From Davy's Cinema Flicks & Music Picks "A look at the wonderful document of the 2019 Euro tour, sparked by sadness, culminating in a classic!"
Thanks Davy. can't wait to spin Flowers, REAL & Blu.
so boisterous.
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Neil Young + Promise of the REAL
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"Noise & Flowers"
Just ordered blu-ray. Looking forward!
ReplyDeleteThe murky, raw mix does not--for me-- interfere with the music. I'm glad to say, I took Scotzman's advice for my first listening and (temporarily) ditched the headphones. Even on possibly lossy youtube streaming, this made the soundstage bigger and much more encompassing.
In terms of cavernous reverb, a few of Neil's live albums have embraced this sound in the past: Road Rock, Year of the Horse. However, the rawness of N&F reminds me most strongly of Time Fades Away. The overarching fog of grief, ragged vocals rising from the void, loose, screaming guitar passages that sweep through like storm clouds on a darkened sky--all those familiar sounds are overwhelming.
Remember the cover photo of TFA-- red rose lying on the stage? On the cover of N&F, Neil is holding a flower while bending the strings. I can't help wondering if it's more than coincidence. On Alabama especially, the Real seem to channel the Stray Gators. Truthfully, shades of both Gators and Horse show up throughout the set. The way the Real walks such a fine line between, touching on both sides of the divide, is impressive.
Rust Never Sleeps, with one side acoustic and one electric, holds a similar yin-yang vibe, although more pronounced because the album is divided in two roughly even halves in opposing styles. Whereas N+F switches back and forth throughout, often from one track to the next. The yin and the yang blend freely, alternating with one another in a fast-moving, dazzling mirage of sound. This is an album of contrasts, where the stark differences between (for instance) Rockin' in the Free World and Comes a Time play off of one another to bring out the qualities and feeling of each song.
A side note: certain quarters of the internet internet, unfortunately, are full of folks leaving nasty reviews and comments about Neil that have nothing to do with the music.
ReplyDeleteTo say the least, there are some very well-trained attack dogs online. Ostensibly, they are still disgruntled about the Spotify/ Rogan fracas. That was the better part of a year ago. I've kept relatively quiet on the topic because, as far as I'm concerned, it always was, and still is, a tempest in a teapot.
However... for the benefit of anyone who happens to be reading... I suspect you'll start to feel happier sooner if you find something constructive to do with your time and energy.
I consider myself to be a pretty happy person, yet I'm still not on board with censorship of any kind. So on that topic, Neil can still go screw himself.
ReplyDeleteAnd I don't care if it was a year ago, or a decade ago. My mind will never change on that. Looking forward to hear the new album, though.
“My mind will never change” is not the flex you seem to think. Just food for thought.
ReplyDeleteNot sure what you mean by that. I'm just against censorship, seems pretty straightforward to me.
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ReplyDeleteI shouldn't have been so short. My point is, saying you're never going to change your mind sounds like you're not willing to have a conversation and consider other viewpoints. I'm not actually assuming anyone will change their mind. I'm just looking for a willingness to listen.
ReplyDeleteAt the time of the Spotify blow-up, I felt I tried to be understanding of other viewpoints, only for that goodwill to be thrown back in my face. If I seem testy on the issue, that's why.
refusing to change one's mind, no matter what the arguments, is a form of self-censorship and it then contradicts itself. QED. The position is self-refuting.
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