Jimmy Webb
A Tramp Shining
A Tramp Shining was released on Dunhill
(DS-50032) in 1968 and is now available on two different CD's; on MCA (MCAD-10780)
as "A Tramp Shining"
and on Raven (RVCD-52) as "Richard
Harris - The Webb Sessions 1968-1969" which also includes the follow
up album "The Yard Went On Forever".
Prelude (0:23) Didn't We (2:24) Interlude
(0:27) Paper Chase (2:15) Interlude (0:33) Name
Of My Sorrow (3:21) Interlude (0:26) Lovers
Such As I (3:36) In The Final Hours (2:45) Mac Arthur
Park (7:20) Dancing Girl (2:06) Interlude (0:19) If
You Must Leave My Life (3:18) A Tramp Shining (2:22)
This album containes the hit
MacArthur Park.
MacArthur Park
broke in on FM in 68. In 1968, at least in New York, AM consisted
of "hit" radio, the top stations being WABC and WMCA. They
would only play the top 20 or 30 records and repeat them over and over
again and limited playing time to the 2 to 2 1/2 minute ditty. On
FM it was a different story. They played album cuts and took
pride in playing the "long" cuts and long versions of records. I
believe that when New York's FM stations finally started playing the 7
minute 20 second version of MacArthur Park it already was a big hit on
the West Coast. The cryptic line "someone left my cake
out in the rain" was all the rage, but what seemed to make the song
very popular was the up tempo instrumental break in the middle of the song
and the infamous, very high "oh no" at the end of the song, obviously
song by one of the female backup singers, (someone emailed me that this
is really an all boys choir) but mistakenly or jokeingly attributted to
Harris. Despite not being played by the AM hit stations, it
had enough FM play to break the top ten. The AM stations finally
gave in and started playing it. I remember that summer by that
song. It dominated the summer of 68; a time of war; the draft;
free love; the Democratic convention and general political upheavel. I
was 19 years old back then, and I remember having a couple of younger friends
that had just come back from a trip to California. I remember
them saying, "Have you heard that 'cake' song?" When
I finally did, it blew my mind. I had to find out who wrote
it. When I did, I became a Mr. Webb fan for life. But
what struck me the most about the song were the words. Sure,
"someone left my cake out in the rain" sounds kinda corny, even
stupid. But these were the times. Words of songs,
at least on the FM dial, were written to make you think.
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