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Neil Young is the fucking king


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I like AYP and I like it more than many of his other releases, e.g. the woeful Living For War. What about She's A Healer? That is a superb track. It has a guitar sound similar to what he was using with the Bluenotes.

I think I'm gonna give this guys work a proper chance, too many cool people say he's good. Looks a bit of an old hippie though.

He was one of the few old hippies to not be hung out to draw by the punk movement in the late '70s. In fact, he almost achieves a synthesis between hippydom and punk rock. I think even in the beginning though, Neil was always a bit, odd, to be considered an out right hippy in the 'flowers in your hair' sense. Just look at what he brought to CSN. Yes, you can look at the protest songs, Southern Man and Alabama perhaps but there is always a bit more grit there with Neil. He semi embraced the movement, but he was always looking in from the outside.

I think Rust Never Sleeps might be your Neil Young album.

Some people even consider Neil's doom trilogy (most specifically Tonight's the Night) era stuff a sort of prelude to punk rock. Certainly there is a similarity in the ethos and methodology of his approach if not necessarily the sound. Rust Never Sleeps is certainly an acknowledgment of, a tip of the hat to the viability and legitimacy of punk. Rust Never Sleeps is a line borrowed from Devo and while many punks hate Devo, I always kind of thought they were more punk than punk. I think of Devo as intellectual punk (most would probably just say they're New Wave, but that's a bit reductive in their case). Anywhow, they certainly influenced Neil's artistic direction in the late 70's and early 80's. I can't picture the Human Highway without them. I forget what my point was. I doubt I had one- other than Neil Young is the real deal. RNS is a good place to start for a punk fan.

Edited by Mr. Dude
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Listening to it now, this is fucking beautiful, thank you reccomenders :) Really mean that too, especially that first song, just got done with Old Man and it's wonderful, whys he keep bangin' on about his ranch? :lol: I can see why John Rotten would like this, it's very him.


Why does this remind me of Warren Zevon? :lol:

Edited by Lennie Godber
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Neil Young is the greatest musician of that 60s/70s generation. I actually prefer him to Dylan and Lennon.

I do too. I think Neil has that extra edge that Lennon and Dylan didn't quite have. Lennon tried too hard, Dylan didn't try hard enough (though I love them both). He's probably a bit less cerebral, but there's a more emotional vibe to Neil's stuff. Neil Young is the only guy that go from hard rock to country to folk to orchestra to electronic- and not seem contrived (the only time he's sounded a bit contrived to me were the CSNY records and maybe a few parts of his Geffen records). Neil said early in his career that he wanted to cross Dylan with the Stones in his music.

Massey Hall isn't where I'd recommend someone coming from a punk perspective start- though it is a great gig. Its essentially Harvest without the band- and I think its actually quite superior to Harvest. As for the more rockin stuff- I'd go with Everybody Knows This is Nowhere, Zuma, Rust Never Sleeps (actually I'd recommend Live Rust over RNS). His heaviest, most rocking record ever though is hands down the Eldorado EP. That's what I'd call nuclear guitar.

Alright, lets not blaspheme now :lol:

Actually I think he was named artist of the decade for the 70's- though I'm not sure who gets to make that determination. Village Voice?

Edited by Mr. Dude
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You also have to look at Neil's run 1969-79. Virtually flawless, masterpiece after masterpiece. There are few artists in the history of music who have had a similar degree of consistent brilliance. Even the Beatles put out Let it Be, Dylan, Self Portrait, Stones, take your pick. I also love the way Neil operates as a, for lack of a better term, aging statesman. You have absolute integrity from Neil. You will never get cheese or something bland or commercial. You might get an odd weird style now and then which does not work, his electronic or country period for instance, but there is always an integrity with the guy. I look at bands like The Stones and in all honesty, it is just, turn up, play the hits for braindead fans, collect the cash (and as for Axl!). It is horrible really how these bands operate, 'Queen' playing the hits with some schmuck. With Neil, there is still an integrity there; you get a sense that some of his best albums are being released now - I am such a fan of Psychedelic Pill, I even love its indulgences, 20 minute crazy horse songs, why not?

He is on his second album this year. There is something to ponder for those ruminating upon the demise of the album format.

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You also have to look at Neil's run 1969-79. Virtually flawless, masterpiece after masterpiece. There are few artists in the history of music who have had a similar degree of consistent brilliance. Even the Beatles put out Let it Be, Dylan, Self Portrait, Stones, take your pick. I also love the way Neil operates as a, for lack of a better term, aging statesman. You have absolute integrity from Neil. You will never get cheese or something bland or commercial. You might get an odd weird style now and then which does not work, his electronic or country period for instance, but there is always an integrity with the guy. I look at bands like The Stones and in all honesty, it is just, turn up, play the hits for braindead fans, collect the cash (and as for Axl!). It is horrible really how these bands operate, 'Queen' playing the hits with some schmuck. With Neil, there is still an integrity there; you get a sense that some of his best albums are being released now - I am such a fan of Psychedelic Pill, I even love its indulgences, 20 minute crazy horse songs, why not?

He is on his second album this year. There is something to ponder for those ruminating upon the demise of the album format.

\What they are whining about is the demise of money in the album game, which to be shows where those peoples heads are at. Quite frankly when there ain't no money in it and people make em just to make em thats when the rubber hits the road in ALL regards.

Firstly, not so much money in it means you got less artists catering to 'x' and instead just being more free to just express themselves, you also find yourself weeding out the ones who are just after the money and also, the gruelling nature of what a lack of ridiculous money does to an artist (i.e. you gotta start touring properly and releasing albums or you're dead) that grind is back and not everybody has the nuts or the stamina for it i think, they all end up in the fuckin' Priory, so good, seperate the wheat from the chaff.

Im waiting for the day when they gotta go back to the old days of package tours where you got fuckin' The Beatles and Helen Shapiro and Roy Orbison and a bunch of people all on a bus together, going out and jobbing. Maybe they'll be filling out the local halls again :)

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I don't know if Eldorado was made available everywhere, some of it's the songs on Freedom.

The big news recently was the Time Fades Away reissue.

Eldorado was only made avaialable in Japan- I think they just pressed a few thousand copies and yes some of the songs are on Freedom, but they are not the same. The guitar and feedback is singificantly toned down on the Freedom versions of Don't Cry, On Broadway, and Eldorado. Time Fades away will be included in the 2nd installment of the archives. I have it on vinyl believe it or not. Time Fades Away I think is one of the key albums in Neil's artistic evolution. On the heels of Harvest its one of the ballsiest, most honest (and most pessimistic and disillusioned) records ever released by an artist of that stature. Its the first in the Doom/Ditch trilogy and the least listenable of the 3. I love it.

Edited by Mr. Dude
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No love for Trans...?

I fuckin love Trans. Way ahead of its time. I love Sample and Hold, Computer Age, Transformer Man, We R in Control, etc. I really dig the version of Mr. Soul too- that song sounds good no matter what- whether its fast, slow, electric, acoustic, or computerized. I think its one of the greatest songs ever written. Its one of those that is so good that its impossible to fuck up.

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You also have to look at Neil's run 1969-79. Virtually flawless, masterpiece after masterpiece. There are few artists in the history of music who have had a similar degree of consistent brilliance. Even the Beatles put out Let it Be, Dylan, Self Portrait, Stones, take your pick. I also love the way Neil operates as a, for lack of a better term, aging statesman. You have absolute integrity from Neil. You will never get cheese or something bland or commercial. You might get an odd weird style now and then which does not work, his electronic or country period for instance, but there is always an integrity with the guy. I look at bands like The Stones and in all honesty, it is just, turn up, play the hits for braindead fans, collect the cash (and as for Axl!). It is horrible really how these bands operate, 'Queen' playing the hits with some schmuck. With Neil, there is still an integrity there; you get a sense that some of his best albums are being released now - I am such a fan of Psychedelic Pill, I even love its indulgences, 20 minute crazy horse songs, why not?

He is on his second album this year. There is something to ponder for those ruminating upon the demise of the album format.

I think that's the greatest 10 year period ever. No other artist ever had a run like that. Aside from the CSNY excursions I consider everything he did in the 70's a straight-up masterpiece. I disagree with you about the 80's though-there was some good material on those records that just got overshadowed by the sharp changes in artistic style. I think the electronic and country stuff was superb. Its that stuff there- where Neil takes risks, pisses of his fans, etc. that really defines him in my eyes. Genre preferences aside there is some really great songwriting on Trans, Hawks and Doves, and even Old Ways. (though the album is a watered down version of those songs- the best versions of those songs were done on the road with the International Harvesters). Hell, I even dig Everybody's Rockin. The thing with Neil is that he's always honest about where he's at.

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Reactor and Hawks & Doves are great and don't really get mentioned much.

There's one album that's unlistenable, it's probably Arc, but I think he tacked that on as a bonus with Weld. I'm sure you could find a download of it but it's just a bunch of edited feedback from different shows.

Weld is a great live album though, I think it came out on video but never got a DVD release.

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You also have to look at Neil's run 1969-79. Virtually flawless, masterpiece after masterpiece. There are few artists in the history of music who have had a similar degree of consistent brilliance. Even the Beatles put out Let it Be, Dylan, Self Portrait, Stones, take your pick. I also love the way Neil operates as a, for lack of a better term, aging statesman. You have absolute integrity from Neil. You will never get cheese or something bland or commercial. You might get an odd weird style now and then which does not work, his electronic or country period for instance, but there is always an integrity with the guy. I look at bands like The Stones and in all honesty, it is just, turn up, play the hits for braindead fans, collect the cash (and as for Axl!). It is horrible really how these bands operate, 'Queen' playing the hits with some schmuck. With Neil, there is still an integrity there; you get a sense that some of his best albums are being released now - I am such a fan of Psychedelic Pill, I even love its indulgences, 20 minute crazy horse songs, why not?

He is on his second album this year. There is something to ponder for those ruminating upon the demise of the album format.

Oi you, whats wrong with Let It Be? Bloomin' masterpiece that is.

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That Massey Hall album is fuckin brilliant, heard it right the way through twice, love that song 'Helpless', thanks again folks :)

I've recommended that album to you since it came out in 2007. :max:

I usually listen to you too, dunno why i didn't this time :lol: 2007? isn't it an old album? This guy has new millenium classics?

Edited by Lennie Godber
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That Massey Hall album is fuckin brilliant, heard it right the way through twice, love that song 'Helpless', thanks again folks :)

I've recommended that album to you since it came out in 2007. :max:

I usually listen to you too, dunno why i didn't this time :lol: 2007? isn't it an old album? This guy has new millenium classics?

It's a live album recorded in '71, but released in '07. It was part of some type of "archives"-project, I believe.

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Fuckin' gorgeous whatever it is. I wanna tear through every other fuckin' album he's got but at the same time i just wanna wear this one in, it deserves more respect than to just be listened to a couple of times. I find this with the advent of the internet that...you have so much, like entire discographies in your possession so like...each album doesn't get worn as well as when you got one at a time. Also, when you got em all or rather got access to them all there's a tendency to go 'nyaaaahh, i'll get round to it' and not listen to any of em. (yes, thats 'nyaaaahh' :D)

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