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Ghost on the Canvas
The album cover features Campbell wearing a long black coat standing with an open guitar-case to his right and an acoustic guitar to his right. Above him are the words "GLEN CAMPBELL / GHOST ON THE CANVAS" written in white.
Studio album by Glen Campbell
ReleasedAugust 30, 2011 (2011-08-30)
Recorded2009–2010, with string arrangement recorded in Los Angeles in April 2010[1]
GenreCountry, pop, rock
Length42:02
LanguageEnglish
LabelSurfdog
Producer
Glen Campbell chronology
Meet Glen Campbell
(2008)		Ghost on the Canvas
(2011)		Glen Campbell and Jimmy Webb In Session
(2012)

Ghost on the Canvas is the sixty-first album by Glen Campbell, which was intended to be Campbell's farewell studio recording following him being diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.[2] The production of the album was announced in March 2010.[3]

Campbell and his wife delayed informing the public about his illness until shortly before he embarked on the Glen Campbell Goodbye Tour. The Campbells decided to announce his diagnosis so that his audience would understand[4] why the performer might mistake the lyrics to songs or behave erratically.[5] They also wished to combat the social stigma of Alzheimer's,[6] for the benefit of others suffering from the disease.[7]

Recording[edit]

Campbell first became aware of his affliction with Alzheimer's while recording the music in 2009,[8][failed verification] although his wife Kim had suspected that his memory was faulty several years prior.[9] Campbell and producer Julian Raymond decided to record one final studio album of original material while he was in good enough health[failed verification], with Raymond taking the lead to contact other artists for collaboration.[10]

The collaborative album is intended as a companion piece to 2008's Meet Glen Campbell—on that recording, Campbell recorded covers of contemporary songs to introduce himself to a new audience and this album includes younger rock stars to compose and record with Campbell.[1] Campbell worked with Raymond for those sessions and Raymond used a notebook to record Campbell's conversations between takes,[11] so the two could collaborate on writing new material[9] based on stories from Campbell's life,[6] starting with the autobiographical "A Better Place".[7] The title track—written by Paul Westerberg—previously appeared on Westerberg's 2009 extended play PW & The Ghost Gloves Cat Wing Joy Boys.

At the time of the album's release, Campbell expressed interest in possibly recording further material, but thought it unlikely that he would record an entire studio album.[12] He did, however, return to the studio long enough to produce two final albums: 2012's See You There which re-records many of his hits and was largely put to tape at the same time as Ghost on the Canvas[13] and 2017's covers album Adiós, recorded in 2013.

Reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
BBC MusicFavorable[14]
The Plain DealerA[15]
Consequence of Sound3.5/5 stars[16]
Financial Times4/5 stars[17]
The Independent3/5 stars[18]
Pitchfork Media6.5/10[19]
The Daily Telegraph4/5 stars[20]
The Washington PostMixed[21]

BBC Music reviewer Martin Aston has called Ghost on the Canvas "a fine way to bow out of the business", citing Rick Rubin's production work with Johnny Cash through American Recordings. Aston continued that Campbell's vocal performance remains strong and the instrumental interludes were reminiscent of The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds.[14] Consequence of Sound's Nick Freed also compared this album to Cash's final output, noting that Ghost on the Canvas and Cash's American Recordings material shift from straight country music to different pop genres.[16] Both Freed and Andy Gill of The Independent commented on the themes of mortality and finality in the lyrics.[18]

The Washington Post's Allison Stewart found the collaborative nature of the album a weakness, turning melancholy into overwrought sentiment.[21] Christopher Muther of The Boston Globe considers the album "gorgeous and charming", but finds the sentimentality "overshadows Campbell's emotional and musical growth."[22] Mick Brown of The Daily Telegraph has noted the hopeful tone of the lyrics, influenced by Campbell's deteriorating health.[9]

Mojo placed the album at number 44 on its list of the "Top 50 Albums of 2011".[23]

Track listing[edit]

All songs co-written by Glen Campbell and Julian Raymond, except where noted

  1. "A Better Place" – 1:51
  2. "Ghost on the Canvas" (Paul Westerberg) – 4:13
  3. "The Billstown Crossroads" (Roger Joseph Manning, Jr.) – 1:04
  4. "A Thousand Lifetimes" (Campbell, Justin Grey, and Raymond) – 4:09
  5. "It's Your Amazing Grace" – 3:14
  6. "Second Street North" (Manning) – 0:35
  7. "In My Arms" (Teddy Thompson) – 3:27
  8. "May 21, 1969" (Manning) – 0:34
  9. "Nothing But the Whole Wide World" (Jakob Dylan) – 3:41
  10. "Wild and Waste" (Manning) – 1:13
  11. "Hold on Hope" (Robert Pollard) – 3:33
  12. "Valley of the Son" (Manning) – 0:57
  13. "Any Trouble" (Westerberg)  – 3:00
  14. "Strong" – 3:33
  15. "The Rest Is Silence" (Manning) – 0:50
  16. "There's No Me... Without You" – 6:16
Amazon MP3 and iTunes Store bonus tracks
  2. "What I Wouldn't Give" – 2:38
  3. "Wish You Were Here" (Jimmy Webb) – 3:51 (song re-titled for this album, originally entitled "Postcard from Paris")
The deluxe edition of the album also includes five bonus tracks recorded on The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour
Note: Bonus tracks no longer included with Amazon MP3 purchase (December 5, 2015).

Tour[edit]

Main article: Glen Campbell Goodbye Tour

Personnel[edit]

  • Glen Campbell – acoustic and electric guitar, vocals
Additional musicians and composers
  • Kim Bullard – keyboards
  • Shannon Campbell – vocals
  • Chris Chaney – bass guitar
  • Vinnie Colaiuta – drums
  • Katie Cole – vocals
  • Billy Corgan – electric guitar on "There's No Me... Without You"
  • Dick Dale – electric guitar on "In My Arms"
  • George Doering – acoustic guitar, banjo, and mandolin
  • Eric Dover – vocals
  • Jakob Dylan – composition
  • Jason Falkner – acoustic and electric guitar, bass guitar
  • Josh Freese – drums
  • Jessy Greene - violin
  • Justin Grey – composition
  • Peter Holmström – electric guitar on "Strong"
  • Steve Hunter – electric guitar"There's No Me... Without You"
  • Chris Isaak – vocals on "In My Arms"
  • Corky James – acoustic guitar
  • Danny Levin – trumpet
  • Roger Joseph Manning, Jr. – keyboards, vocals
  • Wendy Melvoin – electric guitar
  • Rick Nielsen – electric guitar on "There's No Me... Without You"
  • Tim Pierce – acoustic and electric guitar, mandolin
  • Robert Pollard – composition
  • Zac Rac – keyboards
  • Julian Raymond – vocals, arrangement, production, co-writing
  • Marty Rifkin – dobro and pedal steel guitar on "There's No Me... Without You"
  • Brian Setzer – electric guitar on "In My Arms" and "There's No Me... Without You"
  • Eric Skodis – vocals
  • Aaron Sterling – drums
  • Courtney Taylor-Taylor – keyboards on "Strong"
  • Teddy Thompson – composition
  • Keith Urban
  • Michael Ward – electric guitar
  • Paul Westerberg – composition
  • Todd Youth – electric guitar
Technical staff
  • Chris Anthony – photography
  • Kii Arens – cover art
  • Brian Gardner – mastering
  • Dave Kaplan – executive production
  • Bennett Salvay – string arrangement, conducting
  • Scott Silver – executive production
  • Kevin Tetreault – art direction, layout
  • Howard Willing – production, engineering

Chart performance[edit]

Chart (2011)Peak
position
U.K. Albums Chart27
U.K. Country Albums Chart [24]2
U.S. Billboard 20024
U.S. Billboard Top Country Albums6
U.S. Billboard Top Independent Albums3

See also[edit]

  • Glen Campbell: I'll Be Me, a 2014 documentary

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Graff, Gary (2010-03-26). "Glen Campbell Enlists Jakob Dylan, Paul Westerberg For Farewell Album". Billboard. Retrieved 2011-06-23.
  2. ^ Hyden, Steven (2011-06-23). "Glen Campbell diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, plans one more album and tour". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 2011-06-23.
  3. ^ Roffman, Michael (2011-03-29). "Glen Campbell preps epic final exit". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 2011-06-23.
  4. ^ Clark, Champ (2011-06-22). "Glen Campbell Has Alzheimer's Disease". People. Retrieved 2011-06-23.
  5. ^ "US country music star Glen Campbell on living with Alzheimer's". BBC News. 2011-08-25. Retrieved 2011-08-27.
  6. ^ a b Hattenstone, Simon (2011-08-26). "Glen Campbell: One last love song". The Guardian. Retrieved 2011-08-27.
  7. ^ a b Lewis, Randy (2011-08-28). "Glen Campbell looks forward with gratitude". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2011-08-27.
  8. ^ Clark, Champ (2011-07-04), "Glen Campbell Has Alzheimer's Disease", People, Time, Inc., 76 (26): 68–70, ISSN 0093-7673
  9. ^ a b c McLean, Craig (2011-08-13). "Glen Campbell on music, memories and saying goodbye to life on the road". The Telegraph. Retrieved 2011-08-13.
  10. ^ Vaziri, Adin (2011-08-25). "Glen Campbell confronts his ghosts on final album". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2011-08-26.
  11. ^ Gundersen, Edna (2011-08-26). "For Glen Campbell, the past is a present". USA Today. Retrieved 2011-08-26.
  12. ^ Heathcote, Charlotte (2011-08-28). "Final Call for Rhinestone Cowboy". Daily Express. Retrieved 2011-08-28.
  13. ^ Erlwine, Stephen Thomas. "See You There – Glen Campbell". AllMusic Guide.
  14. ^ a b Aston, Martin (2011-08-18). "Glen Campbell Ghost on the Canvas Review". BBC Music. Retrieved 2011-08-18.
  15. ^ Soeder, John (2011-08-27). "Glen Campbell's 'Ghost in the Canvas' will take your breath away". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved 2011-08-27.
  16. ^ a b Freed, Nick (2011-03-29). "Album Review: Glen Campbell – Ghost on the Canvas". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 2011-08-25.
  17. ^ Clayton, Richard (2011-08-27). "Glen Campbell: Ghost on the Canvas". The Financial Times. Retrieved 2011-08-27.
  18. ^ a b Gill, Andy (2011-08-26). "Album: Glen Campbell, Ghost on the Canvas (Surfdog)". The Independent. Retrieved 2011-08-25.
  19. ^ Deusner, Stephen M. (2011-08-31). "Glen Campbell:Ghost on the Canvas". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 2011-09-01.
  20. ^ Brown, Mick (2011-09-05). "Glen Campbell: Ghost on the Canvas, CD review". The Telegraph. Retrieved 2011-09-05.
  21. ^ a b Stewart, Allison (2011-08-26). "Album review: Glen Campbell, "Ghost on the Canvas"". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2011-08-27.
  22. ^ Muther, Christopher (2011-08-29). "'Ghost on the Canvas' by Glen Campbell". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 2011-08-29.
  23. ^ "MOJO's Top 50 Albums of 2011". Stereogum. December 2, 2011. Retrieved December 16, 2011.
  24. ^ "2011-11-05 Top 40 Country Artist Albums Archive". Official Charts Company. 2011-11-05. Retrieved 2012-04-12.

External links[edit]

  • Official website
  • Press release from Surfdog Records
  • Ghost on the Canvas at AllMusic
  • Ghost on the Canvas at MusicBrainz (list of releases)
  • Ghost on the Canvas at Metacritic
  • Chart history from Billboard.com