Critic Katie Toms of London's the Observer addressed fan speculation in an advance review: Boy, was it worth the wait.... Simple and soothing, yet rich and rewarding, this is an album you unknowingly yearn for, like a cool hand on a hot forehead.
For the A Ghost Is Born recording, Wilco was Jeff Tweedy, John Stirratt, Leroy Bach, Glenn Kotche, and Mikael Jorgensen; Jim O'Rourke, who mixed the band's previous release Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, co-produced the album with Wilco.
Wilco's debut album A.M., with its alternative country style, was released in March 1995 and was their only album to feature Brian Henneman as lead guitarist.