As always, Neil follows his own course. I remember seeing this tour in LA in Oct. 1984, fantastic musicians, great show! The songs are taken from various concert dates along that tour. Five of the songs have never been released before ( Tracks: 1, 5, 8, 11 & 12). Not everything works, but some of the reworked tunes are fantastic. This Live collection leans toward Neil's country side, but not so much as to put off any of his rocker fans out there. Seriously, give it a listen.
There's a great Neil Young country-themed live album out there somewhere, but this one is made up of too many forgettable songs. For one thing, this wasn't one of Neil's best periods, songwriting-wise, so it's unsurprising that the unreleased cuts aren't masterpieces. That being said, this is a really enjoyable disc. Best tracks: 1, 2, 6 and 9.
This is real country music, not that fake crap coming out of Nashville these days. Spooner Oldham and Ben Keith really prove their worth on this one. I gave it 5 stars.
With a sound as big as the sky and a lyrical approach as densely packed as any metropolis, Milagres, a Brooklyn five-piece freshly signed to Kill Rock Stars after a major personnel shake-up, doesn't need a compelling origin story for Glowing Mouth, its sophomore album. Still, as origin stories go, it's hard to beat Kyle Wilson's: "Our first album [2008's Seven Summits] was more of a calculated concept album, where I used mountaineering as a… more »
[eMusic Selects is a program designed by eMusic to give exposure to unsigned or undersigned bands. This month's selections are Strand of Oaks and Family Band]
In 2003, Tim Showalter's house burned down, his fiancée broke up with him, and he resorted to writing songs on an acoustic guitar while living on park benches in suburban Philadelphia. Those events informed the entirety of his arresting debut, Leave Ruin, an album about loss and brokenness and lack… more »
Robert Charles Guidry was leaving a diner in his native Louisiana when he heard the words that would forever make him Bobby Charles. "See you later, alligator," the 17-year-old jive-talked to a friend, only to hear, like a gospel call-and-response, "In a while, crocodile" from a neighboring patron.
He had been playing teen soirees with a combo called the Cardinals (no relation to the r&b vocal group of the same name) in the small town of… more »
It used to be easier to pretend that an album was its own perfectly self-contained artifact. The great records certainly feel that way. But albums are more permeable than solid, their motivations, executions and inspirations informed by, and often stolen from, their peers and forbearers. It all sounds awfully formal, but it's not. It's the very nature of music — of art, even. The Six Degrees features examine the relationships between classic records and five… more »
From plaintive folk ballads to raging rockers, Neil Young carved out a path up the center of popular music that was both singular and idiosyncratic. This is our guide to his best. more »
Activity
12.28.09
Working on my trains with Z!
12.27.09
One of heard had a calf this evening. Doc and I deliver it. I am getting to old for this!
