In thrall to NY for over 35 years, on and off, and I'm currently really enjoying having a renewed acquaintance with his vast catalogue. My current favourites: 1) Cortez The Killer (Weld version) 2) On The Way Home (Massey Hall version) 3) Thrasher 4) Powderfinger (Rust Never Sleeps version) 5) Nowadays Clancy Can't Even Sing (Canterbury House version) 6) Here We Are In The Years (Archives version) I oscillate between the shredded, splintered electric guitar workouts, and the adult-child intimacy of the acoustic songs. Anyone else groovin' to Neil at present?
Your (current) favourite Neil Young songs?
- Thread starter Charlie Jefferson
- Start date
Andrew Everard:His contribution to this must be some of his finest work ever.
I find most musical parody tiresome and one dimensional and that lot make Richard Stilgoe sound funny.
The Flight Of The Concords are one of the exceptions, in that, I can listen and laugh. Satirical and somehow affectionate. Knowing and musically valid. Plus, I can bear to hear it more than once.
While I'm ranting, I can't stand Bill Bailey (when in his side-splitting music parody mode) either. He may, for all I know, love the music of some of his targets, but it more often than not seems to be self-venerating. Suppose he's better than Tenacious D, though.
I find most musical parody tiresome and one dimensional and that lot make Richard Stilgoe sound funny.
The Flight Of The Concords are one of the exceptions, in that, I can listen and laugh. Satirical and somehow affectionate. Knowing and musically valid. Plus, I can bear to hear it more than once.
While I'm ranting, I can't stand Bill Bailey (when in his side-splitting music parody mode) either. He may, for all I know, love the music of some of his targets, but it more often than not seems to be self-venerating. Suppose he's better than Tenacious D, though.
plastic penguin
Well-known member
Where can you possibly start and end on this one. My first Neil album was Harvest. Hooked from then on and have most of his material. He does what he feels inspired to do, not following commercial/record label pressures. Crosses age boundaries, my son loved him at Glastonbury a couple of years ago, as did I and my wife at the Hammersmith Odeon around the same time - never thought I'd get to see him live - his voice was still amazing. We went to Canada last September and stopped at Winnipeg for a couple of hours, which I spent gazing around for Neil. He had the audacity not to be there. But we found the Sugar Mountain train. A little comfort. Just enjoy everything Neil, he's a one-off.
breeze
Well-known member
Recently revisited favourites
Roll another number from Weld
Hanging on a limb from Freedom
Prisoners from Year of the Horse
Piece of **** from Sleeps with angels
re the link provided by Andrew Everard
I had the misfortune to here this lot on the BBC some years ago doing `comedy` versions of Status Quo and the Bee Gees. Niether were anywhere near as funny as the originals.
Roll another number from Weld
Hanging on a limb from Freedom
Prisoners from Year of the Horse
Piece of **** from Sleeps with angels
re the link provided by Andrew Everard
I had the misfortune to here this lot on the BBC some years ago doing `comedy` versions of Status Quo and the Bee Gees. Niether were anywhere near as funny as the originals.
philb42:Where can you possibly start and end on this one. My first Neil album was Harvest. Hooked from then on and have most of his material. He does what he feels inspired to do, not following commercial/record label pressures. Crosses age boundaries, my son loved him at Glastonbury a couple of years ago, as did I and my wife at the Hammersmith Odeon around the same time - never thought I'd get to see him live - his voice was still amazing. We went to Canada last September and stopped at Winnipeg for a couple of hours, which I spent gazing around for Neil. He had the audacity not to be there. But we found the Sugar Mountain train. A little comfort. Just enjoy everything Neil, he's a one-off.
Shame you didn't just magically bump into Neil whilst wondering down Main St, Winnipeg. I saw him on the same tour a couple of years ago at Manchester Apollo, and it was a great night. My only other live Neil experience was back in 1982 at the hangar like Birmingham NEC, on his Trans tour. A dyspeptic Neil in an arid venue; not a particularly fondly remembered gig. Although I seem to recall a blistering Like A Hurricane, which partly compensated for the poorly executed Trans stuff.
Yes, I agree, a lifetime of listening to Neil is pretty impossible to distill into a few songs. Yet, because there's so much of it, I have to constantly do just that. There's only so much listening time and one of the downsides of a prolific artist is where to start or recommence one's listening.
I've had a good few listens to Le Noise now, and after initial mild apathy towards it, I really like it. I loved the sonic strategy from the off, but found his lyrics tame and tired, in places. A month or two on, and viewed in the context of his canon of work, I sense it's all part of the wondrous Neil mosaic.
I've just had a mini-Dylan fest since Christmas, and it's intriguing to juxtapose these two oft-compared icons. Lots of connections, differences and many, many incredible songs. And both have stayed interesting into and beyond middle age.
Shame you didn't just magically bump into Neil whilst wondering down Main St, Winnipeg. I saw him on the same tour a couple of years ago at Manchester Apollo, and it was a great night. My only other live Neil experience was back in 1982 at the hangar like Birmingham NEC, on his Trans tour. A dyspeptic Neil in an arid venue; not a particularly fondly remembered gig. Although I seem to recall a blistering Like A Hurricane, which partly compensated for the poorly executed Trans stuff.
Yes, I agree, a lifetime of listening to Neil is pretty impossible to distill into a few songs. Yet, because there's so much of it, I have to constantly do just that. There's only so much listening time and one of the downsides of a prolific artist is where to start or recommence one's listening.
I've had a good few listens to Le Noise now, and after initial mild apathy towards it, I really like it. I loved the sonic strategy from the off, but found his lyrics tame and tired, in places. A month or two on, and viewed in the context of his canon of work, I sense it's all part of the wondrous Neil mosaic.
I've just had a mini-Dylan fest since Christmas, and it's intriguing to juxtapose these two oft-compared icons. Lots of connections, differences and many, many incredible songs. And both have stayed interesting into and beyond middle age.
Charlie Jefferson:
I find most musical parody tiresome and one dimensional
I guess when the artist being imitated has a whiny, annoying, affected vocal style almost beyond parody, it must be hard to bring any greater dimension to it.
I find some writing is like that, too.
I find most musical parody tiresome and one dimensional
I guess when the artist being imitated has a whiny, annoying, affected vocal style almost beyond parody, it must be hard to bring any greater dimension to it.
I find some writing is like that, too.
Andrew Everard:
Charlie Jefferson:
I find most musical parody tiresome and one dimensional
I guess when the artist being imitated has a whiny, annoying, affected vocal style almost beyond parody, it must be hard to bring any greater dimension to it.
I find some writing is like that, too.
Fair enough.
I'll let you get back to your Grumbleweeds box set, then.
Enjoy.
Charlie Jefferson:
I find most musical parody tiresome and one dimensional
I guess when the artist being imitated has a whiny, annoying, affected vocal style almost beyond parody, it must be hard to bring any greater dimension to it.
I find some writing is like that, too.
Fair enough.
I'll let you get back to your Grumbleweeds box set, then.
Enjoy.
breeze:
Recently revisited favourites
Roll another number from Weld
Hanging on a limb from Freedom
Prisoners from Year of the Horse
Piece of **** from Sleeps with angels
re the link provided by Andrew Everard
I had the misfortune to here this lot on the BBC some years ago doing `comedy` versions of Status Quo and the Bee Gees. Niether were anywhere near as funny as the originals.
Hanging On A Limb is a beautiful song. Fragile to breaking point. Form and content collide.
Good point re: Quo & The Bee Gees. The latter always brings to mind the Clive Anderson-provoked strop of Barry(?) Gibb a few years back.
Recently revisited favourites
Roll another number from Weld
Hanging on a limb from Freedom
Prisoners from Year of the Horse
Piece of **** from Sleeps with angels
re the link provided by Andrew Everard
I had the misfortune to here this lot on the BBC some years ago doing `comedy` versions of Status Quo and the Bee Gees. Niether were anywhere near as funny as the originals.
Hanging On A Limb is a beautiful song. Fragile to breaking point. Form and content collide.
Good point re: Quo & The Bee Gees. The latter always brings to mind the Clive Anderson-provoked strop of Barry(?) Gibb a few years back.
Neil Young sits in the same category as Bob Dylan for me - highly talented songwriters (poets, even) that should leave the singing to someone else.
I've just created a playlist of classic Dylan covers to convert to a Revox reel that'll get a lot of play.
I should explore doing the same with some of Neil's great songs....
I've just created a playlist of classic Dylan covers to convert to a Revox reel that'll get a lot of play.
I should explore doing the same with some of Neil's great songs....
Charlie Jefferson:
I'll let you get back to your Grumbleweeds box set, then.
Enjoy.
Dont dis the weed's dude, they are the godfathers of comedy.
Peace out.
I'll let you get back to your Grumbleweeds box set, then.
Enjoy.
Dont dis the weed's dude, they are the godfathers of comedy.
Peace out.
Clare Newsome:
Neil Young sits in the same category as Bob Dylan for me - highly talented songwriters (poets, even) that should leave the singing to someone else.
Yes, the voices are of a certain strain, but I really like Mark E. Smith, Billy Bragg, Morrissey and Elvis Costello too. All hardly wonderful singers, but that's part of the appeal I suppose.
My household sometimes needs an antidote to the Karen Carpenter, Jim Reeves, Nat King Cole & Rufus Wainwright leanings of the female co-pilot of the hi-fi controls.
At least with Neil there are countless examples of guitar-dominated songs where the voice isn't the sole attraction/distraction. Although my wife isn't convinced either. She can't abide Dylan, tolerates Neil at a distance (The Carpenters covered Nowadays Clancy Can't Even Sing, so there's a modicum of grudging respect for it's author) and abhors The Fall in their every single manifestation. Deaf man shouting, as she labels him.
Re: covers of Bob & Neil. There's a veritable sub-genre growing daily, it seems. A few of my favourite covers of Neil, include The Cowboy Junkies' Powderfinger, Paul Weller's Birds and Kd Lang's Helpless.
One last thing, is Hendrix's All Along The Watchtower the ultimate cover version of all-time?
Neil Young sits in the same category as Bob Dylan for me - highly talented songwriters (poets, even) that should leave the singing to someone else.
Yes, the voices are of a certain strain, but I really like Mark E. Smith, Billy Bragg, Morrissey and Elvis Costello too. All hardly wonderful singers, but that's part of the appeal I suppose.
My household sometimes needs an antidote to the Karen Carpenter, Jim Reeves, Nat King Cole & Rufus Wainwright leanings of the female co-pilot of the hi-fi controls.
At least with Neil there are countless examples of guitar-dominated songs where the voice isn't the sole attraction/distraction. Although my wife isn't convinced either. She can't abide Dylan, tolerates Neil at a distance (The Carpenters covered Nowadays Clancy Can't Even Sing, so there's a modicum of grudging respect for it's author) and abhors The Fall in their every single manifestation. Deaf man shouting, as she labels him.
Re: covers of Bob & Neil. There's a veritable sub-genre growing daily, it seems. A few of my favourite covers of Neil, include The Cowboy Junkies' Powderfinger, Paul Weller's Birds and Kd Lang's Helpless.
One last thing, is Hendrix's All Along The Watchtower the ultimate cover version of all-time?
shooter69:Dont dis the weed's dude, they are the godfathers of comedy.
Ah, but do they "oscillate between the shredded, splintered electric guitar workouts, and the adult-child intimacy of the acoustic songs"? Do they have a "sonic strategy"? Or indeed does their "form and content collide"?
Ah, but do they "oscillate between the shredded, splintered electric guitar workouts, and the adult-child intimacy of the acoustic songs"? Do they have a "sonic strategy"? Or indeed does their "form and content collide"?
breeze
Well-known member
Andrew Everard:
shooter69:Dont dis the weed's dude, they are the godfathers of comedy.
Ah, but do they "oscillate between the shredded, splintered electric guitar workouts, and the adult-child intimacy of the acoustic songs"? Do they have a "sonic strategy"? Or indeed does their "form and content collide"?
Thanks for confirming what I suspected when you alluded to "I find some writing is like that, too".
"Dissed" by the master craftsmen of words! How will I carry on?
I'll get back to Kent, Bangs and MacDonald and see how it should be done, perhaps.
shooter69:Dont dis the weed's dude, they are the godfathers of comedy.
Ah, but do they "oscillate between the shredded, splintered electric guitar workouts, and the adult-child intimacy of the acoustic songs"? Do they have a "sonic strategy"? Or indeed does their "form and content collide"?
Thanks for confirming what I suspected when you alluded to "I find some writing is like that, too".
"Dissed" by the master craftsmen of words! How will I carry on?
I'll get back to Kent, Bangs and MacDonald and see how it should be done, perhaps.
breeze:You`ve also been reading What Hi Fi HDMI revues?
SWYDT, but I am not sure you can read a revue: it's usually a kind of musical sketch show, so you'd watch and listen to it.
SWYDT, but I am not sure you can read a revue: it's usually a kind of musical sketch show, so you'd watch and listen to it.
Favourites are
1) Powderfinger
2) Helpless
3) Barstool Blues
4) Love is a Rose ( also cracking version by Linda Ronstadt)
5) Out on the weekend
So many songs to choose from. Have got a lot of his material.
Does anybody have the remastered cds and do they find them offering a wortwhile improvement.
John
1) Powderfinger
2) Helpless
3) Barstool Blues
4) Love is a Rose ( also cracking version by Linda Ronstadt)
5) Out on the weekend
So many songs to choose from. Have got a lot of his material.
Does anybody have the remastered cds and do they find them offering a wortwhile improvement.
John
Like nearly everything he has done. If I had to pick one stand out track, for me it would be "Needle and the damage done"
Clare Newsome:
Neil Young sits in the same category as Bob Dylan for me - highly talented songwriters (poets, even) that should leave the singing to someone else.
I've just created a playlist of classic Dylan covers to convert to a Revox reel that'll get a lot of play.
I should explore doing the same with some of Neil's great songs....
Another who might sit in that category would be Leonard Cohen perhaps...
As for NY songs that I like, there's always "Southern Man'' that resulted in the classic Lynyrd Skynyrd riposte "Sweet Home Alabama''...
Neil Young sits in the same category as Bob Dylan for me - highly talented songwriters (poets, even) that should leave the singing to someone else.
I've just created a playlist of classic Dylan covers to convert to a Revox reel that'll get a lot of play.
I should explore doing the same with some of Neil's great songs....
Another who might sit in that category would be Leonard Cohen perhaps...
As for NY songs that I like, there's always "Southern Man'' that resulted in the classic Lynyrd Skynyrd riposte "Sweet Home Alabama''...
Charlie Jefferson:I'll get back to Kent, Bangs and MacDonald and see how it should be done, perhaps.
Ah well, if you're going to consult a law partnership...
Ah well, if you're going to consult a law partnership...
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram