PREVIEW NEW SONG & VIDEO: 'Rock Starbucks' by Neil Young and the Nelson Brothers
Here's a preview of "Rock Starbucks" from the upcoming album The Monsanto Years by Neil Young and the Nelson Brothers, Lukas and Micah Nelson and the band Promise of the REAL.
"If you don't like to rock Starbucks, a coffee shop
Well, you better change your station 'cause that ain't all that we got
Yeah, I want a cup of coffee, but I don't want a GMO
I like to start my day off without helping Monsanto
Monsanto
Let our farmers grow
What they want to grow"
The Monsanto Years will be released on June
Also, tomorrow, May 23, is international March Against Monsanto Day. Find out what's taking place in your city @ http://www.march-against-monsanto.com/.
Labels: monsanto, neil young, video
by thrasher@PermaLink: 5/22/2015 06:21:00 PM
31 comments
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31 Comments:
It's sadly what I expected poor lyrics and even poorer music. Not even as good as Living with War,Fork in the Road, Americana etc. etc.e.......
what a shame i knew it would be shit
It's hard to give a shit about these songs...not even Neil gives a shit
wow no deleting so far...
Pretty catchy actually...:)
Looking forward to this albums release.
Looking forward to this albums release.
Not lighting my world on fire at all but I'll still be buying it because I cling to the hope that there's at least one great song hiding on the album.
Agree with others...weak lyrics..lose the "Giant" whistles...however! the guitar RIF is great..could do a lot with this song with a little producing...Gubby
I think I like it better than "Who's Gonna Stand Up?" but that song set the bar pretty low.
There's a range from great to awful when NY gets polemical. At his best he can bring poetry, righteous anger, and a hook together to produce an emotional kick in the gut, as in "Ohio", which was helped by being lyrically brief ("It needed another verse" Steven Stills).
Most of "Living With War" was pretty strong as well, but the worst songs, as well as in "Fork In The Road", are when he gets painfully didactic. Didactic + polemical is a recipe for clunky, clumsy, and obvious songs. Many have good hooks, melodies, and rhythmic structures, but suffer from too many words pounding home very obvious messages.... which, ironically, defeat the message he's trying to deliver.. Case in point would be "Just Singing A Song". It has a beautiful, sweeping theme-from-an-imaginary-western quality to its musical structure. I remember hearing it for the first time live, and thinking, "This song has majesty!" and then -*thud*- the lyrics landed in it. In these cases the muse is still tapping into the right music for the emotions, but is not serving him well lyrically. Maybe that's the specific problem. He's fashioning words to go with the music, but not lyrics.
Unknown said it very well.
These lyrics are absolutely dreadful. I wish someone in his inner circle had enough sway with Neil to talk him out of some of the stuff he's been releasing over the last few years. Being surrounded by yes men isn't serving him well.
Well, call me crazy but I have been humming that loopy guitar lick all morning. Can't get it out of my head. And it got me thinkin'.... Have I been drinking impure DNA everyday ? Didn't know that.
Oh my, in my worst nightmares I didn't think it could be this bad. What's worse, the music or the words? Couldn't bring myself to call them lyrics..
All this as I was just writing a post about how Neil is like a family member, so I'll always support him. With this, he's really trying my patience and it may help a little if he would at least pronounce Monsanto correctly!!!
I'm debating if I should watch this again. A wise man once said you can't un-see something, but thankfully it's already becoming a distant memory. Usually I give a new Neil tune at least 5 - 20 listens before judging, but this one seems so embarrassing I don't think I should watch/listen to it again.
Oh Neil, you're getting loonier by the day, but I'll still leave a light on for you. That's what family is for..
As far as I'm concerned, the legend continues to grow. Who else is going to take on the corporations? Others are doing the opposite, selling their music for commercials, etc. This note's for you and I vote for Neil. I hope you critics enjoy your GMO lattes and HFCS muffins tomorrow morning while watching the commercials and cute stories on GMA.
Our hero isn't taking on anyone or anything with this tripe. Simply name checking Starbuck's and Monsanto does not a protest song or environmental statement make.
Something tells me ole Neil still enjoys a Starbuck's now and then. Also, I think the record shows them to be a fairly reputable caring company, but I could be wrong.
Monsanto's another story, but this song is about as credible as a 5 year old saying he doesn't like broccoli. This stuff doesn't enhance Neil's credibility, it detracts from it.
Sorry to be so negative. I'm all for Neil expressing himself however he wants to; I hate the song, not the singer.
I actually like it! Much better than I thought!
John, I'm glad you and a few others like the song.
Just curious, is there anything specific about it you like? Music, words, singing, overall vibe, etc..? I'm looking for something to like but haven't found it yet.
Also, I just looked up the other words of the song, and they seem to get even worse in the 2nd and 3rd verses...
Is it strange I should change...?
This is a Neil masterpiece.
At 5/24/2015 06:30:00 PM, Blogger Unknown said...
This is a Neil masterpiece.
----------------------------------
And with that, nothing else needs to be said..
I was hoping for something similar to Greendale or Living With War. I enjoyed both of those immensely. Really liked Psychedelic Pill too. Neil has a different vibe when he is away from Crazy Horse. Not overly impressed with the last couple albums but Neil is the artist and I'm just the listener. I respect his passion for the cause and will withhold my judgement until I hear the whole album. No matter what I think of it I will still be a huge fan waiting for the next album the excites me. No doubt it will come. Would have really liked to see Neil stick with The Horse longer. But I have faith that he will return to them again.
Brilliant!
My criticism of the songwriting in the didactic/polemical vein is just that, criticism. In spite of that I'll buy this record when it comes out, because I want to hear some of these songs at full volume. Some make me cringe because of the clunky lyrics, but he's always had turkeys in his catalog. How could he not ? He's written hundreds of songs, and recorded many, but by no means all. I like some of the real dumb ones, like "Piece of Crap" and "T-Bone". I'd submit that he could streamline some of the new songs- perhaps not as radically as "T-Bone"- and still preserve their message-which I agree with- and allow the lyrics to match more effectively with the punch of the music.
I didn't feel any need to buy the previous two albums- "Storytone" and "A Letter Home"- because they did nothing for me. Given the choice I'd buy something from another artist. He can care or not about what sales numbers tell him, but that's not where he's at. He's doing what he wants to do, period, and bless him for that.
Here are youtube audio clips of the entire show at the brewery in San Luis Obispo...."Too Big To Fail" is growing on me...if nothing else the shows with Promise of the Real should be fun. He needs some younger guys to kick him in the ass the way Poncho was doing during the last two tours, and he knows that.
I'll be there in Mansfield in July, though not in the pit, which is where the real fun will be.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCuh1hv0zNY86uTe2f3WBDnTi5DjF1ke-
Haha, thats not bad at all, kind of early 70-ish neil. I was expecting way worse by the comment. Good job Neil, Is there a full version anywhere?
I like the music but I wish neil wouldn't date his songs with such obvious and cliche imagery
I don't think it's fair to suggest that Neil fans who hear a dip in quality in his original music are not seeing a bigger picture. We're Neil fans in the first place because we like higher quality music that's a little left of field sometimes. Neil Kinda lost me at Prairie Wind & that Heart of Gold film. I didn't like the songs enough from the film & never bought the record. That was a moment where I thought Neil wasn't able to self-criticize his own music, couldn't tell the songs were kinda empty & sentimental over his own emotional experience & i think he's had a tendency to do that since. I think it's fair to say there is a bigger picture, that Neil's ouevre will be very entertaining & illuminating in its entirety, at the end of the trail. Look how much love some of the '80s music gets now, in retrospect.
Hawks & Doves is the first stumble, right? And then, arguably, a decade of stumbles with some good moments.
The 1990s started great but even a couple of those haven't aged real well. Sleeps with Angels is still a great record but not as great as it was. I didn't notice how much Neil petered out by the mid 1990s. nothing really of note for four years & then the lovely Silver & Gold.
I think AY Passionate & Greendale are good B records. Both have very strong moments. I've never really listened to Living With War or Fork in The road only enough to have the passing judgement that War has some strong moments & Fork does not. Chrome has enough good tunes to justify a listen once in a while. I liked Americana & PPill enough to call them good B records, I thought Le Noize was a missed opportunity & feel the same way about the last few records. What I'm getting at is the quality of Neil's art is most certainly diminishing but it's not without interest yet. Mediocre albums become more interesting when they're book ended by great ones. Add Monsanto to the list of B or C level Neil records & it is what it is. There's no missing the big picture here, in a way that's too much to ask a buying fan base. Just write good songs, duh.
to me its not bad. I have a boot of the SLO show but its only in mono. I still listen to it. a wide variety of opinions is what NY has always generated. I also was disappointed in Prairie Wind and Heart of Gold movie. just bored me to tears. so did Psychedelic Pill with the exception of the occasional listen to Ramada Inn.
Yes, after a second listen I like it, Hope the rest of the albums music is like this. Not a fan of the lyrics but hey, thats never been his strong point. (send me a cheeseburger and a new rolling stone).
I'm trying to figure out what it reminds me of.. Zuma-ish? Something ealry 70's. Someone help me out here if they hear it too.
Hater are gonna hate. And I have not liked much of neil in recent years. I am one of those that LOVED greendale, LWW, and PP was ok. FITR was crap, letter home sucked. so I was expecting this to be crap too. Hope the rest of the album follows this style. Can't believe I like it. I might actually buy this album.
He's channeling the Clash's "Should I Stay or Should I Go?" on the "Rocks Starbucks" intro. There's also a suggestion of The Cars' "My Best Friend's Girl" in the structure of the song.
It's a simple ditty that can get sort of catchy.
Sounds like Neil is returning to his low key "Ducks" phase. He may not be singing for Pepsi or Coke, but he is for Starbucks and clearly he's having a ball whilst he's doing it.
Where is Neil's motorcycle? Because he will need it to jump over this shark.
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