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An unofficial news blog for Neil Young fans from Thrasher's Wheat with concert and album updates, reviews, analysis, and other Rock & Roll ramblings. Separating the wheat from the chaff since 1996.
Now, I know it's YouTube: the sound isn't professional and all that, but it gives you a great idea. Bob Dylan fans are always saying "you have to be there", and maybe there's a grain of truth to that. But a good recording will still point you in the right direction. That's why those barely-listenable tapes from Bob's 1966 tour do little to obstruct the impression of a genius at work.
And, of course, go to the show and the sound may still be subpar. There's also a 37% chance (up to 80% at Hyde Park) you will get trapped between 2 drunks wearing too much aftershave, an increasingly common occurrence at gigs in recent years (overpriced alcohol and bad aftershave apparently sell better than good music).
Everything in life involves some sort of compromise, no matter how hard you try, and up to a point I think it pays to embrace that. So ENJOY the imperfect audience recordings, tolerate the distractions at gigs, settle for "good enough"; and you may find your enjoyment actually increases. This can be the wise approach, but it can also become a trap. Keep on compromising and it's a slippery slope: pretty soon you've got nothing left.
So! Onto the show. Neil's doing a very Crazy Horse-inspired set, and he's doing the songs in essentially their original arrangements. Unlike Bob, Neil plays his songs and you don't have to guess what you are hearing.
Now, I know the big appeal of POTR is that they can play anything. But to my ears, POTR do specialise in the more countrified material: they lack that raw horsepower to propel songs like Over And Over and Into The Black fully into the stratosphere. Lukas's sprightly stratocaster playing and Micah's stoner telecaster are fine instruments in their own right, but what's missing is Poncho's gutsy bedrock of molten guitar, Billy's insistent bass, Ralphie's trapeze-catching drums, the explosive chemistry of all four instruments locking together in unison.
And on the electric tracks, I feel POTR are at their best when one of the guitarists moves over to the keys. On songs like When You Dance and Hurricane, with 2 guitars and keyboards, the soundstage just opens up (and the rest of the musical universe with it).
Listen to that! It sounds a thousand times better.
Overall, I'm liking a lot of what POTR are doing with Neil this year, just as I did on their last tour of Europe in 2016. And you can hear how much these songs mean to Neil, how much passion he has and how he revels in unbottling it for us on stage. That's the thrill of it. Of rolling back the years and just letting that flame keep on burning, without burning out.
How's Dylan going to cope following Neil in Hyde Park? Bob does his own thing, and he does it very well. Lately he's been experimenting with stripping his songs back to skeletal musical forms (listen to recent barebones peformances of Girl From The North Country, for instance). And when you are the "best songwriter in the world (trademark)", that's a very powerful approach to take indeed. I wouldn't underestimate him.
And I wouldn't underestimate Neil Young either. I hope all of you attending these shows have a great time.
Scotsman.
Thanks so much Scotsman. Good points on POTR bringing out the Neil passion. And, yes, when aving one of the Nelson boys on keys, the soundstage can really open up and allow for locking into the groove, CH style.
A Happy 4th of July To All of Our "Children of Destiny": Some Commentary on Neil Young's 2017 Song
"Children of Destiny" - Neil Young + Promise of the Real
Frame from Official Music Video
A very happy 4th of July to all of our "Children of Destiny" out there across the lands.
And on this Independence Day in America, as we celebrate freedom and eat hot dogs, once again Neil Young drops in on the festivities with his own special brand of fireworks with the song and video "Children of Destiny" from the 2017 album The Visitor with the band Promise of the Real.
Judging by the reaction in July 2017, clearly once again Neil had managed to polarize his fan base. As if right on cue, some fans say "Right on Neil! Tell it to The Man!". Other fans say, "This is really dreadful hippie patriot jingoism."
Neil Young has dropped a new track to commemorate the 4th of July, and it's as confounding as it is catchy. Marching drum beats, swelling refrains, a melody so epic and simple you'll be humming it in your head after one listen, whether you want to or not. Featuring a 56-piece orchestra and backed up by the band Promise of the Real, which includes Willie Nelson's sons Lukas and Michah, "Children of Destiny" was announced Friday by Young and Michah Nelson via Facebook Live.
Stand up for what you believe/Resist the powers that be/Preserve the land and save the sea/For the children of destiny, chants Young between verses that convey an incoherent message that feels, by turns, patriotic and defiant. Sort of.
The video is no less confusing. It's a barrage of jingoism and protest, a political statement devoid of any actual statement, aside from a vague theme of "America rocks."
Images of fighter jets and American flags, many in the hands of children at 4th of July celebrations, are interspersed with aerial shots of the Women's March in Washington, D.C., tanks rolling through presumably foreign lands, and nature footage of America's mountains and rivers. Oh, and the Kremlin, and marches in other countries, and satellite images of planet Earth. The lyrics, meanwhile, are at once triumphant and trite, as well as lazy: The people feel the pain/They feel the pain/They walk the streets/While the bombs fall in the rain/The children hide/Somewhere inside/While the bombs fall in the rain.
Apparently it's tough to find a word to rhyme with "rain."
We'll stop there on the hatchet job. Got it. Thanks for helping us understand "What Is Neil Young Trying To Say In His Surreal 4th Of July Anthem?" Mr. Alm.
We completely understand how easy it is to rip apart Neil's latest work. In some ways, the attacks feel all to similar to the attacks on Young's 2006 album Living With War (which we're still living with...) Bombastic, preachy, political, weak, uninspiring, antagonistic, etc.
"Children of Destiny" - Neil Young + Promise of the Real
Frame from Official Music Video
So I've been reading for years here and finally thought I'd post my thoughts.
I've been with Neil since Harvest. NOBODY has touched me like only Neil can. I have gone with him into the ditch more than a few times, as I'm sure we all have. I'll admit to a few head shakes when he was in the ditch, but that always made it all the sweeter when he hit the road that I love to travel on with him. However, albums like LWW and the latest Children of Destiny have become deal breakers for me. My life doesn't revolve around politics and all of the hate and negative emotions that comes with it. Neil is becoming so political and I often don't align with him. There are so many other emotions that he used to explore, but seems to have lost interest in. Peace Trail Protest? Which white multi millionaire's agenda is being promoted / protested this week? Two side of the same coin.I have found it a full time job to work on my own character flaws than to search out the faults of others.
If you enjoy the protest / political / save the planet stuff bully for you. I'd never criticize anyone who enjoys it. We are all different and I never am surprised when Neil takes a hard turn and losses me for a bit. That's who he is.
Neil lost a huge stabilizer when he and Pegi walked away from each other. So I get the absence of "love" songs and the negative themes of his latest work. He's taken up with a career protester, with all of her negative baggage. Neil has always gotten to make his choices, but this choice will have significant consequences, perhaps more than Neil bargained for I fear.
Lastly, these are just my thoughts, which doesn't make them right or wrong. I have no fear for the future with Neil. His body of work is so vast I won't live long enough to explore it all. For me, there are advantages of living in the past. I'm sure he will hit the highway again. When he does, I'll be there with a smile, like that from an old friend.
Uh, hello?! Remember that song about "Four Dead in Ohio"? A bit political and anti-war wouldn't you say? If the Internet existed in 1970, the reaction to "Ohio" would be the same. Half the country is outraged by attacking Nixon and insinuating the the President indirectly murdered 4 unarmed students. The other half is going "Right on!" Deja vu... all over again ...
Neil Young really hasn't changed that much in the past 40 years. He is still singing truth to power and we love him for that alone.
"Children of Destiny" - Neil Young + Promise of the Real
Frame from Official Music Video
I will note that Storytone had no shortage of "love songs", accompanied by one protest number, so in that regard, I'm not sure he's only up for topical music these days--though he does seem increasingly drawn in such a direction. I say this not just in light of Ms. Hannah, but because he's working with the Nelson Boys. There's a pretty strong pedigree for rock activism there.
I don't think Neil's interest in Mother Earth is purely political. He seems to feel a deep spiritual connection to the natural world and living things, and I feel that passion is behind much of his latest work. Nonetheless there have recently been, for me, two good albums--Peace Trail and Storytone--that don't lose sight of the human story, even amid elements of broad topical commentary. Monsanto Years has less playback value (for me) because I don't feel it balances those aspects quite as effectively. The live Earth album should also be highlighted as a worthwhile experiment to give some of those songs a refreshed artistic context.
So, yes, I see your point about Neil's political frenzy of late, but I do think there's more to it. Regarding whether one's own views fit comfortably with Neil's, I don't see that that's his problem as an artist. I could mention varying previous songs that may make indviduals of any political persuasion less than reassured.
I believe Neil is saying look, you can be part of the solution, saving Mother Earth, or part of the problem celebrating Nationalism to the exclusion of addressing the problems facing Humanity. The Nationalism is represented in the hokey Patriotic Videos and video of our arch enemy the Kremlin.
The Children of Destny are being brainwashed by the fourth of July celebrations to honor nationalism and being blinded to their other responsibility as children of Mother Earth.
Thanks Buck, Ian & Hounds That Howl & everyone else commenting!
Once again, thanks Neil. You're clearly on the right track here. Past experience demonstrates that the more polarizing a new song is to your fan base, the more it demonstrates its the power and success. If we can't share our differences, we can't peacefully coexist.
To all, have a great and safe holiday.
A Postscript...
Here is another video release of Neil Young + Promise of the Real's song "Children of Destiny" featuring the orchestra in studio.
The video above cames quickly after the release in July 2017 the music video "Children of Destiny" version of the song, as noted above.
One well put phrase on the song was: "Living with War meets Storytone." (Thanks Ian!)
We took the hit piece What Is Neil Young Trying To Say In His Surreal 4th Of July Anthem? | Forbes by Contributor David Alm to task for a number of items, including the misleading headline. The article nowhere explains why the song is "surreal". The headline asks a question to a totally obvious answer. Contributor Alm writes that the song has an "incoherent message" yet it again is totally clear what the message is to anyone who opens their ears and mind. In fact the "incoherent message" is so coherent that Alm immediately backtracks and calls it "patriotic and defiant". Then immediately hedges. And so forth in a smug, condescending pseudo-intellectual fashion.
We gave up on the Forbes article after a few paragraphs of the typical mainstream corporate takedown. Well done David Alm. Hope you get your contract renewed as a paid stenographer.
"Children of Destiny" - Neil Young + Promise of the Real
Frame from Official Music Video
Here is Neil Young's statement to go with the new video version of "Children of Destiny".
Friends
Thanks so much for your response to Children of Destiny! This is a heartfelt message to people all around the world, our home. We hope this song resonates with you and gives you strength to know that you are not alone. Resist those who lash out against our positive message with violence, name calling and negativity. We are concerned for our Democracy, Environment and Freedom. Nothing will ever stop us from standing up. We gathered together on the full moon to record our song.
"The Doubters" -- who embrace failure -- will never be the "Children of Destiny". Not sure about that? Check the danger of able @ ~2:00:00 and your world will be rocked for the children. This is the TRUE Field of wheat.
Likewise, we still see the vista. We hear the muse. We continue. We continue because we believe and have faith in that greater good. Just as we all must teach our children (of destiny) well, we "must have a code that we can live by." Because, you are a child, i am a child, and we are all children of destiny. And, don't forget, in the fields of wheat, the "Children of Destiny" will NOT be harvested -- however, the chaff will be burned by unquenchable fire.
Neil Young + Promise of The Real - Elbufer, Dresden, Germany - July 2, 2019
@ThrashersWheat great set list tonight bit too many people filming at times but what can you do. Great version of powderfinger and like a hurricane. Slightly shorter set than last tour about 2hrs 15 pic.twitter.com/43Xb99lOW9
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