Anyone who only knows
Glen Campbell's country-pop hits like "Wichita Lineman" will find his first album a revelation. Recorded in the midst of the college folk boom,
Big Bluegrass Special paired off
Campbell with
Dale Fitzsimmons and Carl Tanberg, aka
the Green River Boys, doing songs by
Merle Travis,
Cliffie Stone,
Bob Nolan, and
the Delmore Brothers. A long way from
Campbell's
Jimmy Webb-authored pop hits, this earthy bluegrass weaves in and out of folk, blues, and traditional country, and casts a wonderful spell in the process. The sound is more robust than
the Louvin Brothers and has more raw energy than
the Kingston Trio or
the Shilos, and the songs are played and sung with an infectious enthusiasm, although their playing is no match for
the Kentucky Colonels. Among the surprises is the bluesiest version of "One Hundred Miles Away from Home" ever done.
Nick Venet's production gave the acoustic trio a very "hot" sound. True, this album only sold a fraction of
Campbell's later '60s efforts, but it's still a pity, musically speaking, that it was never followed up.