Neil Young Americana

Subject: Neil Young Americana
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 09 Jun 12 - 09:17 AM

Heard some clips from this new album, and I have just a one word comment.

Underwhelming.

Subject: RE: Neil Young Americana
From: bobad
Date: 09 Jun 12 - 09:49 AM

I like his reworking of "Oh Susannah" giving it the full Crazy Horse treatment. The accompanying archival video is remarkable too and rather haunting. See it here.

Subject: RE: Neil Young Americana
From: Bobert
Date: 09 Jun 12 - 10:35 AM

I heard Neil on NPR this week... What I heard, "Save the Queen" was good but that's the only one I heard but...

...I love the sound of "Crazy Horse"... They have always been one of my favorite bands, even if they are just Neil's buddies who come together when he calls... They certainly have a chemistry that remains consistent...

B~

Subject: RE: Neil Young Americana
From: pdq
Date: 09 Jun 12 - 10:50 AM

"They certainly have a chemistry that remains consistent..."

They consistantly sound like an average California garage band which is what Neil Young has always wanted. Makes him sound like "one of the common folk" and not a Rock Star.

Subject: RE: Neil Young Americana
From: meself
Date: 09 Jun 12 - 11:12 AM

With the proviso that I've never 'gotten' the whole Neil Young thing - I heard the recording of 'God Save the Queen' on the radio the other day, and I thought it was horrible. I mean, just painful to listen to. And, is there some redeeming political or cultural point to it that I'm missing? If so, can someone explain?

Subject: RE: Neil Young Americana
From: Bobert
Date: 09 Jun 12 - 11:40 AM

Neil Young is an acquired taste... Or not...

Old rockers tend to love him... Old folkies don't...

Yup, pdq... You hit "Crazy Horse" on the head...

B~

Subject: RE: Neil Young Americana
From: GUEST,mando-player-91
Date: 09 Jun 12 - 11:57 AM

Hey as far as I'm concerned Neil's new album is far better to hear on the radio than Justin Beiber or Lady Gaga

- Shep

Subject: RE: Neil Young Americana
From: meself
Date: 09 Jun 12 - 12:18 PM

'Old folkie'? That sounds uncomfortably like 'old fogey' .... You know, part of me always WANTS to like Neil Young, but ....

Btw - how is it that people hear so much of Beiber and Gaga? I wouldn't recognize either of them on the radio. Don't imagine either one would appeal to me, but - who knows? Maybe I should give them a listen.

Subject: RE: Neil Young Americana
From: Tunesmith
Date: 09 Jun 12 - 12:18 PM

"God Save the Queen"!
Well, the Queen is very rich, and we all know what God - or at least the Jesus bit of God - thinks about rich people. Camel and eyes of needles, and all that!
It seems to me that Neil has flipped - or angling for a knighthood!

Subject: RE: Neil Young Americana
From: bobad
Date: 09 Jun 12 - 12:43 PM

Well, he did record "America the Beautiful" on a previous album so I guess that he's just giving equal time to the country of his birth.

Subject: RE: Neil Young Americana
From: Jack Campin
Date: 09 Jun 12 - 12:49 PM

McDonalds seems to like him - that YouTube clip (at least, as displayed in the UK) starts with a McD's advert (in which a woman in labour is brought a McD's carry-out by the father-to-be) and has a download link for a McD's phone app to get you discounts.

McD's would not have paid for all that without researching the tastes of the typical Neil Young fan.

Subject: RE: Neil Young Americana
From: pdq
Date: 09 Jun 12 - 01:01 PM

If somebody has an urge to buy a Neil Young CD, may I suggest "Comes A Time", "Hawks and Doves", "Old Ways", "Harvest Moon", "Prairie Wind" or "Chrome Dreams II".

Young has a very different identity as a Folk-Rock artist, leaning quite a bit toward Country. No hot chops on guitar, no Crazy Horse, no politics.

The late Ben Keith on pedal steel was an important part of the mix.

Subject: RE: Neil Young Americana
From: GUEST,henryp
Date: 09 Jun 12 - 01:49 PM

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01jhp10/Front_Row_Neil_Young_interviewed/

BBC Radio 4 Front Row 8 June 2012 John Wilson interviews the Canadian singer-songwriter Neil Young, who discusses his new album of traditional songs, including God Save the Queen.

Subject: RE: Neil Young Americana
From: catspaw49
Date: 09 Jun 12 - 03:13 PM

Ten cents from every one sold goes to the Neil Ypung Center for the Terminally Screwed.


Spaw

Subject: RE: Neil Young Americana
From: Bobert
Date: 11 Jun 12 - 09:26 PM

Refresh because I am a Neil Young fan...

B~

Subject: RE: Neil Young Americana
From: Bobert
Date: 11 Jun 12 - 10:19 PM

I just listened to this CD on the INTERNET and I'm here to say that this CD is awesome!!!

Ya'll can boo-hoo it all you want but I have just placed my order...

Darned good music...

B~

Subject: RE: Neil Young Americana
From: Sandy Mc Lean
Date: 11 Jun 12 - 10:30 PM

I never cared that much for his old man, Scott, so I suppose that makes me biased against Neil, but why is a Canadian singing Americana?

Subject: RE: Neil Young Americana
From: meself
Date: 12 Jun 12 - 01:32 AM

Three answers to that one:

1) Lot more money in Americana than in Canadiana;

2) Neil's been living in the States now for forty-fifty years;

3) How many Canadians, musicians or not, have any interest at all in distinctively Canadian music - in music that could be called 'Canadiana'? None that I know of - except for me and you, presumably.

Subject: RE: Neil Young Americana
From: Lonesome EJ
Date: 12 Jun 12 - 02:04 AM

God Save the Queen. The idea was to take a British pre-revolution song and contrast it with my Country 'tis of Thee, the version made popular in the new American Republic.

Hey as far as I'm concerned Neil's new album is far better to hear on the radio than Justin Beiber or Lady Gaga Now THAT'S damning with faint praise!

My assessment. This album is Neil and the boys enjoying themselves. A lot of it sounds like unrehearsed first-takes of the songs. It's a little too roughcut for my taste, and the pounding drums and guitar chops are a bit monotonous. The best cuts, to me, are probably High Flyin Bird and Jesus' Chariot (which both sound like the band was actually trying), with Clementine being the best of the hammer-and-tongs headbangers. With no originals and the general off-the-cuff feeling of the whole thing, it feels like a lazy effort to me.

Subject: RE: Neil Young Americana
From: Bobert
Date: 12 Jun 12 - 08:38 AM

I heard the interview of Neil Young on NPR, Eeejaa, and "God Save the Queen" is a song that was sung in school every morning by Neil and his classmates...

As for some of it being a "headbanger"... I guess that's part of why I like it...

B;~)

Subject: RE: Neil Young Americana
From: GUEST,Spleen Cringe
Date: 12 Jun 12 - 10:01 AM

PDQ: If somebody has an urge to buy a Neil Young CD, may I suggest "Comes A Time", "Hawks and Doves", "Old Ways", "Harvest Moon", "Prairie Wind" or "Chrome Dreams II".

Ha! You're the opposite sort of Neil Young fan to me. I'd recommend 'Everyone Knows This is Nowhere', 'Zuma', 'Tonight's the Night', 'Rust Never Sleeps' and and of the live NY/Crazy Horse albums, but especially LIVE AT THE FILLMORE EAST (NEW YORK 1970) to hear Crazy Horse at the peak of their power. Much as I love stuff like 'Harvest' and 'After the Goldrush', it's the full-on rockin' Neil that does it for me everytime.

Whoever back up the thread said that Crazy Horse sound like a west coast garage band has it absolutely right. That's what I love about them - raw, underproduced and mildly deranged.

Mansion on the Hill

Subject: RE: Neil Young Americana
From: meself
Date: 12 Jun 12 - 10:30 AM

""God Save the Queen" is a song that was sung in school every morning by Neil and his classmates... "

Along with every other kid in every other school in the British Commonwealth ....

Subject: RE: Neil Young Americana
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 12 Jun 12 - 10:31 AM

Bobert, I enjoyed the same 32 minute interview. It was on Fresh Air on June 6, 2012.

SRS

Subject: RE: Neil Young Americana
From: GUEST,Whistle Stop
Date: 12 Jun 12 - 10:34 AM

"but why is a Canadian singing Americana?"

Leaving aside the fact that Canada is in North America...

If there is one group of people who have probably done more to foster the emergence of "Americana" as a separate genre, it's The Band, starting with their first album, Music From Big Pink. Four of the five members were Canadian.

Subject: RE: Neil Young Americana
From: GUEST
Date: 12 Jun 12 - 10:46 AM

"but why is a Canadian singing Americana?"

Because Canadiana sounds like a fungal infection?

Subject: RE: Neil Young Americana
From: GUEST,Spleen Cringe
Date: 12 Jun 12 - 10:46 AM

Me above...

Subject: RE: Neil Young Americana
From: GUEST,punkfolkrocker
Date: 12 Jun 12 - 11:51 AM

I've always been a bit indifferent to Neil Young.

From time to time I listen to selections of his LP output and bootlegs
out of a sense of 'educational' obligation...

..to me it can sound ok to pretty good, but nothing outstanding or special..

But I'd have thought his early 90's "MTV Unplugged" CD / DVD
might appeal more to fundamentalist acoustic folkies..???

Subject: RE: Neil Young Americana
From: Bobert
Date: 14 Jun 12 - 07:48 PM

Just got my copy in the mail and listening to it now... WOW!!! It's the 70's all over again but with songs I haven't heard... Neil's voice is as string as ever and Crazy Horse is tight as they ever were, which means kinda loose... Backup vocals (colored girls) dynamite...

This ain't folk but for anyone who went thru the 70's country rock scene (CSNY, NRPS, Poco, etc. ) this fits right in there with the best of them...

B~

Subject: RE: Neil Young Americana
From: GUEST,gillymor
Date: 14 Jun 12 - 08:12 PM

Right on, Spleen. "Everybody Knows..." is a classic and Zuma and On the Beach also stand up well for me. I heard him on Terry Gross and am not really taken with this new one.

Subject: RE: Neil Young Americana
From: Bobert
Date: 14 Jun 12 - 09:33 PM

Give it a listen, gilly... This is Neil Young at his best... Ya' gotta lsten to the entire CD... You can do that on line... Just devote 1 hour...

This is his best since the days of "Down by the River" and "Cinnamon Girl"...


B~

Subject: RE: Neil Young Americana
From: Bobert
Date: 16 Jun 12 - 10:44 PM

Refresh...

And gonna refresh it every day until one Mudcatter says "Okay, I'll order it"...

Best CD I've bought in the last 15 years!!!

B~

Subject: RE: Neil Young Americana
From: Bobert
Date: 16 Jun 12 - 11:13 PM

Best CD since the 70s....

Unless, of course you like 50 verses of some song about this or that that all sound the same...

Check out the back up vocals...

"Save the Queen" is all about folk vocals...

B~

Subject: RE: Neil Young Americana
From: GUEST,Ed
Date: 17 Jun 12 - 03:09 AM

Best CD since the 70s

There weren't any CDs in the 70s.

Unless, of course you like 50 verses of some song

Can you let me know about any songs that have 50 verses? I can't think of any.

"Save the Queen" is all about folk vocals

What on earth do you mean? An explanation would be good.

Subject: RE: Neil Young Americana
From: Bobert
Date: 17 Jun 12 - 10:09 AM

CD.LPs... Okay, recordings...

50 verses... Poetic license... Every folkie has heard these songs...

Folk vocals... Just listen to the vocals... Homie ain't gonna get into that "how many angles can dance on the end of a pin"... Life's too short...

Buy the CD, ya'll!!!

It's great!!!

B~

Subject: RE: Neil Young Americana
From: GUEST,punkfolkrocker
Date: 17 Jun 12 - 10:55 AM

nah.. the best release since the 70's is this months 40th Anniversary Remaster of David Bowie's "Ziggy Stardust"

Subject: RE: Neil Young Americana
From: Bobert
Date: 17 Jun 12 - 11:45 AM

Okay, that's a good 'un, too...

Buy 'um both...

B~

Subject: RE: Neil Young Americana
From: pdq
Date: 17 Jun 12 - 02:06 PM

Has anyone got an opinion about "Fork in the Road", the Cd before this one?
It has a bunch of stuff about cars.

BTW, "Chrome Deams II" as plenty of Young's guitar noodling on some songs. Others are folkie and others country-rock. Actually a very long but even effort despite the fact some parts recorded about 25 years ago.

Subject: RE: Neil Young Americana
From: Lonesome EJ
Date: 17 Jun 12 - 02:41 PM

As a guy who has always liked Neil Young songs better than Neil Young performances, the guitar playing on Americana is as good as it ever was, if you liked Rust Never Sleeps. Problem is there are no Neil Young songs on the album. But for those who love Crazy Horse's all-out attack approach, most of the songs dO sound like Keep on Rockin in the Free World. I suppose as folkies we should give Neil some praise for doing an album of traditional songs, and I do. But up to the level of Harvest? No f@#king way.

Subject: RE: Neil Young Americana
From: Bobert
Date: 17 Jun 12 - 10:52 PM

Harvest is one fine album, Eeejaa, that much is for sure...

Neil Young is like two musicians... He's got his singer/songwriter thing and then he has his "Crazy Horse" thing... Kinda like Springsteen in that regards...

Kinda have to appreciate both musicians...

B~

Subject: RE: Neil Young Americana
From: michaelr
Date: 17 Jun 12 - 11:21 PM

Speaking of chrome dreams, I think "Long May You Run" (recorded with the Stills-Young Band and giving a shout-out to Blind River) is one of Neil's best songs. He really does love them old cars...

Subject: RE: Neil Young Americana
From: pdq
Date: 18 Jun 12 - 06:00 PM

Well, it was time for a new Neil Young album and I've made the decision...

"A Treasure features Young's onstage work with some of the greatest artists in the history of Country music, including the late, great Ben Keith on steel and slide guitar and Rufus Thibodeaux on fiddle, along with living legends Spooner Oldham and Hargus "Pig" Robbins on piano, Tim Drummond and Joe Allen on bass, Anthony Crawford on mandolin & guitars and Karl Himmel on drums, among many others. A Treasure is Young's first release since last year's Grammy and Juno Award-winning album, Le Noise. The live album captures this iconic artist during a fascinating time in his career, when he was facing criticism and lawsuits from his then current record company for exploring a more traditionally country sound. "You can call me erratic," Young said when asked at the time about his tendency toward musical shape-shifting, "but I've been consistent about it, consistently erratic." Always celebrated for his musical versatility, A Treasure, is akin to a sonic time capsule, instantly transporting the listener to the time and place when it was made. "I love this record," Young says. "I hadn't heard these takes in 25 years, but when we unearthed them co-producer Ben Keith said, 'This is a treasure.'"

Since I own an International Scout and have heard of this unreleased material for years, I orderd it.

"Americana" sounds like it is the "same old same old" from Crazy Hours but using tired old (inappropriate?) material.

The other stuff since "Prairie Moon" seems to be Neil whining and bitching about anything he can think of.

"A Treasure" has the finest musicians he ever worked with. Looking forward to this one showing up in the mail box.

Subject: RE: Neil Young Americana
From: 2581
Date: 19 Jun 12 - 12:30 PM

I love "Americana", particularly "High Flyin' Bird", "Jesus' Chariot" and "Oh, Susannah". No other rock 'n roller on the planet would think of re-working classic folk songs into rock tunes as Neil and Crazy Horse have done. It's what you call "creativity"... To all of you whining critcs, if you don't like Uncle Neil's music or his politics, don't listen to him. Simple enough. As for me, I'm looking forward to seeing him in Winnipeg this November!

Subject: RE: Neil Young Americana
From: Bobert
Date: 19 Jun 12 - 06:46 PM

Thanks, 2581...

The last time I bought a CD and played it every night for a week was, ahhhhhh, maybe never... I'm loving the CD... I loving the creative vocals and arrangements... And I am loving hearing a guy I loved over the years come out and do something that I doubt any of his contemporaries could pull off or even have the courage to to attempt...

Yeah, "Uncle NeiL' is a curmudgeon... Who cares???

B~

Subject: RE: Neil Young Americana
From: Lonesome EJ
Date: 20 Jun 12 - 12:47 AM

Well, don't get me wrong, I ain't whinin and I AM going to see Shakey at Red Rocks in August!!

Subject: RE: Neil Young Americana
From: pdq
Date: 21 Jun 12 - 10:00 PM

I just heard an ad for the 2012 "Americana Tour".

Neil plays one night at Harvey's outdoor arena at Stateline.

The back row(s) run $85 per ticket.

The best "front and center" tickets are $847!!!!!

Most of the "in between" tickets are $300-$400 each.

"Working Man's Hero" fronting a "garage band" wants money like the gready bitch Barbara Streisand.

I saw the Grateful Dead for $3.50.

Neil: bite me!

Subject: RE: Neil Young Americana
From: GUEST,Gerry
Date: 21 Jun 12 - 10:08 PM

Hey, pdq, haven't you heard? eighty-five dollars is the new three bucks fifty!

Subject: RE: Neil Young Americana
From: Lonesome EJ
Date: 22 Jun 12 - 01:54 AM

Buy the cheap tickets because you'll be in the Mosh Pit most of the show, anyway, pd.

Subject: RE: Neil Young Americana
From: pdq
Date: 22 Jun 12 - 09:20 AM

ER, slam-dancing to "Out on the Weekend"?

"Oh, Susanna"?

Subject: RE: Neil Young Americana
From: GUEST,punkfolkrocker
Date: 22 Jun 12 - 11:08 AM

Ok, listened to all the tracks - liked it...
but not enough to want to hear it again too soon or buy it,
unless it's heavily discounted in a retail overstock sale.

I enjoy the playful irreverent approach to re-imagining and resetting
dismal old singalong songs I've hated since infant school..

but aint that what we all do when mucking about at rehearsals & parties with good old mates..???

If only Burl Ives had lived long enough to redo his own grunge metal versions
of his old boy scout & sunday school favourites greatest hits....

Serious point, I couldn't live a life without valve amp overdrive and fuzz boxes..

but even I really don't like Neil Young's blurry muddy amp components death rattle distortion tone !!!

Subject: RE: Neil Young Americana
From: Lonesome EJ
Date: 22 Jun 12 - 11:10 AM

Just be ready when Shakey stage-dives into the crowd during Tonight's the Night.