NEIL YOUNG ~ "RUST NEVER SLEEPS"

Original released on LP Reprise HS 2295 (US 1979, July 9)

Filmed at the Cow Palace, San Francisco, on October 22, 1978

NEIL YOUNG: "Young Shakespeare"

Original released on CD Reprise 0936224889564

(EU 2021-03-26; rec 1971-01-22)

Mr Young is certainly knocking these “from the vaults” albums out at a fair old rate, (why don’t you give someone else a chance Neil?). Recorded just a couple of days after the Massey Hall show at the Shakespeare Theater in Stratford, Connecticut & featuring the same songs apart from “Sugar Mountain” & although the sound is taken from a film, the quality is excellent. There are a couple of cuts in the show, so know is any songs were missed out. Young say's that he was a lot more relaxed at this show compared to Massey Hall, which comes across in between the songs, with Neil making jokes & even playfully telling off the audience during “Sugar Mountain” because they're not singing along to a song most of them have never heard before. It is incredible feet that Young can captivate his audience for an entire show with just a guitar or piano (although personnel I prefer when Neil rocks out), “Helpless” & “Ohio” are mesmerizing & “Dance Dance Dance” has some audience clapping & foot stomping. If you already own the Massey Hall concert “Young Shakespeare” isn’t an essential purchase, but this still a remarkably assured performance from a singer/songwriter who would go on to dominate the rest of the seventies.

Shakespeare Theater set list:

1. "Tell Me Why"

2. “Old Man”

3. “The Needle and the Damage Done”

4. “Ohio”

5. “Dance Dance Dance

6. “Cowgirl in the Sand”

7. “A Man Needs a Maid/”Heart of Gold” (medley)

8. “Journey through the Past”

9. "Don't Let It Bring You Down"

10. “Helpless”

11. “Down by the River”

12. "Sugar Mountain"

Massey Hall set list:

1. "On the Way Home" 

2. "Tell Me Why" 

3. "Old Man" 

4. "Journey Through the Past" 

5. "Helpless" 

6. "Love in Mind" 

7. "A Man Needs a Maid/Heart of Gold Suite" 

8. "Cowgirl in the Sand" 

9. "Don't Let It Bring You Down" 

10. "There's a World" 

11. "Bad Fog of Loneliness" 

12. "The Needle and the Damage Done" 

13. "Ohio" 

14. "See the Sky About to Rain" 

15. "Down by the River" 

16. "Dance Dance Dance" 

17. "I Am a Child" 

NEIL YOUNG & CRAZY HORSE: "Colorado"

Original released on CD Reprise 093624898900

(EU 2019, October 25)

At a time when chaos and unpredictability hold sway in so much of the world, it's hard to fault anyone for wishing for something stable and familiar, even from someone as chronically unpredictable as Neil Young. In 2019, Young announced he was recording again with Crazy Horse, and after a handful of especially eccentric and uneven albums - 2016's "Peace Trail", 2017's "The Visitor", 2018's "Paradox" - the notion of Neil and Crazy Horse cranking up their amps and making some righteous noise sounded like the sort of comfort food many fans had been hungry for. However, in time-honored Neil Young tradition, 2019's "Colorado" is a bit different than what fans might have been expecting. Frank "Poncho" Sampedro, Young's longtime guitar foil in Crazy Horse, opted not to participate in their latest reunion, and Young recruited his occasional collaborator (and longtime Bruce Springsteen sideman) Nils Lofgren to take his place. Where Sampedro had a knack for goading Young into conjuring billows of howling brilliance from his axe, on "Colorado", Lofgren instead gives him a strong, stable framework that allows Neil room to explore yet doesn't push him forward. As a result, this isn't a cathartic blowout in the manner of "Rust Never Sleeps" or "Ragged Glory" but instead harkens back to the focused yet ambling mood of "Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere" and "Harvest", only with songs that are good but by no means exceptional. As with much of his work in the 2010s, Young's lyrics here reflect an autumnal concern with politics, the environment, and mortality, and they're thoughtful and of their moment, but they sound more like blog posts than clearly thought-out messages. While this is hardly unexpected from rock's leading "First Thought Best Thought" man, they're still not up to the standard of his best music; after a while, repeatedly informing us he's an old white guy on "She Showed Me Love" sounds less like self-awareness and more like he's not sure if we know, which we certainly do. That said, if "Colorado" isn't the great soul-satisfying rocker we were dreaming of, the dusty howl of Young's electric guitar work is here in plentiful supply - not at full strength but loud enough to matter (especially on "Shut It Down" and "Help Me Lose My Mind") - Young is properly engaged with his material, and his interplay with Lofgren, bassist Ralph Molina, and drummer Billy Talbot is a reminder of why Crazy Horse has been on hand for so much of his greatest work. At a time when a great album from Neil Young would have been more than welcome, "Colorado" is instead a good one, but it's recognizably the work of a great artist, and that's more than can be said of the last few offerings Young has given us. (Mark Deming in AllMusic)   

THIS FILM SHOULD BE PLAYED LOUD!

"The Last Waltz" was a concert by the Canadian rock group, the Band, held on American Thanksgiving Day, November 25, 1976, at Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco. "The Last Waltz" was advertised as the end of the Band's illustrious touring career, and the concert saw the Band joined by more than a dozen special guests, including Paul Butterfield, Eric Clapton, Neil Diamond, Bob Dylan, Ronnie Hawkins, Dr. John, Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison, Ringo Starr, Muddy Waters, Ronnie Wood and Neil Young. The event was filmed by director Martin Scorsese and made into a documentary of the same name, released in 1978. The film features concert performances, scenes shot on a studio soundstage and interviews by Scorsese with members of the Band.

Beginning with a title card saying "This film should be played loud!" the concert documentary is an essay on the Band's influences and their career. The group – Rick Danko (died 1999, December 10) on bass, violin and vocals, Levon Helm on drums, mandolin and vocals, Garth Hudson on keyboards and saxophone, Richard Manuel (died 1986, March 4) on keyboards, percussion and vocals, and guitarist-songwriter Robbie Robertson – started out in the late 1950s as a rock and roll band led by Ronnie Hawkins, and Hawkins himself appears as the first guest. The group backed Bob Dylan in the 1960s, and Dylan performs with the Band towards the end of the concert.

The idea for a farewell concert came about early in 1976 after Richard Manuel was seriously injured in a boating accident. Robbie Robertson then began giving thought to leaving the road, envisioning the Band becoming a studio-only band, similar to the Beatles' decision to stop playing live shows in 1966. Though the other band members did not agree with Robertson's decision, the concert was set at Bill Graham's Winterland Ballroom, where the Band had made its debut as a group in 1969. Originally, the Band was to perform on its own, but then the notion of inviting Ronnie Hawkins and Bob Dylan was hatched and the guest list grew to include other performers.

Promoted and organized by Bill Graham, who had a long association with the Band, the concert was an elaborate affair. Starting at 5:00 p.m., the audience of 5,000 was served turkey dinners. There was ballroom dancing with music by the Berkeley Promenade Orchestra. Poets Lawrence Ferlinghetti and Michael McClure gave readings. The concert began with the Band performing its more popular songs an lasted more than 9 hours with all those special guests playing with the group. At around 2:15 a.m. the Band came to perform an encore, "Don't Do It". It was the last time the group performed with its classic lineup.

The original soundtrack album was a three-LP album released on April 16, 1978 (later as a two-disc CD). It has many songs not in the film, including "Down South in New Orleans" with Bobby Charles and Dr. John on guitar, "Tura Lura Lural (That's an Irish Lullaby)" by Van Morrison, "Life is a Carnival" by the Band, and "I Don't Believe You (She Acts Like We Never Have Met)" by Bob Dylan. In 2002, this four-CD box set was released, as was a DVD-Audio edition. Robbie Robertson produced the album, remastering all the songs. The set includes 16 previously unreleased songs from the concert, as well as takes from rehearsals.

«Look at Mother Nature On The Run In The Nineteen Seventies...»

Original Released as LP Reprise RSLP 6383
(US 1970, August 31)



A1. Tell Me Why 2’54
A2. After The Gold Rush 3’45
A3. Only Love Can Break Your Heart 3’05
A4. Southern Man 5’41
A5. Till The Morning Comes 1’17
B1. Oh Lonesome Me 3’47
B2. Don’t Let It Bring You Down 2’56
B3. Birds 2’34
B4. When You Dance You Can Really Love 3’44
B5. I Believe In You 2’24
B6. Cripple Creek Ferry 1’34

All selections by Neil Young except B1 by Don Gibson
Most of these songs were inspired by the Dean Stockwell – 
Herb Berman screenplay “After The Gold Rush”

NEIL YOUNG AND CRAZY HORSE
WITH GREG REEVES, STEVE STILLS & NILS LOFGREN
Produced by Neil Young & David Briggs with Kendall Pacios
Bass: Billy Talbot and Greg Reeves
Piano: Neil Young, Jack Nitzsche and Nils Lofgren
Drums: Ralph Molina
Guitars: Neil Young and Danny Whitten
Vocals: Neil Young, Danny Whitten, Nils Lofgren, Steve Stills 
and Ralph Molina
Harmonica and Vibes: Neil Young
Patches: Susan Young
Direction: Elliot Roberts
Art Direction: Gary Burden
Photography: Joel Bernstein

«Well I dreamed I saw the knights in armour coming…» This was the album that introduced me to the musical universe of Neil Young. I’ve bought it about six months after its original release, on a holiday trip to Johannesburg, South Africa. I still remember the shop: it was called "Look & Listen" and was located in a basement of Eloff Street. I’ve spent all afternoon listening to the most recent releases, like I used to do in those days (‘cause the money was not much and we had to be sure if the album was worthy). And all these songs enchanted me, mainly the soft ones. Since then I’ve bought many others albums of Neil Young, but this particular one remained my number one favourite until today. A starkly poignant record, "After The Gold Rush" contains some of Neil Young’s most love-lorn lyrics. The cover photograph sums up the album’s sentiment – a solarized photograph of the glowering singer-songwriter walking in a near-deserted street. Young’s latest songs – he had, until recently, been hard at work on the CSNY album, "Déjà Vu" – indicate a more introspective approach. Songs like "Tell Me Why", "Only Love Can Break Your Heart" and "Don’t Let It Bring You Down" all go some way to solidify his reputation as a hopless romantic.

 

The energy and fire of his electric guitar playing emerges only twice, notably on the corrosive (and controversial) "Southern Man". In patenting the late night feel of the record, "After The Gold Rush" was recorded with Young’s latest find – a 19-year-old singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist named Nils Lofgren, whose guitar playing and piano work would elevate this collection of songs to among the finest ever written by Neil Young. The beautifully evocative title track, for instance, a near-mystical eulogy to a vanished and fast vanishing America, has now become a cornerstone of Young’s live set. Though not entirely successful with the critics – Rolling Stone magazine’s Langdon Winner concluded that «most of this music was simply not ready to be recorded» (no comments!) – "After The Gold Rush" struck an immediate chord with the disillusion felt by many after the death of the 1960s dream. By Christmas, it had become Young’s first Top 10 hit album, and remained on the U.S. chart for over a year on its way to selling two million copies. The version presented here is the 50th anniversary edition, with two bonus tracks of "Wonderin'", and with a great 24 bits wav sound. Enjoy!

NEIL YOUNG: "Tonight's The Night"

Original released on LP Reprise MS 2221

(US 1975, June 20)

Written and recorded in 1973 shortly after the death of roadie Bruce Berry, Neil Young's second close associate to die of a heroin overdose in six months (the first was Crazy Horse guitarist Danny Whitten), "Tonight's the Night" was Young's musical expression of grief, combined with his rejection of the stardom he had achieved in the late '60s and early '70s. The title track, performed twice, was a direct narrative about Berry: «Bruce Berry was a working man/He used to load that Econoline van.» Whitten was heard singing «Come On Baby Let's Go Downtown,» a live track recorded years earlier. Elsewhere, Young frequently referred to drug use and used phrases that might have described his friends, such as the chorus of "Tired Eyes," «He tried to do his best, but he could not.» Performing with the remains of Crazy Horse, bassist Billy Talbot and drummer Ralph Molina, along with Nils Lofgren (guitar and piano) and Ben Keith (steel guitar), Young performed in the ragged manner familiar from "Time Fades Away" - his voice was often hoarse and he strained to reach high notes, while the playing was loose, with mistakes and shifting tempos. But the style worked perfectly for the material, emphasizing the emotional tone of Young's mourning and contrasting with the polished sound of CSNY and "Harvest" that Young also disparaged. He remained unimpressed with his commercial success, noting in "World on a String," «The world on a string/Doesn't mean anything.» In "Roll Another Number," he said he was «a million miles away/From that helicopter day» when he and CSN had played Woodstock. And in "Albuquerque," he said he had been «starvin' to be alone/Independent from the scene that I've known» and spoke of his desire to «find somewhere where they don't care who I am.» Songs like "Speakin' Out" and "New Mama" seemed to find some hope in family life, but "Tonight's the Night" did not offer solutions to the personal and professional problems it posed. It was the work of a man trying to turn his torment into art and doing so unflinchingly. Depending on which story you believe, Reprise rejected it or Young withdrew it from its scheduled release at the start of 1974 after touring with the material in the U.S. and Europe. In 1975, after a massive CSNY tour, Young at the last minute dumped a newly recorded album and finally put "Tonight's the Night" out instead. Though it did not become one of his bigger commercial successes, the album was immediately recognized as a unique masterpiece by critics, and it has continued to be ranked as one of the greatest rock & roll albums ever made. (William Ruhlmann in AllMusic)

NEIL YOUNG - "On The Beach"

Original released on LP Reprise R 2180

(US 1974, July 29)

Following the 1973 "Time Fades Away" tour, Neil Young wrote and recorded an Irish wake of a record called "Tonight's the Night" and went on the road drunkenly playing its songs to uncomprehending listeners and hostile reviewers. Reprise rejected the record, and Young went right back and made "On the Beach", which shares some of the ragged style of its two predecessors. But where "Time" was embattled and "Tonight" mournful, "On the Beach" was savage and, ultimately, triumphant. «I'm a vampire, babe,» Young sang, and he proceeded to take bites out of various subjects: threatening the lives of the stars who lived in L.A.'s Laurel Canyon ("Revolution Blues"); answering back to Lynyrd Skynyrd, whose "Sweet Home Alabama" had taken him to task for his criticisms of the South in "Southern Man" and "Alabama" ("Walk On"); and rejecting the critics ("Ambulance Blues"). But the barbs were mixed with humor and even affection, as Young seemed to be emerging from the grief and self-abuse that had plagued him for two years. But the album was so spare and under-produced, its lyrics so harrowing, that it was easy to miss Young's conclusion: he was saying goodbye to despair, not being overwhelmed by it.

NEIL YOUNG: "Homegrown"

Original released on Digipak CD Reprise 093624898672

(EU 2020, June 19) - Recorded in 1974/1975

Back in the spring of 1975, Neil Young planned to release "Homegrown", an album he completed at the start of the year, but he also had "Tonight's the Night" - a rambling, heavy record cut back in 1973 - ready to go. After playing the two albums back to back for a small circle of friends, Young opted for "Tonight's the Night" and shelved "Homegrown" for the better part of 45 years. Unlike other scrapped Neil projects, "Homegrown" never circulated in full on bootleg, but it was stripped for parts: "Star of Bethlehem" wound up on "American Stars 'n Bars" alongside a re-recorded version of "Homegrown"'s title track, "Love Is a Rose" popped up on "Decade", "Little Wing" was unveiled on "Hawks & Doves", and "White Line" got a loud, lumbering makeover by Crazy Horse on "Ragged Glory2, released a full 15 years after this original version. Recycling songs isn't uncommon for Young, but the dismantling of "Homegrown" can also be seen as an extension of the real reason why he chose to release "Tonight's the Night" instead of this shambling, homespun affair: some of the album cut a little too close to the bone, revealing a little too much of the dissolution of his romance with Carrie Snodgress, so he pushed it away.

Like all heartaches, this pain diminished over the years, and by 2020, Young was ready to unveil "Homegrown" as part of his ongoing Archives series. Heard as its own distinct work, "Homegrown" is indeed emotionally candid, but it's also warm, funny, stoned, and spooky, considerably lighter than either "Tonight's the Night" or "On the Beach" yet more cohesive in its weirdness than "American Stars 'n Bars" and not as cozy as "Comes a Time". Oddly, the album is front-loaded with its explicit breakup songs, starting as the country-rock ramble "Separate Ways" is underway. "Separate Ways" is paired with the loping "Try" and spacy solo sketch "Mexico" before the album settles into familiar territory with "Love Is a Rose" and "Homegrown." From this point forward, "Homegrown" will take the occasional detour into melancholy and strangeness (the spoken-word "Florida" vibrates on a different wavelength from the rest of the record), but it also finds time for the rowdy doper blues "We Don't Smoke It No More," the restless twilight rocker "Vacancy," and the delicate closing pair of "Little Wing" and "Star of Bethlehem," which end the album a tentatively hopeful note. Hearing these (sometimes very familiar) songs in this particular sequence is a journey, one that winds along a twisted road yet provides an experience as complete as its mid-'70s companion LPs. It's not a footnote but an essential part of Neil Young's catalog. (Stephen Erlewine in AllMusic)

NEIL YOUNG: "American Stars 'n Bars"

Original released on LP Reprise MSK 2261

(US 1977, June 20)

Neil Young made a point of listing the recording dates of the songs on "American Stars 'n Bars"; the dates even appeared on the LP labels. They revealed that the songs had been cut at four different sessions dating back to 1974. But even without such documentation, it would have been easy to tell that the album was a stylistic hodgepodge, its first side consisting of country-tinged material featuring steel guitar and fiddle, plus backup vocals from Linda Ronstadt and the then-unknown Nicolette Larson, while the four songs on the second side varied from acoustic solo numbers like "Will to Love" to raging rockers such as "Like a Hurricane." Just as apparent was the album's unevenness: side one consisted of lightweight compositions, while side two had more ambitious ones, with "Will to Love," for example, extending the romantic metaphor of a salmon swimming upstream across seven minutes. The album's saving grace was "Like a Hurricane," one of Young's classic hard rock songs and guitar workouts, and a perennial concert favorite. Without it, "American Stars 'n Bars" would have been one of Young's least memorable albums, and since it turned up the following year on the compilation "Decade", the LP was rendered inessential. (William Ruhlmann in AllMusic)