Customer Reviews

The Moon Was Blue

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

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.

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]

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.

In 1974, Bobby Bare recorded a duet with his five-year-old son Bobby Bare Jr. - "Daddy What If" - that garnered them a Grammy nomination. Bare Jr. finally returns the favor by bringing dad out of retirement to record his first solo album in 22 years (he collaborated on the Old Dogs album with Mel Tillis, Waylon Jennings, and Jerry Reed back in 1998).

It is great to have Bare Sr. back singing again on this album of (for the most part) well known cover songs. His weathered baritone is comforting, like your favorite pair of old shoes or bunny slippers. These tunes - all longtime favorites of Bare Sr.'s - also prove soothing thanks to their well-lathered, countrypolitan arrangements (which Bare Jr. augments with flourishes of electronica).

The collection concentrates on popular standards like Tommy Edwards' "It's All In The Game," Andy Williams' lush "Are You Sincere," and a shuffling "Love Letters In The Sand," but there are a few changes of pace such as "The Ballad Of Lucy Jordan" (written by his longtime collaborator, the late, great Shel Silverstein) and Nilsson's folky hit "Everybody's Talkin'."

Musically, this isn't one of the most adventurous albums to be released this year. If you are a fan of the legendary Bobby Bare, however, you surely won't care. He still sounds great and still sells a song better than anyone else in country music.

This is certaimly not in the mode of a "standard" Bobby Bare album,neither in the vein of his early classic period, nor in his latter superb period when his selection of songs was absolutely asounding(though commercially that successful). Individually not all of these divergent songs impress. However the overall impact is stunning. This is a cd that should be savoured with the lights down low, and then the overall impact is exillarating. True, the voice is frayed, but maturity has added great depth and pathos. Bobby Bare combines simplicity and emotional impact to maximum effect in this unique and remarkable comeback. JCL

I agree with the reviewers here who do not like the song selection.
Shel Silverstein's 'The Ballad of Lucy Jordan' is a standout here. Much of the rest is very middle-of-the road, but I'm giving it 3 stars for Bobby's singing which is still great.

Some have likened this "comeback" disc to Johnny Cash's later material on American Recordings, but there's a major difference:
Rick Rubin, the producer of the American records "got" Johnny Cash. He understood his image, his past recordings and he played to Cash's strengths as the brooding, powerful stoic and added to his legacy.

Bobby Bare Jr.--who produced this stuff--doesn't seem to understand his father at all. This simply does not sound like a Bobby Bare record. There's no connection to the Bare persona--the laconic, hell-raising raconteur-- developed over some three decades of recording. This sounds like someone was producing a Jack Jones record and at the last minute Jones pulled out and Bare filled in for him.

It seems as if Bare Jr. is playing some sort of joke on his father and the listeners. Maybe he's getting back at him for that awful "Daddy, What If" recording from 30 years ago.

Like a comfortable pair of shoes you can't wait to get into ! I had never heard of Bobby Bare but bought this CD a week ago after reading a review and listening to samples, and I can't stop playing it! It is haunting, stays with you .I am enjoying it so much and feel very lucky to have stumbled across it.

I was thrilled to hear of the return of Bobby Bare to the recording studio, as he was a favorite of ours for years. However, I found this album disappointing. Not in Bobby Bare; his voice is still as smooth and amazingly mellow as always. Instead, the choice of songs seems totally haphazard and unsuited to him. I guess I was expecting to hear from this great old cowboy who has had a long a wonderful career and now looks back with a few regrets and scars, but "rode that pony well."

Sorry this was my lease favorite of Bobby Bear maybe because they where not his songs!