The Moon Was Blue

Bobby Bare | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 1, 2005)
• Original Release Date: 2005
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Dualtone Music Group
• ASIN: B000AR9YLO
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #288,306 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Though he had quit recording in the 1980s, Bobby Bare's classic '60s singles "Detroit City" and "500 Miles Away from Home" reflected a folk-flavored iconoclasm that foretold the rise of Nashville's Outlaw movement. He continued into the 1970s with hits like "Marie Laveau" and 1973's "Daddy What If," which featured five-year-old Bobby Bare Jr. , today an alt.country luminary. On The Moon Was Blue, coproducers Bare Jr. and Lambchop producer Mark Nevers surround Bare Sr. with a quirky amalgam of choruses and strings, recalling the early-'60s Nashville Sound era in which he first made his mark. At 70, his wry humor and heart shine through on this clever, slightly bent, retro mix of vintage material. The 1909 singalong "Shine on Harvest Moon" coexists alongside country standards ("Am I That Easy to Forget," "Yesterday When I Was Young," and "Are You Sincere"), '60s pop ("Everybody's Talkin'"), and '50s ballads ("Love Letters in the Sand," "It's All in the Game," and "My Heart Cries For You"). Taken as a whole, the album reaffirms Bare's continuing vitality--and sly iconoclasm. --Rich Kienzle

Product Description

Bobby Bare's The Moon Was Blue in his first album of new material in over two decades and was produced by his son, indie rock and Bloodshot recording artist Bobby Bare, Jr. as well as Mark Nevers (Lambchop, Calexico). The album stays true to Bobby Bare's country roots with lazy waltzes and lap-steel but also incorporates distorted guitars, spacey atmospheres, strings, horns, and haunting background vocals. The result is a progressive country album that's rooted in 70's retro tradition. 11 tracks. Dualtone. 2005.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I'll buy it because the man has...something., November 8, 2005

By 

Hank Johnson (Northeast) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Moon Was Blue (Audio CD)

I'm gonna write this review just after hearing the samples. It's enough. I used to watch Bobby Bare on Nashville Now and think he was a two-hit wonder. I was wrong. The man has more talent than
most people with ten times his fame in counrty music. He also
seems a pretty humble guy and doesn't get all bent outta shape for attention. In fact he kinda reminds me of Harry Nilsson who
made famous "Everybody's Talkin'" that's covered on this album.
(And that was so fantasically done, it takes guts to even cover
it.) But they both had a couple major hits, a few minor ones, and didn't seem to even want too much attention. Or, at least,
they didn't seem to court it. And when you investigate beyond
the hits, you're amazed at how good they are and beyond the others who are more famous. Anyway, back to just Bobby Bare.
It's amazing to hear the good taste that he seems to display on
almost all his albums and you can hear it again on this on one.
No one in country music has better judgement on picking so many good songs and giving them just great arrangements with beautiful
string sections. Man, this guy can pick songs. And he has a good
distinctive voice that does these little twists of phrasing that
seem just perfect. His voice comes across much more human than
other singers out there. And that's talent. You never know what
he's gonna do with a song and then when you hear it, you think
"that's perfect." Everything feels comfortable, right, and really gets the point of the song across. And that's the whole point. "Shine on Harvest Moon" or "Are You Sincere" or an unusual choice like "Everybody's Talkin'" or whatever...You really wanna hear what Bobby Bare does with 'em. The guy is really good...and worth buying. The man really has talent. And
this is top-notch material. Great to have Bobby back.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The surprising and unusual return of a country legend, November 20, 2005

By 

hyperbolium (Earth, USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Moon Was Blue (Audio CD)

It's always been a bit mysterious as to why this country star retired from recording in the early '80s; so it's a very welcome surprise to find him back in the studio in 2005. Even more surprising are the unusual production touches that Bare allows his son Bobby Jr. and his collaborator Mark Nevers (from the band Lambchop) to weave behind his vocals. On the surface this reads like a collection of songs you'd expect to hear Bare singing, including titles from Wayne Walker, Shel Silverstein and Allen Reynolds. It stretches into the folk songs of Fred Neil, originally surveyed by Bare in the '60s and '70s, and takes in works from contemporary writers like Max D. Barnes. Where the album departs form Bare's earlier works are in the odd space-age bachelor pad sounds that quietly underline many of the productions.

Bare reprises Walker's "Are You Sincere," originally waxed in the early '70s. He croons against a jazzy stringified countrypolitan arrangement whose cooing backing chorus owes as much to Esquivel as to The Nashville Sound, and the unusual background whistling trills suggest Yma Sumac warming up in the next studio. The rhythm of "Everybody's Talkin'" feels as though it were lifted from Johnny Nash's "I Can See Clearly Now," and leaves Bare forcing the lyrics into an unusual cadence. Silverstein's "The Ballad of Lucy Jordan" is a better fit - unsurprising, given the singer's proven affinity for the songwriter's material. Originally recorded by Dr. Hook in the mid-70s, Bare's interpretation has more of the outlaw edge brought to the song by Marianne Faithfull's late-70s cover.

Twenty years along, Bare's voice has deepened and shows some the rough edges of age, but he still sings in a hearty baritone, and his son's production touches, like the tropical sounds drifting through Barnes' "I Am an Island," make this a fascinating intergenerational collaboration. The return of Bare to the recording studio would be welcome under just about any circumstance, but re-energized by his production team's unusual ideas, the result is a lot more than a nostalgic rehash. The experiments don't always fully click; some sound gimmicky or forced, with Bare sounding like he's just along for the ride. Those tracks which do work set Bare in an interesting new context, and those which don't are still worth hearing for their quirky aural graffiti. [©2005 hyperbolium dot com]

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fresh album from a versatile great singer, January 25, 2006

By 

Dr.Lee (Malaysia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Moon Was Blue (Audio CD)

It is really nice to hear something new from this great-underrated very humble and talented Country singer & family man after over 20 years. Bobby Bare is a very versatile singer and his songs range from the cheerful novelty songs such as his biggest hit "Marie Laveau" to very slow sentimental and emotional songs he did so well such as "The Deepening Snow". Those who prefer more of his later fast novelty songs may not particularly appreciate this new release of his which has brought him back to his original style. This new effort of Bobby Bare has much influence from his son with some very modern unusual backing. The rich music does justice to many of the songs and blended very well with Bobby's matured laid back efforts. Occasionally it even sounds a little jazzy but appropriate.
Bobby Bare is well known for making good choice of songs. When it comes to doing cover versions of classic songs, most will expect something very different and unique and Bare has done just that. I particularly like "Are You Sincere" which was really very well done both vocally and music wise. It is very much better than the version he did on Mercury label in the 70s. "Yesterday, when I Was Young" & "My Heart Cries For You", however, may not be the best choice as they do show some stress for Bare with some rough edges of age. However, his laid back emotional voice helps do justice to them. Bare's "I'm An Island" is my favorite and the more I hear it, the more I like it. The country classic "Am I That Easy to Forget" really suits him 100% with a fresh touch. This is certainly an over due classic album from a top country singer. Those who like his earlier RCA efforts will appreciate this CD even more. This CD also contains a Shel Silvestein song "The Ballad of Lucy Jordan" which he classically did so well. If you do not like the CD on first listening, give it another listen and I can guarantee you that it will grow on you. The more you listen to it, the more it will make it difficult to put down! It is certainly worth getting a copy.