yeah, I only got into Neil Young about 10 years after the Nirvana thing. In fact, the Nirvana thing was probably the first time I had heard of Neil Young and what made me so reluctant to listen to him in the first place. I suppose that's the price one pays for having a long career - at some point you're bound to do some stupid shit. I can respect him now the way I respect an old granny that rollerblades to the grocery store. Like someone once said, it's better to burn out than to fade away.
Maintaining a minimum of integrity has always been a requirement for me to ride for anybody.
This might be the greatest quote in the history of Teh Strut.
Especially when taken in the context of someone partnering with Pearl Jam- a band whose music is highly debatable, but whose integrity is pretty rock solid. See Ticketmaster and a host of legitimate causes over the years.
It's like an old ex girlfriend that you really loved and who you have lots of great memories with but then you caught her in bed with the most repulsive out of all the guys you really hate. A nauseating feeling of contempt and revulsion that just won't ever wash away.
Yeah, wow... I know that exact feeling. But a little overly dramatic, no?
I mean, as Horseleech stated, Neil has had a fair share of missteps but in such a long and varied career filled with so many highs there are bound to be lows. His hit to miss ratio is fairly high in comparison to contemporaries like The Stones who have failed to put out a relevant album in decades now.
Oh yeah, I celebrate the entire catalogue... Neil for life!
yeah, I only got into Neil Young about 10 years after the Nirvana thing. In fact, the Nirvana thing was probably the first time I had heard of Neil Young and what made me so reluctant to listen to him in the first place.
Sorry, what is this "Nirvana thing" you're speaking of?
yeah, I only got into Neil Young about 10 years after the Nirvana thing. In fact, the Nirvana thing was probably the first time I had heard of Neil Young and what made me so reluctant to listen to him in the first place.
Sorry, what is this "Nirvana thing" you're speaking of?
oh sorry, the talk was about him playing with Pearl Jam. I get them easily confused, what with him being the godfather of grunge and all.
Neil is simply the real deal: a career musician who also happens to be one of the best songwriters of the past 50 yrs. This comes from a good tribute album some canadian artists did in 1994 to raise $ for cerebral palsy. Neil has 2 kids with the disease
DocMcCoy"Go and laugh in your own country!" 5,917 Posts
OptimusLime said:
I'll come out and say it: I don't know Neil Young at all. I've only ever seen his MtV unplugged, which wasn't great.
So, my question: name 1 album that I should start on.
Plaese to halp.....
If you really don't know his stuff at all, I'd say start with this and follow whichever direction most appeals to you.
This covers his earlier material, up to the mid-70s, and it's easy enough to find cheap on CD, so you're not taking a big risk. His later stuff I'm not quite as familiar with, but by the time you get through this, you'll have figured out whether or not you want to dig any deeper.
I'll come out and say it: I don't know Neil Young at all. I've only ever seen his MtV unplugged, which wasn't great.
So, my question: name 1 album that I should start on.
Plaese to halp.....
If you really don't know his stuff at all, I'd say start with this and follow whichever direction most appeals to you.
This covers his earlier material, up to the mid-70s, and it's easy enough to find cheap on CD, so you're not taking a big risk. His later stuff I'm not quite as familiar with, but by the time you get through this, you'll have figured out whether or not you want to dig any deeper.
Hey kids, I posted this mix on Waxidermy last year, enjoy...
Hello Waxidermists, here's another mix for your listening pleasure, this time extracted from my collection of unreleased and rare Neil Young recordings. These are what I think are the cream of the crop, the ones I actually go back and listen to for pleasure with frequency. You'll notice I concentrate on the 1980s, simply for two facts: while he was keeping an emotional distance to the music due to the family pressures, playing with genres and breaking out of his own image, he actually was quite creative and successful often enough within those genre constraints (though I still hate Landing on Water); and, simply put, he recorded a fuckload of material and due to legal beefs much of it remained unheard. If anyone wants to hear it I'll post the unreleased Chrome Dreams LP, and some bonus tracks I like as much as the ones below. So, enjoy...
Raer Neil: Plante's Picks
WAXI-4, 2011
1. Pushed It Over the End...rare live CSNY track from 1974 that was only released as a one-sided 12" single included in an Italian box set of Neil LPs; was to be on Human Highway, the planned follow-up to Deja Vu.
2. Berlin...good one from his 1982 Berlin concert video, yet to make it on an album.
3. Johnny...one of my favorite outtakes, this sardonic techno tune was lopped off 1982's Trans; we only know it because Neil played it over the PA at some of his 1983 shows.
4. If You Got Love...upbeat tune that was to be on his (still unreleased) 1982 LP, Island in the Sun, the album David Geffen rejected in favor of Trans (this song was cut off that LP at the last minute, also, and even appeared on the cover), which he described as "a tropical thing all about sailing, ancient civilisations, islands and water." It will apparently be included on the second Archives box, as part of something called Oceanside-Countryside. This was recorded in Sweden in 1982.
5. Rainin' in Paradise...another 1982 outtake from Island in the Sun; a lightly trippy studio recording that reminds me of Mu!
6. Amber Jean...nice little tune with his country band The International Harvesters, recorded on the Austin City Limits TV show, 1984. A different take is appearing on the upcoming A Treasure LP, culled from his '84/'85 tours, and #9 in his performance series.
7. Grey Riders...killer western ghost vibe with a slashing guitar theme; recorded live in St. Paul, MN in 1985 with The International Harvesters; a monster! Was supposed to be on a Farm Aid benefit EP (blocked by Geffen). Again, a different take will appear on A Treasure.
8. Leavin' the Top 40 Behind...another International Harvesters tune, this is one of many 1985 outtakes from the second version of Old Ways (the released one; the first one, from 1983, was, yes, rejected by Geffen, and is thought to be the other half of Oceanside-Countryside).
9. Big Room...live in Santa Cruz with The Bluenotes, 1987, his urban big band blues outfit, with which he recorded a ton of unreleased stuff (they're best known for "This Note's for You"); a live LP was supposed to come out, and would have been great, judging by this little taste. Harold Melvin soon made him change the name of the band to Ten Men Working.
10. Bad News...downer gem with The Bluenotes, live in Wantagh, NY, 1988.
11. Ordinary People...another tune from Wantagh, an epic and one of his best rare tracks; I prefer this live version to the one recorded in 1988 for Freedom that eventually ended up on the cutely-titled Chrome Dreams II.
12. Lady Wingshot...upbeat folkrock-type tune recorded live in Eureka, CA in 1989 with The Restless; the song was performed as far back as 1977.
13. Box Car...downbeat solo electric piece, also captured on his 1989 tour; was recorded for both the unreleased Times Square and Freedom but didn't make the cut, eventually ending up on Chrome Dreams II.
14. Born to Run...driving hard rock; at one point he joked about doing an album of songs with titles made famous by others; a 1990 Ragged Glory outtake, though the song dates back to the ???70s.
15. Hitchhiker...will finish with a bang; this one means a lot to me because I was at this show, at the open amphitheater SPAC in a Saratoga Springs, NY state park, on a clear summer night in June, 1992 ("everything was green"). The song is perhaps an alternate, earlier version of "Like an Inca" from Trans, but the lyrics document his experiences with drugs through life. Imagine my shock when I saw him in an Albany theater in May, 2010, months before Le Noise came out; the show was advertised as solo, and everyone was probably expecting a similar show to the acoustic ???92 one, but no, he always pulls a wild card, and played solo ELECTRIC, very noisily, and busted out a brutal, caustic version of this song. He rattled the rafters of the old movie palace, for sure. The show felt like a dirge from a broken man (a few close friends had passed over the previous year or two). But I'll always prefer this harrowing version, and hope that a high quality recording of it is eventually released.
His guitar and voice are both often out of tune. Sometimes that bothers me, sometimes it just makes it better.
My ear is not that great, so if I hear it they are out of tune.
Sometimes I hear a line/song like "Old man take a look at my life..." and it sounds insightful, sometimes it just sounds like Hallmark dreck.
One thing I never doubt is his artistic integrity.
If he does something, he has an artistic reason for doing it.
Like all artists, especially ones who collaborate, sometimes the artistic vision is not realized.
I heard David Crosby (or perhaps S or N) say something like; I know Neil likes Crazy Horse's raw energy, but they still blow the changes in Needle And The Damage Done, cant he find a band that can both rock and play?
Today, my favorite Neil Young is Buffalo Springfield stuff and Cortez the Killer.
Comments
Personally, I'd rather listen to the Stooges than Neil Young also.
This might be the greatest quote in the history of Teh Strut.
Especially when taken in the context of someone partnering with Pearl Jam- a band whose music is highly debatable, but whose integrity is pretty rock solid. See Ticketmaster and a host of legitimate causes over the years.
Yeah, wow... I know that exact feeling. But a little overly dramatic, no?
I mean, as Horseleech stated, Neil has had a fair share of missteps but in such a long and varied career filled with so many highs there are bound to be lows. His hit to miss ratio is fairly high in comparison to contemporaries like The Stones who have failed to put out a relevant album in decades now.
Oh yeah, I celebrate the entire catalogue... Neil for life!
Sorry, what is this "Nirvana thing" you're speaking of?
?!!
Worst comparison ever!
oh sorry, the talk was about him playing with Pearl Jam. I get them easily confused, what with him being the godfather of grunge and all.
If you really don't know his stuff at all, I'd say start with this and follow whichever direction most appeals to you.
This covers his earlier material, up to the mid-70s, and it's easy enough to find cheap on CD, so you're not taking a big risk. His later stuff I'm not quite as familiar with, but by the time you get through this, you'll have figured out whether or not you want to dig any deeper.
No mention of Buffalo Springfield? "Expecting to Fly" is a favorite song of mine...
Good advice.
Or just get On The Beach.
Some of his heaviest guitar work ever.
Cool, I never see this.
Only came out in Japan and Australia. Discogs lists a US pressing, but that doesn't exist.
"Don't cry" is also on the LP "Freedom"
The version on Freedom has about a minute of the crazier guitar bits edited out, which kind of ruins it.
Hello Waxidermists, here's another mix for your listening pleasure, this time extracted from my collection of unreleased and rare Neil Young recordings. These are what I think are the cream of the crop, the ones I actually go back and listen to for pleasure with frequency. You'll notice I concentrate on the 1980s, simply for two facts: while he was keeping an emotional distance to the music due to the family pressures, playing with genres and breaking out of his own image, he actually was quite creative and successful often enough within those genre constraints (though I still hate Landing on Water); and, simply put, he recorded a fuckload of material and due to legal beefs much of it remained unheard. If anyone wants to hear it I'll post the unreleased Chrome Dreams LP, and some bonus tracks I like as much as the ones below. So, enjoy...
Raer Neil: Plante's Picks
WAXI-4, 2011
1. Pushed It Over the End...rare live CSNY track from 1974 that was only released as a one-sided 12" single included in an Italian box set of Neil LPs; was to be on Human Highway, the planned follow-up to Deja Vu.
2. Berlin...good one from his 1982 Berlin concert video, yet to make it on an album.
3. Johnny...one of my favorite outtakes, this sardonic techno tune was lopped off 1982's Trans; we only know it because Neil played it over the PA at some of his 1983 shows.
4. If You Got Love...upbeat tune that was to be on his (still unreleased) 1982 LP, Island in the Sun, the album David Geffen rejected in favor of Trans (this song was cut off that LP at the last minute, also, and even appeared on the cover), which he described as "a tropical thing all about sailing, ancient civilisations, islands and water." It will apparently be included on the second Archives box, as part of something called Oceanside-Countryside. This was recorded in Sweden in 1982.
5. Rainin' in Paradise...another 1982 outtake from Island in the Sun; a lightly trippy studio recording that reminds me of Mu!
6. Amber Jean...nice little tune with his country band The International Harvesters, recorded on the Austin City Limits TV show, 1984. A different take is appearing on the upcoming A Treasure LP, culled from his '84/'85 tours, and #9 in his performance series.
7. Grey Riders...killer western ghost vibe with a slashing guitar theme; recorded live in St. Paul, MN in 1985 with The International Harvesters; a monster! Was supposed to be on a Farm Aid benefit EP (blocked by Geffen). Again, a different take will appear on A Treasure.
8. Leavin' the Top 40 Behind...another International Harvesters tune, this is one of many 1985 outtakes from the second version of Old Ways (the released one; the first one, from 1983, was, yes, rejected by Geffen, and is thought to be the other half of Oceanside-Countryside).
9. Big Room...live in Santa Cruz with The Bluenotes, 1987, his urban big band blues outfit, with which he recorded a ton of unreleased stuff (they're best known for "This Note's for You"); a live LP was supposed to come out, and would have been great, judging by this little taste. Harold Melvin soon made him change the name of the band to Ten Men Working.
10. Bad News...downer gem with The Bluenotes, live in Wantagh, NY, 1988.
11. Ordinary People...another tune from Wantagh, an epic and one of his best rare tracks; I prefer this live version to the one recorded in 1988 for Freedom that eventually ended up on the cutely-titled Chrome Dreams II.
12. Lady Wingshot...upbeat folkrock-type tune recorded live in Eureka, CA in 1989 with The Restless; the song was performed as far back as 1977.
13. Box Car...downbeat solo electric piece, also captured on his 1989 tour; was recorded for both the unreleased Times Square and Freedom but didn't make the cut, eventually ending up on Chrome Dreams II.
14. Born to Run...driving hard rock; at one point he joked about doing an album of songs with titles made famous by others; a 1990 Ragged Glory outtake, though the song dates back to the ???70s.
15. Hitchhiker...will finish with a bang; this one means a lot to me because I was at this show, at the open amphitheater SPAC in a Saratoga Springs, NY state park, on a clear summer night in June, 1992 ("everything was green"). The song is perhaps an alternate, earlier version of "Like an Inca" from Trans, but the lyrics document his experiences with drugs through life. Imagine my shock when I saw him in an Albany theater in May, 2010, months before Le Noise came out; the show was advertised as solo, and everyone was probably expecting a similar show to the acoustic ???92 one, but no, he always pulls a wild card, and played solo ELECTRIC, very noisily, and busted out a brutal, caustic version of this song. He rattled the rafters of the old movie palace, for sure. The show felt like a dirge from a broken man (a few close friends had passed over the previous year or two). But I'll always prefer this harrowing version, and hope that a high quality recording of it is eventually released.
Right, so I guess Frank got rid of all his James Brown then?
Wow -- looking forward to this. Nice write-up!
His guitar and voice are both often out of tune. Sometimes that bothers me, sometimes it just makes it better.
My ear is not that great, so if I hear it they are out of tune.
Sometimes I hear a line/song like "Old man take a look at my life..." and it sounds insightful, sometimes it just sounds like Hallmark dreck.
One thing I never doubt is his artistic integrity.
If he does something, he has an artistic reason for doing it.
Like all artists, especially ones who collaborate, sometimes the artistic vision is not realized.
I heard David Crosby (or perhaps S or N) say something like; I know Neil likes Crazy Horse's raw energy, but they still blow the changes in Needle And The Damage Done, cant he find a band that can both rock and play?
Today, my favorite Neil Young is Buffalo Springfield stuff and Cortez the Killer.