sinatra. It was through that experience, as well as his stint as the host of a music and variety show dubbed The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour during the late 60’s, that set the stage for his unique fusion of country and soft pop to be formed.
The layered arrangements, twangy steel guitars, and soaring string melodies all combined to make him an iconic sound of the 70’s and gave him the freedom to traverse effortlessly across both the country and pop charts. And his lyrical content, that focused on persevering through hard times and eventually making it, offered a self-confident sincerity that all classes and creeds could identify with. All of these factors combined to give Glen Campbell a sound that is as timeless as it is uplifting.
Standout Songs: “Rhinestone Cowboy”, “Record Collector’s Dream”, “Country Boy (You Got Your Feet in L.A.)”, “Count On Me”
