Duets: Ghost on the Canvas Sessions

by Glen Campbell

Overview

Pay attention, because this can get confusing. Glen Campbell intended his 2011 album Ghost on the Canvas as a farewell album of sorts. Aware of his declining faculties due to the onset of Alzheimer's, he, his family, and producer Julian Raymond decided that he could summon the energy for a final record, one that was cut between 2009 and 2010. As it turns out, Campbell was well enough to continue recording for a few more years, sessions that resulted in 2013's See You There and 2017's Adiós, albums that found him revisiting his hits and favorite songs, respectively. Campbell died after the release of Adiós, and apart from the release of Sings for the King -- a collection of demo recordings intended as guides for Elvis Presley -- there wasn't much activity on the posthumous release front until Ghost on the Canvas approached its tenth anniversary. Dave Kaplan -- the head of Surfdog Records, the label that put the album out back in 2011 -- decided to revisit the original record by recasting it as a series of newly recorded duets, à la what Natalie Cole did with her father, Nat "King" Cole, and "Unforgettable" in 1991. Enlisting a varied cast of duet partners -- superstars like Carole King, Sting, Elton John, Dolly Parton, and Brian Wilson sit alongside X, Hope Sandoval, Brian Setzer, and Eric Church -- Kaplan retains some of the sumptuous nature of the original Ghost on the Canvas, but opening the album up to other singers removes some of the haunting quality of the 2011 set. Another big difference is the absence of Roger Manning, Jr. songs: every one of his five songs is missing, replaced by "I'm Not Gonna Miss You," the theme song from the 2014 documentary Glen Campbell: I'll Be Me. While some of the pairings seem unnatural on paper, the results are generally seamless: although X may seem painted onto "Any Trouble," they play with great affection, as does Setzer on "In My Arms," while Sandoval suits the delicate "The Long Walk Home," Sting doesn't seem out of place singing Paul Westerberg, nor does Church seem ill at ease with the words of Robert Pollard. Ultimately, Duets: Ghost on the Canvas Sessions is an effective revision of a good album, one that complements the original without replacing it. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	04/19/2024
Label:	Big Machine Records
UPC:	0843930090211

Tracks

1. There's No Me¿Without You
2. Ghost on the Canvas
3. Hold On Hope
4. The Long Walk Home
5. Nothing But the Whole Wide World
6. In My Arms
7. A Better Place
8. Strong
9. A Thousand Lifetimes
10. It's Your Amazing Grace
11. Any Trouble
12. I'm Not Gonna Miss You

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Glen Campbell   Primary Artist,Vocals,Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric)
Sting   Primary Artist,Primary Artist,Vocals,Featured Artist
Eric Clapton   Primary Artist,Guitar,Vocals,Featured Artist
Hope Sandoval   Primary Artist,Vocals,Featured Artist
Dave Stewart   Primary Artist,Primary Artist,Featured Artist
Brian Wilson   Primary Artist,Vocals,Featured Artist
Eric Church   Primary Artist,Vocals,Featured Artist
Elton John   Primary Artist,Vocals,Featured Artist
Daryl Hall   Primary Artist,Vocals,Featured Artist
X   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
Linda Perry   Primary Artist,Featured Artist,Vocals
Brian Setzer   Primary Artist,Vocals,Featured Artist,Guitar (Electric)
Carole King   Primary Artist,Vocals,Featured Artist
Dolly Parton   Primary Artist,Vocals,Featured Artist
Tim Lauer   Piano
Billy Zoom   Guitar
Kim Bullard   Keyboards
Ryan Feves   Double Bass
Eric Dover   Vocals (Background)
Exene Cervenka   Vocals
Tom Bukovac   Guitar (Electric)
John Doe   Guitar (Bass)
Chad Cromwell   Drums
Jason Falkner   Guitar (Electric)
Wendy Melvoin   Guitar (Electric)
Josh Freese   Drums
Marty Rifkin   Guitar (Steel)
Julian Raymond   Vocals (Background)
Peter Jacobson   Cello,Double Bass
Probyn Gregory   Guitar,Trumpet,French Horn
Mike Brignardello   Guitar (Bass)
Heather Lockie   Viola,Cello
George Doering   Guitar (Acoustic)
Derrick Anderson   Bass
Tim Pierce   Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric)
Todd Youth   Guitar (Electric)
Darian Sahanaja   Keyboards,Percussion,Vocals (Background)
Jim Laspesa   Drums
Vinnie Colaiuta   Drums
Dave Rowe   Double Bass,Bass (Upright)
Dick Dale   Guitar (Electric)
Paul Von Mertens   Piano,Conductor,Saxophone
Paul Franklin   Guitar (Steel)
Chris Chaney   Guitar (Bass)
Eric Skodis   Vocals (Background)
Roger Manning   Keyboards,Vocals (Background)
Eric "km" Clark   Viola,Violin
Kaitlin Wolfberg   Violin
DJ Bonebreak   Drums
Madeline Falcone   Viola,Violin
Tess Scott-Suhrstedt   Cello,Viola

Technical Credits

Ted Jensen   Mastering,Mastering Engineer
Tim Lauer   Instrumentation
Lars Fox   Editing,Engineer
Tom Bukovac   Instrumentation
Dolly Parton   Vocal Producer
Jason Hall   Vocal Engineer
Jason Orris   Vocal Engineer
Martin Kierszenbaum   Vocal Producer
Howard Willing   Mixing,Engineer,Vocal Engineer
Rob Schnapf   Mixing,Engineer,Producer,Vocal Producer
Robert Pollard   Composer
Linda Perry   Vocal Producer
Julian Raymond   A&R,Composer,Producer,Vocal Producer
Debbie Shair   Logistics,Special Participation
Dave Stewart   Mixing,Engineer,Vocal Producer,Mixing,Engineer,Producer
Brian Wilson   Producer,Vocal Producer
Glen Campbell   Editing,Composer
Darian Sahanaja   Mixing,Engineer,Producer,Vocal Engineer,Vocal Producer
Dave Kaplan   Producer,Vocal Producer
Teddy Thompson   Composer
Jakob Dylan   Composer
Giles Martin   Engineer,Vocal Engineer,Vocal Producer
Paul Von Mertens   Producer,Vocal Producer
Paul Westerberg   Composer
Simon Climie   Mixing,Engineer,Vocal Producer
Scott Borchetta   Producer,Executive Producer
Kii Arens   Cover Photo
Jeff Pinn   Vocal Engineer,Vocal Producer
Sandi Spika Borchetta   Art Direction
Doug Rich   Production Coordination
Justin Gray   Composer
Justin Ford   Art Direction
Scott Seine   Producer,Executive Producer
Justin Grey   Composer
Tony Lake   Engineer,Vocal Engineer
Robbie Wood   Vocal Engineer
Jesse Samler   Programming,Vocal Engineer
Holly McBryde   Graphic Design