Jimmy Webb has released “Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea”, the second single from his forthcoming archival album Yours For The Taking: The Found Songs Of Jimmy Webb.
by Paul Cashmere
Jimmy Webb has released “Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea”, the second preview of Yours For The Taking: The Found Songs Of Jimmy Webb, a collection of 13 previously unreleased compositions spanning more than six decades of his songwriting career. The album is scheduled for October 16, 2026 through Sun Records, following the release of the first single, “Winter Clothes (Original Demo)”.
“Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea” gives another indication of the breadth of material Webb retained in his personal archive. The song is one of the previously unheard compositions being brought into the catalogue through a project developed with producer Fred Mollin, who had safeguarded many of Webb’s songs.
The album is notable because the material was not assembled as a collection of abandoned fragments. Webb has described the songs as completed compositions that, for various reasons, did not receive the recordings he originally anticipated. Some were written with particular performers in mind, while others remained in his archive without finding an appropriate recording opportunity.
That history places “Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea” within a broader examination of Webb’s songwriting career rather than simply presenting it as a new standalone recording.
Yours For The Taking combines two original demos with 11 newly produced performances. The recordings were made in Nashville, New York and Los Angeles, with Webb’s piano-led compositions providing the basis for a group of guest performances.
Among those collaborators are Graham Nash, Beth Nielsen Chapman, Michael McDonald, Amy Grant, Marc Cohn and Justin Currie. Nash performs on a new version of “Winter Clothes”, while Nielsen Chapman contributes to “If I Ever Get To Talk To You Again”. McDonald appears on “Farther Than Eyes Can See”, Grant on “As Long As Life Goes On”, Cohn on “The Man In The Moon” and Currie on the title track.
Webb’s son Cornelius Webb and Cal Campbell, son of the late Glen Campbell, perform on “I Miss The Mistakes”, a song originally submitted to Dolly Parton.
The collection draws from different periods of Webb’s career. “Winter Clothes” was written with Frank Sinatra in mind almost 50 years ago. “If I Ever Get To Talk To You Again” was inspired by Webb seeing Joni Mitchell perform at the Troubadour in Los Angeles in the early 1970s. “Yours For The Taking” had previously been offered to Linda Ronstadt.
Webb has framed the project as an opportunity to return to songs he left behind during a particularly prolific period of his career.
“A younger Jimmy Webb wrote these songs, decades ago. He was in a rush, he was hard on himself and his works. He was moving fast and leaving songs behind,” Webb said when the album was announced. “Now, on the eve of my 80th birthday, a more relaxed, more creative and more grounded Jimmy Webb is announcing the release of these deserving songs that I have found, toiled over, and then collaborated with an extraordinary group of people on, so we can finally share them with the world. They are Yours For The Taking.”
The archival project adds another chapter to one of the most substantial songwriting catalogues in American popular music. Webb wrote “Up, Up And Away”, “By The Time I Get To Phoenix”, “MacArthur Park”, “Wichita Lineman”, “Galveston” and “Highwayman”, with his compositions recorded across pop, country, rock and other genres.
His association with Glen Campbell was particularly significant. Campbell recorded “By The Time I Get To Phoenix”, “Wichita Lineman” and “Galveston”, helping establish Webb as one of the leading American songwriters of his generation. “Up, Up And Away”, recorded by The 5th Dimension, became another defining composition and earned Webb major Grammy recognition.
Webb also maintained a recording career of his own, releasing albums including Words And Music, And So: On, Letters, Land’s End, El Mirage and Angel Heart. His later work included Suspended Disbelief, Ten Easy Pieces, Twilight Of The Renegades, Just Across The River and Still Within The Sound Of My Voice.
His songwriting recognition includes induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1986 and the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1990. “Wichita Lineman” was added to the National Recording Registry in 2019.
Yours For The Taking consequently serves two purposes. It documents songs that remained outside Webb’s established catalogue while allowing those compositions to be interpreted by contemporary performers. “Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea” extends that process with another previously unheard work finally receiving its place in the public record.
Webb is also scheduled to perform selected dates from November, including appearances in New York City on November 1, Boston on November 7 and Roslyn, New York, on November 21. His official 80th birthday celebration is scheduled for February 4, 2027, at the Palm Springs Cultural Center in California.
The album will contain 13 tracks, including new recordings of “Winter Clothes” and “If I Ever Get To Talk To You Again” alongside their original demos.
Tracklisting
Never Say Die
Winter Clothes (feat. Graham Nash)
If I Ever Get To Talk To You Again (feat. Beth Nielsen Chapman)
Yours For The Taking (feat. Justin Currie)
Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea
My Golden Girl
Farther Than Eyes Can See (feat. Michael McDonald)
I Miss The Mistakes
Almost Alright Again
The Man In The Moon (feat. Marc Cohn)
As Long As Life Goes On (feat. Amy Grant)
Winter Clothes (Original Demo)
If I Ever Get To Talk To You Again (Original Demo)
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