Album Review: Glen Campbell – ‘Southern Nights’

Save an album recorded live in Japan two years earlier, 1977’s Southern Nights was the first time we saw Glen Campbell in the producer’s chair. He collaborated with Gary Klein and created a chart-topping album.

Two singles were issued to country radio. Allen Toussaint’s wonderful drum and guitar heavy “Southern Nights” is the classic, which peaked at #1. The other single was Neil Diamond’s “Sunflower” an aggressive mid-tempo that leans too heavily on rock guitars for my liking.

Also included on Southern Nights is a cover of The Beach Boys classic “God Only Knows.” Campbell’s version is far too slow and prodding, with lush strings that hinder his ability to convey the powerful lyrical content.

Campbell’s longtime friend Jimmy Webb contributed two songs to the album, each with flavorless and maddening arrangements. “This is Sarah’s Song” isn’t to my liking at all but I feel the lyric to “Early Morning Song” is inviting. That being said, I wouldn’t seek out either song to listen to again.

The string section remains on “For Crying Out Loud” but the inclusion of a more prominent drum section gives the otherwise sleepy ballad the kick of energy it needs. “Let Go,” another up-tempo in the vein of the title track, follows suit. While it isn’t very country, it should’ve been a single.

“Guide Me,” returns Campbell to the ballad realm that suffocates the majority of the album. “How High Did We Go” retains more of the same, but Campbell’s vocal scores, and the production is nicely thicker than the rest. And although it was co-written by Roger Miller, “(I’m Getting) Used To The Crying” is more of the same.

This is a tough album for me to critique, since it isn’t of my era. I couldn’t find much of anything to love in any of the arrangements, except for the title track. If I’m being blunt, I found Southern Nights quite boring. Now, this isn’t my kind of country music so I really cannot say if he does this style any justice or not. I just know it really wasn’t my taste.

Grade: C