A Treasure: Are You Ready To Get Back To The International Harvesters?

International Harvesters Tour, Costa Mesa, CA - 10/24/84
Photo by Robert Matheu

There's been a lot excitement over the recent news of the new Neil Young album A Treasure coming June 14. (Go here for release details and track info and to watch the hilarious preview video with Neil in all of his ragged glory.

The International Harvesters era -- which ran from roughly ~1984 - 1985 -- produced some wonderful country twang moments in Neil Young's career. The band consisted of 2 band lineups:

International Harvesters Band #1
Ben Keith
Anthony Crawford
Rufus Thibodeaux
Spooner Oldham
Tim Drummond
Karl T. Himmel
Larry Cragg
Joel Bernstein

International Harvesters Band #2
Ben Keith
Anthony Crawford
Rufus Thibodeaux
Hargus Pig Robbins
Joe Allen
Karl T. Himmel
Matraca Berg
Tracy Nelson
Larry Cragg
Joel Bernstein


A Treasure
Neil Young & The International Harvesters

From a Funhouse album review of Old Ways by Steve Peck:

The International Harvesters were a swinging band that added a lot to the quality of Old Ways, and this is Neil's most realized country effort to date. One enjoyable aspect of the album is his use of Waylon Jennings for vocal harmonies. Waylon and Neil's voices blend well together, and Jennings is one of the best harmonizers around. Willie Nelson shows up to duet on "Are There Any More Real Cowboys?," adding further to the record's country credentials. This period of Neil's career is even more significant if you look past the Old Ways album, and take into account the subsequent International Harvesters tour, with its performances of several exceptional, unreleased songs, "Interstate" and "Grey Riders."

YouTube - Neil Young w/ International Harvesters & Nicolette Larson - "Homegrown" at Farm Aid II

Some more International Harvesters video:

YouTube - NEIL YOUNG SOUTHERN PACIFIC 8/17/85 - 1985-08-17, Canadian National Exhibition Grandstand, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

YouTube - Neil Young & Waylon Jennings 1984 - Neil Young & Waylon Jennings Sept 20 1984 'Nashville Now' TV show Are You Ready For the Country?

YouTube - Neil Young - Nashville Now tv show pt 1 - Neil Young on the tv show Nashville Now on Sept 20 1984. Part 1 includes intro, Field of Opportunity and the first part of the interview.

YouTube - Neil Young - Nashville Now tv show pt 3 - Neil Young on the tv show Nashville Now on Sept 20 1984. Part 3 - Amber Jean, band intro's and the closing moments of the show."

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LAST CALL - CONTEST: Win A Pair of Neil Young Tickets in Boston, 4/19

Last call on contest to winning a pair of tickets to see Neil Young in concert at the Wang Center, Boston, April 19.

For contest details, see CONTEST: Win A Pair of Neil Young Tickets in Boston, 4/19.

Don't Be Denied!

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Exclusive Preview Video of Neil Young's New Album "A Treasure"

UPDATE:

The excessive and overwhelming traffic to the Tech Notes film has taken down the servers for ShakeyPictures.com

In an effort to keep this available to the world at this time, we have activated the previously forbidden YouTube version of Tech Notes.

You may now view, download, embed and share Tech Notes from the YouTube location.
It is also enabled for use on mobile devices.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRi_mpJH7bA

thanks for your support and viewing.

-Archives Guy

It is with great pleasure that we bring you an exclusive official preview video of Neil Young's new album "A Treasure".

The video is quite unique and hilarious with Neil himself explaining how the audio and video footage were edited together from various sources.

The "Tech Notes" video has been somewhat controversial recently with an inadvertent link leak. (What's being referred to as "ShakeyLeaks".)

As we posted yesterday on release details of A Treasure from Archives Guy:

Last week the serendipity of the ever unfolding tapestry of now brought to the Web a leak of the 14 minute promotional film that Neil made to explain a Treasure.

It is titled 'Tech Notes'.

This film was pulled from distribution with the cooperation of the fan base and Rust community, but will go live to the world in the coming days on this site.

A Treasure
Neil Young & The International Harvesters

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Release Details on A Treasure: New Neil Young Album Coming June 14

UPDATE: June 2011
See reviews of Neil Young & The International Harvesters "A Treasure" and Tech Notes: Preview Video of Neil Young's New Album "A Treasure". Also, see Neil Young's Photo Gallery Interview on the International Harvesters and The Making of A Treasure: Interviews with Neil Young.

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As we learned yesterday, the new Neil Young album A Treasure is coming soon.

Some more details from our good friends at Shakey Pictures:

A TREASURE

JUNE 14TH ON REPRISE RECORDS

SPECIAL DOUBLE-DISC VINYL EDITION AVAILABLE ON MAY 24TH

NEILYOUNG.COM AND ITUNES PRE-ORDER LAUNCHES APRIL 12TH


Neil Young will release a brand-new album, entitled A Treasure,on June 14th, on Reprise Records. It will be available in stores on CD and Blu-ray, as well as on iTunes and through all participating digital retailers. The limited-edition vinyl pressing will precede the CD street date, hitting shelves on May 24th, and will be pressed on 180-gram double-disc vinyl featuring special artwork etched into the fourth side. The vinyl edition will be sold through the official NeilYoung.com store and participating Record Store Day Independent Music Retailers only.

Digital buyers should note that iTunes, Amazon and all other digital retail outlets will launch a pre-order on April 12th. Fans can also look forward to a full line of brand-new exclusive merch plus Le Noise tour items and Archives-related goodies, which will launch in the Neil Young Online Store in April.

A Treasure
Neil Young & The International Harvesters

A Treasure

Neil Young Archives Performance Series #9

*denotes unreleased song

*1- Amber Jean (9/20/84) Nashville Now TV Nashville, TN

2- Are You Ready For The Country? (9/21/84) Riverbend Music Center Cincinnati, OH

3- It Might Have Been 9/25/84 Austin City Limits TV Austin, Texas

4- Bound For Glory 9/29/84 Gilleys’s Rodeo Arena Pasadena, TX

*5- Let Your Fingers Do The Walking (10/22/84) Universal Amphitheater Universal City, CA

6- Flying On The Ground Is Wrong (10/26/84) Greek Theater Berkeley, CA

7- Motor City (10/26/84) Greek Theater Berkeley, CA

*8- Soul Of A Woman (10/26/84) Greek Theater Berkeley, CA

9- Get Back To The Country (10/26/84) Greek Theater Berkeley, CA

10- Southern Pacific (9/1/85) Minnesota State Fair St. Paul, MN

*11- Nothing Is Perfect (9/1/85) Minnesota State Fair St. Paul, MN

*12- Grey Riders (9/10/85) Pier 84 New York City, NY

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Archives Guy said...

Hello readers of Thrashers Wheat,

In the coming days Neil Young, Shakey Pictures and the NYA team will be providing this site with information on the much anticipated release of A Treasure.

This record, which is #9 in the NYAPS series is very special to us on the archives team on so many levels.

We aren't salesmen nor marketing suits, but rather production folk who love the music we work with.

IMHO, this is one hell of a record that captures spot on key performances by the International Harvesters in concert.

Much work has gone into the review of the this band's body of work and while this could have easily been a 2 or 3 disc set, the archives team has distilled the Harvesters down to 12 essential and potent tracks.

Last week the serendipity of the ever unfolding tapestry of now brought to the Web a leak of the 14 minute promotional film that Neil made to explain a Treasure.
It is titled 'Tech Notes'.

This film was pulled from distribution with the cooperation of the fan base and Rust community, but will go live to the world in the coming days on this site.

We will bring Tech Notes to you to watch, share, download, upload and view on your mobile devices.

Ben Keith called this record ' A Treasure'.

I have two words for you-
Grey Riders

-Archives Guy

More details coming. Stay tuned!
ps - nice tone! :)

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UPDATE: June 2011
See reviews of Neil Young & The International Harvesters "A Treasure" and Tech Notes: Preview Video of Neil Young's New Album "A Treasure". Also, see Neil Young's Photo Gallery Interview on the International Harvesters and The Making of A Treasure: Interviews with Neil Young.

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REMINDER - CONTEST: Win A Pair of Neil Young Tickets in Boston, 4/19

Just a reminder that only a few days remain on winning a pair of tickets to see Neil Young in concert at the Wang Center, Boston, April 19.

For contest details, see CONTEST: Win A Pair of Neil Young Tickets in Boston, 4/19.

Don't Be Denied!

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A Treasure: New Neil Young Album Coming

UPDATE: June 2011
See reviews of Neil Young & The International Harvesters "A Treasure" and Tech Notes: Preview Video of Neil Young's New Album "A Treasure". Also, see Neil Young's Photo Gallery Interview on the International Harvesters and The Making of A Treasure: Interviews with Neil Young.

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A Treasure
Neil Young & The International Harvesters

From our friends at Shakey Pictures:

NEIL YOUNG TO RELEASE LIVE ALBUM, ENTITLED A TREASURE ON REPRISE RECORDS

RENOWNED ROCKER UNEARTHS LIVE COUNTRY ALBUM RECORDED WITH LEGENDARY BAND, THE INTERNATIONAL HARVESTERS, WHILE ON TOUR IN THE U.S. IN 1984-1985

The 12-track live album A Treasure includes songs recorded during Young’s 1984-1985 U.S. tour and contains five previously unreleased songs. Among those, “Grey Riders” will be the first track serviced to radio. A Treasure features Young’s onstage work with some of the greatest artists in the history of country music, including the late, great Ben Keith on steel and slide guitar and Rufus Thibodeaux on fiddle, along with living legends Spooner Oldham and Hargus “Pig” Robbins on piano, Tim Drummond and Joe Allen on bass, Karl Himmel on drums, Anthony Crawford on guitar, banjo and mandolin among many others. A Treasure is Young’s first release since last year’s Grammy- and Juno Award-winning album, Le Noise.

The live album captures this iconic artist during a fascinating time in his career, when he was facing criticism and lawsuits from his then current record company for exploring a more traditionally country sound. “You can call me erratic,” Young said when asked at the time about his tendency toward musical shape-shifting, “but I’ve been consistent about it, consistently erratic.” Always celebrated for his musical versatility, A Treasure, is akin to a sonic time capsule, instantly transporting the listener to the time and place when it was made. “I love this record,” Young says. “I hadn’t heard these takes in 25 years, but when we unearthed them co-producer Ben Keith said, ‘This is a treasure.’”

Part of what makes A Treasure so compelling is the musical contributions of The International Harvesters, with whom Young was playing at the time. Many of them were already paragons within the country music world and their notoriety has only grown in the years since. “I just love to hear those guys,” Young says. “They’re all country music legends.” Those behind the scenes also made significant contributions to A Treasure’s sonic potency. Tim Mulligan mixed and mastered the tracks. At the time these songs were recorded, Bob Sterne was the tour manager, Tim Foster ran the stage, and Larry Cragg was in charge of the band’s instruments.

A Treasure will be released in several formats, including standard CD, vinyl, digital download with and without videos, and as a deluxe CD/Blu-Ray package. The Blu-Ray version will feature a curated selection of video that lends context and imagistic power to the tracks. “I like to look at these old live videos and listen to what I think are the best versions of these songs,” Young says. “It’s fun to see what we looked like when we were playing it then.”

More info on the release dates and the Tech Notes video will be coming soon.
Stay tuned...

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UPDATE: June 2011
See reviews of Neil Young & The International Harvesters "A Treasure" and Tech Notes: Preview Video of Neil Young's New Album "A Treasure". Also, see Neil Young's Photo Gallery Interview on the International Harvesters and The Making of A Treasure: Interviews with Neil Young.

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Social Distortion and Neil Young

Social Distortion's Mike Ness

The Neil Young and Crazy Horse 1991 Ragged Glory/Weld Tour is remembered fondly for a lot of reasons.

Most folks remember a couple of distinct moments. The volume described as being at jet noise decibel levels is often remembered because folks ears still ring 20 years on.

Another memory is the two opening bands: Social Distortion and Sonic Youth. Sonic Youth have vividly described their memories of the tour in the 1994 Sonic Youth biography "I Dreamed Of Noise" written by Ignacio Julia and Jaime Gonzalo.

Now with Social Distortion going out on tour with their new album Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes, singer and guitarist Mike Ness recalls opening for Neil Young and Crazy Horse on the 1991 Ragged Glory/Weld Tour

From Social Distortion Gears Up for Tour, Talks New Album | Rolling Stone Music by Greg Prato:

Mike Ness: It was a great experience.

It was also a dues paying experience, because back then, even if we did have 500 fans there, which would have been large for that period of time, they were scattered because of this prearranged seating thing that our fans were not used to. Second of all, we were going on at 8, where most people were just finishing their dinner and figuring which off-ramp to get off at.

I know we got some converts from that, but the main thing that I got out of that was that was the main period of time where I was going back and forth searching for my guitar tone, amps and all that. I really learned a lot from those guys – from Neil's guitar tech [Larry Cragg], as far as Fender amps, Gibson P-90 pick-ups and Les Paul Deluxes. And the other thing was it was right when I was becoming very 'groove aware' – realizing that if a song doesn't have a groove, you're just bashing through chords.

I would watch Crazy Horse basically turn their back on 10-15,000 people, face the drummer, get this groove and then come back out.

Rig Rundown - Social Distortion's Mike Ness & Jonny Wickersham

Premier Guitar's Chris Kies is On Location in Council Bluffs, IA, where he catches up with Social Distortion's Mike Ness and Jonny Wickersham and they talk to us about their current live rigs and setups.

Ness' current live setup includes 70s Gibson Les Paul Deluxes (two-goldtops), a '67 Fender Bassman head going through two Marshall 1960B 4x10 cabs. The only pedal in his setup is a Boss SD-1 Overdrive. Wickersham's setup includes original '60s Les Paul Juniors and a '50s Telecaster that run through a Satellite head and two Marshall 4x12 cabs.

More on Neil Young and Crazy Horse on the 1991 Ragged Glory/Weld Tour and Sonic Youth.

Also, see Neil Young's Rig: his Sound, Guitars, Amps, and Equipment.

Also, other bands influenced by Neil Young.

Thanks Scott! Thanks Keith!

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Dala Cover "Ohio"

Dala performs "Ohio" at Borrowed Tunes Neil Young Tribute Concert at Charles Stockey Theatre, December 2009.

Dala covered "A Man Needs A Maid" on the Cinnamon Girl Benefit CD and performed at Borrowed Tunes: A Tribute to Neil Young.


Dala, featuring Sheila Carabine and Amanda Walther

Also, see more on Neil Young Ohio Lyric Analysis and bands covering Neil Young songs.

Thanks Peter!

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Neil Young Tribute: Rock The Castle - 16. April, Germany

On 16. April the annual European Rustfest at the "Schloss Huelchrath"
(Huelchrath castle) takes place again. It's the gathering of the German Human-Highway mailing list and neil-young.info.

A couple of bands are playing Neil related music.

Website: Rock The Castle
routing: http://www.rock-the-castle.info/anfahrtsplan.html

line-up:

- Alexander Würker in thoughts to greendale
- Jürgen Voigt the microphone bows to him
- "OldSmith" with the whole Canterbury House Conzert 1968
- Mixed-Rusted-Band special guests with few Ocean-parts
- Crazy Helpless all one song
- Bozz Rockband they don´t rust and sleep

The whole mayhem rocks off at a very nice and pittoresque castle in the middle of the German Rhine region.
http://www.schlosshuelchrath.com/schloss-huelchrath/geschichte.html

There will also be a live audio stream of the event on
http://www.radio-plattenkeller.de/

Nice to see ya!

Danke Baron!

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My Neil Young Vinyl Collection

As one might imagine, we get all sorts of fun stuff from Neil fans around the world.

Here's one to share...

Hey Thrasher,

I thought I'd share with you a video I made a couple weeks ago for YouTube, of me showing off my Neil Young vinyl collection- which I am extremely proud of. You may have seen this video on FaceBook's Rust Community, where I shared it. There is a whole community of vinyl fanatics on YouTube, of which I am a part of, and this is basically what we do - show our latest finds, post and respond to threads, etc.

There are a lot of Neil fans among us. It's a really cool thing, with some great people, from which I have discovered so much great music.

So I had a bit of free time this morning (excuse the messy hair!). Perhaps redundant but I made another video of my Neil Young vinyl collection but a short version, all in one video which is what I should have done to begin with. I have about six videos in all, dedicated to my Neil LPs in which I explain my feelings for each one (see them on my channel if interested). I figured for people who don't want to sit through all those videos, I'd make a short one. I am really proud of this collection and it took a while so compile and took a good chunk of change.

I'm a huge fan of vinyl and just feel that Neil Young's music sounds best on that format- which is how Neil meant it to be heard. Not sure if you are a collector, but when you listen to these albums on a good turntable, you understand why Neil prefers analog over digital- and as good as ultrahigh resolution 24-bit /192 kHz stereo sound is, I feel (just my opinion) it still doesn't compare to the warmth and nuance, that vinyl can provide with a clean LP and a half-way decent turntable.

Anyway, I don't mean to go off on a vinyl vs. digital tangent, just thought I'd share my Neil collection, which took a lot of time and money to compile - it really is a labor of love. Hope you enjoy.

And if you what to hear my thoughts on each album, check out my channel ( http://www.youtube.com/user/MrFartboy79?feature=mhum ) where I posted about six videos going over Neil's discography - just click "See All" on my videos because they were posted months ago.

Thanks Thrasher and keep up the good work. Despite everything, you truly do provide not only a service of "Neil News" and connecting us all, but entertaining and thought provoking content to us Neil "fanatics".

Also, looking forward to the tour? Can't wait!

Thank you,
Tony
aka "ShittyHorse"

Very cool Tony! Nice to put the face with the handle.... messy hair and all... :)

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Neil Young Tribute: Waterford, Ireland - 9 April

A Neil Young tribute this Saturday, April 9 at Forum Lounge, Waterford, Ireland.

Harvest are Ireland's premier Neil Young tribute band and have been “Rocking In The Free World” for a couple of years now, entertaining fans of Mr Young all over the country, including a sell-out show this week at The Button Factory in Dublin. Harvest play a selection of songs from all Neil Young's classic albums, concentrating on his “Crazy Horse” rockier side but also covering the acoustic classics from albums like 'Harvest', 'After The Gold Rush' and 'Harvest Moon'. The band now have over 2 hours of material at their disposal, songs such as “Heart Of Gold”, “Old Man”, “Harvest Moon”, “Like A Hurricane”, “Cowgirl In The Sand”, “Down By The River”, 'Helpless”, 'Southern Man', 'Comes A Time', 'Cinnamon Girl', 'Powderfinger' and 'Ohio'.

If you like Neil Young, you will love Harvest, who make their Waterford debut at The Forum Lounge on Saturday 9 April (doors 8.30pm, on stage 9pm). Admission is €10 on the door and includes entry to the Lounge’s late night Boho Club, featuring more live music with the brilliant Jam Tarts Orchestra.

More on event Harvest - Neil Young Tribute | Facebook

Thanks Sean!

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