Comment of the Moment: The Mix on The Americana Album

Neil Young
Frame from film A Day At The Gallery
(Click photo to enlarge)

Quite the reaction to the post Old Men, Take a Look at Your Work: Why Neil Young and Jerry Seinfeld Need to Stop Phoning It in or Retire Already earlier this week.

Surprise, surprise.

Some thought the thrust of the commentary that Neil Young is phoning it in on Americana was accurate. And -- naturally -- others disagreed feeling that the album demonstrates the passion and power that is known as Crazy Horse.

Lots of interesting comments all over the map to check out. And thanks to all for the civil debate.

But here's a comment that we'd like to highlight by BIGCHIEF regarding the mix on the Americana album :

I have to say that I agree with 'Old Black' in that even though Americana isn't the most vital or original Crazy Horse record to come along in quite a while, there's definitely something amiss in the mix.

Since I was already exposed to the music along with everyone else via the internet along with the videos as they were released, I was keenly aware that the sound quality had left a lot to be desired. especially since during this same era Neil had also been quite vocal of his dissatisfaction of the audio sources at his disposal.

Though I don't care for the record as a whole there are a few songs that I consider to be genuinely legitimate Crazy Horse rockers that I get into. I was eagerly anticipating the arrival of my vinyl copy (compliments of my good friend Sandy Horne) which I must say left me disappointed when I placed it on my turntable for the first time. After having my ears teased for several weeks with the digital crap we were exposed to, as Old Black said the mix on the LP sounded 'muddy' and nowhere close to what I expected. I'm not even referring to whether I consider the songs not up to par with previous Crazy Horse recordings such as Zuma or Ragged Glory, I'm talking about the final mix here. Neil's guitar is buried in the mix at moments of brilliance which left me wondering how it would have been with Briggs at the mixing board. The vinyl recording did everything it was supposed to do as far as bringing out the depth and warmness and punch without feeling as if I'm being pelted by ice cubes, yet there is obviously something amiss in the final mix of the recording.

I'm sorry if I let some of you purists down with my observations here but that's just my opinion. However, I don't think it has anything to do with Neil's age and I doubt if he handed the mixing chores over to Jerry Seinfeld but as for me, I wish I never got old ....

Thanks BIGCHIEF.

Now we haven't listened to our vinyl copy as of yet and plan to soon so we can't really verify BIGCHIEF's comments. And we've primarily listened to Americana in our car and some of the early pre-release streams on headphones. And can't say that we find anything particularly problematic with the mix.

Our hunch is that we saw the Americana mix setup in the oh-so awesome "Horse Back" video we saw earlier in January. And that sounded pretty good streaming on crappy PC speakers.

Anyways, as with so many things, we're not an audio expert but just a fan so here's what the audio mix expert Bob Gendron at TONEAudio MAGAZINE thinks:

Recorded on a Universal Audio tube console and to Studer two-inch eight-track analog tape, thick chords and rough-and-ready riffs hang, wander, growl, gurgle, and toss around in the dirt; drum beats smack and slap like wet towels whapped against a cement wall. Everything, save for several well-placed choir vocal passages, is captured in the moment, fortifying Americana as the sound of a real, live band performing in a real space. After the collective’s nine-year hiatus, the dynamic is refreshing and reinvigorating to experience once again, even if it’s now been in commission for four-plus decades.

Now we're going to unwrap our vinyl Americana and give it a spin.

And then await the Bluray version... ;)

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Neil Young Interview - Much Music in 2000

NEIL YOUNG MUCH MUSIC BIO SPOTLIGHT 2000...

A Neil Young video interview with Canadian TV's Much Music in 2000. (Merci PURPLE WORDS ON A GREY BACKGROUND)!

Also, see HyperRust: Neil on Much Music, 1996.

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Riding the Dark Horse: What Neil Young Taught Me About Autism and Fear

Neil Young & Bridge Kids
@ Bridge School Benefit Concert 2011
Photo Gallery by By Jay Blakesberg Photography

The karma of blogging, as TW reader John K. comments.

Yesterday, we posted a rather curious album review titled Old Men, Take a Look at Your Work: Why Neil Young and Jerry Seinfeld Need to Stop Phoning It in or Retire Already which has generated a bit of controversy here and over on The Huffington Post.

All of which is quickly -- and justly -- overtaken by this Huffington Post article Riding the Dark Horse: What Neil Young Taught Me About Autism and Fear by Hannah Brown.

Brown blogs about how "Tell Me Why" from After the Gold Rush, helped her through a difficult period with her son's autism.

A must read for all of us... Riding the Dark Horse: What Neil Young Taught Me About Autism and Fear.

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Old Men, Take a Look at Your Work: Why Neil Young and Jerry Seinfeld Need to Stop Phoning It in or Retire Already

Neil Young
Frame from A Day At The Gallery
(Click photo to enlarge)

Not too long ago, we deconstructed a critical review of Neil Young's new album Americana. The review basically found the album to be a "self-parody" which we took issue with and made our counter arguments.

Rather standard blog affairs. Or so we thought...

In our comments on the blog post, some commenters were offended that we attacked a critic for their opinion which we disagreed with. Which we found somewhat puzzling because that's what we do here. Engage in differing opinions.

Anyways, this all a long background for the latest critical review of Americana that we take issue with.

But rather than go thru the tedious task of parsing the review, we'll just link over to it and you can read for yourself and be unfettered by our totally biased opinions and praise for Neil Young & Crazy Horse's Americana. From The Huffington Post Old Men, Take a Look at Your Work: Why Neil Young and Jerry Seinfeld Need to Stop Phoning It in or Retire Already by Christina Pesoli.

Ok, we can't resist, but... First, note Christina Pesoli's qualifications as she self identifies herself as Writer, Founder of "Emotional Hard Body Divorce Boot Camp". We have no idea what that qualification means relative to an album review.

Second, check out the comments to the piece. Here's a very small sample and a comment by lobewan:

Ms. Pesoli - While many here have criticized you for what they see as a puerile, muddle-headed, and ageist attack on two performers who have entertained, and perhaps, inspired, a generation, I would like to go on record as saying that not only do I agree, but, personally, I don't think you've gone far enough in this well-reasoned, thoughtful, and respectful commentary.

First, I agree that it is totally unacceptable, and, frankly, offensive, that these two men have chosen to age. Like you, I find it very distasteful when people get older, and while we can speculate that perhaps they've been given poor career advice by their "handlers", let's face it: in the end, it was their decision as to whether or not to get older, so I think it's fair to blame them for it.

Secondly, it's been suggested that you are out of place to be so critical, given who they are, and given who you are.

Frankly, I understand that complaint. After all, it may be true that very few artists can hope to achieve the same sort of lasting impact that "Emotional Hard Body Divorce Boot Camp" has, and it may, indeed, be unfair for someone at such a lofty height to appear so cruel to these two men, but I say: who cares about that? Their failures are fair game, and it doesn't matter if they aren't in your league. Indeed, if not for criticisms from their betters, how will they ever improve?

So, go ahead and read for yourself Old Men, Take a Look at Your Work: Why Neil Young and Jerry Seinfeld Need to Stop Phoning It in or Retire Already by Christina Pesoli.

And if you feel we've been too harsh, than you're probably right. It's all Neil Young's fault that he's Neil Young.

Ahh, The Unbearable Lightness of Being Neil Young.

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NYFAQ Photos And Archives: Mary Andrews « Neil Young FAQ

Neil Young - 1995
Photo by Mary Andrews
(Click photo to enlarge)

From the Neil Young FAQ Webpage - a sampling of Neil Young photos by Mary Andrews, including some seen here for the first time.

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The Concert I Won't Forget: The Night Neil Young Rocked Like a Hurricane

Neil Young & Crazy Horse
"Don't Spook The Horse"

From The concert I won't forget: The night Neil Young rocked like a hurricane by Chicago Tribune critic Greg Kot:

The concert I won't forget: The night Neil Young rocked like a hurricane

Fans who attend rock concerts expect the performers to give their all. But they usually don’t expect them to defy death. So when the editors of the Tribune's Sunday magazine asked me to weigh in on my most surprising moment as a concertgoer, there really was only one choice.

On a muggy midsummer day in 1997, Neil Young and Crazy Horse took the stage at what was then known as the World Music Theatre in Tinley Park. They were part of the H.O.R.D.E. festival on what had so far been a pleasant if hardly transcendent day of music. But as the scruffy quartet took the stage, things got ugly.

A storm was blowing in, a nasty one. A roof covered the stage and part of the audience, but it offered little protection. Lightning creased the sky, thunder crashed, wind howled, and rain whipped sideways through the amphitheater, soaking everyone --- including the band. The Jolly Roger flag on Ralph Molina’s drum kit ripped in the wind, conjuring visions of a sinking galleon. Young and the band plowed ahead anyway, but then the lights, public address system and amplifiers gave out. The concrete aisles sloping toward the stage resembled white-water rapids as rainwater gushed through the pavilion. Panic was in the air. You could feel it, and hundreds of people started to sprint toward the parking lot. I was tempted to join them. I’d never really felt fear at a rock concert before --- until that moment.

It was foregone conclusion that the concert was over. It had to be. Any musician with a lick of sense would’ve been in his dressing room by now drinking a beer and toweling off --- a far better option than death by electrocution.

But Young and the band never stopped.

See conclusion of Turn It Up: The concert I won't forget: The night Neil Young rocked like a hurricane.

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Albuquerque: Less Than 2 Weeks Away for Neil Young & Crazy Horse Concert Tour Opener

Well, they say that Santa Fe is less than 90 miles away.

And Albuquerque is less than 2 weeks away.

The Neil Young & Crazy Horse concert tour opener will be on August 3 in Albuquerque, New Mexico at The Pavilion.

So to get everyone in the mood, from Neil's 1999 solo tour an acoustic version of "Albuquerque". Bonus points for those who can name date and venue.

So stay tuned. We hope to be bringing TW readers an up close exclusive from Albuquerque.

Also, see CONCERT TOUR DATES: 2012 Neil Young & Crazy Horse.

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Photo of the Moment: Neil Young Riverboat Coffee House, 1965 Yorkville, Toronto

Neil Young
Riverboat Coffee House, Yorkville, Toronto, Ontario - 1965
Photo by Manfred Buchheit
(Click photo to enlarge)

Some vintage Neil Young photos at the Riverboat Coffee House, 1965 Yorkville, Toronto, Ontario by Manfred Buchheit over on Purple Words on a Grey Background.

the riverboat WAS rocking in the rain ...

Also, see NYA Question of the Moment: Riverboat Recordings.

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