Evergreen Everblue

Last updated
Evergreen Everblue
EvergreenEverblue.jpg
Studio album by
Raffi
ReleasedJune 4, 1990
RecordedEarly 1990
StudioSounds Interchange (tracks 1–5 and 7–11), Reaction Studios (track 6)
Genre Children's
Length38:58
Label MCA, Rounder
Producer Raffi, Billy Bryans
Raffi chronology
Everything Grows
(1987)		Evergreen Everblue
(1990)		 Bananaphone
(1994)
Singles from Evergreen Everblue
  1. "Evergreen Everblue"
  2. "Big Beautiful Planet"
  3. "Clean Rain"
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [1]

Evergreen Everblue is a music album by popular children's entertainer Raffi, released in 1990. The album was aimed at an older audience than most of Raffi's children's albums. [2] The songs on this album are ecology-themed. It was Raffi's first album released by MCA Records and the first album by platinum-selling artist not to be packaged in a longbox. [3]

Contents

Background

After Raffi's record deal with A&M Records expired, Jeff Bywater, who at the time served as the vice president of marketing at MCA Records arranged for a lunch with Raffi and some other MCA personnel, including their "resident ecologist", Garrett De Bell. Bywater believed that "having our ecologist at the table sent a clear message to Raffi that we were willing to do the job--and had the consciousness level to do it." A contract was then crafted and submitted to the chairman of MCA Music Entertainment Group, who was informed by Bywater that Raffi and his manager insisted that his album would not be packaged in a longbox with the understanding that the move could adversely affect album sales. [3]

I simply believe that the excessive packaging of cassettes and CDs can no longer be tolerated in a global environmental crisis. If there's enough pressure from artists and their audience, the buying public, I think record stores will respond by eliminating the longbox.

— Raffi [3]

Pursuant to the recording contract, MCA Records packaged the album in a jewel case as opposed to a longbox. [4] Raffi decided to forgo the sale of his music in longboxes to reduce packaging waste. [5]

Record store retailers, including Musicland, Music Plus, and Trans World Corp. refused to stock the album in part due to their belief that it would make the products more susceptible to shoplifting and require the businesses to refit their store fixtures for merchandising. [4] [5] One record store executive from Kemp Mill Music lambasted the decision to package Evergreen Everblue in a jewel case, saying that "Raffi is as insensitive to retailers as he is sensitive about the environment." [4] Record World decided to carry the album in a limited capacity, with the VP of purchasing and distribution saying that they were carrying it "very lightly" and said that the jewel case packaging did not "fit in with the way we merchandise [their] stores". Raffi commented on the matter of exclusively carrying the album in a jewel case, saying that We don't have a divine mandate to sell records...these are times that call for sacrifices on all our parts." [4]

Critical reception

wiIn its review for AllMusic, William Ruhlmann expressed his opinion that the album's subject matter pivoted away from themes targeted towards a younger audience in favor of topics related to pollution, contamination, and nuclear waste. He called the album "a full-blown work of musical advocacy in which he sang one song after another extolling the natural world and occasionally decrying its despoliation." [1] Writing for TIME , John Moody said that the album was "not merely inappropriate for toddlers; it is a warning screech of apocalypse." [5]

Track listing

All tracks written by Raffi

  1. "Intro/Evergreen, Everblue" – 4:51
  2. "Mama's Kitchen" – 3:31
  3. "Big Beautiful Planet" – 3:23
  4. "Alive and Dreaming" – 3:46
  5. "Where I Live" – 4:05
  6. "What's the Matter With Us" – 3:42
  7. "Our Dear, Dear Mother" – 3:15
  8. "Just Like the Sun" – 2:44
  9. "Clean Rain" – 3:07
  10. "One Light, One Sun" – 2:09
  11. "We Are Not Alone" – 4:10

Personnel

Musicians

Vocalists

Technical

References

  1. 1 2 Evergreen Everblue at AllMusic
  2. ↑ "RaffiNews.com Raffi Music at School".
  3. 1 2 3 Goldstein, Patrick (3 June 1990). "Raffi Uses His Kiddie Clout to Rap CD Wrappers". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved 10 October 2025.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Verna, Paul (24 November 1990). "Retailers Shun Raffi Album Sans Longbox; Broader Effect Seen" (PDF). Billboard . pp. 1, 79. Retrieved 9 October 2025.
  5. 1 2 3 Moody, John (7 October 1991). "No More Clapping Hands: RAFFI". Time . Retrieved 10 October 2025.
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