Glen Campbell, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2011, has given his fans one last gift of a final studio album, Adiós. Campbell recorded the album after his Goodbye Tour and the filming of the documentary I’ll Be Me.
The new album features some of Campbell’s favorite songs. Rolling Stone claims the album “stands among Campbell’s best – heartbreaking and imbued with poignancy, but sung with the same pure, sparkling vocals that are a distinguishing hallmark.”
Songwriter Jimmy Webb wrote the title track, “Adiós,” along with three other tracks on the album. Webb wrote several of Campbell’s biggest hits, including “By the Time I Get to Phoenix,” “Wichita Lineman” and “Galveston.”
Like the song that had been billed as Campbell’s final song in September 2014 — “I’m Not Gonna Miss You” — the lyrics to “Adiós” achieve special meaning considering Campbell’s medical condition. But it is not a new song. Linda Ronstadt had an Adult Contemporary hit with it in 1990.
And “Adiós” is not new for Campbell either. Webb has explained that he and Campbell used to play the song all the time in various places, including their homes, hotels, and dressing rooms. Check out the recording of the song, produced by Campbell’s longtime friend Carl Jackson.
Don’t think that I’m ungrateful,
And don’t look so morose;
Adios,
Adios.
Jackson explained that in order to help Campbell record the songs, he printed the lyrics in big print. And sometimes they did one line of a song at a time. But, Jackson explained, Campbell had no trouble remembering the melodies and the correct keys.
Adiós will hit stores and the Internet on June 9, 2017. Other tracks on the album include a duet with Willie Nelson on his song “Funny How Time Slips Away.” Also, the album features Campbell’s interpretation of “Everybody’s Talkin’.”
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