Neil Young- American Stars and Bars

American Stars and Bars

I seem to love this CD for the very reasons that others disparage it. Yes, I know it's disparate, hodge-podge of songs. But, it's also raw and alive and seems to have a goofy, not-to-serious charm of it's own. On this album, Neil is no longer in the "middle of the road" ("Harvest"), but he isn't in the now infamously quoted "ditch" either ("Tonight's the Night", "On the Beach"). Young is sort of doing a balancing act in the middle, creating an album thats' sort of a warped, Frankenstein-like version of his classic, "Harvest". But it's a Frankenstein, that can tap it's toes and sort of dance. I love songs like the rustic "The Old Country Waltz" or the pulp Western tale, "Saddle Up the Palimono". I in particular, like the contributions of singers Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris & Nicolette larson. They really work well with Young giving, that perfect '70s era country-rock feeling (especially Harris, who shines on "Star of Bethlehem"). According to one tale I've heard, the ladies thought they were just doing some 'practice, run throughs' of the songs. Much to their chagrin, they later learned that Neil was using these sessions as the final takes, hence the raw feeling of the songs.The electric portions of the CD are wonderful as well. "Like a Hurricane" is of course a classic and Young has played this long & Winding song for many years in his concert repertoire. I love the song's lyrical imagery and to be blunt, the guitar soloing just kicks some rock n' roll (...)! One of my favorites on this CD is the final track, "Homegrown", a funny little ode to small farms or the joys of harvesting 'weed' (you can take your choice). It's a bouncy tune that totally gives me a case of the giggles. No, "American Stars 'N Bars" is never going to be in the cannon of the "Great, Neil

 



Danny Whitten

Danny Whitten

Daniel Ray Whitten (May 8, 1943 – November 18, 1972) was an American musician and songwriter best known for his work with Neil Young and Crazy Horse, and for the song "I Don't Want To Talk About It", a hit for Rita Coolidge, Rod Stewart and Everything but the Girl.

Whitten was born on May 8, 1943, in Columbus, Georgia. His parents split up when he was young. He and his sister, Brenda, lived with their mother, who worked long hours as a waitress. His mother remarried when he was 9 and the family moved to Canton, Ohio.[1]

Whitten joined Billy Talbot and Ralph Molina among others in the doo-wop group Danny and the Memories. After recording an obscure single, "Can't Help Loving That Girl of Mine", core members of the group moved to San Francisco where they morphed into a folk-psychedelic rock act called The Psyrcle. Whitten played guitar, Molina drums, and Talbot played bass and piano.

By 1967, the group took on brothers George and Leon Whitsell on additional guitars and vocals, as well as violinist Bobby Notkoff, the sextet calling themselves The Rockets. They signed with independent label White Whale Records, working with producer Barry Goldberg for the group's self-titled album in mid-1968. The album sold poorly.

Songwriter Neil Young, fresh from departing the Buffalo Springfield, with one album of his own under his belt, began jamming with the Rockets and expressed interest in recording with Whitten, Molina and Talbot. The trio agreed, so long as they were allowed to simultaneously continue on with The Rockets: Young acquiesced initially, but imposed a rehearsal schedule that made that an impossibility. At first dubbed "War Babies" by Young, they soon became known as Crazy Horse.

Recording sessions led to Young's second album, Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, credited as Neil Young with Crazy Horse, with Whitten on second guitar and vocals. Although his role was that of support, Whitten sang the album's opening track "Cinnamon Girl" along with Young, and Whitten and Young played guitar on "Down by the River" and "Cowgirl in the Sand." These tracks would influence the grunge movement of the 1990s, and all three songs would be counted among Young's most memorable work, continuing to hold a place in his performance repertoire to this day.

As did so many other rock musicians in the late 1960s, Whitten began using heroin and quickly became addicted. Although he participated in the early stages of Young's next solo effort, After the Gold Rush, Whitten and the rest of Crazy Horse were dismissed about halfway through the recording sessions, in part because of Whitten's heavy drug use. Whitten performs on "Oh, Lonesome Me", "I Believe in You", and "When You Dance I Can Really Love". Young wrote and recorded "The Needle and the Damage Done" during this time, with direct references to Whitten's addiction and its role in the destruction of his talent.

Acquiring a recording contract and expanded to a quintet in 1970, Crazy Horse recorded its first solo album, released in early 1971. The debut album included five songs by Whitten, with two standout tracks being a song co-written by Young which would show up later on a Young album, "(Come On Baby Let's Go) Downtown", and Whitten's most famous composition, "I Don't Want To Talk About It", a heartfelt ballad that would receive many cover versions and offer the promise of unfulfilled talent.

Whitten continued to drift, his personal life ruled almost totally by drugs. He was kicked out of Crazy Horse by Talbot and Molina, who used replacements on the band's two albums of 1972. In October of that year, after receiving a call from Young to play rhythm guitar on the upcoming tour behind Young's Harvest album, Whitten showed up for rehearsals at Young's home outside San Francisco. While the rest of the group hammered out arrangements, Whitten lagged behind, figuring out the rhythm parts, though never in sync with the rest of the group. Young, who had more at stake after the success of Harvest, fired him from the band on November 18, 1972. Young gave Whitten $50 and a plane ticket back to Los Angeles. Later that night Whitten died from a fatal combination of Valium, which he was taking for severe knee arthritis, and alcohol, which he was using to try to get over his heroin addiction.

Neil Young recalled, "We were rehearsing with him and he just couldn't cut it. He couldn't remember anything. He was too out of it. Too far gone. I had to tell him to go back to L.A. 'It's not happening, man. You're not together enough.' He just said, 'I've got nowhere else to go, man. How am I gonna tell my friends?' And he split. That night the coroner called me and told me he'd died. That blew my mind. Fucking blew my mind. I loved Danny. I felt responsible. And from there, I had to go right out on this huge tour of huge arenas. I was very nervous and ... insecure.”

Years later, Young told biographer Jimmy McDonough that for a long time after Whitten died, he felt responsible for Whitten's death. It took him years to stop blaming himself. "Danny just wasn't happy", Young said. "It just all came down on him. He was engulfed by this drug. That was too bad. Because Danny had a lot to give, boy. He was really good."

Ben Keith

Ben Keith

Bennett Keith Schaeufele (March 6, 1937 – July 26, 2010), better known by his stage name Ben Keith, was an American musician and record producer. Known primarily for his work as a pedal steel guitarist with Neil Young, Keith was a fixture of the Nashville country music community in the 1950s and 1960s before working with numerous successful rock, country and pop artists as both a producer and versatile, multi-instrumentalist sideman for over four decades.


Keith first worked with Neil Young in 1971 on Young's Harvest album, having been introduced by Elliot Mazer, the album's producer, who was looking for a session player in Nashville on short notice.[1] This spawned a collaboration that would last nearly 40 years, as Keith went on to play with Young on over a dozen albums and numerous tours. Keith also played the role of Grandpa Green in the Neil Young feature length movie Greendale, a film accompaniment released on DVD to Young's 2004 album of the same name.

In addition to his work with Young, Keith also worked with Terry Reid, Todd Rundgren, Lonnie Mack, The Band, Blue, David Crosby, Graham Nash, Paul Butterfield, J. J. Cale, Linda Ronstadt, Warren Zevon, Ian and Sylvia, Emmylou Harris, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Anne Murray and Ringo Starr. He also served as the producer of Jewel's debut album Pieces of You, and worked as solo artist.[2] He toured with Crosby Stills Nash & Young on their 2006 Freedom of Speech tour.

Keith died of a blood clot in his lung while at his home on Young's ranch in Northern California on July 26, 2010.

Neil Young

Neil Young

Neil Percival Young,  (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian singer-songwriter.

Young began performing as a solo artist in Canada in 1960, before moving to California in 1966, where he co-founded the band Buffalo Springfield along with Stephen Stills and Richie Furay, and later joined Crosby, Stills & Nash as a fourth member in 1969. He forged a successful and acclaimed solo career, releasing his first album in 1968; his career has since spanned over 40 years and 35 studio albums, with a continual and uncompromising exploration of musical styles. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame website describes Young as "one of rock and roll’s greatest songwriters and performers". He has been inducted into the Hall of Fame twice: first as a solo artist in 1995, and second as a member of Buffalo Springfield in 1997.

Young's work is characterized by his distinctive guitar work, deeply personal lyrics and signature alto or high tenor singing voice. Although he accompanies himself on several different instruments, including piano and harmonica, his idiosyncratic electric and clawhammer acoustic guitar playing are the defining characteristics of a varyingly ragged and melodic sound. While Young has experimented with differing music styles, including swing and electronic music throughout a varied career, his best known work usually falls into two primary styles: acoustic (folk and country rock) and electric (amplified hard rock, very often in collaboration with the band Crazy Horse). Young has also adopted elements from newer styles such as alternative rock and grunge. His influence on the latter caused some to dub him the "Godfather of Grunge".

Young has directed (or co-directed) a number of films using the pseudonym Bernard Shakey, including Journey Through the Past (1973), Rust Never Sleeps (1979), Human Highway (1982), Greendale (2003), and CSNY/Déjà Vu (2008). He is currently working on a documentary about electric car technology, tentatively titled Linc/Volt. The project involves a 1959 Lincoln Continental converted to hybrid technology, which Young plans to drive to Washington, D.C. as an environmentalist example to lawmakers there.

Young is an outspoken advocate for environmental issues and the welfare of small farmers, having co-founded in 1985 the benefit concert Farm Aid. In 1986, Young helped found The Bridge School, an educational organization for children with severe verbal and physical disabilities, and its annual supporting Bridge School Benefit concerts, together with his wife Pegi Young (née Morton). Young has three children: sons Zeke (born during his relationship with actress Carrie Snodgress) and Ben, who were diagnosed with cerebral palsy, and daughter Amber Jean who, like Young himself, has epilepsy. Young lives on his ranch in La Honda, California. Although he has lived in northern California since the 1970s and sings as frequently about U.S. themes and subjects as he does about his native country, he retains Canadian citizenship, having no desire to relinquish it. On July 14, 2006, Young was awarded the Order of Manitoba, and on December 30, 2009, was made an Officer of the Order of Canada.

Buffalo Springfield

Buffalo Springfield

Buffalo Springfield is a North American folk rock band renowned both for its music and as a springboard for the careers of Neil Young, Stephen Stills, Richie Furay and Jim Messina. Among the first wave of North American bands to become popular in the wake of the British invasion, the group combined rock, folk, and country music into a sound all its own. Its million-selling song "For What It's Worth" became a political anthem for the turbulent late 1960s.

Formed in April 1966, Buffalo Springfield was plagued by infighting, drug-related arrests, and line-up changes that led to the group's disbanding after just two years. Three albums were released under its name, but many demos, studio outtakes and live recordings remained and were issued in the decades that followed.

Despite the band's short tenure and limited output it was one of the most influential of its era, earning Rock and Roll Hall of Fame recognition and spawning fellow Hall honorees Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and Poco, as well as popular acts Loggins and Messina and Crazy Horse.

Despite their popularity, Buffalo Springfield was never a major commercial success. "For What It’s Worth" was a significant hit and the group's legend grew stronger after the breakup, increasing with the later successes of its members.

Stills went on to form Crosby, Stills & Nash with David Crosby of The Byrds and Graham Nash of The Hollies in 1968. Young launched a solo career, but in 1969 also reunited with Stills in Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, which saw the beginning of his sporadic relationship with that trio. Furay and Messina were founding members of Poco. Furay joined J.D. Souther and Chris Hillman to form the Souther-Hillman-Furay Band, and Messina teamed with Kenny Loggins in Loggins & Messina.

Neil Young-After the Gold Rush

After the Gold Rush

This was the album the prolific Neil Young released right after his first flirtation with CSN&Y, and once again he shows just how wide and deep his musical talents are. All we aging sixties kids all have a copy of both this album and his "Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere" album; it is standard issue for older babyboomers. Indeed, out of the welter of so many artists with so much in the way of incredible and unforgettable music, Neil Young stands alone as a sixties icon, someone who has consistently done the music his way, and with great sincerity, consistent authenticity, and a singular verve. No one has produced the range and quantity of memorable songs and melodies, as has Mr. Young, who has always produced what he wanted on his terms, and has never sold out to commercialism or tried to appeal to the mainstream audience.

Here we have so many terrific songs like "Tell Me Why", "After The Goldrush", and his smash hit, "Southern Man", that it is hard to remember that this is just one of several such albums he released in short order over a three or four year period. IN a number of other songs, such as "Only Love Can Break Your Heart", which Linda Ronstadt later did a great cover of, Neil's genius and guitar virtuosity shines, as it does in songs like "Don't Let It Bring You Down", "Birds", "I Believe In You", and a personal favorite of mine, "When You Dance". Young may well be an iconoclast, someone who is unpredictable, unreliable from a business sense, and something of a prima donna, but he always plays straight from the heart (and groin), and one knows that the guy playing that axe so masterfully is absolutely in control of the incredible sounds emanating from it. Wow! Put this baby in the CD player and listen as the CD illustrates why Neil Young will never die! Long may his chrome heart shine!

The original uncropped picture has Graham Nash in it

Neil Young-Americana

Americana

AMERICANA is the first album from Neil Young & Crazy Horse in nearly nine years. Crazy Horse is: Billy Talbot, Ralph Molina, Poncho Sampedro, and Neil Young. As you’ll see from the track-listing, AMERICANA is collection of classic, American folk songs. In their day, some of these may have been referred to as “protest songs,” “murder ballads,” or campfire-type songs passed down with universal, relatable tales for everyman. Some of these compositions which, like “Tom Dooley” and “Oh Susannah,” were written in the 1800s, while others, like “This Land Is Your Land” (utilizing the original, widely misinterpreted “deleted verses”) and “Get A Job,” are mid-20th-century folk classics. It’s also interesting to note that “God Save The Queen,” Britain’s national anthem, also became the de facto national anthem of sorts before the establishment of The Union as we know it until we came to adopt our very own “The Star Spangled Banner,” which has been recognized for use as early as 1889 and made our official national anthem in 1931. Each of these compositions is very much part of the fabric of our American heritage; the roots of what we think of as “Americana” in cultural terms, using songs as a way of passing along information and documenting our past. What ties these songs together is the fact that while they may represent an America that may no longer exist, the emotions and scenarios behind these songs still resonate with what’s going on in the country today with equal, if not greater impact nearly 200 years later. The lyrics reflect the same concerns and are still remarkably meaningful to a society going through economic and cultural upheaval, especially during an election year. They are just as poignant and powerful today as the day they were written.

Neil Young -Prairie Wind

Prairie Wind

Neil Young returns to autumnal harvest mode on Prairie Wind, with homespun material and sing-song melodies that renew the spirit of some of his most popular releases. Yet the mood here is darker in its maturity than on Harvest and Harvest Moon--the previous releases in what now sounds like a trilogy--and the arrangements have greater range and aural depth, with Wayne Jackson of the soulful Memphis Horns, the Fisk University Jubilee Singers gospel choir, and a string section employed to striking effect. This is a song cycle of dreams, memories, family ties, and the passage of time--what is lost and what endures. The elliptical, epic "No Wonder," with its evocation of 9/11, ranks with the most ambitious songs of Young's career, while "Falling Off the Face of the Earth," "It's a Dream," and the bluesy title cut combine childlike innocence with unsettling experience. Spooner Oldham's church keyboards and coproducer Ben Keith's steel guitar reinforce the sound's sturdy simplicity. Young has released a lot of albums in different musical styles, but Prairie Wind feels like a homecoming, and ranks with his very best.   Prairie Wind is yet another superb album in this vein. The past few years haven't been kind to Mr. Young with the death of his father and the mother of his first child or finding out that he has a brain aneurysm. With the sense of loss and mortality, Prairie Wind reflects on life and family. "The Painter" brilliantly sets the tone for the album as it a brooding, moody piece that shows music gives eternal life to its artists. "Far From Home" is a lovely ode to his parents and "Here For You" is a sweet song for his kids that has a great harmonica solo. "Falling From The Face Of The Earth" is a gentle lament and "He Was The King" is a goofy salute to Elvis Presley, but one done with spirit. "When God Made Me" has a full gospel chorus and "This Old Guitar" is the best track on the album with its simple story and laid-back charm. Country-rock is the skin Mr. Young feels most comfortable in and Prairie Wind is his best album in a decade.

Neil Young -Harvest

Harvest

Few artists can match Neil Young in musical artistry, creative versatility, and artistic/personal intergrity - Dylan, Lennon, Hendrix, Stipe, Young - the list does not go much beyond that. Young's *Harvest* is further reminder that we are dealing with a legendary composer and performer, one who defies categorization while still remaining relevant to so many categorized styles. Not many artists can lay claim to that(see the short list above and maybe add three or four more).

Harvest ranges from the understated, pensive mood of songs like "Out on the Country," "Harvest," and "Old Man" to the sheer desperation of "A Man Needs a Maid," and "Words" to the acoustic heartbreak of "Needle and the Damage Done," to the Moody Blues-style optimism of "There's A World," to the dark country rock of "Are You Ready for the Country," all the way down to the proto-grunge social criticism in "Alabama" (Made famous on the top 40 thanks to Lynard Skynard). With the possible exception of "There's a World," (which, a la Moody Blues, rather lays the London Symphony on a bit too thick - it works on "A Man Needs a Maid owing to the sheer drama of the song, but goes over the top on "There's a World), each track is a masterful cut, demonstrating Young's ability to conquer and mix numerous genres. Lyrically Neil is at his best, capturing mood and evoking emotion in ways that few composers can even touch. Young's singing, in spite of criticisms of the alleged "thin quality" in his voice, is superb - skillfully phrasing his lyrics so that they play well off of the Stray Gators heavier sound. You have to go pretty far to find a better Neil Young album - *Everybody Knows This is Nowhere* and *After the Gold Rush* are superior, but not by much, and after that there isn't much from the Young catalogue that beats it. Indeed, there aren't many albums from anyone that surpass *Harvest*. I've been playing it since 1972 - and I still find it fresh and meaningful. Highly recommended.

Crazy Horse- Crazy Horse

Crazy Horse

Crazy Horse is Neil Young's backup group--the original group, which was comprised of Danny Whitten on guitar, Billy Talbot on bass, and Ralph Molina on drums. For this album, however, they added three significant ringers: Nils Lofgren, who had played on Neil's "After the Goldrush" album, and would eventually have a solo career before joining Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band; Ry Cooder, the famed slide guitarist who played with the Rolling Stones, John Hiatt, Randy Newman, Ravi Shanker and the Buena Vista Social Club; and Jack Nitzche, who (among other things) was an arranger for Phil Spector, had his own hit in the early 60s with the lushly orchestrated "Lonely Surfer," and helped Neil Young assemble two of his greatest Buffalo Springfield tunes, "Broken Arrow" and "Expecting to Fly."

Shortly after this album came out, Danny Whitten died of a drug/alcohol reaction--one of the two premature deaths documented on Young's "Tonight's the Night." The degrees of separation, ranging from the early 60s girl groups to "The Rising," span much of U.S. rock and roll history--which all seems to come together in one place, on this unassuming little album full of deceptively simple, great tunes.

It opens with a churning version of an obscure Randy Newman song, "Gone Dead Train," that sturdily rocks you toward the one Neil Young cover, "Dance Dance Dance," a countrified song that features the fiddler Byron Berline. The first of several Whitten originals, "Look at All the Things," establishes his primary mode--simple tales of heartache. I can't figure out why I like his songwriting so much. It's simple stuff, but it holds up, and works well in a rock band context. "Look at All the Things," for example, has a very cool vocal arrangement that has a Mozart-like echoing effect. After a Nils Lofgen tune, the psychedelic "Beggars Day," another Whitten song appears, the classic "I Don't Want to Talk About it." This tune, played here with Cooder's slide guitar accompanying the lovely little acoustic rhythm figure, is vivid and emotionally delicate. As you may recognize, this is the original version of a tune that Rod Stewart covered some years later with much success. Crazy Horse's version, however, is better.

It's followed by "Downtown," a song that appears to be about scoring drugs. In what was meant to be an ominous gesture, Young put a version of the same song on "Tonight's the Night." But on this album, it sounds like an anthem of joy: "Come on baby let's go downtown, let's go let's go let's go downtown/ Come on baby, let me turn you around now, turn you turn you turn you around!"

Of the remaining songs, "Carolay" is a highlight--the connection with Phil Spector made explicitly with the urgent piano opening that sounds like a flipped-over version of "Doo Doo Ron Ron." I also love the bluesy "Crow Jane Lady," the one song written and performed by Nitzche--a weird but enjoyable finale.

At the time he died, Whitten was mourned more as a tragic life cut short by substance abuse, and not so much as an artist of consequence whose work would be missed. This album was in my collection as an LP back then, mostly because I was a Neil Young fan. I liked it a lot, but when I converted to CDs, it never occured to me it would be re-released. But here it is, it's really great, it's rock history that also packs a very enjoyable punch. And, with the passage of time, you realize that the world is indeed a poorer place for the loss of Danny Whitten, the songwriter who gave us "I Don't Want to Talk About it," "Downtown" and "Carolay." As the years since then have shown, there is nothing easy about writing a great rock song.

Neil Young- Americana

Americana

AMERICANA isn't exactly a new album; it's an album of American folk classics. AMERICANA isn't exactly that either, these songs aren't so much covers as much as reimaginings. The opening track for example, "Oh Sussanah," feels raw and built from the ground-up. The renditions here don't feel reverent, they feel like live, off-the-cuff, jam sessions. Many of these tracks feel like they were recording in one take, bringing an extra level of energy to these American standards. At its very best, Neil Young and Crazy Horse breathe new life into old classics. "Jesus Chariot" for example, has been played to death, but its appearance here on AMERICANA is exciting and raw. These archaic public domain standards sound familiar but here, they are rarely boring.

The album ends on an ironic "God Save the Queen." It feels like an appropriate and sarcastic ending to an album that never took itself too seriously. Most the album is fun, but the rendition of "This Land is Your Land" feels like it goes on too long. At its very worst, the album feels like a band simply warming up or doing a sound-check.

Equal parts reverent, ironic, and raw, AMERICANA will leave you hoping that this isn't all that Neil Young and Crazy Horse have been working on lately. Hopefully this album is just a studio warm-up for something more to come. Recommended tracks for sampling: "Oh Sussanah," "Jesus Chariot (She'll Be Coming 'Round the Mountain)," and "Wayfarin' Stranger." Most of editions of this album include videos for each song -- they are inessential, but a nice bonus.

Fans of Neil Young and Crazy Horse should enjoy the loose, 70's rock that the band throws down here. For the newcomers, this release won't give you a good reason to begin listening (it would be better to start with some of the earlier catalog).

Neil Young -Harvest

Harvest

Neil Young's *Harvest* is further reminder that we are dealing with a legendary composer and performer, one who defies categorization while still remaining relevant to so many categorized styles. Not many artists can lay claim to that(see the short list above and maybe add three or four more).

Harvest ranges from the understated, pensive mood of songs like "Out on the Country," "Harvest," and "Old Man" to the sheer desperation of "A Man Needs a Maid," and "Words" to the acoustic heartbreak of "Needle and the Damage Done," to the Moody Blues-style optimism of "There's A World," to the dark country rock of "Are You Ready for the Country," all the way down to the proto-grunge social criticism in "Alabama" (Made famous on the top 40 thanks to Lynard Skynard). With the possible exception of "There's a World," (which, a la Moody Blues, rather lays the London Symphony on a bit too thick - it works on "A Man Needs a Maid owing to the sheer drama of the song, but goes over the top on "There's a World), each track is a masterful cut, demonstrating Young's ability to conquer and mix numerous genres. Lyrically Neil is at his best, capturing mood and evoking emotion in ways that few composers can even touch. Young's singing, in spite of criticisms of the alleged "thin quality" in his voice, is superb - skillfully phrasing his lyrics so that they play well off of the Stray Gators heavier sound. You have to go pretty far to find a better Neil Young album - *Everybody Knows This is Nowhere* and *After the Gold Rush* are superior, but not by much, and after that there isn't much from the Young catalogue that beats it. Indeed, there aren't many albums from anyone that surpass *Harvest*.

Neil Young- A treasure

A Treasure

"A Treasure" is a 12 track live album recorded during Neil Young's 1984-1985 U.S. tour. Featuring 5 previously unreleased songs, it sounds amazing. Young has some incredible guests join him onstage which contributes greatly to the performance: The late Ben Keith on steel and slide guitar, Rufus Thibodeaux on fiddle, Spooner Oldham and Hargus "Pig" Robbins on piano, and Tim Drummond and Joe Allen on bass to name a few. Recorded during a turbulent time in his career, when he was facing criticism from his record company for producing songs with a country sound, A Treasure captures Young's live sound from the mid 1980's perfectly. "Grey Riders" has some incredible guitar work by Young, and it's shocking (and awesome) to hear it explode and become the loudest thing in the room. "Nothing Perfect" is a beautiful tribute to the American Heartland. "It Might Have Been" is a cover of an obscure single from the 1950's by Joe London that is a nice change of pace. "Flying On the Ground Is Wrong" has some killer piano played by Spooner Oldham. If you're a fan of Young's you'll love how this album brings you back in time to a special period in his history. Highly recommended!!



Neil Young- Sugar Mountain – Live at Canterbury House 1968

Sugar Mountain – Live at Canterbury House 1968

The sweet sounds of Neil Young.

I am blown away by this cd. Neil's songs are always so deeply personal and this recording is no different. It's just Neil and a guitar singing from the heart and playing so soulfully. This is so well engineered and produced that I can imagine myself there in the audience in an intimate setting with Neil and a few friends.

The recording was made after the breakup of The Buffalo Springfield. There is some Springfield stuff here as well as some songs that would make it on to his first solo album like Last trip to Tulsa. The last trip to Tulsa is every bit as good live here as the studio recording. The acoustic Mr. Soul has a very different feel here. Expecting to fly is also every bit as beautiful and pleasing to listen to as the Buffalo Springfield studio version.

There is some funny and interesting banter between the songs along with Neil making some anecdotal comments about the songs. At one point he takes requests from the audience. With the CD you get to hear the entire show from beginning to end.

The DVD is only so-so. It does contain the entire audio track of the CD but other then that It's mostly just short clips and an advertisement for his upcoming anthology (archives). I too wish the DVD concert footage, that was part of my expectation when I bought the CD\DVD but the reality is that this concert probably wasn't video taped.

The sound is very good for 1968. While it is a live recording there is very little crowd noise. There is also a little hiss but it doesn't distract from the listening pleasure.

The time is a little more then 70 minutes........... but it's easy to lose track of time while listening to the CD because it totally immerses the listener in the beauty of Neil's voice, song writing and performance. Find the one you love, put on the cd, turn the lights down low and have an introspective, romantic evening courtesy of Neil Young.

Neil Young- On the Beach

On the Beach

Neil Young's 1974 release On The Beach is considered one of his classic albums, but for some reason the album was never released on compact disk. Finally, the album has made its way to the digital age and Mr. Young's fans can enjoy one of his most blisteringly savage albums. After his record label rejected his eulogy to two lost friends, Tonight's The Night, Mr. Young came up with the ragged edged On The Beach. The album opens with "Walk On", Mr. Young's rebuttal to Lynyrd Skynyrd's rebuttal of him as well as a rebuking of the press who criticized him during his 1973 tour. "See The Sky About To Rain" confronts a similar environmental topic as "After The Gold Rush" and has an eerie organ and a haunting steel guitar played evocatively by long time cohort Ben Keith. "Revolution Blues" is a dark and disturbing song about a cult and the terror they may inflict on the wealthy residents of the Laurel Canyon that is clearly inspired by the Manson family. The song's music belies the dark tone of the lyrics with shimmering guitars that undercut the subject matter. It is very good song, but Mr. Young would go onto to perform the song acoustically on the subsequent tour that would better capture the stark nature of the song. "For The Turnstiles" is a brilliant song that is driven by a stuttering, bluegrass banjo and was inspired by the stadium tour he had just completed with Crosby, Stills & Nash. Mr. Young was clearly disturbed by the fact that big business was starting to take over rock and roll and art was suffering for commerce. The song foretells of the selling out of musicians and the forming of corporate rock. "Vampire Blues" is a stinging commentary about the oil business. Both the title track and "Motion Pictures" are self-reflective songs, the former about sacrifices for a career and the latter about his relationship with actress Carrie Snodgrass. The album's final track, "Ambulance Blues" is one of Mr. Young's masterpieces. Clocking in at almost nine minutes long, the song tackles numerous subjects including some recurring themes of Mr. Young's music like the pillaging of the land and its native people, dirty politicians, depression and his childhood. The song is sparse and mostly acoustic. It is a loose tribute to a hero of Mr. Young's, an English folkie, Bert Jansch. The song actually clips its beat from a Mr. Jansch song. On The Beach has the mournful qualities of Tonight's The Night, but unlike its predecessor that offered only bleakness, this album finds Mr. Young beginning to find some light.

Neil Young - Dead Man Soundtrack

Dead Man

I bought this wanting to re-experience the hypnotic guitar music of Dead Man. What is the trend lately with companies adding dialogue from the film onto soundtracks? Oh well, I can deal with that in this instance because the dialogue to Dead Man sufficiently blends with the resonating guitar, but what's the deal with the background noises? On the copy I got the feeling somebody had mastered the album with two boom boxes in their Dad's garage. There is the distinct sound of a motorcycle being gunned and several points in the album...weird. Thankfully the guitar is usually loud enough to overwhelm this.
Also, as pointed out elsewhere, that great methodic opening and closing theme is absent. Too bad. Young comes off in regards to this movie like a modern day Ennio Morricone - puncutating key moments in the film with discordant strikings of his guitar. This really is a fantastic soundtrack - but again, as said elsewhere, don't buy it without seeing the movie first.



Neil Young- Silver and Gold

Silver and Gold

Make no mistake this is mellow Neil; hard rocking, distorted-amp electric Neil stayed home for this one, and that's OK, we know he'll come around soon. So let's enjoy an album of love songs which flows from beginning to end almost as if it was one long ballad, exploring the topic of love and its many facets. The title track puts true love on the front burner and material things on the back. This cut in particular is outstanding with a "Harvest Moon" feel. "Daddy Went Walking" is Neil the storyteller painting a lyrical picture in the vein of "Old King" from Harvest Moon. "Buffalo Springfield Again" is naturally an auto-biographical looking back with an older and wiser perspective, and a bit of longing for times past. "Red Sun" is a stand-out song about lasting love and "Razor Love" acknowledges a hurtful side of love. The rest of the cuts are excellent with appearances by Linda Rondstat and Emmylou Harris on harmony. For those of us who appreciate both "Evil" Neil and "Nice" Neil this is a 5-star album...For those who prefer only "Evil" Neil take a pass on this one...

Harvest Moon- Neil Young

Harvest Moon

This is a very mellow album in which the tempo only picks up on Old king, a track that features a banjo. Even there, the banjo is somewhat restrained. This album therefore won't get your toes tapping but it has a different kind of appeal.

Among the mellow songs, I particularly enjoy the opening Unknown legend (about a woman motorbike rider), the following From Hank to Hendrix (which is actually about a relationship, with music providing the metaphors), One of these days (hinting at Neil's musical influences) and the romantic title track. Neil mostly avoids politics in this album although in War of man, he sings about a theme that he has explored more on other albums, but here he contents himself with pointing out that there are no winners.

With background singers that include Linda Ronstadt, Nicolette Larson and James Taylor, this is a fine album in its way. Neil Young's fans are many and diverse, and like his music for a variety of different reasons. If you enjoy hearing him sing mellow folk-rock music as I do, you are likely to love this album. -

Neil Young - Hawks and Doves

Hawks and Doves

1980's Hawks & Doves is one of Neil Young's most underrated albums. The follow-up release to Rust Never Sleeps, the album moves away from the power chords to an acoustic base. The album clocks in at less than a half an hour with most of the nine songs at under three minutes. The original album was broken up into two sides, the first side acoustic and the second side with a full country band. "The Old Homestead" is a rambling track with some of the most mysterious lyrics of Mr. Young's career. It's tough to get a sense of where he's going with the song, but it is intriguing none-the-less. "Lost In Space" is the a truly bizarre track complete with vocals from the marine munchkins. "Captain Kennedy" is a the stand-out track on the album. A dark and foreboding song about a young soldier heading to war. While he's on the water approaching shore he remembers his father who was shamed in battle by having the wooden schooner he captained blown up by the Germans. As he's done remembering his father he hopes his fates are different when reaches the shore and he hopes he can kill good. The song is one of Mr. Young's all-time best. The songs with the country band are filled with fiddles and hooting and hollering like a real hoe-down. "Union Man" is funny and the best of the bunch. Hawks & Doves was generally spurned by critics and the public, but it is a fine example of how Neil Young marches to the beat of his own drummer and isn't afraid to follow wherever his muse takes him.

Neil Young - Old ways

Old ways

One of Neil Young's strong suits (among many) is that he is unpredictable. At no time was this more apparent than during that phase in the mid-80s when he went from techno to rockabilly to country to blues-- a period in his career that I call "genre hell." Eventually, Neil pretty much went back to being Neil, and all was well again.
Unsurprisingly, Neil's music during this time was wildly uneven. Case in point: his "country" album, Old Ways. Some cuts are essential: "My Boy" and "Bound For Glory" channel the genre in a way that doesn't submerge Neil's genius for melody and heartfelt lyrics. Other tracks, however, seem (in the words of another reviewer) like a country-music "caricature." For example, the Jew's harp solos in "Get Back To The Country" are flat-out silly. A couple of tracks, in fact are downright unlistenable ("The Wayward Wind," "Misfits")-- quite a statement from a hardcore Neil-ist such as myself.
Also of interest are the appearances by a variety of country/bluegrass luminaries, such as Willie Nelson, Bela Fleck and the late, great Waylon Jennings.
While this album is still a worthwhile chapter (and, a mercifully brief one) in the Neil Young lexicon, don't expect something as stellar as "Harvest," "Comes A Time" or "Harvest Moon."