Ghosts Big Wreck

• 1 A Place To Call Home 07:40
• 2 I Digress 04:32
• 3 Ghosts 06:11
• 4 My Life 04:25
• 5 Hey Mama 06:20
• 6 Diamonds 05:09
• 7 Friends 05:43
• 8 Still Here 07:46
• 9 Break 05:28
• 10 Off and Running 05:08
• 11 Come What May 03:13
• 12 War Baby 07:02
• 13 A Place To Call Home (Reprise) 01:07
• Total Runtime 01:09:44

Info for Ghosts

For six months, the quintet (alongside Ian still guitarists Brian Doherty and Paulo Neta, bassist Dave McMillan and drummer Chuck Keeping) worked on it in the Revolution and Vespa Studios in Toronto. Two other competitors must not be forgotten: In addition to mentor Nick Raskulinecz (including Foo Fighters, Rush, Stone Sour, Black Star Riders), producer Eric Ratz (including Bily Talent, Cancer Bats), who was already part of the Thornley debut as engineer, is an important component.

Soundfully, the album holds some surprises and sounds in gloomy places such as Alice In Chains, goes towards The Who and AC/DC at one or the other chorus and does not shy away from combining The Police with the newer Foo Fighters.

"Canadian grunge rockers Big Wreck broke up after the 2001 album The Pleasure and the Greed, with lead singer and guitarist Ian Thornley forming his own Thornley namesake band and continuing his solo career. A rekindled friendship between Thornley and Big Wreck guitarist Brian Doherty led to Doherty joining the Thornley band, which in turn became the second coming of Big Wreck when everyone concerned went into the studio and recorded 2012's Albatross, which didn't so much change the group's original 1990s Soundgarden-like sound as much as restate it. This second album with the new lineup doesn't bump things too far off that original sound, either, although it does expand things a bit in a slightly more prog rock direction, with some acoustic-based tracks tossed in as well. Grungy fuzz guitars lead off the sprawling, nearly eight-minute-long opener, "A Place to Call Home," and since the album ends with a short one-minute acoustic and harmony vocal-laden reprise of the song, it's tempting to expect a prog rock-like concept album here, but that's not the case, really, although the 12 songs and the reprise do flow nicely together over a big sonic palette. Big Wreck still sound a bit like a Canadian Soundgarden, are still heavily influenced by Led Zeppelin, and could still be mistaken for Coldplay's northern brother on the radio, but there are some new sonic wrinkles here, too. "Ghosts" and "Come What May" both sound a little bit like early Police, while "Break" and "War Baby" suggest Bono and U2's big-themed stadium anthems. "Hey Mama," one of the best tracks here, has that acoustic/electric Eastern drone feel that Led Zeppelin were so good at decades ago. But overall, Big Wreck haven't messed around with that classic 1990s grunge approach too much here, which may or may not prove to be a good commercial decision going forward. But they do it pretty well, whatever the outcome, and with a lineup of three fine guitarists, there's little doubt that this is a rock band whose members know how to rattle the walls and cell doors as long as they don't paint themselves into a predictable, generic corner." (Steve Leggett, AMG)

Ian Thornley, vocals, lead guitar, keyboards
Brian Doherty, rhythm guitar
Paulo Neta, lead & rhythm guitar, backing vocals
David McMillan, bass
Christopher Henry, drums, percussion

Digitally remastered

Big Wreck
was formed in Boston in the early 90’s by Toronto-native (guitars / vocals) Ian Thornley and Americans Brian Doherty (guitars), Forrest Williams (drums) and Dave Henning (bass), students at the Berkley School of Music. Their 1997 debut album, In Loving Memory, is certified double platinum in Canada and featured the chart topping singles “Blown Wide Open,” “That Song” and “The Oaf”.

In 2002, the band broke up following the release of their sophomore album, The Pleasure and The Greed, after which Ian Thornley formed the band Thornley who also enjoyed rock radio success with several singles.

In 2010, Brian Doherty filled in on guitar at a Thornley show and shortly thereafter, he and Ian started working on new material that would be, once again, christened Big Wreck. Their first single as a reunited Big Wreck, “Albatross,” became the band’s first #1 single at Rock radio in Canada. Since then, they have released three new Big Wreck albums (Albatross – 2012; Ghosts – 2014; Grace Street – 2017). In the winter of 2018 Big Wreck began recording their sixth studio album with producer Erik Ratz. It was during the recording that Doherty was diagnosed with cancer which tragically took his life this past Spring after the new album was completed. Big Wreck’s latest album will be released later this summer followed by extensive touring. The release of the album was preceded by the Top 5 Rock Radio hit “Locomotive.”

This album contains no booklet.