Old Yellow Moon

Last updated
Old Yellow Moon
Old Yellow Moon.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedFebruary 26, 2013 (2013-02-26)
Recorded2012
Genre Country, folk
Length41:06
Label Nonesuch
Producer Brian Ahern
Emmylou Harris chronology
Hard Bargain
(2011)
Old Yellow Moon
(2013)
The Traveling Kind
(2015)
Rodney Crowell chronology
Sex & Gasoline
(2008)
Old Yellow Moon
(2013)
Tarpaper Sky
(2014)
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
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Metacritic (7.5/10)
75/100, 14 critics
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Old Yellow Moon is a collaborative album by American country music singer-songerwriters Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell, released on February 26, 2013 in the United States by Nonesuch Records. [1] It is the 27th and 14th studio album for Harris and Crowell, respectively, as well as Harris's fifth album for Nonesuch Records. The duo followed up this collaboration with The Traveling Kind two years later.

Contents

Produced by Harris' ex-husband and longtime producer Brian Ahern, Old Yellow Moon was recorded in 2012 at Eastern Island Sounds and Ronnie's Place, both in Nashville. [2]

Album information

Old Yellow Moon is the latest of many collaborative projects of Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell and the first that ultimately resulted in an entire album. As both artists have stated multiple times, the duet album was being planned for a long time. In the liner notes of Harris' 2007 Songbird: Rare Tracks and Forgotten Gems box set she writes that "we've been talking for 34 years about doing a duet record, and I swear we're going to do it." [3]

Having met nearly 40 years before the release of this album, in 1974, the two started working together almost instantly, by recording the Crowell-penned "Bluebird Wine". The song became the opening number for Harris's 1975 Pieces of the Sky album and has been re-recorded for Old Yellow Moon with slightly altered lyrics and, for a change, Rodney Crowell singing lead.

During 1975, Crowell became part of Harris' backing band "The Hot Band". As such he toured with her and is featured as musician on most of her 1970s and 1980s albums. In addition, Emmylou Harris has recorded roughly 20 Crowell-composed songs over the years, such as "I Ain't Living Long Like This", "Leaving Louisiana in the Broad Daylight" and "Till I Gain Control Again". Emmylou returned the favor and can be heard prominently as backing vocalist and musician on Crowell's debut LP Ain't Living Long Like This , released in 1978.

The disc was another Top 10 Country album for Harris and won her a 13th Grammy Award in 2014 for "Best Americana Album". [4]

Song information

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Hanging Up My Heart" Hank DeVito 2:52
2."Invitation to the Blues" Roger Miller 3:38
3."Spanish Dancer" Patti Scialfa 3:44
4."Open Season on My Heart" Rodney Crowell, James T. Slater 3:41
5."Chase the Feeling" Kris Kristofferson 3:31
6."Black Caffeine"Donivan Cowart, DeVito3:23
7."Dreaming My Dreams" Allen Reynolds 3:18
8."Bluebird Wine"Crowell2:56
9."Back When We Were Beautiful" Matraca Berg 3:40
10."Here We Are"Crowell3:15
11."Bull Rider"Crowell3:05
12."Old Yellow Moon"DeVito, Lynn Langham3:37
Total length:40:40

Personnel

Additional musicians

Recording staff

Charts

Release history

Release history and formats for Old Yellow Moon
RegionDateFormatLabelRef.
North AmericaFebruary 26, 2013
  • CD
  • music download
Nonesuch Records [24] [25]

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