An interesting essay on growing organic music communities in a corporate world from Seattle Post-Intelligencer by GLEN BOYD that vectors in on Neil Young's musical influences:
In reacquainting myself with Neil's amazing story, one thing has struck me above all else:
Perhaps it is because of just who he is, or maybe just because he was in the right place at the right time, but as he was working his way up to become an iconic/legendary artist, Neil Young managed to find himself planted dead center in the middle of not one, but several locally based "scenes" that would go on to alter the course of popular music.
He was there in Canada — in Fort William and in Toronto, Ontario — when folk music and rock and roll began to coalesce itself into the hybrid sound that would eventually produce such influential artists as Joni Mitchell on the one hand and the Band on the other (not to mention Young himself).
He was there once again when the American West Coast began to similarly merge these sounds in the mid-sixties to produce the folk-rock boom which gave birth to the Byrds and to Young's own band with Stephen Stills, the Buffalo Springfield.
Neil Young was also there when this same sound evolved into the beautiful, trademark four-part harmonies of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young — the country/folk-rock supergroup who provided the eventual blueprint for every West Coast country-rock band which would follow in their wake, from the Eagles and Poco on down through latter-day mid-west acolytes like the Jayhawks and Wilco.
More on Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
Also, see Neil Young's influence on other musicians.
In light of our recent diliemas of the Gulf of Mexico, we know Neil to be the organic prophet.
ReplyDelete"What could be stranger than the unknown danger
That lies on the ocean floor?
Losing you
I heard I was losing you
That's not the only thing that I got to lose
I got to lose
The deep see blues
Look at these blues
The deep see blues"
- NRJ
That IS so prophetic NRJ...Neil is the Nostradamus of environmental rock for sure..I don't think people realise what an environmental catastophe this Mexican pipe rupture is.
ReplyDeleteWhen the "Red Adairs" of the world have had several attempts to plug it and failed...whoa..its gunna make the "exxon Valdez" catastophe look very minor compared to this...
'Mother Earth' was such a prophetic song for Neil..but, 'After the Gold Rush" with the line "look at Mother Nature on the run"....
set the bench mark for Neils stance on how we are our own worst enemies when it comes to the environment...
Mother is doin' a lot of rumblin' lately... What, with volcanoes and tsunamis, earthquakes and flooding...take head!... it is a warning..
It's a War of Man!
prophetic doc
The year 2012 is looming much larger now than it
ReplyDeletewas a few months ago.
The arrogance of BP and the still looming disaster
that is going to hit our shorelines soon because of
corporate greed is almost too much to bear.
With the noble effort of LincVolt and "a song can't change the world", but it can bring a little awareness, Neil Young to me has always in his career been an activist, and has acted on his beliefs wholeheartedly, bringing all of us along for the ride. A musical ride. And I will pay to go on that ride anytime it comes to town.
"It's all one song?"
How about, "We are all one."
Great post, you could add the following to the list: punk rock, grunge, how to be a timeless aging musical icon, and now solo electric rock
ReplyDelete