Ghost of a Dog explained

Ghost of a Dog
Type:	studio
Artist:	Edie Brickell & New Bohemians
Cover:	Edie Brickell - Ghost of a Dog.jpg
Released:	October 30, 1990^[1]
Genre:	Alternative rock, jangle pop, folk-rock
Length:	53:29
Label:	Geffen
Producer:	Tony Berg
Prev Title:	Shooting Rubberbands at the Stars
Prev Year:	1988
Next Title:	Stranger Things
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Ghost of a Dog is the second album by American alternative rock band Edie Brickell & New Bohemians, released in 1990.^{[2] [3]}

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.^[4] After a tour in support of the album, the band decided to take an indefinite hiatus.^[5]

Production

The 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.^[6]

Critical reception

The 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."^[7] 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." The New York Times declared that none of the songs recaptured the charm of the first album's "What I Am".^[8] 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."^[9]

Personnel

The 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

• 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

Album – Billboard (United States)

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 and References

1. 6 October 1990. October see onslaught of boxed sets, star releases. Billboard. 84. 9 June 2022.
2. Web site: Edie Brickell & New Bohemians | Biography & History. AllMusic.
3. Web site: Sings Like an Angel, Laughs Like a Texan. December 24, 1990. Christian Science Monitor.
4. Web site: She'll take songs over spotlight . Dallas Morning News . 2012-07-14.
5. Web site: What It Is. www.austinchronicle.com.
6. Web site: The Garden of Edie. New York Magazine. November 12, 1990. New York Media, LLC. Google Books.
7. Web site: 1/2 EDIE BRICKELL & NEW BOHEMIANS "Ghost of a Dog" Geffen. October 28, 1990. Los Angeles Times.
8. Web site: Review/Music; Rock by Edie Brickell and New Bohemians (Published 1990). Stephen. Holden. December 16, 1990. NYTimes.com.
9. Web site: WHAT IS SHE?. Chris. Willman. chicagotribune.com.
10. Web site: Edie Brickell. Billboard.