"Flyer" - Griffith, Nanci

Album

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Full Track Listing:

  • The Flyer (4:23)
  • Nobody’s Angel (4:15)
  • Say It Isn’t So (3:19)
  • Southbound Train (4:31)
  • These Days in an Open Book (3:33)
  • Time of Inconvenience (3:49)
  • Don’t Forget about Me (2:59)
  • Always Will (2:42)
  • Going Back to Georgia (4:16)
  • Talk to Me While I’m Listening (4:12)
  • Fragile (3:26)
  • On Grafton Street (4:02)
  • Anything You Need but Me (3:07)
  • Goodnight to a Mother’s Dream (4:03)
  • This Heart (3:26)

Background Information

During the break after the ZOO TV tour, Larry Mullen lived and worked in New York City, working to better his drumming skills. During that time he worked with Nanci Griffith on four tracks on her album, “Flyer”. Adam Clayton, also in New York during this time, worked on three of the four tracks. Griffith is an American artist primarily working in the areas of country and folk music, and had been releasing music since 1978. The album “Flyer” was nominated, but did not win, for Best Contemporary Folk Album at the Grammy Awards in 1995.

Adam Clayton provided bass and Larry Mullen various percussive instruments on the songs “These Days in an Open Book”, “Don’t Forget About Me”, and “On Grafton Street”. Larry Mullen would also provide bongos, percussion, cowbell, and the closing drumstick toss on “This Heart” and he is even credited with the remix of the song featured here on the album. Sam O’Sullivan is also credited here as working with “U2 production in New York”. Sam has been Larry Mullen’s guitar tech for years and has worked with them on studio recordings, as well as in concert performances. During the recording of these four songs, Clayton and Mullen would work with Amy Ray and Emily Saliers, better known as the Indigo Girls, Mark Knopfler of the Dire Straits, and The Chieftains.

A promotional release of the album which preceded the release of the actual album included different mixes of “On Grafton Street” (cutting out The Chieftains performance), “Don’t Forget About Me” (less instrumentation) and a different mix of “This Heart”. An edit version of “This Heart” was released on a promotional single. The same versions of the songs featured on this album also appeared on “Three from Flyer”, “These Days in an Open Book” Promotional single, “On Grafton Street” promotional single, and on the promo compilation, “A Merry Little Christmas”. Visit the individual entries for more information on what tracks appeared where.

Nanci Griffith during an interview told the story of meeting Larry Mullen for the first time, back stage after one of her own shows. “Larry was just sitting there and I didn’t recognize him,” Griffith says. “I offered him a beer and he said, ’Yeah,sure.’ And finally he said, ’You don’t know who I am, do you ?’ When he said he was Larry Mullen from U2, I nearly fainted. He said, ’The rest of the lads are in with your band, but I bribed your road manager to be in here so I could introduce myself because I’m such a big fan. I’m really surprised that you didn’t throw me out of your dressing room. You’re everything that I ever thought you were.’

Liner Notes

These Days in an Open Book:
Words and Music by Nanci Griffith. Nanci Griffith: Lead and Harmony Vocals, Guitar. Amy Ray: Supporting Vocals. Emily Saliers: Supporting Vocals. James Hooker: Piano, Hammond B3. Bill Dillon: Mandolin, Guitar. Byrd Burton: Acoustic and Electric Guitar. David Mansfield: Dobro. John Painter: Electric Bari Guitar. Michael Rhodes: Bass Guitar. Adam Clayton: Bass Guitar. Larry Mullen Jnr.: Drums, Percussion, Leg and Boot. Mickey Raphael: Harmonica. Engineered and Mixed by David Leonard. Produced by Peter Collins.

Don’t Forget About Me:
Words and Music by Nanci Griffith, James Hooker. Nanci Griffith: Lead and Harmony Vocals, Guitar. Pat McLaughlin: Supporting Vocals. Mary Ann Kennedy: Background Vocals. James Hooker: Piano. Mark Knopfler: Electric Guitar. Bill Dillon: Electric Guitar. John Painter: Electric Guitar. David Mansfield: Electric Guitar, Mandolin. Adam Clayton: Bass Guitar. Larry Mullen Jnr.: Drums, Percussion. Engineered and remixed by David Leonard. Remixed by Larry Mullen Jnr. Produced by Peter Collins.

On Grafton Street:
Words and Music by Nanci Griffith and Fred Koller. Nanci Griffith: Lead and Harmony Vocals, Guitar. Pat McLaughlin: Supporting Vocal. James Hooker: Piano. Bill Dillon: Mandolin, Guitar. Adam Clayton: Bass Pedals, Bass Guitar. Larry Mullen Jnr: Drums, Percussion. The Chieftains: Paddy Moloney: Penny Whistle. Sean Keane: Low Fiddle. Martin Fay: High Fiddle. Matt Malloy: Flute. Derek Bell: Harp. Engineered and remixed by David Leonard. Remixed by Larry Mullen Jnr. Produced by Peter Collins.

This Heart:
Words and Music by Nanci Griffith. Nanci Griffith: Lead and Harmony Vocals, Guitar. Sonny Curtis: Supporting Vocal, Rhythm Stratocaster Electric Guitar. Kurt Neumann: Harmony Vocal. Sam Llanas: Harmony Vocal. Frank Christian: Electric Guitar. Al Anderson: Acoustic and Electric Guitar. Bill Dillon: Electric Guitar. Michael Rhodes: Bass Guitar. Tony Levin: Chapman Stick. Pat McInerney: Tom Tom. Larry “Lastword” Mullen Jnr: Bongos, Percussion, Cowbells and Drumstick Toss. Engineered and remixed by David Leonard. Remixed by Larry Mullen Jnr. Produced by Peter Collins.

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