Customer Reviews

Ghost of a Dog

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Few albums come along that can truly capture a genuine moment, an emotion trapped in time that you forever associate with a certain time of your life. Ghost of a Dog is that album. I can still remember being in high school and having a crush on the kid that lent me this cassette tape and changed my life. That was 3 years after the album came out, in 1993 and I was 15 and confused. I used to take walks on the beach near my school and every now and then, close my eyes and look up to feel the sun beaming against the lids of my eyes just as a warm breeze gently touched me--that moment is captured in "Me By The Sea".

Here we are, 11 years later and Ghost of a dog is a cd which is now in my Ipod.

If you're a lover of breakup songs, they dont get more bittersweet than "He Said". If its yearning you feel, try "10, 000 angels" (come to me, I really want you...).

Ghost of a dog itself truly is a gem of an acoustic strum. Anyone who has ever suffered the loss of a pet will find this song both amusing and sad.

In my humble opinion, there are no weak songs on this album, but if i had to choos one, it would be the opener, "Mama Help me". Perhaps this is why the critics were not in love with it? As a whole, that song just doesnt mesh well with the others.

If your a constant lover of songs about Life, Love and Death, you must own this album. I can guarantee you will fall for at least half the songs on it.

"There's a big door with a little window and the whole world is peaking through...Lay your head on my pillow, I want to take care of you..."

If I remember correctly, critics and the public pretty much ignored this second release, which is their loss!! This is definitely their most eclectic release, but that's a big plus in my book. A lot of these songs are performed with wonderful acoustic soundscapes. "Times Like This" is beautiful, "Stwisted" is one of my all-time favorites, as is the beautiful and painful "Me By The Sea" - which reminded me a lot of myself back in those days. "This Eye" is really cool too. While I consider "Shooting Rubberbands at the Stars" to be their best recording, this second release actually contains most of my all-time favorite Edie recordings.

It takes a couple of songs to get into it, but if you're an Edie fan, you'll get it. This is a lifesaver album for me as Led Zeppelin was when I was a teen. The songs can relate with whatever's going on with you right now. It's hard to put my finger on my favorite song on this one, but I call her "Ozzy Brickell" on "Forgiven".

This is a very full album. Full of sound and soul, deep and whimsical at times. If you don't have it, you're missing out on something truly unique.

I was always lukewarm to Edie Brickell until I was at a friends house once in Montana where this disc was playing. Immediately it grabbed me and eight years later it resides in a (probably) permanent place in my top five favorites of all time. That the band's best work (this disc) never saw the radio doesn't surprise me, but still saddens me deeply.

If you value the musical passion of people like Laura Nyro, Jeff Buckly, Joni Mitchell, Elliot Smith, Jeff Mangum (Neutral Milk Hotel), Amiee Mann and Kate Bush then you need to consider Edie Brickell as a true peer. The fact that her monster talent might not be expected makes the music here all that much more rewarding.

First of all, I should confess I have a sort of soft spot for this band. Some of my old friends and acquaintances in Dallas jammed with these guys when they were known as simply the New Bohemians. Geffen stuck Edie's name up front - probably a good commercial move but it did cause some tension in the band. The first album is great, but I think they really matured on GHOST. Especially Edie who had a hand in the songwriting of each song. Many (and some of the best ones) are all her own.

Mrs. Paul Simon may deserve to be the focal point, but the band is top notch. The drummer, Matt Chamberlin, is very good. I'm not sure, but I think he went on to play with Tori Amos (The original New Bo's drummer was sadly kicked out for his inconsistant time-keeping). Too bad everything fell apart after this album. The reason for the dissolution is typical of rock n' roll bands (drugs - I'll digress from this point because anything I could say would really only amount to he said/she said B.S.). At least Edie is still doing well. I haven't heard about guitarist Kenny Withrow since Billygoat. Actually, there is a "best of" collection which seems a bit funny since they only released 2 studio albums during their lifetime. There are some terrific selections on that collection, but most of them aren't quite as good as most of GHOST OF A DOG.

NOTE: The first 2 tracks on GHOST annoy me and I always skip them. My guess is that more than a few people quit listening after hearing the nursery-rhyme-style line "Baby baby black and blue/ Time sure took a toll on you." And that's too bad because, apart from these two, they're missing some really great songs.

"Mama Help Me" - Great song, great slide work, but I personally don't like the notion of begging my mother to tell me what to do. ***

"Black and Blue" - Too sing-songy for my tastes, but it has some nice breaks. **1/2

"Carmelito" - A raunchy little tale of a friendship gone bad delivered with an accordian and sort of a Mexican/Country flavor. ****1/2

"He Said" - One of many relationship songs this band does so well, this is a gorgeous downer. *****

"Times Like This" - A quiet song, very calm and soothing. Love the rain sticks. *****

"10,000 Angels" - A strange one, very beautiful and dreamy. *****

"Ghost of a Dog" - A small tune picked out on an acoustic guitar. Lovely, evocative vocal from Edie. *****

"Strings of Love" - An ambitious tune with a complicated arrangement that manages to be something really special. Withrow proves he's a world class talent on this one. (Hey, even Eric Clapton asked for pointers when he saw Kenny play once!) *****

"Woyaho" - a favorite. So raw and open and vulnerable and honest - Edie is truly one of a kind, one of the most expressive vocalists I've heard. *****

"Oak Cliff Bra" - is another mellow little tune, mostly vocal and guitar with some nice atmospherics thrown in. Incidentally, Oak Cliff is a rather poor section of Dallas where Stevie Ray Vaghan spent much of his childhood. ****1/2

"Stwisted" - A stunning, heart-wrenching beauty. Edie's portrayal of unrequited love here cuts deeply. *****

"This Eye" - Had to warm up to this one, but when it finally broke through for me it made me cry . . . When Edie Brickell downed a shot and jumped up on a stage to join the New Bos for an impromptu romp, who could've know she would end up joining the band and eventually writing such a sad and lonesome masterpiece like "This Eye?" *****

"Forgiven" - Dreamy and swirling, this is a heavy, throbbiing cut. While some of these songs are fairly simple, quite a few others are pretty sophisticated. "Forgiven" is a sophisticated one. It goes off in a number of different directions including a riff-rock break and an extended, jammed-out solo at the end. (note: so-called Christian band Switchfoot ripped off the vocal melody from this song for their hit "Meant To Live") *****

"Me by the Sea" - is melancholy and sweet. A nice, mellow album closer. ****1/2

This is one of those records that seemed to fade away quickly after its initial release, killing a lot of the hype that surrounded Edie Brickell at the time. For me it's a record that the media was too slow to pick up on and as a result the world missed out on what is an album every bit as moody, funky and unique as her first gem. Do yourself a favor even if you only have fond recollections of Shooting Rubber Bands and think that's what Edie was all about buy this one.

I concur with another review about Kenny's guitar playing, especially his slide work. Anyway, this album would be a definite Desert Island Disc. "Times Like This" is possibly my favourite - turn the lights out and fall in love. "Mama Help Me" is the song that turned me onto Edie in the first place (Kenny rips thru a scorching solo) "Strings of Love" is a lesson in production/arrangement. "Woyaho" , the first couple of verses kill me with their visuality. "Me by the Sea" , who can't relate to this one? Definitely her best CD. I don't care what Henry Rollins (the man who "knows") says about Edie, she's a monster singer/songwriter up their with the best.

Every track on this album is singularly pretty. I have felt so much peace and calm because of it. When her voice hits the high notes I can barely contain myself. She makes me want to write poetry, to walk down a gravel road with a dog, to kiss someone on the railroad tracks. The whole of this album is more than inspiring, it is an extraordinary experience.

Critics didn't appreciate this album when it came out, for it seemed like a hodge-podge, half of it recorded acoustically at home. In fact there are some excellent songs here, including the rockers "Black and Blue" and "Strings of Love," the majestic "Forgiven" and the wistful "Me by The Sea" and "He Said." It may be a bit long to listen to the whole thing start to finish, but do it in two increments and you'll enjoy it the more.

This album got nearly no notice at time of release critically or commercially yet it still remains one I pull out a lot. While it's a bit of a step back from "Shooting Rubberbands...", it's really only a sophomore slump in sales terms..the album was still a fine artistic effort that holds up well today. This album finds the band stretching out a bit from the sound of the first album adding Tex-Mex flavors, a touch of bluesy slide here and there, and a few songs stripped so bare they're more folk than folk-rock.

HIGHLIGHTS:
"Mama Help Me" starts things off with bluesy swagger incorporating roadhouse piano and some stinging slide guitar accents. "Carmelito" is an Old West tale of adultery and murdery that sounds somewhat reminiscent of Los Lobos' more Tex-Mex moments thanks to guest Jo-el Sonnier's accordion. "10,000 Angels" is a plea for a partner's support in a time of decision ("10,000 demons are scratchin' at my feet/tearing at my soul/ripping apart my belief/10,000 angels are flying overhead/circling the ceiling/reaching down onto my bed/I said "Come to me, I really want you"/"Come to me, I really need you now") The spare title tune appears to be a veiled metaphor for a couple's hidden demons they don't want to face ("How can that dog be/scratchin' at the back door/We ran over him years ago") "Woyaho" is a fluffy song for the road complete with singalong hook. "This Eye" examines our tendencies to want to 'win the battle' of daily argument instead of the war to keep love alive. The album closes strong with the spare "Me by the Sea" where Edie says she's glad no one's there with her but "man, I wish I had a hand to hold". There's a lovely part that SOUNDS like bagpipes that I'm assuming is processed electric guitar since there's no mention of bagpipes in the liners.

LOWS:
"Oak Cliff Bra" is far too cutesy for its own good. It's nearly children's music. "Forgiven" is somewhat tepid lyrically, though musically it's one of their bigger departures. The menacing guitar bed is quite unlike anything else on the disc.

BOTTOM LINE:
While the low spots make this not as good as the debut, it's close. If you bought "Shooting Rubberbands..." and liked it, you'll love this one as well.

3 1/2 stars