Glen Campbell wasn't at Atlantic long.
Old Home Town, his first album for the label, arrived in 1982, while his last --
It's Just a Matter of Time -- arrived just three years later. He had a few Top 10 country hits during these years -- "Faithless Love" went to ten and "A Lady Like You" went to four in 1984; "It's Just a Matter of Time" climbed to seven in 1985 -- but generally this period of his career is overlooked, so it's useful to have this 2016 digital compilation
The Best of the Atlantic Years. This 20-track collection doesn't have all of the singles
Campbell released during these four years -- "No More Night," "Cowpoke," and "Call Home" are all MIA -- but that makes for a more interesting listen, as the compilers find space for cowboy tunes ("Gene Autry, My Hero"), feints at secular gospel ("On the Wings of My Victory"), a reading of
Mickey Newbury's "An American Trilogy," and an unexpected version of
Paul McCartney's "Mull of Kintyre," complete with bagpipes. Mostly, though, this is country-pop as yacht rock, sometimes suggesting a bit of a soft soulfulness but usually staying within the realm of adult contemporary. This datedness is the appeal of these recordings: there aren't many great songs here, but their polish is alluring all the same, and it's nice to finally have a document of this brief period of
Campbell's career. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine