Ghost on the Canvas

Ghost on the Canvas
Studio album by Glen Campbell
Released	August 30, 2011 (2011-08-30)
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	Julian Raymond and Howard Willing
Glen Campbell chronology
Meet Glen Campbell (2008)Meet Glen Campbell2008 Ghost on the Canvas (2011) Glen Campbell and Jimmy Webb In Session (2012)Glen Campbell and Jimmy Webb In Session2012

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

Campbell first became aware of his affliction with Alzheimer's while recording the music in 2009,^[8] 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, 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 albums 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, See You There and Adiós, in late 2012 and early 2013.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
BBC Music	Favorable[13]
The Plain Dealer	A[14]
Consequence of Sound	[15]
Financial Times	[16]
The Independent	[17]
Pitchfork Media	6.5/10[18]
The Daily Telegraph	[19]
The Washington Post	Mixed[20]

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.^[13] 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.^[15] Both Freed and Andy Gill of The Independent commented on the themes of mortality and finality in the lyrics.^[17]

The Washington Post's Allison Stewart found the collaborative nature of the album a weakness, turning melancholy into overwrought sentiment.^[20] Christopher Muther of The Boston Globe considers the album "gorgeous and charming", but finds the sentimentality "overshadows Campbell's emotional and musical growth."^[21] 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".^[22]

Track listing

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

17. "What I Wouldn't Give" – 2:38
18. "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).

Good Times – The Final Farewell Tour

Campbell was supported on tour by roots band 'Instant People',^[23] which includes all three of his children with current wife Kim, sons Cal on drums and Shannon on guitar, and daughter Ashley on banjo and keyboards^[24] as well as daughter Debby from a previous marriage. His eldest daughter Debby sang harmony.^[25] Prior to the tour, they played a show in Biloxi, Mississippi^[26] previewing the line-up.^[27] On September 15, 2011, Debby announced her departure from the band.^[28]

Tour dates

Festivals and other miscellaneous performances

^A This concert was a part of "CMA Music Festival"

^B This concert was a part of "Elkhart County 4-H Fair"

^C This concert was a part of "Ozark Empire Fair"

Cancellations and rescheduled shows

Box office score data

Setlist

1. "Gentle on My Mind"
2. "By the Time I Get to Phoenix"
3. "Galveston"
4. "Where's the Playground Susie"
5. "I Can't Stop Loving You"
6. "Lovesick Blues"
7. "Let It Be Me"
8. "True Grit"
9. "Rollin' (In My Sweet Baby's Arms)"
10. "It's Only Make Believe"
11. "Dueling Banjos"
12. "Didn't We"
13. "Southern Nights"
14. "Wichita Lineman"
15. "Rhinestone Cowboy"
16. "You've Lost That Loving Feeling"

Encore

17. "In My Arms"
18. "A Better Place"

The setlist has changed. Later in the tour, the setlist has excluded some songs that were played earlier, such as "Let It Be Me", "Didn't We", "You've Lost That Loving Feeling", and "Rollin'". After having been played for a few months, "Ghost on the Canvas" was dropped from the set in January after having caused too many troubles for Glen. New additions have included "The Moon's a Harsh Mistress", "Any Trouble", and "Dreams of the Everyday Housewife".

Personnel

• 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 More 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
• Jessie Green – violin
• Justin Grey – composition
• Peter Holmström – electric guitar on "Strong"
• Steve Hunter – electric guitar
• 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 More 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 More Me... Without You"
• Brian Setzer – electric guitar on "In My Arms" and "There's No More 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

See also

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

References

External links

• 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