The Webb Sessions: 1968-1969 (1996)

About this title: A U.K. two-fer of Richard Harris' first two albums, 1968's A Tramp Shining and 1969's The Yard Went on Forever, The Webb Sessions: 1968-1969 is a handy introduction to some of the most over the top work by Jim Webb, perhaps the most cheerfully perverse songwriter of the '60s. Gifted with a brilliant sense of melody and an ear for wonderfully rich, almost symphonic arrangements, Webb was also fond of downright bizarre lyrical conceits that couched deep emotions in some of the most outlandish metaphors in pop history. (Who can forget "MacArthur Park" and its central image of a cake dissolving ... read more

Tracks:

1. Prelude/Didn't We?/Interlude [Webb]
2. Paper Chase/Interlude [Webb]
3. Name of My Sorrow/Interlude [Webb]
4. Lovers Such as I [Webb]
5. In the Final Hours [Webb]
6. MacArthur Park [Webb]
7. Dancing Girl/Interlude [Webb]
8. If You Must Leave My Life [Webb]
9. A Tramp Shining [Webb]
10. The Yard Went on Forever [Webb]
11. Watermark [Webb]
12. Interim [Webb]
13. Gayla [Webb]
14. The Hymns from the Grand Terrace [Webb]
15. The Hive [Webb]
16. Lucky Me [Webb]
17. That's the Way It Was [Webb]
18. One of the Nicer Things [Webb]

Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is further described below.