‘Yellow Moon’ Casts the Glow of Success on Neville Brothers

For most of the 1980s, the Neville Brothers’ story was bittersweet.

The band’s obvious excellence and originality brought it deep admiration among cultists and critics. But its failure to reach a mainstream audience was always a cause for sympathy.

Stars like Linda Ronstadt, Keith Richards and Huey Lewis would sing the praises of the Nevilles, who play the Baccahanal tonight (sold out) and Sunday, and sometimes try to give them a boost with opening slots on their high-profile tours.

Music publications would hail the band for fiery, socially conscious albums and performances that embodied the uniquely vibrant soul and R&B; tradition of the Nevilles’ hometown, New Orleans. But always there would be that sad side to the tale: The Nevilles’ excellence seemed destined to remain one of pop’s proverbial best-kept secrets.

Then came 1989 and the release of “Yellow Moon,” the fifth album by the Nevilles since 1977, the year that brothers Art, Charles, Aaron and Cyril merged their previously separate musical careers to record as a family band. With all that goodwill built up from the past, and with producer Daniel Lanois lending the Nevilles’ churning funk the atmospheric cast he had previously brought to hit albums by the likes of U2 and Robbie Robertson, “Yellow Moon” became the album that broke the Neville Brothers into the mainstream.

The accolades kept coming from the cognoscenti--but there was no longer any need to temper admiration with sympathy about undeserved commercial neglect.

“It really got us exposed to a lot of people who weren’t aware of us,” saxophonist Charles Neville said over the phone from San Francisco last week as he assessed the impact of “Yellow Moon.”

“It didn’t quite get to gold (500,000 copies sold), but it got close. The last I heard, it was well over 300,000 and still selling. I think it was a combination of the album, and the publicity that went before it. Over the years, people have been hearing all these other people (like Richards and Ronstadt) talking about us. I think the combinations of all the things that went on in the ‘80s” led to the breakthrough with “Yellow Moon.” Although not a major hit by today’s industry standards, the album’s appearance on the Billboard Top 100 albums chart was still an achievement for a band that isn’t naturally attuned to ‘80s pop formulas.

According to Charles Neville, “Yellow Moon” may bring the Nevilles more good news: “The rumor we’ve heard is there’s a good chance of it being nominated for Grammys in more than one category,” he said. If so, the Nevilles would have a chance to enjoy a delicious reversal: Last year, they were the entertainment at the post-Grammy ceremony party for nominees. If the Grammy organizers have any sense at all, they will use the opportunity of a Neville Brothers nomination to have the band play on the national telecast.

Other recent developments have placed the Neville name before the public even more. The band’s rhythm section--Cyril Neville on percussion, guitarist Brian Stoltz, bassist Tony Hall and drummer Willie Green--was enlisted by producer Lanois to serve as the backing unit for Bob Dylan’s “Oh Mercy” album. And Linda Ronstadt called on Aaron Neville and his sumptuous tenor for four duets on her new, million-selling album, “Cry Like a Rainstorm, Howl Like the Wind.” Neville receives special “featuring Aaron Neville” billing on the Ronstadt album’s cover. The Nevilles will be the opening act for Ronstadt on her 1990 tour, Charles Neville said, with Aaron Neville doing double duty in duets with Ronstadt.

According to Charles, there is no nervousness within the band over the fact that Aaron’s distinctive voice lends itself to outside projects, not to mention a solo career.

“That’s something that’s encouraged,” said Charles, who, at 51, is a year younger than the eldest Neville, keyboards player Art. “I don’t think it could hurt us at all for him to get as much notoriety as possible. (Aaron) is planning on doing a solo album. Hopefully, at some point, we’ll all be able to do that with enough recognition of the Neville Brothers name to have some instant clout behind whatever the solo project is.”

Among the outside projects is Art Neville’s recent reunion with two other original members of the Meters, bassist George Porter and guitarist Leo Nocentelli. In the ‘60s and ‘70s, the Meters brought tight New Orleans funk to mass audiences as a backup studio band for Dr. John, Paul McCartney, Robert Palmer and Labelle.

Meanwhile, Charles said, the Neville Brothers are working up songs for a follow-up to “Yellow Moon.” The group will record at Lanois’ studio in New Orleans, he said, but with a different producer--the idea being not to retrace the sound Lanois crafted for the Nevilles on “Yellow Moon.”

This time the band will be building on success instead of wondering whether it will ever achieve a commercial breakthrough.

Although the Nevilles often talked of the need to come up with a hit during their years of small cult awareness (their 1987 album, “Uptown,” was a blatant but failed attempt to gear songs to radio tastes), discouragement never set in, Charles said.

“Things were always at a kind of slow-but-steady pace, getting better and better.”