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****Liberty Call****

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This Beach Boys classic was another example of Glen Campbell in 1965. He's been quoted saying he played at least 540 recording sessions that year despite an almost 6 month road tour with the Beach Boys. On his days off, he flew back to LA to work with The Wrecking Crew.

Dance Dance Dance
~ The Beach Boys ~

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In 1953, while living in Knoxville, Tennessee, Don and Phil Everly broke away from their Everly Family band, forming their duo and caught the attention of family friend Chet Atkins, who had recently been appointed manager of RCA Victor's recording studio in Nashville. As the brothers transitioned out of the family act and into a duo, they moved to Nashville and Atkins became an early champion of the Everly Brothers. Despite his affiliation with RCA Records, it was Atkins who arranged a chance for the Everly Brothers to record for Columbia Records in early 1956. However, their first and only single for Columbia, "Keep A' Lovin' Me," which Don wrote, was a flop, and they were quickly dropped from the label.

Atkins encouraged the Everly Brothers to continue, and introduced them to Wesley Rose of Acuff-Rose music publishers. Impressed with the duo's songwriting talents, Rose told them that if they signed to Acuff-Rose as songwriters, he would also get them a recording deal. The duo signed to Acuff-Rose in late 1956, and by early 1957, Rose had introduced them to Archie Bleyer, who was looking for artists for his Cadence label. The Everlys signed, and entered the recording studio for their first Cadence session in February 1957.

Their first Cadence single, "Bye Bye Love," had been rejected by 30 other acts but the Everlys saw it's potential and their recording of "Bye Bye Love" reached #2 on the pop charts behind Elvis Presley's "(Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear". "Bye Bye Love" hit #1 on the Country chart and #5 on the R&B charts. The song, written by the husband and wife team Felice and Boudleaux Bryant, became the Everly Brothers' first million-seller.

They became stalwarts of the Cadence label. Working with the Bryants, the duo had hits in the United States and the United Kingdom, the biggest being "Wake Up Little Susie", "All I Have to Do Is Dream", "Bird Dog", and "Problems", all penned by the Bryants.

While contractually restricted from actually working with the Everlys, Atkins continued to mentor them and upon hearing the acoustic demo of "Bird Dog" suggested they add bass, drums and a subtle electric guitar to "Rockabilly it up a bit". Whether Atkins actually suggested Glen Campbell for the session is unknown, but several sources contend that Chet was well aware of the young virtuoso and did all he could to further his career.

Having known Mr. Atkins myself, I can say that he always cared more about good music than any business arrangements and the story is in line with dozens of similar stories. Chet was an advocate for young artists and probably discovered more talent than any other force in Nashville. When I knew him during the mid-eighties he was doing much the same for his unknown young protégé Steve Wariner. Steve credited Chet for introducing him to Glen and they worked together on several projects so I find this story another likely scenario in Glen's expansive portfolio.

Bird Dog
~ The Everly Brothers ~

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In 1967, Terry Melcher produced this Wrecking Crew fueled scorcher that took Mark Lindsay and Paul Revere's Raiders to #4 on the national charts.

Good Thing
~ Paul Revere & The Raiders ~

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First recorded in 1924 by Papa Charlie Jackson, this traditional folk tune was certainly in Glen Campbell's Banjo wheelhouse when Rick Nelson laid it down in 1962. Leon Russell is featured on the ivories.



Salty Dog
~ Rick Nelson ~

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This one would have been lost had Glen neglected to mention he played on this session when Jan & Dean covered it in 1962. He also played it again in 1976 on the Beach Boys album "15 Big Ones".

"Palisades Park" broke when a Flint, Michigan radio DJ played this "B-Side" by mistake. It peaked at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in June 1962, the biggest hit of Freddie Cannon's career.

Palisades Park
~ Freddy Cannon ~

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This Jimmy Webb torch song was first recorded by Richard Harris in 1968. Glen performed it on his 1969 world tour and made it his own.

Didn't We (Live)
~ Glen Campbell ~

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Here's Glen being sophisticatedly understated with the "King of Cool" in late 1956. It reached #1 on the Billboard chart for six weeks and became Dino's biggest hit. It was also his only UK number one hit. He was backed by The Easy Riders who consisted of Terry Gilkyson, Richard Dehr and Frank Miller the song's writers.

Memories Are Made of This
~ Dean Martin ~

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This song has dozens of stories connected to it. The instrumental track was recorded on April 2, 1964 and although Wrecking Crew alumni are credited, the line up doesn't make much sense. Hal Blaine is credited for timbales which may refer to the stick clicking on the bridge, but it's unlikely that producer Brian Wilson trusted brother Denny with the drum parts when Hal Blaine, the hottest drummer in the world was in the room. Steve Douglas is credited with tenor saxophone and Crewmate Jay Migliori with baritone saxophone, but aside from Ray Pohlman on bass guitar, no one else from the Crew are mentioned other than engineer, Chuck Britz. It's obvious that there are several guitar parts on the track and Carl Wilson just wasn't that versatile. It's very likely that Glen had a hand in the reverb saturated guitar solo. Beach Boy Al Jardine is also credited with playing bass, although it was never his primary axe.

During the session, Brian Wilson dismissed his father Murry as manager of The Beach Boys. The vocals were recorded during a session eight days later on April 10. The lead vocal features Mike Love on the verses and Brian Wilson on the choruses with backing vocals from Brian, Carl & Dennis Wilson, Mike Love and Alan Jardine (the soaring falsetto is Brian Wilson).

I Get Around
~ The Beach Boys ~

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When I Grow Up (To Be A Man)
~ The Beach Boys ~

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Here's one that took me totally by surprise because I've seen Roger perform this solo, accompanying himself on guitar. At least twice on this track though, he's telling Glen, "One more". It is also interesting that Glen was "the seventh out of seven sons". Whether "Papa was a pistol" is undocumented.

Dang Me
~ Roger Miller ~

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Surfin'
~ The Beach Boys ~

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A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You
~ The Monkees ~

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Brian Wilson and the Wrecking Crew did this one ala Phil Spector's Wall Of Sound. Hal Blaine's tympani are the bomb!

Do You Wanna Dance
~ The Beach Boys ~

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Kicks
~ Paul Revere & The Raiders ~

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Written and produced by Sony Bono, the Wrecking Crew turned this song upside down when they heard it. Wrecking Crew bassist Carol Kaye (a female ahead of her time) asserts that at the session she devised the distinctive syncopated bass line, replacing the original walking bass line in the prepared Harold Battiste arrangement.

"It was a nothing song, and then the bass line kind of made that."

Hal Blaine's drum fills helped!

The Beat Goes On
~ Sonny & Cher ~

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Good Vibrations
~ The Beach Boys ~

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Be Bop Baby
~ Rick Nelson ~

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Cherish
~ The Association ~

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The Hand That Rocks The Cradle
~ Steve Wariner & Glen Campbell ~

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The release of the "Pet Sounds" album signaled the Beach Boys departure from being a surf band and was also the first album that featured Glen Campbell as a bonafide member of the band. Some considered it Brian Wilson's emergence into insanity, but in retrospect it was his courage and genius that that made the album so great.

Pet Sounds
~ The Beach Boys ~

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