Jimmy Webb

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nowmedical
Posts: 333
Joined: Thu Dec 07, 2006 4:51 pm
Location: london

Jimmy Webb

Post by nowmedical »

The more I hear of Jimmy the more intriguing he becomes. So someone tell me:

1 given his lush lush orchestrations, why he now does concerts alone on the piano? Doesn't he miss the soaring strings?

2 he wrote the lyrics too!!!

"It's customary in songs like this to use a word like spoon... "
"It's a play, not written very well but it's a play anyway"

So should we consider BB as merely Webb-lite?
Blair N. Cummings
Posts: 1123
Joined: Fri Jun 11, 2004 4:14 pm

Re: Jimmy Webb

Post by Blair N. Cummings »

Taking your points in reverse order:
No; Burt was the more adventurous composer and Webb (along with Todd Rundgren, Roger Nichols and...hell, just about every other pop writer in the world) cited him as a decisive influence.
Obviously, JW couldn`t economically tour with an orchestra but many of his "solo" recordings feature those arrangements and orchestrations that we all love.
You have apparently recently discovered the Sunshower album. It was the peak of his early accomplishments despite a few weak tracks. I`m assuming that you are by now familiar with the earlier Richard Harris recordings, but maybe I shouldn`t so here they are: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BQSFlf ... 8A6C4345C8
I`ve been a devotee since my teens so feel free to ask about anything more.
geoff85
Posts: 371
Joined: Sun Sep 09, 2012 11:55 pm

Re: Jimmy Webb

Post by geoff85 »

Blair N. Cummings wrote:Taking your points in reverse order:
No; Burt was the more adventurous composer and Webb (along with Todd Rundgren, Roger Nichols and...hell, just about every other pop writer in the world) cited him as a decisive influence.
Obviously, JW couldn`t economically tour with an orchestra but many of his "solo" recordings feature those arrangements and orchestrations that we all love.
You have apparently recently discovered the Sunshower album. It was the peak of his early accomplishments despite a few weak tracks. I`m assuming that you are by now familiar with the earlier Richard Harris recordings, but maybe I shouldn`t so here they are: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BQSFlf ... 8A6C4345C8
I`ve been a devotee since my teens so feel free to ask about anything more.


Blair didnt we agree that Thelma Houston has the best rendition of this song???? That coda is one of the most beautiful parts of a song known to man since music has been created.
Blair N. Cummings
Posts: 1123
Joined: Fri Jun 11, 2004 4:14 pm

Re: Jimmy Webb

Post by Blair N. Cummings »

Yeah, we did agree and I haven`t changed my mind. I was just promoting earlier recordings to someone who may not have heard them. As a geezer, I take the (mistaken) view that everyone has heard everything that I`ve heard. It`s hard to keep in mind that what was once as contemporary as today`s Times is now the quarry of historians.
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