A review from First Impressions: Noise and Flowers by Neil Young & Promise of the Real | The Old Grey Cat:
Each night, he and POTR played anywhere from 16 to 20 songs, with the selections stretching from the days that used to be to, one night, songs from an album (Colorado) that he’d yet to record—48 different ones, in total.
I’m sure there will be some fans who wish Neil had simply released one (or all) of the shows as “official bootlegs” or “timeline concerts,” but the reality is that there’s a difference between a live album and a live bootleg. The live album is part of the official canon and has to take into account time, space and the almighty dollar, as the cost of a triple-LP set in today’s world is prohibitive. (Myself, I bought the blu-ray, which comes with a hi-res download of the album.) So it’s a matter of what to include and what to leave out.
In any event, the 14-track Noise and Flowers creates a coherent whole from songs recorded at eight of the nine tour stops, kicking off with a fiery “Mr. Soul” and closing with the rollicking “F*!#In’ Up.” What I like most about it is that it’s not a “greatest hits”-type revue, though many of his classic tracks are indeed here, with some unexpected treats sprinkled throughout. “On the Beach,” for example, is a welcome addition, as are “I’ve Been Waiting for You” and “Winterlong.”
Thanks OGC for all of the 1st impressions. We're taking your advice and cranking it up!
Full review @ First Impressions: Noise and Flowers by Neil Young & Promise of the Real | The Old Grey Cat.
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So I listened to the first half last night, and while the actual playing by Neil and POTR seems fantastic, it's kind of hard to tell with the awful sound. Seriously, murky enough?
ReplyDeletePOTR have some really good musicians in there, but you really can't tell listening to this. Nearly impossible to differentiate the instruments, it's just a wall of buzz to my ears. Does anyone listen to this before it's released?
The thing sounded pretty solid coming out of my Klipsches. The letdown for me, to some degree, is the song choice. I usually prefer to hear the band who made the songs take them in the road. This is all material that is much more appealing when played by the original bands: Crazy Horse, Stray Gators, Pearl Jam, et. al. Most of the tunes have already been featured on live albums by those bands, or soon will. I felt the same way about Road Rock, one of the most disappointing collections with the exception of Watchtower. The songs are far less popular, but I would be interested in a live album supporting The Visitor, if those recordings exist. That could be to The Visitor as Earth was to Monsanto Years, a new angle.
ReplyDeleteI am thinking the reason for existence of Noise & Flowers is to honor Elliot Roberts, and that explains the tracklist. I could picture this as a hypothetical setlist Elliot would have loved, having been there when all those old tunes were first thought of. That’s why although I’m lukewarm on the album, I’m looking forward to the movie arriving on NYA, to see the story unfold of that tour to celebrate the memory of Neil’s friend.