Galveston

Description

Glen Campbell was coming off the biggest album of his career when he released the Galveston LP, and its title track single, in March of 1969. He had given himself some feat to follow. Wichita Lineman had spent five weeks atop the pop chart, a massive 20 weeks at No. 1 on the country countdown, and rose to double platinum certification. Like its predecessor, Galveston was propelled by a title track hit single written by the peerless Jimmy Webb. Campbells demanding schedule at the time had him releasing the new album only four months after the last one, again recording at Capitol Studios with producer Al De Lory.

As well as contributing three co-writes of his own in If This Is Love, Friends and Every Time I Itch I End Up Scratchin You, Campbell now had the pick of the best songwriters to choose from. Webb contributed not only the timeless Galveston but another landmark composition in Wheres The Playground Susie, while Glen covered two songs by the innovative Canadian-American Cree singer and writer Buffy Sainte-Marie. These were Take My Hand For A While and the much-recorded Until Its Time For You To Go, later a hit for Elvis Presley.

A crack studio team featuring Al Casey on acoustic guitar, Joe Osborn on bass and drummer Hal Blaine kept the sound tight, and soon Campbell was on another chart roll. Galveston climbed to No. 2 on the pop chart, prevented from reaching the top by RCA-Victors original score album for the musical Hair. But on the country chart, Glens album was another bestseller incredibly, his seventh No. 1 LP in that genre in just 14 months, six of them achieved in 1968. Galveston spent 11 weeks at the summit, his last country chart-topper until Rhinestone Cowboy revived his fortunes in 1975.