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
ReleasedOctober 30, 1990[1]
GenreAlternative rock, jangle pop, folk-rock
Length53:29
LabelGeffen[2]
ProducerTony Berg[3]
Edie Brickell & New Bohemians chronology
Shooting Rubberbands at the Stars
(1988)
Ghost of a Dog
(1990)
Stranger Things
(2006)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[4]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[5]
Entertainment WeeklyB−[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

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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.[11]

Critical reception

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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."[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

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No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Mama Help Me"Edie Brickell, Kenny Withrow, John Bush4:02
2."Black and Blue"Edie Brickell3:55
3."Carmelito"Edie Brickell, Kenny Withrow, Wes Burt-Martin, Brad Houser, Matt Chamberlain, John Bush4:12
4."He Said"Edie Brickell5:24
5."Times Like This"Edie Brickell, Kenny Withrow2:56
6."10,000 Angels"Edie Brickell, Kenny Withrow, John Bush6:06
7."Ghost of a Dog"Edie Brickell, Kenny Withrow1:34
8."Strings of Love"Edie Brickell, Kenny Withrow4:13
9."Woyaho"Edie Brickell, Kenny Withrow2:34
10."Oak Cliff Bra"Edie Brickell1:28
11."Stwisted"Edie Brickell5:09
12."This Eye"Edie Brickell3:18
13."Forgiven"Edie Brickell, Kenny Withrow, Wes Burt-Martin, Brad Houser, Matt Chamberlain, John Bush5:35
14."Me By the Sea"Edie Brickell3:03

Personnel

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The New Bohemians

Additional musicians

Production

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  • 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

Charts

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AlbumBillboard (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

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  1. ^ "October see onslaught of boxed sets, star releases" (PDF). Billboard. 6 October 1990. p. 84. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
  2. ^ a b The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 81.
  3. ^ a b MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1999. p. 158.
  4. ^ Ghost of a Dog at AllMusic
  5. ^ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 1. MUZE. p. 831.
  6. ^ a b "Ghost of a Dog". EW.com.
  7. ^ "Edie Brickell & New Bohemians | Biography & History". AllMusic.
  8. ^ "Sings Like an Angel, Laughs Like a Texan". December 24, 1990 – via Christian Science Monitor.
  9. ^ "She'll take songs over spotlight". Dallas Morning News. Retrieved 2012-07-14.
  10. ^ "What It Is". www.austinchronicle.com.
  11. ^ "The Garden of Edie". New York Magazine. New York Media, LLC. November 12, 1990 – via Google Books.
  12. ^ "1/2 EDIE BRICKELL & NEW BOHEMIANS "Ghost of a Dog" Geffen". Los Angeles Times. October 28, 1990.
  13. ^ Holden, Stephen (December 16, 1990). "Review/Music; Rock by Edie Brickell and New Bohemians (Published 1990)" – via NYTimes.com.
  14. ^ Willman, Chris. "WHAT IS SHE?". chicagotribune.com.
  15. ^ "Edie Brickell". Billboard.