Glen Campbell’s Final Album, ‘Adios’, Set for Release in June
Although Glen Campbell has entered the advanced stages Alzheimer’s disease, fans will soon get to hear some new material from him one last time. The country legend's final album, entitled Adiós, is set for release on June 9.
People reports that Adiós was recorded in Nashville soon after Campbell's diagnosis with Alzheimer's and his subsequent Goodbye Tour. Campbell's wife Kim wrote the record's heartfelt liner notes, describing how the project was inspired by an afternoon spent with Campbell's longtime banjo player, Carl Jackson, who also set up the couple on their first date over 34 years ago.
“We reminisced about all of the songs that Glen had always wanted to record but had never gotten around to. Carl laid down some basic tracks and vocals for Glen to study and practice in preparation for his final session," Kim Campbell writes, adding that her husband's diagnosis added a level of immediacy to the project: “Glen’s abilities to play, sing and remember songs began to rapidly decline after his diagnosis in 2011. A feeling of urgency grew to get him into the studio one last time to capture what magic was left. It was now or never.”
Kim Campbell calls the making of Adiós both "heartbreaking" and "beautiful": Heartbreaking because Campbell's early struggles with dementia caused him to forget the words to songs that he had performed for his entire career, leading Jackson to "[hold] up sheets of paper with large print lyrics and [feed] them to him one line at a time." But beautiful because the "Rhinestone Cowboy" singer was “clearly ecstatic about being in the studio.”
In order to give Campbell's final album the "polish and charm" it deserves, fellow country icons such as Willie Nelson and Vince Gill came in to lend their talents, as did Campbell's children Ashley, Shannon and Cal, all of whom added backing vocals. Ultimately, Kim Campbell writes, making Adiós was more joyful than sad.
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“All of the laughing, crying (we laughed much more than we cried!) and singing were certainly bittersweet, but more than worthwhile when listening back to the finished album today,” she writes. “What you’re hearing … is the beautiful and loving culmination of friends and family doing their very best for the man who inspired, raised and entertained them for decades — giving him the chance to say one last goodbye to his fans.”
Adiós was produced by Jackson and is being released via UMe. Campbell's 64th and final studio album, the disc will include the country singer's unique take on several classic songs, such as "Don't Think Twice It's All Right" by Bob Dylan; "Everybody's Talkin'" by Harry Nilsson; and "A Thing Called Love," written by Jerry Reed and recorded by Johnny Cash. Gill adds his signature harmonies on a cover of Roger Miller's “Am I All Alone (or Is It Only Me)," while Nelson joins Campbell for a touching duet on his 1968 song "Funny (How Time Slips Away)."
Glen Campbell, Adiós Track Listing:
1. "Everybody’s Talkin’"
2. "Just Like Always"
3. "Funny (How Time Slips Away)" (feat. Willie Nelson)
4. "Arkansas Farmboy"
5. "Am I All Alone (or Is It Only Me)" (intro by Roger Miller)
6. "Am I All Alone (or Is It Only Me)" (feat. Vince Gill)
7. "It Won’t Bring Her Back"
8. "Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right"
9. "She Thinks I Still Care"
10. "Postcard From Paris"
11. "A Thing Called Love"
12. "Adiós"
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