First Impressions: Citizen Kane Jr. Blues by Neil Young | Old Grey Cat

Citizen Kane Jr. Blues by Neil Young

 

As Neil Young has been announcing now for several years now (see Neil Young's Official Bootleg Series: Next 3 Vinyl Boots | NYA ), bootlegs are now incrementally being officially released.

Yesterday,  the 2nd batch (3 of 6) from Official Bootleg Series is being released at long last. (UPDATE: the 1st release in OBS was Carnegie Hall 1970.  See REVIEW: The Neil Young Official Bootleg Series -- Carnegie Hall 1970 by Harvey Kubernik. Thanks Eddie! )

 Neil Young's Official Bootleg Series: Next 3 Vinyl Boots | NYA 

 

Included in this batch is the well known bootleg Citizen Kane Jr. Blues.  Here are First Impressions: Citizen Kane Jr. Blues by Neil Young | Old Grey Cat:

It’s a spellbinding set punctuated by clinking glasses, a creaking door, ill-timed coughs, occasional background chatter, plus a drunken someone shouting for a country song—in the last instance, Neil responds with a “novelty tune,” “Roll Another Number.” 

It’s the stuff of an audience recording, in other words, and—as a result—includes omnipresent tape hiss. Casual fans should get a kick out of it, while us lifers should enjoy it all the more—in large part because it’s long been a part of our unofficial collections.

Listening to Neil’s “official bootleg” version of Citizen Kane Jr. Blues, which features slightly tweaked sound, I’m amazed that I didn’t include it in my Best of the Unofficial Canon roundup in 1999. The ambience of the Bottom Line bleeds into the proceedings in a way that makes the recording a true slice of audio verité. We’ve all been at shows where folks shout out and chatter incessantly, after all, and sat in rooms where the noise from the bar interrupted some songs, with little to none of the unwanted sounds interfering with our enjoyment. Which is to say, if you close your eyes, you’ll swear you’re in the room. 

There’s not much more one can ask from a concert recording than that.

Full review @ re First Impressions: Citizen Kane Jr. Blues by Neil Young | Old Grey Cat.

Officially released this week and now available on Neil Young's Archive website are:

• Royce Hall (1971-01-30) 
• I'm Happy ... (Dorothy Chandler Pav. 1971-02-01) 
• Citizen Kane ... (Bottom Line 1974-05-16)

More on RELEASED TODAY - Neil Young's Official Bootleg Series: 1st 3 of 6 | NYA

 

Neil Young's Official Bootleg Series

image via Rusted Moon 

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RELEASED TODAY - Neil Young's Official Bootleg Series: Next 3 of 6 | NYA

 Neil Young's Official Bootleg Series: Next 3 Vinyl Boots | NYA 

 

As Neil Young has been announcing now for several years now (see Neil Young's Official Bootleg Series: Next 3 Vinyl Boots | NYA ), bootlegs are now finally being officially released.

Today,  the 2nd batch (3 of 6) from Official Bootleg Series is being released at long last. (UPDATE: the 1st release in OBS was Carnegie Hall 1970.  See REVIEW: The Neil Young Official Bootleg Series -- Carnegie Hall 1970 by Harvey Kubernik. Thanks Eddie! )

Officially released today and now available on Neil Young's Archive website are:

• Royce Hall (1971-01-30) 
• I'm Happy ... (Dorothy Chandler Pav. 1971-02-01) 
• Citizen Kane ... (Bottom Line 1974-05-16)

Per John O. on NYA, the NEXT THREE VINYL BOOTLEGS | NYA:

3-25-22

...

The deeply oxidized rusties among you will have heard these shows before—they never sounded this sublime, so I hope you dig them all over again—but what excites me about this series is the opportunity people will have to sit down with these recordings for the first time. No need to dig around seedy corners of the internet or time travel to the kind of bygone record store that might keep this kind of thing under the counter with the other less-than-legal wares.

...

-john o

 

Neil Young's Official Bootleg Series

image via Rusted Moon 

 

From John O. on NYA:

First, enjoy a lovely evening at UCLA’s Royce Hall on the 1971 solo tour, and then, just two days later and on the other side of town, a legendary bootleg from the Dorothy Chandler Pavillion in downtown Los Angeles. These releases join Carnegie Hall, Young Shakespeare, Massey Hall, and Live At The Cellar Door to bolster one of the most compelling arguments for live music you’ll hear anywhere: these records capture the subtle variations from performance to performance, how those performances are influenced by the vibe of a specific physical space and the mood of a specific audience, how it may be “all one song” but even the same song is never the same from night to night.

And then, what can I say about Citizen Kane Jr. Blues from The Bottom Line that hasn’t been said? I’ll let Neil say something in my stead:

In 1974, on May 16th about 2:30 am in a famous NYC music club located in Greenwich Village called ‘The Bottom Line,’ I climbed onto the stage with my guitar and played eleven songs, including many new unreleased ones plus three that had never been played in the studio or anywhere - ‘Citizen Cane Jr Blues,’ ‘Long May You Run’ and ‘Pardon My Heart’.

In my mind it’s a hazy memory, but this moment really captures the essence of where I was in 1974.

Two months later, the album ‘On The Beach’ was released, including songs I played that night - ‘Ambulance Blues,’ ‘Revolution Blues,’ ‘On the Beach’ and ‘Motion Pictures.’

Folks at ‘The Bottom Line’ heard seven new songs for the first time. I just remember I was 28 years old, bare and letting it all out.

Some of you NYA subscribers weren’t yet born when these records were recorded—the most precocious among you may not have been born when these official (re-) releases were announced (what’s up, you cool babies)—but now we can all ride a honeyslide* back in time and pretend we were there.

You can hear the NYA-exclusive full, unedited concerts on the NYA Concert Timeline —Royce Hall, Dorothy Chandler Pavillion, The Bottom Line— or at the bottom of each album’s tracklist on the web or in your NYA mobile app.

-john o

*Honeyslide is an unregistered trademark of Shakey Pictures Records. No rights reserved. Must be 21 or over to use for the purposes of time travel. Local ordinances and restrictions apply. Please see your childhood best friend’s weird older brother for details. Don’t do drugs; Keep your grades up.

(NOTE: Not that we would ever suggest either, but the legendary "Honeyslide recipe" has been posted on TW since the late '90's, fwiw.)

Also, see First Impressions: Citizen Kane Jr. Blues by Neil Young | Old Grey Cat.

In 2020,  Neil Young announced details on the 1st 6 ‘Official Bootleg’ releases.

The six official bootlegs are:

1. "Carnegie Hall" (OBS 01) - Solo concert at Carnegie Hall, New York on December 4th, 1970
2. "Royce Hall" (OBS 04) - Solo concert at UCLA, Westwood, CA on 1/30/1971
3. "I'm happy that ya'all came down" (OBS 03) - Solo concert at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, LA on 02/01/1971
4. "Somewhere Under The Rainbow" (OBS 06) - Neil Young & The Santa Monica Flyers at the Rainbow Theater, London on November 5th, 1973
5. "Citizen Kane Jr. Blues" (OBS 06) - Neil Young solo in the club "The Bottom Line" on May 16, 1974
6. "High Flyin '" (OBS 02) - Neil Young & The Ducks in the summer of 1977
   

 

"Citizen Kane Jr. Blues" (OBS 06) - Neil Young solo in the club "The Bottom Line" on May 16, 1974

 

(More about Neil Young's legendary concert at "The Bottom Line" on Rusted Moon)

 

"Royce Hall" (OBS 04) - Solo concert at UCLA, Westwood, CA on 1/30/1971

For more details, see Surf Shack | Volume Dealers | OFFICIAL BOOTLEG SERIES |NYA.

 

"I’m So Happy That Y’all Came Down"
Neil Young: Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Los Angeles - February 1st, 1971

(See  more on "Neil Young Official Bootleg Series Announced | NYA")  

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"Live Music Is Better": The Great Guitars @ The Birchmere — 5/3/22

 The Great Guitars:
John Jorgenson, Martin Taylor & Frank Vignola The Birchmere, Alexandria, Virginia - May 3, 2022(photos by thrashette - Click photo to enlarge)

 

As you know, last year, we had a rather life changing event occur where we can truly say that "The Music Saved Our Lives" -- both seriously and literally.

And -- as we discussed throughout 2020 & 2021 ... everybody knows "Live Music Is Better", of course. (Or, another example, "Live Music Is Better" - Mid-Summer 2021 Edition #2 ,  Son Volt @ The Birchmere — 3/2/22 or  -- most recently --  Cowboy Junkies @ The Birchmere — 4/10/22).

 
John Jorgenson, Martin Taylor & Frank Vignola

Earlier this week ( 5/3/22), we caught The Great Guitars: John Jorgenson, Martin Taylor & Frank Vignola at The Birchmere in Alexandria, Virginia and it was well, great -- just as advertised.  Great not just because we  were simply enjoying live music with our new friends but because we got something we always consider  a treat ... a call out by the artists onstage. 

The short story is that thrashette is long time fan of The Great Guitarist Martin Taylor.  When  thrashette called out Martin's name at the beginning of the show, Martin looked out and asked who was that?,  thrashette identified herself, and, well, it then became almost a personal concert for our dear  thrashette sitting at the front table seat directly at Martin's knees.

 

Martin Taylor

Hence, the "album cover" pose from stage photo for thrashette above!

   

And who did you hear this week?

Rare R@D "Live Music Is Better" Bumper Sticker
w/ Hawks & Doves by Neil Young
(via TW Archives)

 

So we're just glad, fortunate and blessed to be able to go a few miles down the road to a splendid music venue that respects both the artists and the audiences  and enjoy live music with our dear friends.

So let the music continue to flow unrestricted and freely to all across the lands in the summer of 2022!!!

After all, isn't it all about the "Ordinary People of RUST"?

More on our efforts to keep the live music flowing by supporting concerts @   Yes, Everybody Knows "Live Music Is Better" - Spring  2021 Edition and again in our Early Summer 2021 Edition & Mid-Summer 2021 Edition, "Live Music Is Better" - Mid-Summer 2021 Edition #2 or  -- most recently -- "Live Music Is Better": Son Volt @ The Birchmere — 3/2/22.)

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A Question on Neil Young Archives & Hi-Res Downloads @ The Greedy Hand

The Greedy Hand | Neil Young Store | WBR

 

Dear Thrasher,

Hope you don’t mind me emailing you off-site like this, but I have a quick question that I hope you may be able to help me with.

I’m sure that Neil announced some time back that any physical product (vinyl or CD) purchased from the Greedy Hand Store would come with a free hi-res download, but I’ve just received Official Release Series #4 from the UK Greedy Hand Store and they tell me there’s no download.

However, when I looked at the US Greedy Hand Store they do still include the hi-res download for this release, but when I compared the listing with the UK store I noticed that, unlike the US listing, there’s no mention of any download. It looks like the same is true of the bootleg series too.

I’ve definitely had codes for hi-res downloads with other orders from the UK store in the past (e.g. 50th anniversary ATGR), but it looks like they may have quietly changed the policy in the UK store to omit the downloads that are still available from the US store.

So my question has two parts: first, am I right in remembering that announcement about hi-res downloads with all Greedy Hand purchases? And second, have you heard from the online community of Neil fans whether anyone else has come across this issue?

All the best,

A NY Fan

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So before attempting to respond, we'll just throw this out to the greater Neil/Rust/TW communities for investigation.

Thoughts folks?  Thanks!

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52 Years Later: "Ohio", Kent State & Tin Soldiers Still Marching | #MayTheFOURBeWithYou

52 years ago, on May 4, 1970 at ~12:25 PM, a school shooting took place on the campus of Kent State University, Ohio.

Remember those days when students were brave enough to march in the streets and end a war?

Jeffrey Miller - Age: 20

Shot @ 90 Yards From National Guard

Now that today's college students have been safely muzzled by crippling loan debt and "woke" education, there is little need for authority to teach students a lesson similar to that educational day of May 4, 1970. It's been 50 years since shots rang out across a college campus, leaving four dead in Ohio and the lives of so many of that generation changed forever by the day's events.

And so, the tin soldiers march on and on... in Vietnam. Balkans. Iraq. El Salvador. Afghanistan. Libya. Syria. Yemen. Ukraine.

So we here at Thrasher's Wheat look forward, as we look back to that fateful day at Kent State. In the meantime, rest assured that the mainstream media will ignore this anniversary of real news, while busy fabricating the latest fake news.

"Ohio" 45 Atlantic Records Single (w/ "Find The Cost of Freedom")
by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young - May 1970

 

 

"Ohio" 45 Atlantic Records Single (w/ Bill of Rights picture sleeve) 

by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young - May 1970

 

 

The Four Dead in Ohio

Allison Krause - Age: 19, 110 Yards
William Schroeder - Age: 19, 130 Yards
Jeffrey Miller - Age: 20, 90 Yards
Sandra Scheuer - Age: 20, 130 Yards  

 

"What if you knew her and found her dead on the ground?"
Freedom: Kent State University, Ohio - 1970 (Click to enlarge full frame & note girl's shirt message)

• The Truth About The Kent State Massacre
  
• The Girl in the Photo: Kent State, Ohio - May 4, 1970
• 40 Years Since 4 Dead in Ohio: Kent State Massacre Remembered
• 4 Dead In Ohio: May 4, 1970
• 50 Years Ago: “Four Dead In Ohio” | Decaturish
• 51 Years Later: "Ohio", Kent State & Tin Soldiers Still Marching | #MayThe4thBeWithYou
• Ohio: Kent State 45 Years Later
• Kent State, Ohio 47 Years Later: The Tin Soldiers March On & On...

 
No War
Greendale Film still

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May The FOUR Be With You

 #MayTheFOURBeWithYou

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RELEASED: Neil Young's 1989 "Road of Plenty"/Eldorado EP

Neil Young's 1991 "Road of Plenty"/Eldorado Japan EP 

"Probably the greatest guitar rock album ever"
~~ UNCUT Magazine's Allan Jones

With the official re-release last week of Neil Young's long awaited 1991 "Road of Plenty"/Eldorado Japan EP, a major gap in his hefty discography has been plugged. (See Neil Young Official Release Series #4 Box Set.)

Recently, we have posted a series of Comments of the Moment regarding the upcoming Neil Young Archives Vol #3 planned for 2022.  In particular,  the brilliant comment by Tomatron,who lays out his "Dream Mix" for Neil Young Archives Vol #3 combining songs from the albums Eldorado and FREEDOM.  

Young & The Restless
via 1989-02-18, Municipal Auditorium, Eureka, California, USA | Sugar Mountain

 

"Road of Plenty" has also appeared as an import titled "Eldorado". An album review UNCUT Magazine's Allan Jones modestly said: "The simple fact is that 'Eldorado" is probably the greatest guitar rock album ever." Jones continues describing the album's sound as: "holocaustal, post-apocalypse ruptures and manglings, great bloody swathes of feedback, random distortions, and gashes of sound, the reckless weather of psychotic abandon."

ELDORADO
1989 - Reprise 20P2-2651 (CD-EP, Japan and Australia only)

"Cocaine Eyes" – 4:24
"Don't Cry" – 5:00
"Heavy Love" – 5:09
"On Broadway" – 4:57
"Eldorado" – 6:03

"Eldorado"'s band The Restless consisted of Chad Cromwell and Rick Rosas. The EP contains different mixes of three songs that subsequently appeared on Young's 1989 album Freedom, "Don't Cry," "On Broadway," and "Eldorado," and two tracks not available on any other recording, "Cocaine Eyes" and "Heavy Love." The "Don't Cry" track on Eldorado is longer than the later version published on Freedom (5:00 vs. 4:14).

From Album Review of Neil Young and the Restless: Eldorado by Allan Jones:

The simple fact is that 'Eldorado" is probably the greatest guitar rock album ever.

Parts of it are like nothing you've ever heard, holocaustal, post -apocalypse ruptures and manglings, great bloody swathes of feedback, random distortions, and gashes of sound, the reckless weather of psychotic abandon. It's almost as if Young listened to the rather docile, reverential cover of his songs on the "Bridge" tribute album, listened to The Pixies and Soul Train and Sonic Youth and Dinosaur Jr. and thought to himself, "Hey, kids - THIS is how you do it..."At which point, he plugs in his guitar, cranks the volume up to max and begins to roar.

(Full review @ Album Review of Neil Young and the Restless: Eldorado by Allan Jones.)

 

Neil Young's new release "Official Release Series Discs 13, 14, 20 & 21" is  now available here.

Also, see Neil Young Official Release Series #4 Box Set.

More on Eldorado from the FUNHOUSE! reviews by Steve Vetter (Farmer John).

Also, see Eldorado: Albums In Order Review Series by Mike "Expecting 2 Fly" Cordova.

Also, see 1986 Buffalo Springfield Rehearsal with Neil Young, Stephen Stills & Richie Furay rehearsing songs "Road of Plenty" and "Eldorado".

Also, see NYAS Broken Arrow Issue Number 036 - August, 1989 Eldorado: Albums Review by Ian MacCarthy, page 35.

NYAS Broken Arrow Issue Number 036 - August, 1989

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