Track by Track of Le Noise with Producer Daniel Lanois

An interesting track by track breakdown of Neil Young's album Le Noise by Daniel Lanois.

Among other gems, we learn the genesis of the album name and that Neil texts?!

“Every song has a message in it. It has power, it has significance, and i felt like i was entering the arena as I did when I was a kid… and I thought, ‘This is the man I want to work with right now,’” says Daniel Lanois, the producer of Neil Young‘s latest record, Le Noise.

Other quotes from Lanois interview:

– “Why did we get into this to begin with, as kids? We got into this because we love what somebody else did, we were driven by Rock ‘n’ Roll… because Rock ‘n’ Roll promised a message that maybe we weren’t getting in our own houses.”

– “The more we did, the house got more angry, and it started reverberating like a big speaker cabinet… and we got louder and he got more confident. I had my neighbors saying, ‘Is that Neil Young up there?’”

- “So we did four full moons… maybe two days before and a day after. Historically, Neil has written his best songs during that potent time, and he asked me if I would follow that as a ground rule… that we would huddle up at full moons.”

– “I felt there was something in him that had not come out yet in this stage of his life. In some of the songs that he came in with were good, but I didn’t think they represented the thing that I felt existed in him right now.”

(Quotes via Video: Daniel Lanois - Neil Young's Le Noise - A Track by Track Interview | TheFrontloader.com.)

From Daniel Lanois on producing Neil Young's Le Noise | MusicRadar.com by Joe Bosso:

Over the course of four sessions ('brilliant, moonlit nights,' says Lanois), the record took shape, and it didn't take long for electric guitars to come out. 'Neil and I bonded over our love and enthusiasm of amps,' says Lanois. 'I have a great collection of Fender Tweed Deluxes from the '50s, and I think when I suggested pulling out an electric guitar or two, Neil got excited about hearing what those amps could do.'

According to Lanois, Young's late '50s Gretsch White Falcon was the bedrock of the album's electric sound. 'It's a really interesting guitar because of its split pickup, which allows the bass strings to come out of one amp while the top strings can come out of another. So already, without me trying to manipulate the signal, you get a really cool, unique sound out of the guitar.'

On the song Hitchhiker, however, Young's famed 'Old Black' Les Paul makes an appearance. 'That's some guitar,' says Lanois. 'Neil starts playing that and you go, 'Oh yeah, that's him!' It's got a meaty, grungy, gnarly presence, whereas the Gretsch has more midrange and clarity to it. Both guitars sound great through those Tweeds.'

Although Young is famed for his frenzied, minimalist solos, the guitarist eschews such fretboard star-turns on Le Noise. 'Neil plays brilliant solos, but they wouldn't fit the spirit of these songs,' says Lanois. 'This is a riff-based album.'

Once Young was finished with his performances, Lanois set about 'adding my sonics and seeing where the music took me.' Calling himself a bit of an 'old-school and new-school guy' when it comes to gear, the producer says one item is essential to his recordings: 'I still use my AMS Harmonizer. It's a late '70s box, but I consider it irreplaceable. It has a great VCO and a great reverb in it. I don't keep it at any fixed settings, however - I like to use it like an instrument.'

Neil Young and Producer Daniel Lanois with Le Noise crew


More on Neil Young's New Album 'Le Noise'. Also, see:

- Thrasher's Wheat Meta-Review: Neil Young's "Le Noise"
- Critics Go GaGa Over New Neil Young Album Le Noise
- The Chemistry of Neil Young and Producer Daniel Lanois Interview
- Le Noise Exhibit at Nuit Blanche Festival in Toronto
- Comment of the Moment: Le Noise
- "Walk With Me": New Video by Neil Young
- Neil Young's Le Noise "Weaving sonic tapestries"
- CBC Interview With Neil Young and Daniel Lanois
- Vinyl Review of Le Noise: TONEAudio MAGAZINE
- NEW LE NOISE VIDEO: Neil Young's "Love And War" on YouTube
-Le Noise: "It's a keeper" Tweets Critic Greg Kot
-Neil Young and Daniel Lanois click on 'Le Noise' - latimes.com
-NEW LE NOISE VIDEO: "Hitchhiker"
-Comment of the Moment: Le Noise's "Sonics"
-Neil Young Interview on Le Noise: "It sounded like God"
- Producer Daniel Lanois Discusses Making of "Walk With Me" + UNCUT Review (UPDATED)
- Video of Neil Young's "Angry World" from Le Noise
- Neil Young's Le Noise: "Just a man on a stool"
- "Imagination never sleeps": Neil Young's Le Noise
- NPR Previews Neil Young's Le Noise's "Walk With Me"
- Dead Man Soundtrack: Preview of Le Noise?
- Anticipating Neil Young's album Le Noise
-Stream Neil Young's Entire Album Le Noise on NPR

Also, see all of Neil Young's Solo Electric Concert Tour Dates and Reviews.

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