Ghost of a Dog is the second album by American alternative rock band Edie Brickell & New Bohemians, released in 1990.[7][8]
| Ghost of a Dog | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | October 30, 1990[1] | |||
| Genre | Alternative rock, jangle pop, folk-rock | |||
| Length | 53:29 | |||
| Label | Geffen[2] | |||
| Producer | Tony Berg[3] | |||
| Edie Brickell & New Bohemians chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [4] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [5] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B−[6] |
| MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide | [3] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide |  [2] |
In the printed lyrics that accompany the album, each song has a word with a single letter missing. In order, they spell out "ghost of a dog."
The album sold about 500,000 copies.[9] After a tour in support of the album, the band decided to take an indefinite hiatus.[10]
Production
editThe album was produced by Tony Berg. Unlike on the debut, where many tracks used session musicians, the New Bohemians play throughout Ghost of a Dog.[11]
Critical reception
editThe Los Angeles Times thought that "Brickell and the Bohemians band do a reasonable job of recycling the soothing elements of ‘60s pop-folk, but her own views are so childlike and her images so often pointless that it’s hard to work up any feeling for them."[12] Entertainment Weekly wrote: "Brickell can write lyrically about the difference between the desire for romantic independence and desire itself. But just when she starts to show some grit, she’ll drift toward smiley-faced ditties like 'Oak Cliff Bra' — songs so cloying they make you wonder if Brickell underwent a lobotomy between tracks."[6] The New York Times declared that none of the songs recaptured the charm of the first album's "What I Am".[13] The Chicago Tribune wrote that Brickell's "ability to write wisely about the bad stuff of romance with a marked lack of anger toward the opposite sex makes her unique and-for postmodern romantics-endearing."[14]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Mama Help Me" | Edie Brickell, Kenny Withrow, John Bush | 4:02 |
| 2. | "Black and Blue" | Edie Brickell | 3:55 |
| 3. | "Carmelito" | Edie Brickell, Kenny Withrow, Wes Burt-Martin, Brad Houser, Matt Chamberlain, John Bush | 4:12 |
| 4. | "He Said" | Edie Brickell | 5:24 |
| 5. | "Times Like This" | Edie Brickell, Kenny Withrow | 2:56 |
| 6. | "10,000 Angels" | Edie Brickell, Kenny Withrow, John Bush | 6:06 |
| 7. | "Ghost of a Dog" | Edie Brickell, Kenny Withrow | 1:34 |
| 8. | "Strings of Love" | Edie Brickell, Kenny Withrow | 4:13 |
| 9. | "Woyaho" | Edie Brickell, Kenny Withrow | 2:34 |
| 10. | "Oak Cliff Bra" | Edie Brickell | 1:28 |
| 11. | "Stwisted" | Edie Brickell | 5:09 |
| 12. | "This Eye" | Edie Brickell | 3:18 |
| 13. | "Forgiven" | Edie Brickell, Kenny Withrow, Wes Burt-Martin, Brad Houser, Matt Chamberlain, John Bush | 5:35 |
| 14. | "Me By the Sea" | Edie Brickell | 3:03 |
Personnel
editThe New Bohemians
- Edie Brickell – vocals, acoustic guitar
- Kenny Withrow – acoustic guitar, electric guitar, dobro, slide guitar, backing vocals
- Wes Burt-Martin – acoustic guitar, electric guitar, backing vocals, string arrangements (9)
- Brad Houser – bass
- Matt Chamberlain – drums
- John Bush – percussion
Additional musicians
- Tony Berg – keyboards, guitars, string arrangements (9)
- Paul Fox – keyboards
- Danny Timms – acoustic piano (1)
- Jo-El Sonnier – accordion (3)
- Paul "Wix" Wickens – keyboards (8)
- David Mansfield – acoustic guitar (8)
- Larry Corbett – cello (9)
- Novi Novog – viola (9)
- Sid Page – violin (9)
- John Lydon – backing vocals (8)
Production
edit- Tony Berg – producer, mixing (5, 14)
- Chris Lord-Alge – recording
- Susan Rogers – recording, mixing (7, 12)
- David Thoener – recording
- Ken Jordan – additional recording
- Greg Goldman – assistant engineer
- Mike Reiter – assistant engineer
- Bob Clearmountain – mixing (1–4, 6, 8–11, 13)
- George Marino – mastering
- Robin Sloane – creative director
- Lyn Bradley – design, layout
- Janet Wolsborn – design, layout
- Ann Cutting – photographic tinting
Studios
- Recorded at Bearsville Studios (Bearsville, New York); The Village Recorder and Zeitgeist Studios (Los Angeles, California).
- Mixed at A&M Studios (Hollywood, California).
- Mastered at Sterling Sound (New York City, New York).
Charts
editAlbum – Billboard (United States)
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | The Billboard 200 | 32[15] |
Singles – Billboard (United States)
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | "Mama Help Me" | Mainstream Rock Tracks | 26 |
| 1990 | "Mama Help Me" | Modern Rock Tracks | 17 |
Notes
edit- ^ "October see onslaught of boxed sets, star releases" (PDF). Billboard. 6 October 1990. p. 84. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
- ^ a b The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 81.
- ^ a b MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1999. p. 158.
- ^ Ghost of a Dog at AllMusic
- ^ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 1. MUZE. p. 831.
- ^ a b "Ghost of a Dog". EW.com.
- ^ "Edie Brickell & New Bohemians | Biography & History". AllMusic.
- ^ "Sings Like an Angel, Laughs Like a Texan". December 24, 1990 – via Christian Science Monitor.
- ^ "She'll take songs over spotlight". Dallas Morning News. Retrieved 2012-07-14.
- ^ "What It Is". www.austinchronicle.com.
- ^ "The Garden of Edie". New York Magazine. New York Media, LLC. November 12, 1990 – via Google Books.
- ^ "1/2 EDIE BRICKELL & NEW BOHEMIANS "Ghost of a Dog" Geffen". Los Angeles Times. October 28, 1990.
- ^ Holden, Stephen (December 16, 1990). "Review/Music; Rock by Edie Brickell and New Bohemians (Published 1990)" – via NYTimes.com.
- ^ Willman, Chris. "WHAT IS SHE?". chicagotribune.com.
- ^ "Edie Brickell". Billboard.