Neil Young : A Letter Home

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!!