Cool album alert! Glen Campbell’s “Ghost On The Canvas” is awesome! I have to admit I’m a Glen Campbell fan from way back. I can remember my grandfather listening to him in the early 70’s in his Oldsmobile Delta 88 with 455 Rocket engine on 8-track. Witchita Lineman, Galveston, By The Time I Get To Phoenix and so many more. Some people also forget (or don’t know) that Glen was a top session player and could play his ass off! He was part of the Wrecking Crew that played on a ton of hits and he was also a Beach Boy for a spell. Needless to say Glen has had an amazing career and colorful life.
Fast forward to 2011 and Glen is diagnosed with Alzheimers disease. This album and tour will be his last. A little bittersweet if you ask me. Anyway, this album is excellent. The writing, arrangements, production, everything. Glen’s voice tells it like it is with great emotion that goes right to your heart. It’s very interesting how each song blends right into the next without the standard few seconds of silence between each track. I hear many different tastes of other influences in Julian Raymond’s production. There’s classic Campbell, some Pet Sounds, threads of later Beatle sounds (think Abbey Road), some Bruce Springsteen “Working On A Dream” and Country of course. The cast of characters on this album is interesting as well; Dick Dale, Brian Setzer, Chris Issak, Rick Nielson, Vinnie Colaiuta, Billy Corgan and contributing writers Paul Westerberg and Jakob Dylan. Whew! I would have loved to been a ‘fly on the wall’ for the sessions.
This is simply a great album and I find myself listening to it as I work in my shop throughout the day. The layers of sounds are very interesting and the songs engaging. It’s not very often that an album moves me but this one did. I’m sure a lot of people will really like it. God bless you Glen and thanks for the decades of great music!!
Click here for more information about this album.