Loading AI tools
2011 studio album by Glen Campbell From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ghost on the Canvas is the sixty-first album by Glen Campbell. It was intended as Campbell's farewell studio recording following his diagnosis with Alzheimer's disease.[2] The production of the album was announced in March 2010.[3]
| Ghost on the Canvas | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 30 August 2011 | |||
| Recorded | 2009–2010, with string arrangement recorded in Los Angeles in April 2010[1] | |||
| Genre | Country, pop, rock | |||
| Length | 42:02 | |||
| Language | English | |||
| Label | Surfdog | |||
| Producer |
| |||
| Glen Campbell chronology | ||||
| ||||
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 audiences 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]
Campbell first became aware of his affliction with Alzheimer's while recording the music in 2009,[8][failed verification] although his wife Kim had noted memory lapses 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.
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| BBC Music | Favorable[14] |
| The Plain Dealer | A[15] |
| Consequence of Sound |    [16] |
| Financial Times | [17] |
| The Independent | [18] |
| Pitchfork Media | 6.5/10[19] |
| The Daily Telegraph | [20] |
| The Washington Post | Mixed[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]
All songs co-written by Glen Campbell and Julian Raymond, except where noted
Campbell promoted this album with his final concert tour.
Additional musicians and composers
Technical staff
| Chart (2011) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Country Albums Chart [24] | 2 |
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.
Every time you click a link to Wikipedia, Wiktionary or Wikiquote in your browser's search results, it will show the modern Wikiwand interface.
Wikiwand extension is a five stars, simple, with minimum permission required to keep your browsing private, safe and transparent.
