neil young

Guys, I read Shakey -- I know he's got drawers full of this stuff. If it sez 1982, I'm counting it as an '82 song because he still fiddled with it in the studio.

the "pew pew pew" laser gun sound efx record shit

always improves a song imo

fair enough Alfred I don't necessarily agree but I respect that you've got a job to do when it comes to 80s albums

xp also canons firing/explosions ("long walk home")

was just thinking that might be the worst neil song ever

If liberty was a little girl
Watching all the flags unfurl
Standing at the big parade
How would she like us now?

i dunno, i like the hook and as far as metaphor abuse goes, it pales to johnny cougar's "justice and indepedence '85"

He was born on the fourth day of July
So his parents called him Independence Day
He married a girl named Justice who gave birth to a son called the Nation
And she walked away

Independence would daydream and he'd pretend
That some day him and Justice and Nation'd be together again
But Justice held up in a shotgun shack
Wouldn't let nobody in
So a Nation cried...

Oh, Oh,
When a Nation cries
His tears fall down like missiles from the sky
Justice look into Independence's eyes
Can you make everything alright?
Can you keep your Nation warm tonight?

worse political neil lyric imo

Oh Alabama
Can I see you and shake your hand?
Make friends down in Alabama
I'm from a new land
I come to you and
See all this ruin
What are you doing?

Alabama
You got the rest of the union
To help you along
What's going wrong?

idk some pretty strong contenders for worst political neil lyric...

I mean

Let's roll for freedome,
Let's roll for love,
We're going after satan,
On the wings of a dove,

i imagine living with war has plenty of ham-fisted political yammering but i've only listened to it once

In Waging Heavy Peace, he repents for "Alabama" and/or "Southern Man"---also did this medley of "Alabama" and "Sweet Home Alabama":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCd43ntfxB0

someone might be able to pull an awkward couplet or 18 out of living with war, but as a heartbroken, embarrassed album long apologia for "let's roll" its pretty great

the version with just neil singing i mean, not the one where 100 people chant along

still vote for "alabama" as the worst. it's like "Southern Man II: The Quest For Crosby's Gold"

the "pew pew pew" laser gun sound efx record shit

always improves a song imo

― Οὖτις, Friday, June 5, 2015 4:54 PM (5 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

xp also canons firing/explosions ("long walk home")

― brimstead, Friday, June 5, 2015 5:43 PM (5 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

This is secretly my favorite thing about 80s Neil; "Mideast Vacation" has gun sounds too!

Living With War is way underrated (the choir free version)

I'm kinda bummed (albeit not hundreds of dollars worth of bummed) that I have been p much unable to hear a single complete Neil album since Greendale. I can't afford to buy any of it with these ridiculous $45 vinyl sticker prices, and can't find any of it for free (I don't use torrentz).

like I hear clips whenever he puts something new out and I can kinda keep tabs on him that way - he's certainly interesting - but as a result I hear snippets once and then that's it.

spotify

is a monster I will not feed

feel like being able to listen to neil young albums i don't actually want to own is the best argument for spotify

CDs are hella cheap now; can likely find whatever recent Neil stuff for less than $10/disc.

you should definitely just go ahead and buy psychedelic pill if you haven't already, it's amazing.

that's kinda the one I want the most, cuz I really liked "Walk Like a Giant". Although LeNoise seems attractive too. And I did like that one song from the electric car album that had that "where did all the money gooooo" refrain.

so many hits to choose from!

out of the last 10 years, i'd say psychedelic pill, le noise and chrome dreams ii are the best...

For me, Le Noise was the best thing Neil had done since Ragged Glory (and I'm not a fan of Lanois at all).

i dunno, i like the approach/sound of le noise, but i wish the songs themselves (with a few exceptions) were a little better.

Yeah, le noise was the one that stood out for me as well. It's tough for me to listen to his other newer stuff without it making me want to listen to his older stuff that I think is much better. Even psychedelic pill, which was quite good in parts. But he couldn't have made le noise back in the day. It's just different and awesome.

but to hell w/ all of this stuff, everyone should just watch this while it's up on youtube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8EpdLMHJLrc

i should check out psychedelic pill in full but i hate what i've heard of neil's lyrics on those songs. just so mundane. loved americana, though. closest the horse has gotten to that ragged glory vibe imo where you could imagine they were barbecuing between takes.

finally listened to lenoise after someone whimpered re: my blog takes and i'd def prefer to hear the "raw" versions - those effects were kinda either too obtrusive or not obtrusive enough

man, call me crazy but i really think psychedelic pill is one of his very best. i'm not going to compare it to his old classics but it's at least up there with ragged glory and harvest moon.

wow had no idea country home was that old

xxxp

lol at these poll results, by the way. only on ilm.

wow had no idea country home was that old

something perversely appealing about the fact that he held it back in favor of "T-Bone".

i kinda like how "ragged glory" opens with two outtakes, in that they don't feel like ringers meant to cloak the lack of good new material, but warm-ups for the band before getting to the good new material

"remember this one? we played it in '76 -- here we go, 1-2-3-4!"

go listen to Life, people. I'll be waiting behind the keytar stand.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPVHE0ip0fk

at the very least check out neil going all ape-poopie at 3:45 (this may have been posted ages ago, but worth a revisit)

I like Americana and Psych Pill almost equally well, they're both rockin' reveries. I also like Storytone and Letter From Home, and would put those four in that order of preference. Think the sound quality of Letter might get on Οὖτις,'s nerves, since it sometimes does on mine (mellow as I am).

Damn I gotta watch that xpost doc now; good thing I've already seen the MC5 doc and Eat This Document, also back for a second (on the Tube)

oh my god, someone needs to make one of those shredding vids for that, da croupier

holy shit that is some skronk

wonder if he'd just heard Expressway to yr Skull

oh my god, someone needs to make one of those shredding vids for that, da croupier

that would be so awesome. you could even inverse the standard conceit and have billy'n'poncho making beautiful vangelis shit

then have neil bust out an intricate, clean-toned solo over them

wonder if he'd just heard Expressway to yr Skull

EVOL would have been less than a year old - always wondered how well he knew them before the Weld tour

feel like being able to listen to neil young albums i don't actually want to own is the best argument for spotify
haha, otm!

Greendale is my favorite "late" NY album, but Chrome Dreams II rocks my world too (probably has something to do with me seeing three shows (woohoo!) on the CDII tour where I also bought my all time favorite merch tshirt (tie dye)). I enjoy Le Noise as a cool adventure but was kind of disappointed with both Pscyh Pill and Americana (probably has something to do with me paying a zillion bucks for both albums on vinyl when cd would have been a lot more practical). I like A Letter Home a lot, it's so sentimental.

also that yesteryear video is grrrreat

most interesting thing in that clip was the banjo version of Old Laughing Lady

wonder if he'd just heard Expressway to yr Skull

EVOL would have been less than a year old - always wondered how well he knew them before the Weld tour