Neil Young : A Letter Home

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!!