Tonight on Thrasher's Wheat Radio: A Letter Home by Neil Young

A Letter Home by Neil Young
Tonight, Saturday, at 9:00 PM EST, the Thrasher's Wheat Radio Hour from WBKM.org will be streaming.

Tonight's edition will feature the new album A Letter Home by Neil Young, discussion and news.

Tune in details and podcast info @ Thrashers Wheat Radio Hour.

Don't be denied!



Thrasher's Wheat Radio
Tune in on WBKM.org, Saturdays @ 9P EST

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"Born in the USA" - Neil Young & Crazy Horse, February 9, 2013

Maybe it's just us who found Neil Young covering "Born In The USA" at the Bruce Springsteen 2013 MusiCares Tribute to be quite perfectly amusing.

Afterall, when we ran a poll on what song would Neil cover, virtually no one saw this coming.

As we mused on Thrasher's Wheat Radio, the "Born In The USA" irony when completely unremarked -- even up in Canada where we thought someone would've gotten all righteous.

Is it too far a stretch to suggest a connection between Neil Young's iconic -- and misunderstood -- "Rockin' in the Free World" and Bruce Springsteen's iconic -- and misunderstood "Born In The USA"?

So what was the deal with those "The Signing Cheerleaders"?
Afterall, just last year Neil Young & Crazy Horse released a song "Born In Ontario" on the album "Psychedelic Pill".

Neil Young & Crazy Horse cover "Born In The USA"
w/ Nils Lofgren & "The Signing Cheerleaders"
Photos via Wildaboutmusic - David Wild

Bruce Springsteen
via SFGate
(Click photo to enlarge)

"Neil Young made me sound like the Sex Pistols. Tonight made me proud to be a musician."
~~Bruce Springsteen

"Two sign-language interpreters dressed as cheerleaders"

Young shut down the pre-Springsteen portion of the evening with a "Born in the USA" that included two sign-language interpreters dressed as cheerleaders signing along to the lyrics.

"John Legend made me sound like Gershwin," Springsteen said. "I love that. Neil Young made me sound like the Sex Pistols. I love that. What an evening."

Of course, not everyone was thrilled by Neil & The Horse's rendition of the Bruce classic -- especially Springsteen fans. From the fan blog Backstreets.com:

But the night's worst performance came from the person one might have expected would deliver the best. Neil Young and Crazy Horse (joined by Nils Lofgren on synthesizer) absolutely butchered "Born in the U.S.A." Instead of "Keep on Rockin' in the Free World"-izing it, the arrangement seemed to be a kind of misguided attempt to turn it into Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit," right down to the addition of two cheerleaders who were "cheering along" on stage in matching uniforms. That terrible creative choice (the poor women didn't know what to do with themselves 30 seconds into the song) coupled with Young's unfamiliarity with the lyrics (all performers save for Kenny Chesney used prompters) created a shambolic mess, with Neil shouting lines with apparent passion but missing the plot both literally and figuratively. That signature Crazy Horse fuzz guitar always appeals, but not this time. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise (Bruce included, who later said Neil had made him sound "like the Sex Pistols"), it was awful.

And here's a counterpoint to Backstreets.com from MusiCares’ tribute to Bruce Springsteen, and the art of the cover version - National Performing Arts | Examiner.com by Harold Lepidus:

To me, Neil and the Horse nailed it. It was the best thing all night, a complete surprise, the only performance to match the magic and manic intensity of a Springsteen show. The addition of two awkward, clueless cheerleaders holding invisible rifles was a stroke of genius, and the sound had the smell of the Horse all over it. No one would misinterpret this “Born in the U.S.A.” as a jingoistic anthem. Springsteen compared it to the Sex Pistols, and he wasn’t far off. It's better to burn out than to fade away. Phillips, for whatever reason, didn’t get it, and insisted “it was awful,” and to not “let anyone tell you otherwise.” Well, I’m telling you otherwise. I also know many of my friends would agree with Phillips. Which is what makes Young, Springsteen, and their fan’s musical passions, fascinating.

@nilslofgren in his old band @crazyhorse with Neil Young.Wonderful home coming for Nils.Born in the USA. twitter.com/azsweetheart01…
— Amy Lofgren (@azsweetheart013) February 9, 2013

Neil Young & Crazy Horse with Nils Lofgren at Bruce Springsteen 2013 MusiCares Tribute.

And on the far left? Might that be Zeke Young?

More coverage on Neil Young News: Bruce Springsteen 2013 MusiCares Tribute: Neil Young & Crazy Horse cover "Born In The USA"!?! and YouTube: Neil Young & Crazy Horse cover "Born In The USA" - Bruce Springsteen 2013 MusiCares Tribute.


Bruce Springsteen and Neil Young

"You know, the difference between the greatness of Bruce Springsteen and that of Neil Young as someone once explained to me back in college: Bruce makes you think you, too, can be as great as he is; Neil makes you think he is really no better than you are to begin with. Remember that."
Dr. Eric Alterman - Altercation

Also, see The Difference in Greatness: Bruce Springsteen or Neil Young?

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VIDEO: Vinyl Review of "A Letter Home" by Neil Young

Here's a delightful vinyl review by Turntable Currents of "A Letter Home" by Neil Young.

(Thanks TC! Cool review.)

Also, see Reviewed! Neil Young, "A Letter Home" - Uncut.co.uk by John Mulvey:

A Letter Home, though, is also part of a larger, all-encompassing project: Neil Young’s ongoing attempt to memorialise and catalogue his own past through a patchwork of new songs, covers, films, autobiographies and upgraded reissues. Sometimes it can all feel like ornery sport, a way for Young to avoid releasing the historical artefact that his fans actually want – the ‘70s motherlode of Archives Volume Two.

This latest delaying tactic is very much in the marginalia of Neil Young’s discography, tossed-off by design. The suspicion remains that music, old or new, is not his greatest priority at the moment, falling some way behind the more pressing business of biofuel cars, science fiction novels and, of course, revolutionary new audio players (the key moment in Young’s last Uncut interview came when he cut short a discussion of music and barked, “More Pono questions!”).

Nevertheless, this sequel of sorts to Americana is an endearing little document, made more interesting by Young’s decision to render a predominantly ‘60s playlist in a way that would’ve been anachronistically low-fi in the 1940s. “Recorded live to one-track, mono, the album has an inherent warm, primitive feel of a vintage Folkways recording,” the press release trumpets, and the unsteady sonics turn out to complement Young’s wavering voice rather well. Young’s schtick is to use the Voice-O-Graph like a time machine, mapping wild trajectories between eras and dimensions, so that each side of the vinyl edition begins with a hokey “letter home” to his mother in the afterlife, much like the sentimental vinyl missives that were the usual two-minute product of Voice-O-Graph machines. “I’ll be there eventually. Not for a while, though - I still really have a lot of work to do here,” he notes, pointedly.

More of Reviewed! Neil Young, "A Letter Home" - Uncut.co.uk by John Mulvey.

So who gets it? The fan Turntable Currents? Or the Uncut critic John Mulvey?

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Pearl Jam Working With Neil Young - Pearl Jam Twenty Film

Pearl Jam reflects on working with Neil Young and the release of Merkin Ball. Taken from Pearl Jam Twenty, the 2011 rockumentary directed by Cameron Crowe. (Thanks Denis/HB!)

Uncle Neil & Nephew Eddie

More on Pearl Jam and Neil Young.

Also, see 50 Reasons Why Neil Young Matters.

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U2 Covers Neil Young's "Southern Man" - 1987

This video goes all the way back to 1987 of a young band named U2 covering Neil Young's "Southern Man".

There are a number of lyric changes in the cover in London, England on the UK TV program 'Old Grey Whistle Test' (listed as 1981.02.28).

This was during the The Joshua Tree era, and U2 performed two songs from The Joshua Tree and finished with "Pride" and the cover of "Southern Man".

Also, see Lennon, Bono & Neil Young: Humanitarian Rebels With Causes.

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Kent State Truth Tribunal Update: 44th Anniversary - May 4, 1970

Crosby, Stills & Nash reflect on 'Ohio' 44 years after Kent State

'CNN Special Report Witnessed: The Killings at Kent State’ airs this Sunday, May 4 at 7p E.T. on CNN.

Singer David Crosby says his first reaction to reading Neil Young's lyrics for the song 'Ohio' was "this is gonna cause some trouble." Then he said "get us a studio and get it now." 'Ohio' was written as a response to National Guard forces opening fire on anti-Vietnam protesters on the campus of Kent State. Four protesters were killed, nine others were wounded. Sunday May 4th marks 44 years since the tragedy.

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Laurel Krause (Allison Krause's sister)
Kent State Truth Tribunal
44 years ago today, shots rang out across a college campus, leaving four dead in Ohio and the lives of so many of a generation changed forever by the events of that day.

Such is the life of Laurel Krause -- the sister of Allison Krause, one of the four students who died on the Kent State College campus in Ohio.

From Kent State Truth Tribunal

On May 4, 1970 my sister Allison was shot to death around noon as she protested against the expanding Vietnam War and the US military occupation of her college campus, Kent State University.

Ever since May 1970, American leadership, Kent State University and US government agencies involved in the Kent State Massacre planning, the execution and the aftermath have never claimed that the murders at #KentState were at the hands of the US government … or that it was even murder at all.

To restate this conundrum, US military bullets killed and injured American students at a peace rally. The US troops shot armor-piercing bullets from American war weapons, killing four students, critically wounding nine yet ever since that day, American leadership has never referred to or reflected on the fact that young people and protesters were shot dead by US military personnel with US military weapons.

A drastically different view (fostered mostly by #truth) will forever be held by most of the Baby Boomers, the real target on this great US government onslaught.

Just after Kent State, EVERYBODY KNEW they meant to #kill at Kent State … and 10 days later in a related show of force, two additional American students were shot dead at Jackson State University, with the tally at six students in May 1970. This long-gone American history show us how the US government has gotten away with murder against American young adults and protestors … now going on 44 years.

~~Laurel Krause

"13 seconds in Kent Ohio" - A tribute to those hurt or injured at Kent State Ohio on May 4th 1970. Song By Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, and performed by Dala.

Kent State Truth Tribunal

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Kent State Massacre Evidence
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) 11/15/73 document
via Kent State Truth Tribunal
(Click photo to enlarge)
On April 3, 2013,Kent State Truth Tribunal’s submission to the United Nations was posted ONLINE at the UN Human Rights Committee website.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) 11/15/73 document (above) shows the shipment of 12,000 weapons within possession of the Ohio National Guard (ONG) including weapons used to kill and wound student protesters at Kent State University on May 4, 1970 with commentary on the destruction of 12,000 weapons.


Kent State Massacre Evidence
US Dept of Justice letter 11/19/73
via Kent State Truth Tribunal
(Click photo to enlarge)
The US Dept of Justice letter 11/19/73 pertains to Mr. Terry Norman -- a critical link in the Kent State Ohio Massacre Coverup.


Terry Norman - FBI informant/provocateur
70 Seconds Before Kent State Shootings
May 4, 1970 @ 12:24 PM
Kent State Truth Tribunal

So what really happened at Kent State, Ohio 43 years ago tomorrow?

Based on last week's U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) investigation report, we still might never know. Or will we someday learn the awful truth of that tragic day that left 4 dead in Ohio?

It seems that the key to the truth lies with Terry Norman.

In recently discovered film of the Kent State Shooting in 1970 (1:07.40 thru 1:08), FBI informant provocateur Terry Norman (photo at top) is the young man in the light colored sports jacket. Earlier that day Norman's mentor, Detective Tom Kelly from the Kent Police had attempted to have Norman's gun approved for carrying on campus during the demonstrations, but that approval never came so it's KEY that the video clearly shows Norman handing over his gun to Detective Kelly.

From forensic evidence expert Stuart Allen's analyses of the Kent State Tape in 2010, we learned that Norman shot that weapon at the May 4th demonstration as he was attacked & beat-up by students who saw his gun. (More on Terry Norman ~ Does Terry Norman Hold the Key to Kent State?.)

Watching these Kent State videos without sound, Norman's gun hand-off coupled with the post-Kent State Tape analysis, we now understand the importance of this interaction caught on video & at many other sources.

Norman's pistol 'created the sound of sniper fire.'

In response to the DOJ whitewash report Congressman Dennis Kucinich issued a statement:

“The letter also failed to indicate any efforts to reconcile the evidence in the recording with any prior statements about the incident made by FBI paid informant, Terry Norman, who was on campus that day and was known to have brandished a gun that might have created the sounds caught in the recording.

“While I appreciate the response from the Justice Department, ultimately, they fail to examine key questions and discrepancies. It is well known that an FBI informant, Terry Norman, was on the campus. That FBI informant was carrying a gun. Eye witnesses testified that they saw Mr. Norman brandish that weapon. Two experts in forensic audio, who have previously testified in court regarding audio forensics, found gunshots in their analysis of the audio recording.

Did an FBI informant discharge a firearm at Kent State?

Did an FBI informant precipitate the shootings?"

Why is understanding the Kent State Ohio Massacre critical?

To understand the events of May 4, 1970 at Kent State and the four dead in Ohio, is to understand much of what has happened in our history before, during and after.

In the intervening 41 years, there have been a wide range of commissions, studies, research and theories of what actually led to twenty-eight Ohio National Guardsmen shooting into a crowd of anti-war protesters at Kent State University which left four college students dead on the ground.


Photo by Kent State photojournalism student John Filo

"History never exactly repeats itself.

But its currents are never far from the present. As today’s protesters and police employ bolder tactics, the Kent State and Jackson State anniversaries should remind us that deadly mistakes can and do happen. It is the government’s responsibility to wield proportionate force, not to over-arm police and place them in a position where they could panic with deadly results."
~~ Steven Rosenfeld, Will a Militarized Police Force Facing Occupy Wall Street Lead to Another Kent State Massacre? | Civil Liberties | AlterNet

Despite many official denials, there have always been persistent theories that the National Guard was actually provoked into the shootings by a belief that they were being fired upon themselves and therefore were acting in self defense.

What follows is a brief recap for those less familiar with the The Kent State Massacre, followed by the latest developments.

The spring of 1970 was a time of significant unrest on college campuses protesting the Vietnam war and President Richard Nixon's announcement of a new American invasion of Cambodia, provoking an escalation in anti-war protests. The anti-war protest movement culminated with the Kent State Massacre which resulted in hundreds of universities, colleges, and high schools closing throughout the United States due to a student strike of four million students. The official President's Commission on Campus Unrest concluded that "the indiscriminate firing of rifles into a crowd of students and the deaths that followed were unnecessary, unwarranted, and inexcusable."


Twenty-eight Ohio National Guardsmen fired sixty-seven rounds in thirteen seconds, leaving four students dead

Here is a summary of recent new developments from Kent State Truth Tribunal. (For more, see Kent State Truth Tribunal. Thanks Laurel for all of your work in your sister Allison's name.)


Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young - Minneapolis, MN 1970
"They were about to walk out on stage and were spending a moment warming up."
Photo by Henry Diltz

Immediately after the Kent State shooting on May 4, 1970, Neil Young composed the song "Ohio" after looking at photos appearing in Life magazine and then taking a walk in the woods. Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young went to the studio and recorded the song which was released to radio stations shortly after the killings.

A rather significant article in today's The Cleveland (Ohio) Plain Dealer "Neil Young's 'Ohio' evokes strong images of May 4, 1970 shootings at Kent State" by Mark Dawidziak:

It was more than just another protest song.

Ohio was a cry of anguish, penned by Neil Young after seeing pictures taken at Kent State University on May 4, 1970.

But 40 years after members of the Ohio National Guard opened fire on college students, Young's "Ohio" remains the most evocative pop-culture response to a defining moment in American history.
"This is an event that now is in every history book," said Carole A. Barbato, a Kent State University professor of communication studies who team-teaches a course on May 4. "Wherever you live, even though your environment obviously shapes how you perceive things, you're probably as aware of the shootings at Kent State as those of us in Northeast Ohio. And even though this still would be in the history books, the pop culture certainly does perpetuate that. "Ohio" was entering the pop-culture consciousness within three weeks of the shootings.

"It was the quickest and best reaction to Kent State, with Neil Young acting as 50 percent songwriter and 50 percent journalist," said David Bianculli, a pop-culture historian who teaches at Rowan University and regularly contributes to NPR's "Fresh Air."

"I'll tell you what that song meant," said Bianculli, author of the recently published "Dangerously Funny: The Uncensored Story of the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour." "After the assassinations of Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy, you felt kind of helpless as a young person. It seemed that when someone had your voice, that voice was silenced, usually by violence.

"Then you have Kent State, and college kids are actually fired upon. And when you just might start to be thinking, you don't dare have a voice or there is no voice, from the radio comes this voice of solidarity and outrage. It wasn't just a pop song."

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"After 1970, that doesn't happen again. It didn't need to happen again, mostly because it didn't need to happen there. And that's what Neil Young's song spoke to."

Thanks Ken D.

More on Neil Young composed song "Ohio" performed by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young (CSNY).

Timeline of Events Leading up to May 4, 1970:

4 Days in May: Ohio, May 1, 1970

4 Days in May: Ohio, May 2, 1970

4 Days in May: Ohio, May 3, 1970

4 Dead In Ohio: May 4, 1970

Let us continue the struggle to ensure that Allison's murder (& Bill's, Jeffry's and Sandra's) was not in vain.

The Four Dead in Ohio

Allison Krause - Age: 19, 110 Yards
William Schroeder - Age: 19, 130 Yards
Jeffrey Miller - Age: 20, 90 Yards
Sandra Scheuer - Age: 20, 130 Yards
 

A video collage of still images commemorating the 36th Anniversary of the killing of four college students by National Guardsman at Kent State in 1970   Art Threat | Sadly, Neil Young’s Ohio still relevant 43 years after Kent State massacre (Click photo to enlarge) Also, see "My 285th post on Kent State." Why the 1960s still matter by Will Bunch.    Let a million flowers bloom.

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