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True, "Wichita Lineman" and "By the Time I Get I to Phoenix" are represented here in different versions. Among the absentees are Campbell's "Wichita Lineman" and "By the Time I Get to Phoenix," Isaac Hayes' "By the Time I Get to Phoenix," and the 5th Dimension's "Paper Cup" and "Carpet Man," though presumably anyone serious about listening to Jimmy Webb songs already has, or knows, where to get those recordings. As far as the biggest Webb-written hits, several of them are indeed here: Richard Harris' "MacArthur Park," Glen Campbell's "Galveston," the 5th Dimension's "Up, Up and Away," the Brooklyn Bridge's "Worst That Could Happen," and Art Garfunkel's "All I Know." At the same time, however, some of the biggest Webb-penned smashes are missing, at least in the versions that made it the biggest. While this two-CD, 46-song compilation of Webb interpretations is highly worthwhile for fans of the songwriter, it falls somewhere between being a collection of the best-known Webb covers, and a more esoteric anthology of obscurities.
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(Sept.Jimmy Webb's songs have been covered by so many artists, and so many of his songs have been covered in multiple versions, that no compilation of Webb covers could please everyone. For those interested in the latter, Songwriters on Songwriting: The Expanded Version (Da Capo, 1997), a collection of interviews between editor Paul Zollo and a variety of songwriters, including Webb, is the ticket. And Webb's nuts-and-bolts approach somehow undercuts every songwriter's need for that spark of absolute inspiration. While Webb's fans will revel in the behind-the-scenes details of his career and a candid view of his artistic process, others may wish that the asides, finger pointing (at arrogant co-writers) and Webb's own pet peeves (e.g., no-talent spouses who insist on songwriting credits on their partner's records) had been left out. Of greatest value, perhaps, are the exercises suggested for developing song ideas, which will help anyone stumbling through a period of writer's block.
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In addition to salient comments on today's music scene, Webb cites numerous examples from the past and includes sections on writing for the stage and film. Here he seeks to impart the tools of the trade to songwriters ""who may be attempting the delicate transition from amateur to professional."" Covering technical matters from basic chord theory and rhyme schemes to the protocol of pitching songs, Webb draws on a trove of personal anecdotes from a career spanning more than two decades. The only artist to receive Grammy Awards for music, lyrics and orchestration, Webb has written many of the most memorable songs performed by the Fifth Dimension (""Up, Up and Away""), Donna Summer (""MacArthur Park"") and Amy Grant (""If These Walls Could Speak""), among others.