Artist of the Week 04/18/11 - Neil Young

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cortez the killer
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Re: Artist of the Week 04/18/11 - Neil Young

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#8
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Time Fades Away/Neil Young (1973)

With the success of Harvest, Neil Young was now a rock star. The original plan was to head back into the studio to record the follow-up album, Time Fades Away, and then follow it up with an arena tour. Dissatisfied with the proceedings, Neil decided to scrap the studio plan and record the album live on the road. Producer Elliot Mazer was forced to scramble and put together a recording truck which Neil later dubbed “His Master’s Wheels”. Neil invited The Stray Gators, Jack Nitzsche and Crazy Horse guitarist Danny Whitten to his Broken Arrow ranch for the Time Fades Away rehearsals. It was well-known at the time that Danny had a major heroin problem, but someone had convinced Neil that he was in good enough shape to tour. Immediately into rehearsals it was apparent Danny was in no condition to head out on the biggest tour of Neil’s career. Neil was forced to make the painful decision to send Danny back to Los Angeles with $50. Later that evening, Whitten was found dead at a friend’s house due to an overdose of alcohol and valium. When they found his body, there was no identification, just a note with Neil’s phone number. Young was obviously crushed, but the show must go on. Sensing his own fragile mortality, Neil penned the autobiographical Don’t Be Denied the day after learning of Danny’s death. With the huge cloud of guilt over Whitten’s death hanging over his head, Young and his band hit the road. Up to this point, Neil had strictly been a club act. Now he was about to embark on an arena tour that played 65 gigs in 90 nights. Young was not comfortable in the new settings and the tour was marked by Neil being mostly drunk off tequila and high tensions within the band. Over the course of the tour, it was apparent the smiling hippie was gone. Neil was transforming into a drunk, out-of-it guy who frequently clashed with band members, as well as the audience that came to hear “the hits”. It was an unnerving, tumultuous time in Neil’s life and he has frequently stated that Time Fades Away was his least favorite album. Reflecting back on the time, Neil stated, “I felt like a product, and I had this band of all-star musicians that couldn’t even look at each other. It was a total joke.” The descent into “the ditch” was underway.

1. Time Fades Away – Love the pounding barroom piano and touches of pedal steel. Neil isn’t singing. He’s yelling and occasionally belting it out on the harmonica. Great mood setter. (9)
2. Journey Through the Past – “Song without a home…” Just Neil and the piano. Achingly beautiful performance, dripping with nostalgia. Love this one. (10)
3. Yonder Stands the Sinner – “This will be kind of experimental…” Drunken and sloppy. Neil is yelling again and his voice is cracking. The polish that marked the smooth sounds of Harvest have been stripped away. Same band. Very different sound. (9)
4. L.A. – Ooof! Fuckin’ classic. Top 10 Neil. The Gators and Nitzsche find that Horse-like trance. “In an ocean full of trees…” (10)
5. Love in Mind – Another tender piano ballad not dissimilar to the vibe created on Journey Through the Past. (9)
6. Don’t Be Denied – Autobiographical tale touching on his parents’ divorce, getting beat-up on the schoolyard, starting his first band, getting discovered and becoming an arena-filling rock star. Love the herky-jerky playing. Sounds like the song will fall apart at any moment. All-timer. (10)
7. The Bridge – The third piano ballad. Later became the name for the school he founded with his ex-wife Pegi Young. (8)
8. Last Dance – Sloppy, dirgelike rocker to close things out. Neil’s voice was struggling toward the end of the TFA tour, so Graham Nash and David Crosby were brought on to help with supporting vocals. You can hear Nash screaming like a possessed fool on the version that made it onto the album. (9)

Overall Score - 10
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Re: Artist of the Week 04/18/11 - Neil Young

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#7
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Rust Never Sleeps/Neil Young & Crazy Horse (1979)

The album title and iconic song, Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black), were influenced by Devo. Gerald V. Casale and Mark Mothersbaugh (both students at Kent State during the shootings) had entered Neil’s orbit and were part of his Human Highway movie. Neil’s experience with Casale and Mothersbaugh along with the emergence of punk rock shaped his vision for his next tour - a theatrical show with Crazy Horse where instead of roadies scurrying around the stage, there were “Road-eyes” which were Jawa-like creatures in long robes with glowing red eyes. The stage would be adorned with insanely oversized amps, speaker cases and microphones. The show consisted of Neil “awakening” from the top of one of the ginormous speakers to come down and perform a solo, acoustic set. After the acoustic part was over, Crazy Horse would emerge to tear through eardrum-stressing rock and roll. Rust Never Sleeps consists of live performances from the Rust tour, a solo stint at The Boarding House and a pair of studio tracks. Side one showcased the acoustic songs, while the second side features Crazy Horse with its new punk rock-inspired music. Upon its release, the album was a critically-acclaimed hit and remains a huge favorite of Rusties to this day. It also concluded an incredible run of records over a decade where Young had become a success both critically and commercially. The 80s would not be as kind to Neil either personally or professionally.


1. My My, Hey Hey (Out of the Blue) – Rock and roll can never die. Simple. Clean. Succinct. (8)
2. Thrasher – Another autobiographical tale from the intensely private man. We now have three very different ones by my count – Don’t Be Denied, Hitchhiker (which had yet to see an official release) and Thrasher. Shots fired at his old CSN bandmates – “They had the best selection. They were poisoned with protection. There was nothing that they needed, nothing left to find.” (9)
3. Ride My Llama – Neil hanging out with aliens and getting high. Okay. (7)
4. Pocahontas – Tackling everything from the genocide of Native Americans, hanging out with Marlon Brando, fucking Pocahontas and referencing the Astrodome. Other than the background bird/savage noises, a pretty standard acoustic number. For my money, the 1993 Unplugged version is the definitive one. That one slays. This one is solid. (8)
5. Sail Away – A leftover from the Comes a Time sessions. Actually better than a handful of tracks that made the cut for that album. A sunny piece of folk-rock goodness. (7)
6. Powderfinger – Quintessential Neil Young & Crazy Horse. Such an incredible song. I prefer the Weld version to this one, but if you don’t like Powderfinger, you don’t like Neil Young. Rumor has it Neil offered this song to Lynyrd Skynyrd as a peace offering for Southern Man. But as Patterson Hood notes in Ronnie & Neil, “So he wrote Powderfinger for Skynyrd to record, but ol’ Ronnie wound up singin’ Sweet Home Alabama to the Lord.” (10)
7. Welfare Mothers – Neil always had a thing for these kind of women – motorcycle mamas that ride Harley Davidson on desert highways and these welfare mothers that make better lovers. Neil lets fly some menacing solos. Punk Neil. The Weld version fuckin’ smokes. (9.5)
8. Sedan Delivery – “She stopped to see herself in the mirror, fix her hair and hide he veins. And she lost the game.” Punk rock Neil examining white trash culture. Sign me up! (10)
9. Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black) – Pulling a page out of the Tonight's the Night playbook, Neil starts and concludes an album with two different versions of a song. The opener is acoustic and the closer is a distorted, punkish electric anthem. Originally sung with Devo, Neil wanted to Horse to tackle this massive track. According to Poncho, “We went to play ‘Hey, Hey’ and we weren’t hittin’ it that good. Neil showed us the film of him playin’ it with Devo. I didn’t think we could ever play it that good, but that inspired us to play harder. From then on, we played the shit outta that song.” The Weld version carries a big stick. (10)

Overall Score - 10
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Re: Artist of the Week 04/18/11 - Neil Young

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#6
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On the Beach/Neil Young (1974)

On the Beach started out as a David Briggs production, recorded at Broken Arrow (Those sessions yielded Walk On & For the Turnstiles). However, soon after recording began, Briggs got sick. Feeling like he was in the zone creatively, Neil ditched Briggs and continued the sessions at Sunset Sound in Los Angeles with Al Schmidt producing. With Briggs pushed aside, Ben Keith played a more prominent role in shaping the direction of the album. He brought in a couple of old friends from The Band (Rick Danko and Levon Helm) and a large, wild Cajun fiddler, born in the swamps of Louisiana, Rusty Kershaw. Rusty introduced Neil to his infamous honey slides which were liberally consumed during the recording of OTB. Honey slides were made by putting weed in a frying pan and adding honey once the weed began to smoke. Neil’s manager, Elliot Roberts, had the following to say about the concoction, “People passed out. This stuff was, like, much worse than heroin. Much heavier. Rusty would pour it down your throat and within ten minutes you were catatonic.” On top of the honey slides, in order to get into character and to capture that late-night, throaty blues vibe, Neil began smoking 2 packs of cigarettes a day. Taking a cue from the great method actors, Neil was morphing into an alternate persona to help cope with his new-found fame. It was fame that drove Neil into the ditch in the first place and much of OTB addresses, in some way or other, fame and its trappings.

1. Walk On – Jaunty “fuck you” song to Neil’s critics to kick off the proceedings. (9)
2. See the Sky About to Rain – Slowed down, D-chord dirge. Love the distorted keys on this track. (8.5)
3. Revolution Blues – Charles Manson + Honey Slides + whacky Rusty Kershaw = Revolution Blues. Demonically possessed Neil is good Neil. Rick Danko and Levon Helm holding down the rhythm section. What’s not to love? (10)
4. For the Turnstiles – A return to the country/folk roots that characterized the earlier records. Neil’s banjo playing is sublime. Ben Keith pitching in with harmonizing vocals and some killer dobro. (10)
5. Vampire Blues – Back to the druggy, honey slides-influenced vibe. Whoever came up with that vampire bat-sounding guitar during the outro is a genius. (8)
6. On the Beach – Monster tune. Might be Neil’s best songwriting. Great peek into his psyche as he navigates through “The Ditch”. Spooky as hell. (10)
7. Motion Pictures (For Carrie) – While his presence and personality greatly influenced the album was recorded, this is Rusty’s first musical contribution. His slide guitar brings a Beggars Banquet/Let It Bleed vibe to this song that hints at the fractures that are beginning to form in Neil’s relationship with Carrie Snodgress. (7)
8. Ambulance Blues – Unlike anything else in his catalog. I feel like this what he was aiming for (and missed) with Last Trip to Tulsa. The melody was poached from Bert Jansch’s The Needle of Death. Love the interplay between Neil’s harmonica and Rusty’s fiddle. One of the greatest album closers ever. (10)

Overall Score - 10
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Re: Artist of the Week 04/18/11 - Neil Young

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#5
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After the Gold Rush/Neil Young (1970)

After the release of Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, Neil reunites with old pal Steven Stills and becomes the fourth wheel in the new supergroup Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. As a result, there’s a fifteen month gap between the release of EKTIN and After the Gold Rush. Probably his most diverse album, ATGR contains some of Neil’s best folk-rock songs, along with some electrified Crazy Horse-infused stompers. Breathing life into several of these compositions is seventeen year-old newcomer Nils Lofgren, whose piano work takes Southern Man to another level. Brimming with confidence after the successes of EKTIN and CSN&Y, the songwriting on this record upped the ante significantly. The previous album put Neil Young on the map. This one announced that he was a force to be reckoned with.

1. Tell Me Why – Simple, stunning example of the genius of Neil Young. One of the greatest folk-rock songs ever recorded. (10)
2. After the Gold Rush – This is the song that began my decades-long love affair with Neil. It was my senior year of high school and I was leaving my girlfriend’s house. It came on 100.7 WZLX. I was floored. Went out the next day and got Decade on cassette. So spooky. Neil sounds so vulnerable. That piano & trumpet! (10)
3. Only Love Can Break Your Heart – Fabulous country shuffle with Nils hammering those keys. Harmonizing vocals straight out of the CSN&Y playbook. (9)
4. Southern Man – Shots fired! Who the fuck does this Canadian hippie think he is calling out the American South? Ronnie Van Zant would have something to say about this a few years later. Crazy Horse and Lofgren play with the kind of ferocity the lyrics call for. All-time classic. (10)
5. Till the Morning Comes – Interesting placement of this breezy, folky tune. More great piano & trumpet. Wish it was longer. (7.5)
6. Oh, Lonesome Me – Signature Neil Young harmonica ushers in this warbly country ditty. Slowed the fuck down, it feels like it will fall apart at any moment. (7)
7. Don’t Let It Bring You Down – Hit after hit after hit. Love his vocal performance on this one. Showing maturity as a songwriter. (10)
8. Birds – Tender, piano-based love song. Meh. (5)
9. When You Dance I Can Really Love – Return of The Horse via a nonsensical love song. Love the groove on this one. (9)
10. I Believe in You – Similar vibe as Birds. I like this one a little better. Neil’s better on the 6-string than he is the keys. (7)
11. Cripple Creek Ferry – Another short, breezy song in the mold of Till the Morning Comes. Leaves you wanting for more as it fades out. (8)

Overall Score - 10
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Re: Artist of the Week 04/18/11 - Neil Young

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#4
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Ragged Glory/Neil Young & Crazy Horse (1990)

A reenergized Neil was excited to get the old band, Crazy Horse, back together again. While Freedom was a huge success and marked a return to form for Neil, there were some unhappy campers in Neil’s orbit. Crazy Horse was now divided into two separate camps – Neil & Poncho (who had worked together on a variety of recent projects, including Freedom) and Billy Talbot & Ralph Molina. Talbot and Molina felt like Neil had taken them for granted and abandoned them. Things needed to be smoothed over before Ragged Glory could happen. Longtime producer David Briggs was able to broker the peace, but he had some specific demands of Neil he felt were necessary for the project to work. Briggs recalled saying the following to Young, “Look, man, I want you to understand you’re just one of the band. You produce the record, I’ll leave. You arrange the record, I’ll leave. I’m gonna take every hat off your head except for three: songwriter, guitar player, singer. That’s your only job, dude. That’s all you gotta be.” Briggs also insisted the record not be recorded at Broken Arrow because there were too many distractions for Neil there. Neil took all the blame for the deterioration of the Crazy Horse relationship, agreed to let Briggs handle the production duties, but had the band up to the ranch to record Ragged Glory as quick as possible. When dealing with Shakey, two outta three ain’t bad. The album was recorded live and the final production was very light-handed. Upon its release, Ragged Glory was a huge success. Critics gushed over it and it became a hugely-influential album to many of the recording artists of the day like Dinosaur Jr., The Jayhawks, Uncle Tupelo, Matthew Sweet, Sparklehorse , Sonic Youth, etc., etc. As the Seattle music scene started to gain a huge following, Neil Young was dubbed the “Godfather of Grunge”. After a different sort of 80s ditch, here Neil was, back in the middle of the road again.

1. Country Home – An ode to Neil’s Broken Arrow Ranch. This was one of the first new originals the band cut. Great start to mark the return of Crazy Horse. (10)
2. White Line – One of the older songs brought in to inspire the sessions. The Horse absolutely nails it! (10)
3. Fuckin’ Up – Song was initially written and recorded during an impromptu recording session in NYC before the SNL Rockin’ in the Free World performance. However, it was not selected for Freedom. The birth of the “Godfather of Grunge”. Neil unleashes a wicked solo. “Dogs that lick and dogs that bite. Hounds that howl through the night.” (10)
4. Over and Over – Stretched out and with plenty of Neil ripping it up on Old Black. Great harmonizing from the Horse. (10)
5. Love to Burn – Another new, stretched out jam, but much more ominous that some of the others on here. Love the way he angrily demands, “Where you takin’ my kid? Why’d you ruin my life?” Carrie Snodgress? (10)
6. Farmer John – Rough, distorted country-rock stomper. The Horse sounds shitfaced. One of their most primitive tracks ever. (7.5)
7. Mansion of the Hill – There are some days this is my favorite song on Ragged Glory. Has a strong Zuma feel to it. “There’s a mansion on the hill. Psychedelic music fills the air. Peace and love live there still.” Maybe the ol’ hippie isn’t dead afterall (10)
8. Days That Used to Be – Nostalgic Neil. Perhaps sensing his own mortality, he fondly looks back on simpler times of his youth. “Seems like such a simple thing, to follow one’s own dreams. But possessions and concessions are not often what they seem. They drag you down and load you down, in the disguise of security.” (10)
9. Love and Only Love – Love is one of the central themes of Ragged Glory. Here, the fury of Neil & Crazy Horse’s playing help convince you that “love and only love will break it (hate) down.” Longest track on the record and I’d be fine if it gone on longer. Neil’s guitar playing sounds so inspired. (10)
10. Mother Earth (Natural Anthem) – For the rest of the album, the production is minimal. Not here. Sounds like a leftover from the Life sessions. Sticks out like a sore thumb. (4.5)

Overall score - 10
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Re: Artist of the Week 04/18/11 - Neil Young

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#3
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Zuma/Neil Young with Crazy Horse (1975)

The dark cloud appears to have moved on. A revitalized Neil has got the old band back together, with Frank “Poncho” Sampedro on board as the new rhythm guitarist in Crazy Horse. Zuma was recorded in a rented home across the street from Goldie Hawn’s house in Malibu, with David Briggs as the ringleader. Poncho brought far more to the table as a personality than he did as a musician. As a result, Zuma is a record full of simple songs with big chords. There were no honey slides and little tequila to be found, but plenty of cocaine to fuel the sessions. Neil was single again and happy. The loose, care-free vibe of the proceedings comes shining through on the album. With the exception of Pardon My Heart and Through My Sails, Zuma is a big, rock record with Old Black (Neil’s 1953 Gibson Les Paul Goldtop, painted black) featured prominently.

1. Don’t Cry No Tears – Right out of the gate, the heavy vibe is lifted. There’s an airy, lightness to this simple stomp that was nowhere to be found on the previous three albums. Many have speculated this is about ex-girlfriend Carrie Snodgress. (9)
2. Danger Bird – Birth of the “windshield-wiper guitar”. Said to be a favorite of Lou Reed’s and Link Wray’s. Neil puts on a guitar clinic. (10)
3. Pardon My Heart – A return to the creamy, folk-rock sound mined on the excellent After the Gold Rush. Neil's confidence is his vocal delivery never sounding higher. (8)
4. Lookin’ for a Love – Neil dials up an Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere-sounding slice of country-rock. Nostalgia is in the air. Again, this is Neil’s wheelhouse. (8)
5. Barstool Blues – The music is sludgy, but Neil sounds invigorated. Might be my favorite vocal performance of his. Top-10-Neil-song contender. The misogynistic theme of the record pops up – “His life was filled with parasites and countless idle threats. He trusted in a woman and on her he made his bets.” (10)
6. Stupid Girl – Speaking of misogyny… Double-tracked lyrics (one high, one low) over a primitive chord structure. The dumbed-down musical approach bleeds into the lyrics. “I saw you in Mercedes-Benz, practicing self-defense.” (6.5)
7. Drive Back – Piercing guitar winding its way around this shit-kicker. The return of Old Black and the stabbing Neil solos. (9.5)
8. Cortez the Killer – Duh. (10)
9. Through My Sails – Classic Neil Young move. Zuma is a guitar record. The great return of Crazy Horse 2.0. One of his most iconic guitar workouts is followed by a simply-strummed acoustic guitar and congas with a mini Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young reunion. This is paint-by-numbers CSN&Y. Maybe the smiling hippie isn’t a relic of the past. (7)

Overall Score - 10
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Re: Artist of the Week 04/18/11 - Neil Young

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#2
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Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere/Neil Young with Crazy Horse (1969)

Just four months after the release of his self-titled debut, comes Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere. Backed by a new band called Crazy Horse (formerly known as The Rockets), the record stood in stark contrast to his previous one. With Nitzsche out of the mix and David Briggs solely at the helm, the production polish was stripped away and the album is marked by its sparse, ragged, guitar-driven approach. Neil wrote four of the seven songs in a twenty-four hour period while sporting a 103 degree fever. The spontaneous writing and recording process here became a staple of Neil’s for years to come. Anchored by the hit Cinnamon Girl and the extended guitar improvisations of Down by the River and Cowgirl in the Sand, Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere remains a revered favorite of Rusties to this day. A first of many iconic, classics to come.

1. Cinnamon Girl – From the opening guitar riff, you know Neil’s not fuckin’ around. This is a classic rock staple for a reason. (10)
2. Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere – A short, twangy blast of country-rock bliss. This is Neil’s sweet spot. (10)
3. Round and Round (It Won’t Be Long) – Some great, dreamy folk with Robin Lane providing excellent harmonizing vocals. (7)
4. Down by the River – Wicked, menacing murder ballad accented perfectly by Neil’s simplistic, stretched-out solos and those Crazy Horse harmonies. (10)
5. The Losing End (When You’re On) – The only song here that resembles anything on his debut solo or his Buffalo Springfield roots. A good tune that sounds a bit out of place on this record. (6)
6. Running Dry (Requiem for the Rockets) – Hazy, weary burned out vibe. Love the distorted fiddle. Good switch of gears from the previous track and a great transition into the final gem to come. (7)
7. Cowgirl in the Sand – Massive track. The pièce de résistance of an archetypal album. (10)

Overall Score - 10
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Re: Artist of the Week 04/18/11 - Neil Young

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#1
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Tonight’s the Night/Neil Young (1975)

In large print, along the base of the record sleeve for Tonight the Night, the album’s inspiration is announced in Neil’s handwriting – THIS ALBUM WAS MADE FOR BRUCE BERRY AND DANNY WHITTEN WHO LIVED AND DIED FOR ROCK N ROLL. Tonight’s the Night was recorded before On the Beach, but the release was delayed for eighteen months. In fact, Neil recorded two more albums (the aforementioned OTB & the never-released Homegrown) in the time between the completion of the recording of Tonight’s the Night and the actual release. Neil’s record company, Warner Brothers, and his manager Elliot Roberts urged Neil to hold off on releasing it. Both wanted more of a return to the sound of Harvest. Neil agreed to delay the release the album, but insisted on it being released eventually. TTN was inspired by three events - the death of Danny Whitten, the death of roadie Bruce Berry, and the Topanga drug murders of 1972. Neil was anxious to get the bad taste of the Time Fades Away fiasco out of his mouth and head back into the studio with what was left of Crazy Horse (bassist Billy Talbot and drummer Ralph Molina). In addition to Talbot and Molina, Neil had Ben Keith and his steel back on board along with guitarist Nils Lofgren. The album was originally to be recorded at Sunset Sound in Los Angeles. However, producer David Briggs felt that the studio was “too stiff.” So after one day at Sunset Sound he took the sessions down the street to Studio Instrument Rentals (S.I.R.) which was ironically run by Bruce Berry’s brother Ken Berry. They backed a mobile recording truck into the alley next to the building, took a twenty-five pound sledgehammer, and smashed a hole through one of the walls to S.I.R. Cable was run into a small, closet-sized equipment locker that served as the control room and Neil the band played on a small stage with the sessions recorded live. Little, if any rehearing took place in the making of TTN. Neil wanted it to all be in the moment. Lofgren recounted, “With After the Gold Rush, even though the recording was done as live as possible, on Tonight’s the Night, Neil took it a step further. He was kinda rebelling against everything. I remember talkin’ to him and he said, ‘Hey, I’ve made records where you analyze everything and you do it three thousand times and it’s perfect. I’m sick of it. I want to make a record that’s totally stark naked. Raw. I don’t wanna fix any of it.” Although the record’s release was delayed, the band wasted no time in hitting the road. Neil named the band the Santa Monica Flyers. The band looked like a ragtag collection of homeless misfits. Neil’s outfit for the tour consisted of a white Tinkerbell “Topanga All-Stars” t-shirt, patched jeans, a scruffy beard, a pair of Polaroid Cool-Ray 420 Fastback shades, and a thrift-store seersucker sport coat. For most of the shows, Neil would cryptically announce, “Welcome to Miami Beach, ladies and gentlemen. Everything is cheaper than it looks.” The tour was unlike anything Neil had done before. The stage was adorned by a bunch of kitschy props including a sickly-looking palm tree (taken form the S.I.R. entryway) with a forty-watt bulb attached to it, a wooden Indian (stolen from a Santa Monica arts-and-crafts shop), platform glitter boots surrounding Neil’s grand piano, and beach baggies. During the performances Neil would smoke joints thrown on stage by the audience and take swigs from a gallon jug of Cuervo Gold he would pass down to the front row. The smiling hippie was officially gone.

1. Tonight’s the Night – Tribute to deceased roadie, Bruce Berry. Does a solid job of setting a somber tone for what is to follow. (8)
2. Speakin’ Out – Boozy, bluesy piano-centered tune that has a strong On the Beach feel. However, this time it’s tequila instead of pan-fried, honey-doused weed coloring the atmosphere. “Alright, Nils!” (9)
3. World on a String – Giddy up! The Horse infuses some thump into these proceedings. Clocking in at just under 2 & ½ minutes, this song feels like it came from the Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere sessions. (10)
4. Borrowed Tune – After The Horse starts to get the asses shakin’, things grind to a halt. Neil sounds like he is exhausted, coming down from a sleep-deprived, 48 hour bender. “I’m singing this borrowed tune I took from the Rolling Stones…” Borrowed Tune > Lady Jane. (9.5)
5. Come on Baby Let’s Go Downtown – Well, that didn’t last. Never-released, live performance (Fillmore March 1970) comes exploding out of the speakers. Danny Whitten handling lead vocals. This song packs a wallop. The band is on fire. Oh man! What could’ve been. R.I.P. Danny. Song, along with the entire electric set from the show, later released as part of the Live Archives Series, Live at the Fillmore East. (10)
6. Mellow My Mind – Back to the wake. We are now getting into the meat of the record. Neil sounds like he’s giving everything he has left. Voice cracking and breaking all over the place. In some spots it just simply gives out. You can’t fake this kind of pain. (10)
7. Roll Another Number (For the Road) – Surprised this never became some sort of pot-smoking anthem. That opening slays me every time. The strum. The lone drum strike. Neil struggling to enunciate “It’s too dark to put the keys in my ignition.” Ben Keith’s steel pushing Neil to continue on “And the morning sun has yet to climb my hood ornament.” Officially burns his hippie card with a parting shot at the Woodstock Generation – “I’m a million miles away from that helicopter day. Though I don’t believe I’ll be going back that way.” There are some days where this is my favorite Neil Young song. (10)
8. Albuquerque – Jesus! What a song! Not sure how this doesn’t fall apart. The band captures that worn out, bone-tired vibe like none other. Ben Keith’s pedal guitar on this one is otherworldly. (10)
9. New Mama – For the Turnstiles’ lost twin. That harmonizing. The return of the banjo. The dreamy piano part. Simply incredible. (10)
10. Lookout Joe – Emerging from the grimy, haze, The Horse has one more burst left in them. “Glory hallelujah! Will I lay my burden down?” Nothing left in the tank after this one. In a twisted, alternative universe, this song blasts at Bryant-Denny Stadium with Alabama fans shouting "Roll Tide for good times!" over "Old times were good times!" (10)
11. Tired Eyes – “Well they shot four men in a cocaine deal…” Greatest drug song ever? According to Briggs, “I think it’s the best song on Tonight’s the Night. You’ll never hear another song like it. The dreamy recitation, the lyrics are so abstract – Neil really caught dope murder, that kind of feel.” Neil pleading with his friend (Danny? Bruce?) to “open up the tired eyes” confirms there is nothing left in the tank. (10)
12. Tonight’s the Night (Pt. II) – Raw, sloppy revisit of the title track to close out what might be the greatest record ever put to tape. (8)

Overall Score - 10
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Clams
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Re: Artist of the Week 04/18/11 - Neil Young

Post by Clams »

Impressive cortez. You must have had those in the can, right??
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dime in the gutter
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Re: Artist of the Week 04/18/11 - Neil Young

Post by dime in the gutter »

Image

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cortez the killer
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Re: Artist of the Week 04/18/11 - Neil Young

Post by cortez the killer »

Clams wrote:
Sun Feb 27, 2022 10:19 am
Impressive cortez. You must have had those in the can, right??
Yeah, I did a sequential Neil Young write-up/ranking for another message board 3 or 4 years ago.
You are entitled to your opinion, but you are not entitled to your own facts.
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Re: Artist of the Week 04/18/11 - Neil Young

Post by beantownbubba »

Well done, sir. Much to learn as well as to enjoy.
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Re: Artist of the Week 04/18/11 - Neil Young

Post by Jonicont »

beantownbubba wrote:
Sun Feb 27, 2022 12:01 pm
Well done, sir. Much to learn as well as to enjoy.

Wow
Always go to the show

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Re: Artist of the Week 04/18/11 - Neil Young

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Always go to the show

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Re: Artist of the Week 04/18/11 - Neil Young

Post by cortez the killer »

Jonicont wrote:
Wed Mar 02, 2022 11:57 am
Bobby Christgau 1997

https://robertchristgau.substack.com/p/ ... dium=email
Great read. Thanks for sharing. I particularly enjoy this nugget:
On the Beach sounds in retrospect like a found picking session from some psychedelic Appalachian-Sierra outback—miles, eras, eons from the alt meanderings of Palace, early Sebadoh, even Howe Gelb’s Giant Sand, beholden to and adoring of Neil Young though all may be.
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Re: Artist of the Week 04/18/11 - Neil Young

Post by blessedcurse »

Fantastic stuff, neighbour! There are records with the Horse that I have never heard. I will rectify that!
Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them. - Thoreau


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Re: Artist of the Week 04/18/11 - Neil Young

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You are entitled to your opinion, but you are not entitled to your own facts.
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Re: Artist of the Week 04/18/11 - Neil Young

Post by Flea »

One of these days I'm going to pop on this thread and explain why Trans should be heralded amongst Uncle Neil's Top 10 albums.
Now it's dark.

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Re: Artist of the Week 04/18/11 - Neil Young

Post by chuckrh »

cortez the killer wrote:
Sun May 29, 2022 2:06 pm
TOAST!!!

A nice moody Neil record will be just the ticket at this point in my life.

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Re: Artist of the Week 04/18/11 - Neil Young

Post by chuckrh »

Flea wrote:
Sun May 29, 2022 5:50 pm
One of these days I'm going to pop on this thread and explain why Trans should be heralded amongst Uncle Neil's Top 10 albums.
Because it's brilliant. The tapes from the European tour are amazing too

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Re: Artist of the Week 04/18/11 - Neil Young

Post by cortez the killer »

Flea wrote:
Sun May 29, 2022 5:50 pm
One of these days I'm going to pop on this thread and explain why Trans should be heralded amongst Uncle Neil's Top 10 albums.
Image
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Re: Artist of the Week 04/18/11 - Neil Young

Post by Kudzu Guillotine »

Flea wrote:
Sun May 29, 2022 5:50 pm
One of these days I'm going to pop on this thread and explain why Trans should be heralded amongst Uncle Neil's Top 10 albums.
The first time I saw him was on that tour when it came to Carmichael Auditorium in Chapel Hill in 1983. The first half was Neil with an acoustic guitar and harmonica. The second half was mostly songs from Trans performed with largely electronic accompaniment. Nothing against the album, which I was familiar with from playing it at our college radio station but it is one of the most unusual concerts I've ever attended. Below is a link to the setlist. It looks like there was a recording of the show in circulation at one time, it may still be out there somewhere.

https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/neil-you ... 1fa3a.html

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Re: Artist of the Week 04/18/11 - Neil Young

Post by Clams »

https://aquariumdrunkard.com/2022/06/27 ... YSnPbAjz-Q

Really cool footage of Neil at his ranch in 1972. The actual "Old Man" is in there too.
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Re: Artist of the Week 04/18/11 - Neil Young

Post by chuckrh »

I got a pleasant surprise in my email today. I preordered the Noise & Flowers blu-ray & it's on the way. Turns out I got a free hi res download of the album with it. I thought you had to buy the whole deluxe package to get that. Nice!

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Re: Artist of the Week 04/18/11 - Neil Young

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You are entitled to your opinion, but you are not entitled to your own facts.
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Re: Artist of the Week 04/18/11 - Neil Young

Post by brettac1 »

Image
Do you ever get tired of singin' songs
Like all your pain is just another fuckin' sing along?

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Re: Artist of the Week 04/18/11 - Neil Young

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You are entitled to your opinion, but you are not entitled to your own facts.
- DPM

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Re: Artist of the Week 04/18/11 - Neil Young

Post by chuckrh »

Now we just need him to release the Weld dvd. I went to a couple of shows on this tour. Totally mighty to say the least. Seeing the Fredheads running out of the coliseum with hands over their ears in Portland when Sonic Youth got to the screwdriver part of Xpressway to Your Skull was priceless!

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Re: Artist of the Week 04/18/11 - Neil Young

Post by beantownbubba »

Hat tip to Elizabeth Nelson for bringing this to my attention via retweet:

https://reclinernotes.com/2023/06/11/ne ... r-20-1973/
What used to be is gone and what ought to be ought not to be so hard

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