Once in a Very Blue Moon

Once in a Very Blue Moon
Once in a Very Blue Moon
Studio album by Nanci Griffith
Released	1985
Recorded	June 26 – July 2, 1984
Studio	Jack Clement's Cowboy Arms Hotel and Recording Spa, Nashville, Tennessee
Genre	Country
Length	LP (34:32); CD (39:01);
Label	Philo
Producer	Jim Rooney, Nanci Griffith
Nanci Griffith chronology

Once in a Very Blue Moon is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter Nanci Griffith, released in 1985.^[1] The album had more of a country sound than her previous albums. Her first two albums were backed sparsely with instrumentation, but starting with this album, the whole complement of country-styled instrumentalists can be heard. Noted country musicians performing on the album include banjo player, Béla Fleck, champion fiddle player, Mark O'Connor, and pedal steel master, Lloyd Green. The title song was covered by Dolly Parton, who included her version on her Real Love album in 1985.

Critical reception edit

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[2]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	^[3]

Vik Iyengar at AllMusic wrote, "Nanci Griffith finds her voice on her third studio album, Once in a Very Blue Moon. This is the album where she established her musical identity – she is at home in many genres (which perhaps explains why she never gets played on formatted radio stations), and seamlessly blends folk, bluegrass, and country with a group of stellar musicians, including guitarist Pat Alger and a young banjo player named Béla Fleck." He concluded the review with, "This album marks the emergence of a major talent."^[2]

Track listing edit

All tracks are written by Nanci Griffith, unless otherwise noted

LP (Side one)
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Ghost in the Music"	Nanci Griffith Eric Taylor	2:46
2.	"Love Is a Hard Waltz"		3:07
3.	"Roseville Fair"	Bill Staines	2:56
4.	"Mary and Omie"		4:27
5.	"Friend Out in the Madness"		2:39
6.	"Time Alone"		1:57

LP (Side two)
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Ballad of Robin Winter-Smith"	Richard Dobson	3:12
2.	"Daddy Said"		2:32
3.	"Once in a Very Blue Moon"	Pat Alger Eugene Levine	2:31
4.	"I'm Not Drivin' These Wheels"		3:14
5.	"Year down in New Orleans"		2:26
6.	"Spin on a Red Brick Floor"		2:45
Total length:			34:32

CD
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Ghost in the Music"	Nanci Griffith Eric Taylor	2:48
2.	"Love Is a Hard Waltz"		3:10
3.	"Roseville Fair"	Bill Staines	2:59
4.	"Mary & Omie"		4:28
5.	"Friend Out in the Madness"		2:41
6.	"I'm Not Drivin' These Wheels"		3:17
7.	"Time Alone"		2:01
8.	"Ballad of Robin Winter-Smith"	Richard Dobson	3:14
9.	"Daddy Said"		2:35
10.	"Once in a Very Blue Moon"	Pat Alger Eugene Levine	2:34
11.	"If I Were the Woman You Wanted"	Lyle Lovett	3:54
12.	"Year down in New Orleans"		2:28
13.	"Spin on a Red Brick Floor"		2:52
Total length:			39:01

Personnel edit

Nanci Griffith – acoustic guitar, lead vocals, harmony vocals
Pat Alger – acoustic guitar, "Mark Howard's high-string guitar"
John Catchings – cello
Philip Donnelly – electric guitar, "sea gulls"
Stephen Doster – acoustic guitar, electric guitar
Béla Fleck – banjo
Denise Franke – harmony vocals
Lloyd Green – dobro, pedal steel
Mark Howard – acoustic rhythm guitar, high-strung guitar
Roy Huskey Jr. – upright bass
Lyle Lovett – harmony vocals^[4]
Terry Mcmillan – harmonica
Kenny Malone – percussion
Mark O'Connor – piccolo mandolin, mandolin, fiddle, mandola
Ralph Vitello – piano, synthesizer
Jack and Gertie Miller – "the bottom line"

Production edit

Producer – Nanci Griffith
Cover Design – Nanci Griffith, Bill Narum
Cover Lettering – Bill Narum
Producer – Jim Rooney
Mastered by – Jim Lloyd
Executive Producer – Wayne R. Miller
Cover Photography – Daniel Schaefer, Wayne R. Miller
- Front and back cover were shot at The Blue Moon Cafe, Austin, Texas
Back Cover Diners – Humphrey Brown, Sr., Jacqui Brown, Jason Brown, Humphrey Brown, Jr., Nanci Griffith
Graphics – Marlin D. Griffith, Josephine Gibson

Track listing and credits adapted from the album's liner notes.^[5]

References edit

^ Rolling Stone Magazine (1992). The Rolling Stone Album Guide (3rd ed.). Random House. pp. 191–192. ISBN 9780679737292.
^ ^a ^b Iyengar, Vik. AllMusic Review at AllMusic. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
^ The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. pp. 291–292.
^ "The following year Nanci Griffith, whom Lyle had interviewed for a school paper while he was in college, recorded his “If I Were the Woman You Wanted” on her Once in a Very Blue Moon album. He also sang on the album as well as her 1985 record Last of the True Believers. " in Lyle Lovett, texassongwriters.com
^ Once in a Very Blue Moon (liner notes). Nanci Griffith. Philo. 1985. Philo CD 1096.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)

[1] Rolling Stone Magazine (1992). The Rolling Stone Album Guide (3rd ed.). Random House. pp. 191–192. ISBN 9780679737292.

[AM1-2] Iyengar, Vik. AllMusic Review at AllMusic. Retrieved 4 March 2020.

[RS-3] The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. pp. 291–292.

[4] "The following year Nanci Griffith, whom Lyle had interviewed for a school paper while he was in college, recorded his “If I Were the Woman You Wanted” on her Once in a Very Blue Moon album. He also sang on the album as well as her 1985 record Last of the True Believers. " in Lyle Lovett, texassongwriters.com

[NG-5] Once in a Very Blue Moon (liner notes). Nanci Griffith. Philo. 1985. Philo CD 1096.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)

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