Customer Reviews

Once in a Very Blue Moon

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

 

 

A wonderfull remastering job done to her first three cd's,these now have a much more detailed and warm sound,the instruments which were previosly buried now all have a very nice clarity.The matriel on all three of these early discs is fairly similiar featuring Nanci's very vivid songwriting with a folk/country backing.Nanci's best versions of her songs have always been live ones,check out her cd One Fair Summers Eve for the definitive versions of many of these songs after you have explored the originals

I love music. From acoustic folk to death metal (and every genre in between), I can find something to like. Then, there are THOSE songs: the ones that stop time, that leave you feeling that your world, and you, have been forever changed for the good. Like the first time I heard "Like a Rolling Stone" and "Hey Jude." Like the first time I heard "Ghost in the Music." It was my first exposure to Nanci Griffith, and it hit hard.

"Ghost in the Music" is an incredible song. Lyrics, vocals, and instrumentation blend into a whole that defies words; it strikes at a level of pure transcendence. Not every song on "Once in a Very Blue Moon" is as great, but there is no filler on this album. Nanci's storytelling ("Mary and Omie") and personal observations ("Daddy Said") are sharp, and she covers Lyle Lovett better than anyone else ("If I Were the Woman You Wanted"). This album was Nanci's first true classic, and it ushered in a ten-year period of amazing writing and performing from this gifted artist.

This is a masterpiece. It ranks up there with Carly Simon's "Another Passenger" or Joan Armatrading's self titled CD. All thirteen tracks are well written with great instrumentation and spirited vocals from Nanci.

My favorite Nanci Griffith CD.

This is still in her pre-political period, where one could listen to some wonderful folk tales without being forced to listen to political pap that you may or may not agree with. I don't know about you, but a musician's views on world situations leave me empty and sound rather dated after a while. Which is why I like this CD so much. The tunes on this disc all tell a story of their own, taking the listener on many different journeys, and away from the problems of our worldly situations. And these songs will sound fresh a hundred years from now.

My particular favorite is Ballad of Robin Winter-Smith for no other reason than I love Nanci's vocals in it. Also, Spin On A Red Brick Floor is another wonderful tune on which Ms. Griffith sings of a favorite club of her's located in (I believe) Texas. By the way, she sings the whole first verse without taking a breath!

I'm not Driving These Wheels could have been an FM rocker, with its driving beat. And the title tune is just beautiful.

Notice I didn't write much on her lyrics. The stories Nanci tells in these earlier recordings warrant the listener to come up with their own "pictures" as they listen. Nanci's voice, in her prime here, suits the music and words perfectly.

Once In A Very Blue Moon and the follow up Last Of The True Believers are two of the best folk rock / storytelling CD's out there.

Nanci at her finest.

Her best album. But, avoid her concerts unless you are a liberal, brain-dead fool.