Neil's take on 90s alt rock with four guitars and dynamic drumming.
I think one reason I never really got into Mirror Ball (with the exceptions of the songs Michael B mentioned, which are great) is that the Eldorado EP struck me as a far more dynamic and agitated realization of that approach.
― Montgomery Burns' Jazz (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Saturday, 26 April 2014 12:25 (ten years ago) link
Well, that EP is particularly awesome. Stealth Japan-only comeback! "Mirror Ball" ... eh, I'm not sure Pearl Jam brings anything that Neil needs. His b-team did just fine with a similar (iirc) sound on "Living with War."
― Josh in Chicago, Saturday, 26 April 2014 14:50 (ten years ago) link
Just to reiterate Neil silently released a version of Living With War with the choir taken out (a release of particularly poor selling album a year after it came out is classic Neil) but it's well worth hearing
― dollar rave club (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Saturday, 26 April 2014 15:17 (ten years ago) link
That's a fair point Tarfumes. Eldorado is fantastic. There's nothing as vicious as Cocaine Eyes on Mirrorball. IFRC from Shakey, this was when Neil was experimenting with Marshall stacks instead of his usual chain of Fender deluxes plus massive speaker. Neil with Marshall was too brutal for many of his entourage to take, heh heh. The songwriting across Mirrorball isn't consistent - Downtown is nothing special, although its goofy hippy fantasy of classic rockers playing in a bar is quite cute in Neil's hands - but Song X, I'm The Ocean and Throw Your Hatred Down are great, and I'll also rep for Act of Love and Deep Green Country. It's a really fun album to play guitar along to as well.
― Poor.Old.Tired.Horse. (Stew), Sunday, 27 April 2014 10:24 (ten years ago) link
Again, "Eldorado" was 6 or so years pre-"Mirror Ball," so don't see why anyone would compare them. Now, comparing "Eldorado" with "Living with War" makes more sense, because it's the same band of Chad Cromwell and Rick Rosas, Neil's A+ b-team. Though per the thread revive, "Eldorado" is also well pre-"Sleeps With Angels," too.
― Josh in Chicago, Sunday, 27 April 2014 13:58 (ten years ago) link
Telling me that Living With War features the Eldorado rhythm section actually makes me want to hear it (I never have).
― Humorist (horse) (誤訳侮辱), Sunday, 27 April 2014 17:39 (ten years ago) link
so every time i sit down to "long may you run" i think "hell yea! mid-70s neil!" but shit it's really bad, huh? i never make it through in one sitting
― marcos, Thursday, 5 June 2014 21:47 (ten years ago) link
blame Stills. his songs on that are an abomination
― Οὖτις, Thursday, 5 June 2014 21:58 (ten years ago) link
does always seem like a weird case of neil trying to fit into someone else's scene. i dig the yacht rock slow-jamminess of Midnight On The Bay.
― tylerw, Thursday, 5 June 2014 22:00 (ten years ago) link
when in doubt, blame Stills. I blame Stills for global warming for instance, bellowing like that on "Black Queen".
― Euler, Thursday, 5 June 2014 22:36 (ten years ago) link
I really like "Black Coral", probably my favorite Stills song, but the rest of his songs on here are pretty rough. "Midnight on the Bay" is great; in general, I love the vibe of Neil's songs on this record. It was not at all a surprise to learn that he was living on a boat in Florida at the time.
― cwkiii, Thursday, 5 June 2014 23:46 (ten years ago) link
it's weird i've never actually listened to long may you run
― sinister porpoise (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Friday, 6 June 2014 13:58 (ten years ago) link
Midnight on the bay! how did I live without that one?
― lauded at conferences of deluded psychopaths (Sparkle Motion), Friday, 6 June 2014 14:01 (ten years ago) link
i guess the title track isn't too bad either
― marcos, Friday, 6 June 2014 14:16 (ten years ago) link
sounds like it could easily fit on comes a time
Title track rules!
― sinister porpoise (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Friday, 6 June 2014 14:18 (ten years ago) link
midnight on the bay is good too!
― marcos, Friday, 6 June 2014 14:21 (ten years ago) link
title track is fantastic, i just generally prefer it in live versions. here's a kinda weird unreleased track from the stills-young tour - "evening coconut," named after neil's boat. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHmU2xoQo7knot entirely sure, but he may have reworked this into "Thrasher".
― tylerw, Friday, 6 June 2014 14:25 (ten years ago) link
the only problem with this record is that they didn't put all the stills songs on side 2 so you would never have to listen to them.
― mizzell, Friday, 6 June 2014 14:27 (ten years ago) link
haha still is a douche but i think he's kind of underrated in a way! he's a great guitar player...i like the first manassas record quite a bit, and super session w/bloomfield and kooper...plus some of the CSN stuff and Buffalo Springfield...as far as cocaine cowboy asshole dudes i have more respect for him than like henley and frey
― sinister porpoise (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Friday, 6 June 2014 14:31 (ten years ago) link
oh for sure
― marcos, Friday, 6 June 2014 14:32 (ten years ago) link
evening coconut sounds great, thanks tylerw. totally has the feel of "thrasher" (which is definitely my top 5 neil tunes for sure)
― marcos, Friday, 6 June 2014 14:34 (ten years ago) link
yeah it is nice - though haha, stills does his best to ruin it with his weird latin patois improv vocals at the end. Stills!
― tylerw, Friday, 6 June 2014 14:37 (ten years ago) link
i like stills fine (i'm a fan of of the roughly contemporary dark star from csn) but these songs are all pretty weak. black coral is ok.
― mizzell, Friday, 6 June 2014 14:42 (ten years ago) link
xp Compare that to Young's desperate attempt to salvage the abomination that is "Make Love To You" with his kinda-awesome "Love you! Love you!" backing vocals on the chorus. For the most part they seem to stay out of each other's way on the rest of the record, I think.
― cwkiii, Friday, 6 June 2014 14:48 (ten years ago) link
would've been interesting if they had taken the opposite approach -- having stills come in and record with crazy horse. would probably be a weird-but-classic record. but it was probably never on the table, given the contempt CSN showed for the horse.
― tylerw, Friday, 6 June 2014 14:54 (ten years ago) link
It's amusing to hear Neil get Old Black cranking on the Stills stuff.
― Damnit Janet Weiss & The Riot Grrriel (C. Grisso/McCain), Friday, 6 June 2014 14:55 (ten years ago) link
Bill Wyman of the Rolling Stones plays bass on and co-authored "The Love Gangster" and is reported to have said that he would have left the Stones to join Manassas.[1]
― guess that bundt gettin eaten (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 6 June 2014 15:08 (ten years ago) link
the "Midnight, midnight!" backup vocals on "Midnight on the Bay" froze my blood.
― guess that bundt gettin eaten (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 6 June 2014 15:10 (ten years ago) link
listening to this right now for the first time
obv knew the title track
stills bringing the lols already with "make love to you.....awwwwriiight"
― sinister porpoise (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Friday, 6 June 2014 16:00 (ten years ago) link
oh man never heard this
― famous instagram God (waterface), Friday, 6 June 2014 16:01 (ten years ago) link
thing that sucks about stills is he is pretty good at guitar and he shoulda just been a real good sideman type dude, but too much ego
― sinister porpoise (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Friday, 6 June 2014 16:03 (ten years ago) link
yeah just seems like he had this idea of "I CAN DO ANYTHING." whereas neil was aware of his limitations and made them into assets.
― tylerw, Friday, 6 June 2014 16:09 (ten years ago) link
but too much ego cocaine
fixed that 4 u
― it definitely wasn't designed to be a pants pocket player (stevie), Friday, 6 June 2014 16:14 (ten years ago) link
oh man midnight on the bay is a stone groove
― sinister porpoise (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Friday, 6 June 2014 17:08 (ten years ago) link
Stills' voice is fucking gross.
― guess that bundt gettin eaten (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 6 June 2014 17:09 (ten years ago) link
haha black coral is hilarious
take it easy DOWN THE-AHyou've only SO MUCH AIR
― sinister porpoise (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Friday, 6 June 2014 17:12 (ten years ago) link
goddamn these lyrics are next level
Have you ever been down deep?I mean way down under the oceanJust inside Odin's reachBetter beware of this potion
And remember you don't belongIt always seemed so unfairThe fishes around will always remind youGot to go slow, take it easy down thereYou've only so much air
When you get a little deeperIf you slow down you might keep herThe sea, unforgiving and she's hardBut she'll make love to youShow you glimpses of the stars
At about two hundred feetYou realize the perilBut seductive is the deepThat shark over there holds no terror
For a while you really belongThe ocean will always shareYou become one like friends and loversBut remember, take care, she'll try to keep you there
The deeper you go'Cause of the pressure of the airThe nitrogen comes and goes, gets you highIt's an alien atmosphere
They call it rapture of the deep, be you not afraidYou're too far down by now to be scaredTwo hundred and eighty-seven feetI saw Jesus and it made sense that He was there
So belong but don't be longThere's plenty of ocean to sharePlease take heed, there's mouths to feedThe ocean, she'll provideDon't take more than you need'Cause Heaven just might be the sea
― sinister porpoise (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Friday, 6 June 2014 17:13 (ten years ago) link
you take that midnight on the bay, lotta love, and ocean girl and you have the beginnings of neil's great lost yacht rock album. this could be the coverhttp://30.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ls1o32NzB51qf4c00o1_500.jpg
― tylerw, Friday, 6 June 2014 17:13 (ten years ago) link
he has the best face!
― La Lechera, Friday, 6 June 2014 17:15 (ten years ago) link
maybe he could have repurposed "Kahuna Sunset" by Buffalo Springfield from the archives too
― sinister porpoise (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Friday, 6 June 2014 17:16 (ten years ago) link
yeahhh, and "wind through my sails" and "sail away" would probably work in there too. there actually was supposed to be a geffen era album called "Island In The Sun."
― tylerw, Friday, 6 June 2014 17:20 (ten years ago) link
i love this idea
― marcos, Friday, 6 June 2014 17:43 (ten years ago) link
and lol @
Have you ever been down deep?I mean way down under the ocean
― marcos, Friday, 6 June 2014 17:44 (ten years ago) link
dancing across the water
― Montgomery Burns' Jazz (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Friday, 6 June 2014 17:48 (ten years ago) link
and windward passage!
― Euler, Friday, 6 June 2014 17:54 (ten years ago) link
I saw Jesus and it made sense that He was there
― famous instagram God (waterface), Friday, 6 June 2014 17:56 (ten years ago) link
BETTER BE-WEAH OF THESE MOOHHTIONS
― guess that bundt gettin eaten (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 6 June 2014 17:58 (ten years ago) link
i'm gonna start using "Have you ever been down deep? / I mean way down under the ocean" when i meet new people
― marcos, Friday, 6 June 2014 17:59 (ten years ago) link
I actually like this line! It's my favorite part of the song, along with the weird instrumental intro/outro thing. As gross as Stills' voice is, the delivery helps; the whole song looks fucking ridiculous on paper but...ehh I give up. :)
― cwkiii, Friday, 6 June 2014 18:41 (ten years ago) link