Neil Young and Micah Nelson in Recording Studio This Week: 360 View

NOTE: Updated June 11. Developing, more to come.


Neil Young and Promise of the Real Micah Nelson have been recording together recently.

A photo posted yesterday on Chris Walden's Facebook page provides a 360 degree view of the Capitol Studios. (Thanks Ralf B. & HtH!)

Composer-arranger Chris Walden conducted orchestra on Neil Young's album Storytone in 2014.

Neil Young continues his tradition of recording under a full moon (The Strawberry Moon). Reports indicate that the song being recorded above is a new song "Children of Destiny" with Chris Walden conducting the orchestra. From the image, we can see Micah Nelson on guitar with Neil Young.

reverendtonezone Hung out with @NeilYoung today! Some of my coworkers got to sing background vocals on a new song, so awesome! #NeilYoung #CapitolRecords #CapitolStudios #StudioA

As Neil Young’s 2017 self imposed sabbatical continues and (updated here and here), we continue our journey into the past of the TW Archives and other sources.

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Electric "Campaigner": Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Buffalo, NY, February 16, 1991

As Neil Young’s 2017 self imposed sabbatical continues and (updated here), we continue our journey into the past of the TW Archives and other sources.

Of late, we here @ TW have explored some of the rarer versions of traditionally solo, acoustic Neil Young material played electric. For example, see "Electric "Pocahontas" by Neil Young & Crazy Horse - 1996", "Electric "Natural Beauty" - Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Hamilton, Ontario, 1996-10-31" and Solo, Electric "The Needle and the Damage Done" by Neil Young @ Molson Park (Barrie, Ontario), Aug 31, 1996..

So to round out the trilogy, we now have a quadrilogy of songs with Neil Young and Crazy Horse's electric version of "Campaigner", recorded at the Memorial Auditorium, Buffalo, NY, on February 16th, 1991 on the WELD Tour.

This version is remarkable for not only being an electric version but for all of the lyrical variations, as well. Some of the names checks who have "soul":

• Ronald Reagan
• George Bush
• Mohammed Ali
• John Kennedy
• Marilyn Monroe
• My Momma
• Jet Fighter Pilots
• Linda Loveless
• My Brother

That's just a partial list we jotted down, but many more to check for who have soul.

From Mr Soul to Soul Man, it was all there back in 1991 on the eve of destruction as Iraq War #1 geared up, bombs fell and soldiers and civilians cried and died.

We know exactly what you're thinking now ... does HE really have soul???

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REVIEW: Solo, Electric "The Needle and the Damage Done" by Neil Young @ Molson Park (Barrie, Ontario), Aug 31, 1996

Neil Young & Crazy Horse
From Concert Film Year of The Horse (1996)
Directed by Jim Jarmusch

As Neil Young’s 2017 self imposed sabbatical continues and (updated here), we continue our journey into the past of the TW Archives and other sources.

Of late, we here @ TW have explored some of the rarer versions of traditionally solo, acoustic Neil Young material played electric. For example, see "Electric "Pocahontas" by Neil Young & Crazy Horse - 1996" and "Electric "Natural Beauty" - Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Hamilton, Ontario, 1996-10-31".

All of which inspires to go looking for a version of the legendary 1996 solo, electric version of "The Needle and the Damage Done" by Neil Young at Molson Park in Barrie, Ontario, Canada on August 31. Partially motivated by completing a trifecta to go along with "Pocahontas" and "Natural Beauty" above, but primarily to re-expereince the drama we felt when we first realized what we were hearing that night .

So we're Duck Duck Go Go-ing and lo and behold but a review we wrote pops up from our dearly beloved and inspirational HyperRust.org.

So without further ado, our posting to rust@death 21 years ago...

Molson Park (Barrie, Ontario), Aug 31, 1996

review by Thrasher
Back home again in Virginia after another major Neil roadtrip.

This was my sixth show on the N. American tour. The short story -> TO [Molson Park (Barrie, Ontario), Aug 31, 1996] was the best show so far. Even judging from the handful of Europe 96s I've heard of/or about, Toronto's show was the tops-- so far.   ;)

I've always wanted to see Neil in Canada so I was looking forward to the trip across the border to a town in Northern Ontario. Barrie -- Molson Park to be precise. A gorgeous day. So many great familiar Rusties like Shakey, Jennie L., Rick from MI, and Leo. Also, all the new Rusties -> Zain, Andy, Kato, Mary, and all the others I'm not listing. The
RUST@DEATH sign was most excellent for rounding us up for the pre-show.

Maybe it was great because it was the first General Admission show for me on the tour. Resrved seats are great - if you have them. GA was so totally cool - if you could handle the mosh pit...

This was the 2nd time we've seen Oasis this year. It was a total mosh afair and not for the faint of heart. Leo had to go over the stage barricades to get out -- it was that intense. Thrashette and I only made itup to the sound board for Oasis.

During the Oasis set, Liam (the lead dude) was actively encouraging the crowd to hurl items at him. When we were at Fairfax last spring it was mostly shoes folks threw onstage. In TO, the weapon of choice was the plastic water bottle.

After a few hundred projectiles piled up on stage, I was kinda flashing back to Atlanta where Neil cut the show short after a light stick came at him. All it would take some Oasis nut to throw a bottle at Neil at wreck things. Fortunately, the trend didn't continue.

Anyway, main event. After Oasis ended and their fans left we surged into the vacuum. Made it to about 10 yards from stage. As it got closer to Horse scene, the crowd pushing got so bad that Thrashette had to fall back, and we re-grouped.

Got situated and on with the show. As I'm sure has been noted before -> ***electric*** TNATDD. ["The Needle and the Damage Done"] Unbeleivable! Off walks the Horse to begin what has always been the solo segment acoustic set. But Neil's still got Old Black?! And so begins electric TNATDD. It was a rather straightforward version with an added dimension of some rather unearthly notes. Shakey confirms that an electric version of TNATDD has never been done before.

Cool.

Then came Helpless. The crowd sings "There is a town in Northern Ontario" and folks hold up lighters. Later the moon would rise. Quite magical, I must say. The first time my spine truly tingled on this tour leg.

FU was intro'd by "Tyrone, this note's for you". Go figure?

And then the Tonight's the Night! Wow. About 10 minutes. It cooked.

If this wasn't enough for one night, there was more. After Roll Another Number, the lights went up and the house music came on. Folks started milling out. Up on stage I had caught a glance of what I thought was Randy Bachman. I was going, maybe Randy will play? I later learned it was former Buffalo Springfielder Bruce Palmer. Neil and Bruce walked off
stage arm and arm.

But suddenly Neil and the Horse returned! We rushed even closer to the stage. Didn't quite make it to Shakey on the rail but close enough to be out of range of flying bodies during RITFW. First time I've seen serious crowd surfing at a Neil show.

Prisoners was rockin. No harmonica like the previous Prisoners in DC & Va Beach. But still a very fun number. It's so funny to watch these guys go "That's why we don't wanta to be good" when 40,000 folks are going "No, No, no!!" Joyous.

But the ending of RITFW was like no other. It went on and on into unchartered riffing areas. Very cool. Eventually I thought it maybe even - god forbid - a new song it was so unique sounding.

But with a flourish, Neil ripped all the strings on Ol Black for the 3rd - and final time of the night.

Maybe it was the best so far because of GA. Maybe Canada. Maybe No f*&*g curfew. You know the folks in Europe & Canada are right that its kinda riduculous all this total reserved seating. After a bad show in VA Beach where we got into a ruckus over sit vs stand I really needed a mosher for Neil and the Horse. I guess I shoulda surfed?

Hiding behind hay bales...

Thrasher

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So what did we ever learn about "Tyrone"? Seems like Sharry tracked this down once upon a time.

Yes, we did seem get pretty excited back in those days ... where did they go ...

More rustie reviews of the Solo, Electric "The Needle and the Damage Done" by Neil Young @ Molson Park (Barrie, Ontario), Aug 31, 1996 on HyperRust.org.
enjoy!

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Rare Electric "Pocahontas" by Neil Young & Crazy Horse - 1996

Yesterday, we featured a unique, rare electric version of the standard acoustic "Natural Beauty" by Neil Young & Crazy Horse from the 1996 tour.

So one unique, rare electric version of a standard acoustic song deserves another, right?

From the live album "Year Of The Horse" (1996), here is a rare electric version of "Pocahontas". (Thanks Tom!)

A powerful, yet melancholy performance of the song. Spot the lyric change anyone?

This version is "supposedly" from October 1996 at the Agridome in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada.

Year of The Horse

A Neil Young & Crazy Horse Concert Film

Directed by Jim Jarmusch

A concert film-group portrait that captures as well as any other music movie the natural, untethered essence of live rock."

-- John Anderson, LOS ANGELES TIMES

The concert film "Year of The Horse" from the 1996 tour, directed by Jim Jarmusch, is certainly a worthy successor to the classic "Rust Never Sleeps" with the addition of interviews and behind the scenes footage along with the raging, stomping, raw Crazy Horse style. Featuring a several epic jams including "Slip Away" and "Big Time" which clock in over 15 miutes each, the live material reveals the magic nature of what happens onstage in the "huddle".

In an interview with Crazy Horse and Neil Young:

Neil Young: I love that movie and I think it is a perfect add-on for the "Year of The Horse" record. 

You can really feel the personal view of a film maker, and above all the movie is about the band. It's more than a simple story, it's an impression, a succession of feelings. I had the idea of doing this movie - I like this kind of stuff and I like to have a camera with me, but Jim made it possible.  

Poncho: I always thought that that the story of Crazy Horse was less interesting than his music. It's certainly the more successful movie on Neil Young and Crazy Horse, but for me, this film is just touching on this topic. With all due respect to Jim and his work, I think that the first song in the movie shows more than what you can see in the following hour. So I liked this short movie, but I wouldn't like people to stick to this cinematographic view. 

It happened so many things in that band, that no one, as a movie maker, will be able to relate."

In an interview with film director Jim Jarmusch on making the "Year of the Horse":

"Neil's incredible," recalls Jarmusch. 

"I remember we didn't want to edit down any of the songs in the movie without Neil's help, because it's his music. "So he came to New York to help cut, because the songs were all, like, 14 minutes long. We showed him the Like A Hurricane number, which right in the middle of the song cuts from him now to him 20 years ago. "Neil jumps out of his seat. I thought, 'He's going to say something about how different he looks.' Instead, he says, 'Look at Old Black!' which is the name of his guitar. 'She looks so new and shiny! She was so young back then.' 

 "We were laughing so hard, but he was deadly serious. He wasn't self-conscious about his own image changing, just 'Look at Old Black. I haven't taken good care of her.'"

More on Neil Young & Crazy Horse's 1996 tour and the "Year of The Horse".

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Electric "Natural Beauty" - Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Hamilton, Ontario, 1996-10-31

Here is a live version of "Natural Beauty" by Neil Young & Crazy Horse in Hamilton, Ontario on 1996-10-31.

What is unique here is that this a rare, electric version of the standard acoustic "Natural Beauty".

A rather lengthy, leisurely meandering version that we came across recently that clocks in at 12:00+.

Interestingly, the lyrics reference "Amazon" around 5:36. Sort of a harbinger of what was to come both in terms of destruction of the rain forest, as well as, retail landscape.

But, hey, we're just a dreamin' man...

More on Neil Young & Crazy Horse's 1996 tour and the "Year of The Horse".

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Neil Young's Indigo Ranch Sessions Pt #2: Behind the Scenes w/ Richard Kaplan

Last week, we posted a YouTube video on Neil Young's Indigo Ranch "Hitchhiker" 1976 Sessions Revealed: Behind the Scenes w/ Richard Kaplan.

Here is Part #2 of a two part podcast about Neil Young and his recordings at Indigo Ranch Studios with the resident Producer at the time, Richard Kaplan. Here Richard explains how Neil Young recorded "Will To Love" and "Trans". (Thanks Syscrusher & Babbo B.!)

Already, there is much excitement about the news that Neil Young's newest album "Hitchhiker" is due for release on 14 July 2017. (See more details, cover art, and tracklist).

Hitchhiker includes solo, acoustic songs recorded in 1976 at the Indigo Ranch Studios in Malibu, California.

Also, see Neil Young's Indigo Ranch "Hitchhiker" 1976 Sessions Revealed: Behind the Scenes w/ Richard Kaplan - Part #1.

See more details on Neil Young's upcoming album "Hitchhiker", cover art, and tracklist).

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