Neil Young : A Letter Home

It has been confirmed that Neil Young's forthcoming album will be released on the Third Man Records label owned by Jack White.

A message posted on the Third Man and Neil Young websites confirmed the news.
Read more at http://www.nme.com/news/neil-young/75070#1ARZlvBheAYZWi5Z.99";An unheard collection of rediscovered songs from the past recorded on ancient electro mechanical technology captures and unleashes the essence of something that could have been gone forever…"

http://www.nme.com/news/neil-young/75070

might be a covers album:

It should be out sometime in the new year. I don't know its release details but would be surprised if it's only available via Third Man. But this is Neil, so who knows. I anticipate this will be a very big seller. It is an album of covers. In it, as anticipated, he pays tribute to other renowned singer-songwriters. There are 12 tracks on it. There are no Neil Young originals, but...each side starts with an introduction (part 1, part 2) of the same title. That could be a Neil Young original although I have another theory on what these might be... A couple of the songs chosen will astonish you. Sorry for the secrecy but more on this might leak soon...

Ralf speculates:
I guess the regular Album will be released by Warner/Reprise but Jack Whites "Third Man" label will release exclusive a special edition of twelve 6" vinyl 111 seconds copies which were cut directly in the booth. This wouldn't affect Neil's contract with Warner. Perhaps it will also be the start of Neil's PONO system.

http://neilyoungnews.thrasherswheat.org/2013/12/crazy-horse-reschedules-europe-concerts.html

"According to Goldberg, Young and White made the "entire album together", with a prospective tracklist featuring Bob Dylan's 'Blowin' In The Wind', Tim Hardin's 'Reason To Believe', Gordon Lightfoot's 'Early Morning Rain' and Ivory Joe Hunter's 'Since I Met You Baby' as well as 'Needle Of Death', originally by the late Bert Jansch, a song which Young covered last year.

That's weird, Neil's fb page issued a denial re:working w/White the other day in between dispatches from the current tour.

Kinda disappointed this won't be a spoken word release w/Jack & Neil going back and forth about old cars.

kinda dissapointed this will be a covers album.
the lo-fi production thing is great news though!

kinda disappointed its a Neil Young album but hey

You were hoping for an actual letter?

he was hoping for a (letter) Homegrown

Is this song on it?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5CJ6TriAsBE

That would be pretty surprising.

it was recorded with the MEMS gyroscopes harvested from ancient wii motes

http://neilyounglies.ca/

What the fucking fuck.

But the impression of Neil's playing in Ad #2 is hilarious.

is this album still happening? or are looking at another TOAST.
anyhoo, he played another lightfoot cover last weekend!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtqAR64U3xk
also, omg, first "Thrasher" in 36 years!

Toast never came out??? was that the other album with Booker T??

going tonight and tomorrow. so psyched.

xp naw toast is the lost crazy horse album from circa 2000-ish.

PONO ONLY

#pononly

just got an email from neil -

Here we are at the halfway point. My experience here on Kickstarter has been life changing. After banging my head against the wall for almost three years, dealing with business experts who didn’t really understand what we were trying to accomplish (to rescue the art of recorded sound and make great music available into the future), I found you people. You are the ones who understand what this is. You have proven it with your amazing support.

When we blew through our goal and actually doubled it on the first day, you changed my life. I will never forget that. This is just the beginning of a long road towards our goal of rescuing the music, all of it, from Cab Calloway to Sinatra, the Beatles and Rolling Stones, to Nirvana and Patti Smith, to Jay Z and Rihanna, and beyond. All of this music is the world’s history, the cultural creations of artists since the beginning of recorded sound. Now it can be preserved, if we do our job right, for future generations to hear and feel, not just recognize.

We are working now with Rap and R&B music sources as well as Country Music and Classical, in an effort to show you how great all music can and will sound with Pono.

Thanks for your help. We are very grateful for it. Obviously we can’t do this without you.

Neil Young
PonoMusic

just got back from hollywood show. fantastic. "mellow my mind" on banjo. "a man needs a maid" with synth strings. "love in mind." "thrasher." lots and lots of walking around and being chatty. his voice alternately croaky and falsetto angelic. and such a beautiful theater. goin' back (he did that too, of course) tomorrow.

fantastic again tonight. the crowd was a bit quieter -- the PA announcement before the show about no cameras, video, etc., also specifically requested no shouting out song titles, and the audience, amazingly, complied. neil noted this early in the show. "you're a quiet crowd," he said. "you've trained us well," someone shouted back. he was a bit less talky himself, and a bit more rambly, too, like he couldn't be bothered to tell full stories again. but still, totally amusing and totally charming.

my friend who i went with said his voice seems amazingly intact for an old dude. me, i think he's grown into a unique, and kind of amazing, 50/50 blend of old and young man's singing voices. he uses the low, croaky old man tone really effectively.

nice, yeah, he obviously doesn't sound quite like After The Gold Rush vocals these days, but he's certainly well-preserved compared to his peers. Does he still smoke? Cigarettes, I mean.
wonder why "thrasher" is back. that one is so great, but you almost feel like he completely forgot about it after the Rust tour.

btw - http://bigozine2.com/roio/?p=1782

before he payed "thrasher" on tuesday, he said he had stopped playing it all those years ago because he read a negative review of it that got to him. i'm paraphrasing, but he basically said, hey reviewers, if you wonder if what you write has any power, sometimes it does. but usually it doesn't.

couldn't tell if he was kidding or not. on wednesday he played it with no introduction.

his stories about how he acquired his various guitars were hilarious and beautiful.

haha, that's cool that he actually acknowledged the fact he hadn't played it in decades. i thought it might be because he messes up the lyrics on the Live Rust movie.

hey so has there been any discussion of the alleged June 2nd reissue of Time Fades Away? can't track all the Neil threads...

The mid '70s lp box for rsd got pushed to Black Friday.

Is this another tour where the set list remains static save a song or two?

it's been relatively static, yes, but that doesn't really matter to me. the performances themselves have been great, and he appears to be very much in the moment when he's playing. i saw pretty much the same set two nights in a row (he dropped "flying on the ground is wrong" last night) and would happily go back to see him play the exact same set a couple more times.

i get frustrated when i see reviews based on setlists, which i see more and more often these days.

Well, when a guy has a well as deep as Neil's, and it's just him on stage, it would be nice if he dipped a little deeper at times. The last solo tour Springsteen did (just to compare) he played something like 160 different songs. Actually, I think the number was 226, if you included radically rearranged versions of songs. I used to have a theory Neil stuck to his setlist because he was filming each show and needed to consider continuity, but who knows.

springsteen has definitely gone way down that road; he even varies it up quite a bit when he's got the full band with him these days. and that's cool. i'm a big fan. but i'd just as soon see a guy play 20 songs with feeling than 200 songs from a checklist. and i'd rather reviewers listened to the songs as they were being played instead of just writing down the titles and noting what album they're from and when was the last time they were performed. not all reviewers do this. but some do.

there are some bands whose "dark star" is worth waiting for. and there are other bands for whom a "thrasher" is just a "thrasher." though, yeah, of course it's fun and exciting to hear it.

The last time I saw Neil solo he made a point of wandering across the stage between songs, going from instrument to instrument, dramatically rubbing his chin, sometimes, as if wondering what to play next and with what to play it. Of course he stuck to the same setlist he had been playing for days, bar maybe a song or two that he sometimes swapped out. Fans weren't sure whether it was a joke or not, and at whose expense, exactly.

maybe Neil really can't remember what he plays from night to night and just ends up making the same choices each time because hey man that's how Neil operates

That would be hilarious. "Here's one I haven't played in 45 years." [plays "Needle and the Damage Done"]

I should note he did the wandering/wondering thing just about every night, btw.

he's still wandering. but he's also talking a lot and telling stories, or just saying funny stuff, as he does so.

on tuesday, he was telling a story about writing a certain song as he ambled toward his treated upright piano. he then played the opening chords of "after the gold rush, stopped suddenly, and said, "oops, wrong song." there was some friendly booing, after which he said, ok, i guess i'll play both of 'em. he proceeded to play "flying on the ground is wrong" and then "gold rush," and both were great.

on wednesday, he played "gold rush" only.

When I saw him last, he played something high (like "Gold Rush") then after mumbled something like "you might be wondering, how do these two different voices come out of the same man?"

i wondered the same thing now and then over the last two nights.

neil contains multitudes, man

When I saw him last, he played something high (like "Gold Rush") then after mumbled something like "you might be wondering, how do these two different voices come out of the same man?"

― Josh in Chicago, Thursday, April 3, 2014 3:54 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Easy: One of the voices is Neil's, and other one is Bernard Shakey.

played another likely Letter Home tune last night -- the trad. "Red River Valley"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TM54-ZRd-9k

A documentary about CSNY's Freedom of Speech tour is on across the hall. Think it's Stills who just now said, "It's like Neil's Tony Orlando and we're Dawn...there's been enough egg-throwing--it's like an editorial cartoon and we hope somebody gets something out of it." Cut to Colbert interviewing Young, "You're touring with three other people now---the Dixie Chicks, is it?" Young: "It's not the Dixie Chicks, but sometimes I wish they were." Colbert: "That would be great." Young: "Yes, it would." Amen.

oh hey whaddaya know : http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/neil-youngs-new-covers-album-available-right-now-surprise-20140418#ixzz2zHDsY1cz
1. "Changes" (Phil Ochs)

2. "Girl From The North Country" (Bob Dylan)

3. "Needle of Death" (Bert Jansch)

4. "Early Morning Rain" (Gordon Lightfoot)

5. "Reason To Believe" (Tim Hardin)

6. "On The Road Again" (Willie Nelson)

7. "If You Could Only Read My Mind" (Gordon Lightfoot)

8. "Since I Met You Baby" (Ivory Joe Hunter)

9. "My Hometown" (Bruce Springsteen)

10. "I Wonder If I Care As Much" (Everly Brothers)

Sorry Beyonce, checkmate

#yolo #pono

Neil Young praising the sound quality of Pono, trashing the sound of other music formats, and releasing songs recorded at 1940s-era Voice-o-Graph recording booth.

"Driver roll up the partition please"...is a line fit for the ditch trilogy release of your choice.

i heard his version of "my hometown" on the radio just now. sounded fucking awesome...super raw performance and the sound quality is totally lo-fi like almost a cassette demo...

for 1 second i thought it was an old school mountain goats song just when he was strumming

i'm kinda pumped...the raw sounds kinda make it seem unique and not corny, at least in this case

I would love to purchase this album. It's sold out on the Third Man store. This better not be some exclusive to Pono madness.

According to Amazon.ca, the CD will be released on May 19.

super raw performance and the sound quality is totally lo-fi like almost a cassette demo...
so great that this is the first album post-PONO, haha.
excited to hear this! the ones he hasn't played live yet (dylan, nelson, springsteen, everlys) all seem intriguing.

Man it seemed like we were pre-PONO for so long, it feels weird to be post-PONO so soon.

If you told me my previous post were the lyrics to a new Neil song I would believe you

maybe we aren't post-Pono yet since no one has a Pono yet. kind of in ponotory right now.

I'm starting to feel like PONO wasn't so much a physical product as it was an internet only singularity that existed briefly shortly after the Kickstarter closed.

PONO IS A STATE OF MIND

the pono is you

For inst: I'll probably never own a PONO, but I will always be PONO y'know?

xpost-YES

Heard "If You Could Only Read My Mind" on the radio today. I love the unique lo-fi sound. Felt like listening to an old blues/folk record!

Something something PONO.

You know what would make a better Kickstarter than PONO? People kicking in money to have Neil Young record versions of songs we'd like to hear him sing.

Jimmy Fallon plays all the Neil Young covers the people want to hear.

Ugh, I'd chip into kickstarter if he would stop doing that bit.

Reprise releasing a deluxe box of the album that seems to be proper rinsing the fans:

"Reprise will release the complete box set, which includes a special "direct feed from the booth" audiophile vinyl version and a DVD that captured the original electro-mechanical process, along with comments from the producers and recording engineers. It includes:
 
Standard audio LP pressed on 180-gram black vinyl
Audiophile LP pressed on 180-gram black vinyl
Standard audio CD
DVD with footage from the recording
12" x 12", 32-page full color booklet
 
Seven 6” vinyl discs pressed on clear vinyl. The 7th disc of this set features a version of Dylan’s ‘Blowin' In The Wind’ backed with an alternate take / arrangement of ‘Crazy’."

price: a functioning kidney

price: three kidneys

Seriously, Neil, just title every release NOT ARCHIVES II.

this is great btw

yeah i'm excited to hear the actual album.

Back in stock on third man site

Actually surprised the box is "only" $110; the vinyl of Psychedelic Pill was $90, and had 6 fewer vinyl discs.

Its funny everyone was worried about the Jack White association, but the third man version of this is the only reasonably priced vinyl Neil has released in forever

haha, this thing really is lo-fi.

You get it? How is it?

yeah, a copy showed up on Friday. minor thrill that third man addressed it to "Doom & Gloom From The Tomb"...
it is pretty enjoyable, if not mindblowing -- slightly corny/slightly touching spoken word segments start off each side, neil talking to his mom in heaven. best things are probably "if you could read my mind" and "needle of death." the two songs with White are actually fun, a tossed off "on the road again" and a charmingly warbly Everlys cover.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6H47jI6xanA

That's "Needle of Death"

Sounds like Ambulance Blues

A more interesting record would've been new,oriinal songs recorded like this imo.

Yeah, I wish Bruce or Dylan or Neil would just release a no frills record of originals that was really no frills. Especially Bruce, whose more recent stripped down output even sounds overproduced.

bullshit

Feel like Dylan's recent albums are pretty straightforward in terms of production and arrangement

I actually like Dylan's production a lot. I guess I was thinking specifically of stuff like devils and dust and tom joad.

his best since 'silver & gold'?

xp Ha, came here to say how much his version of Needle of Death sounds like Ambulance Blues.

kind of love this album! totally a good time.

friend said the spoken word stuff gets a bit old after a few listens?

yeah but they're fairly brief (just at the start of each side). will probably skip em on future listens.

oh ok i thought they were between every song

I love that Needle of Death. But yeah it sounds like it was recorded with a DIY home record cutter. Why do this when you're pushing PONO?

in neil terms it kind of makes perfect sense

Anyone looking for Neil's actions to make "sense" clearly hasn't read Shakey close enough!

and/or is David Geffen

Monday night the 12th:

Neil Young and Jack White will discuss Neil's latest LP A Letter Home
With a live performance of 'Crazy' on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.

They are gonna cut a record live onstage

Didn't tape it or stay up and watch it live. Maybe its on hulu or youtube already.

usually all of fallon is up on hulu

http://www.nbc.com/the-tonight-show/segments/5851

So he just did "Crazy" . Nice rendition

up on spotify

this is really great

the decision to record this as it was i think was a real genius move, gives it a real unique place in neil's catalog and makes it feel like an album not just a selection of covers...

yeah, i don't know, the album requires a little more engagement from the listener than if it was recorded at t-bone burnett's studio or something, with expensive mics.
next crazy horse album should just be a rehearsal recorded on a boombox. (kind of serious about that)

IMO it would be a lot less interesting and distinctive and sort of haunting it if were recorded, say, with a pared down stray gators-ish hi-fi well done production
not saying that the covers are a bad idea or poorly sung, but i think it gains from the production, the same way Le Noise has a unique place among neil albums for me

haha also man "on the road again" is a hot mess!!