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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.
After all, folks have only been waiting since well ... we started the TFA Petition back in 2014 and have gathered 10's of thousands of signatures. All to little or no avail, deeply and sadly.
As Neil says on NYA, "TFA was never one of my favorites".
Photo of the Moment: Neil Young's "Walk Like A Giant" is So HUGE
"Walk Like A Giant"
Neil Young & Crazy Horse Philadelphia, 11/29/12
Photos by thrasher
(Click photos to enlarge)
As folks here know, we've seen Neil Young in concert quite a few times over the decades.
Nearly consistent with every single concert, we came away with some new found respect for what Neil Young does every night. He somehow manages to keep each night fresh. Even if virtually the same setlist, same venue and same circumstances.
The pure genius of placing a camera inside the giant fender amps so that the audience could see Neil twirl knobs up on a big screen while he gyrated with his back to the audience was inspired, to say the least.
On the 2012 tour and the subsequent Summer 2013 Europe Tour, "Walk Like A Giant" evolved every night. WLAG became some sort of grunge feedback anthem to be made even more giant and more messy than when the tours started. By the end of the tours, WLAG was a huge molten blob of sludgy feedback that would literally make folks head for the concessions.
"Walk Like A Giant" is just so huge. Too big for words. See for yourself.
Neil Young foreshadowed the likelihood of unhappy casual fans at the
Philly show in this exchange with Jon Stewart the night before on the
Daily Show.
---------
Stewart: Please welcome a rock legend, Mr. Neil Young.
enthusiastic applause
Stewart and Young shake hands and sit down at table with copy of Waging Heavy Peace in the middle of table.
Stewart: Thank you for coming.
Young: Thank you for inviting me.
Stewart:
Before we talk about your new book, I wanted to quickly talk about Walk
Like a Giant, which is a new song on your new CD with Crazy Horse. One
of the younger guys who works for me showed me some video of the song
from your show the other night in Ottawa. He also said that a lot of
folks are reported to get up and leave during the song, which includes
several minutes of feedback. So my question is, what the fuck are you
doing. These folks paid $200 bucks....
Young: "Its all part of my
master plan, Jon. You see, for me, the ultimate concert would see
everyone in the audience get up and leave.
Then I know that I would
truly have reached the source. My former producer, the late David
Briggs, always talked about getting closer to the source. A lot of my
new songs, such as Walk like a Giant, are based on two simple chords. I
am working on some songs now that would pull it back to one chord as I
try to get even closer to the source. It might be E minor on one song, A
minor on another, and G on another. I would not use the same chord on
the entire CD, at least not to start."
Marcus Mumford: “Neil Young sat me down about 10 years ago and told me the importance
of recorded music and that I should pay more
attention to the way in which we record because I was always [like],
‘Ah, it’s just an advert for a live show.’
He was like, ‘No man, these
things last.'”
I felt like on this record, I listened to that
[advice]. I paid closer attention to the way it sounded than anything
I’d ever done before.”
In a post on NYA | Road Stories, Neil Young writes that last year he tried to put together a fleet of electric tour vehicles, "But that has proven to be a very daunting task."
Discussing 'eco-diesel' or “Green Diesel”, Neil Young writes:
"The fuel reduces the emissions from a music tour, which undoubtedly contribute to the climate catastrophe, by 70 to 80 percent.
I've tried it on my bus and my 1962 diesel Mercedes and it works great in all the conditions I've encountered. I've found it to be quite reliable.
With this fuel I could go on tour again without emitting excessive CO2, and that's really important to me. So important that I haven't wanted to tour for the past few years."
Elsewhere in the set, Pearl Jam took
a minute to remember the tragedy of 9/11 on what was the 21st
anniversary of the event. Vedder relayed the story of a man named Mike,
who leaves New York every year on the date because of the trauma of the
event. However, this year he “thought it would be a good idea to be here
tonight with you”.
Vedder did express that he felt 9/11 had led to greater unity in the
United States, saying: “There was a time we supported each other. That’s
the part we cannot forget. Let those lessons be remembered as our
solidarity to come together and keep this country straight.”
“This is the 37th time this band has played in New York City. I think
we’ve only played Seattle 50. Here’s the thing – I don’t remember half
of those fucking Seattle shows. I just don’t. But I feel like we
remember ever Manhattan show,”Vedder said
later.
“This potentially has the chance to be the most memorable of
them all. We are quite honoured to be spending this important date with
you.”
"AMERICANA is collection of classic, American folk songs.
In their day,
some of these may have been referred to as "protest songs", "murder
ballads", or campfire-type songs passed down with universal, relatable
tales for everyman."
re Americana - what I love about Americana is that's it's another
example of Neil sitting on a project for ages abd then deciding to
complete it.
Neil first flirted with revising folk tunes way back in the
Squires era when he was influenced by Tim Rose and the Thorns. Here's a
quote From Shakey: "That was a certain Squires stage that never got
recorded. Wish there were tapes of those shows. We used to do all this
stuff, a whole kinda music—folk-rock. We took famous old folk songs like
“Clementine,” “She’ll Be Comin’ ’Round the Mountain,” “Tom Dooley"" and
one element was retrieving the darker verses and overtones of the songs
and getting the Horse to bring this to fruition was uncannily right.
So
GSTQ has the second verse about scattering enemies and confounding
their politics (Hint: we do not learn this verse at school in Britain).
So Abner I would consider including this verse suitably "mercilessly
attacking" the anthem.
And I've decided that the reason this song
ends the album is that it is a symbol of transition - the splicing of
the two songs as a metaphor not just for national independence, but also
for Neil's own journey from post-imperial Canada to the US, whilst
acknowledging the influence of both. In this respect it follows the
tradition of songs like Don't be Denied, Big Time and more recently
Heading West and Canerican.
Finally thanks Thrasher for sorting out the post in moderation limbo earlier this week.
Think I need a rest after all that.
Hambone in the UK
Thanks much Hambone for our TW Comment of the Moment. Certainly the subject of The Queen and monarchy has been a touchy subject for Her Stalwart Enthusiasts and Her Loyal Subjects.
But the most fascinating aspect of all of this over GSTQ, is how interesting that the melody of "God Save The Queen" and “My Country ’Tis Of Thee” are the same?! How could that possibly be!? (See comments on original 2012 post)
But back to the music and "Americana" by Neil Young w/ Crazy Horse. As noted above in the album description: "AMERICANA is collection of classic, American folk songs. In their day,
some of these may have been referred to as "protest songs", "murder
ballads", or campfire-type songs passed down with universal, relatable
tales for everyman."
We too find the album Americana to be absolute fit with nearly every musical digression Neil has made over the decades. Specifically, as a "protest song album".
And what strikes us most as we return to the 2012 album was the near virulent hatred by many rusties -- and non-rust types -- for this 1st Crazy Horse studio album since 1996's "Broken Arrow".
Regardless of whatever one's opinion may be -- if nothing else -- "Americana" opened the barn door for Neil with The Horse to the subsequent album "Psychedelic Pill".
But possibly even more significant was how the massive blowback reaction to "Americana" merely foreshadowed the full blown culture wars of today's cancel culture /woke mob mentality which is hellbent on on eradication of any and everything that they find to be of the slightest offense.
The original intent and malice that the song ["Oh Susannah"] was written with and for is
no longer present in the current incarnation of the song in our
collective "Americana." Is it interesting to see where the song
originally came from and how it has changed over time? Yes.
But if this
song has become "illegal" to reproduce in your mind because an old
version of the song (which is not what Neil is playing) was racist, then
there are a whole lot of other things that should be "illegal" as well.
"Oh Susannah" was written by Stephen Foster in 1847 and was a product of its times. As a folk song, "Oh Susannah" transcended its minstrel history with Neil Young's version excising the original racist lyrics with demeaning
caricatures of black people. So Neil has reinvented "Oh Susannah", removing the egregious racist lyrics and setting forth a version to help move forward beyond a painful era.
Oh Susannah, by Shepard Fairey - 2012 Mixed media (stencil, silkscreen, and collage) on canvas (Click photo to enlarge)
"What ties these songs together is the fact that while they
may represent an America that may no longer exist.
The emotions and scenarios behind these songs
still resonate with what’s going on in the country today with equal, if
not greater impact nearly 200 years later. The lyrics reflect the same
concerns and are still remarkably meaningful to a society going through
economic and cultural upheaval, especially during an election year.
They
are just as poignant and powerful today as the day they were written."
After what seems to have been a long couple of days here at TW, it would
seem that we more fully appreciate the "Americana-ness" of Neil Young
& Crazy Horse's Americana album.
So what the heck does that mean you might ask?
Well,
if you've been following our comment threads lately, you might
understand. If not, well, you may have saved yourself some time -- or
depending on your point of view -- missed quite a bit of entertainment.
Maybe it's just the summer heat that's getting to folks?
Some
agreed with our take on the review and others did not. Fine. This was
followed by our posting of an equal opportunity dissenting opinion
(which we do indeed welcome), of a thoughtful, well considered rebuttal by Babbo.
Given all the hullaboo on whether Americana was the worst Neil & Crazy Horse album ever,we conducted a poll in 2012 asking if folks really thought that Americana "Drifts into Self Parody"?
And what did our super scientific poll find?
Interestingly, it seems that the majority think that no, Americana is
not a "Self Parody" because it captures Neil Young & Crazy Horse in
all of their raw, ragged glory. Between those who say Americana is not a "Self Parody" and those indifferent, it seems about 95% of folks are OK or neutral with Americana. Only 5% of voters thought Americana is
a "Self Parody" because it is "too rich, too perfect, too comical to be
anything but a parody." (Could this contingent be the dreaded "4% Club" that emerged after Fork in the Road?)
Songs like 'High Flying Bird' are about a man that works so hard in a
mine that when he comes out into the light of day he can't enjoy the
world because he's blinded by the light—in essence, the fruits of his
labor.
Many parallels between the aspirations and failings of the American Dream, whether it was 1880 or today.
"Clementine" Art by Gary Burden and Jenice Heo
In other words, the poll results and positive comments seem to be fairly
representative of the mythical "Americana" itself, i.e., passions on
the extreme fringes of the Neil-love and Neil-hate camps are
unrepresentative while it is the great middle ground of Neil-moderates
who are the true silent majority. In other words, the Neil Young fan
base is reflective of "Americana" itself where the discourse is
dominated by the hype/wind/noise machines on the fringes which is
unrepresentative of the true mainstream "Americana". And those
mainstream or "ordinary Neil fans" have stood and been counted and they
think Neil & The Horse's Americana is perfectly OK.
Neil Young:"All I can say is, everyone has a different idea, but this truly represents a lot of those things and touches on a lot of the core beliefs in the American Dream and questions them and makes you think about them.
And questions whether it's that different from what everybody else's dreams are everywhere else.
It turns out we may not be so perfect."
Shepard Fairey: "Latitude for interpretation is something
that Neil utilizes and seems to value as an important way for the
listener/viewer to personalize their interaction with art and music. "
Never shy about making bold political or civil statements, Young
brilliantly borrows songs from the U.S.’ historical fabric and tosses
them as live grenades that explode on impact, broaching the staple
concepts—freedom, liberty, justice, equality, rights, conflicts,
privacy, the common good—on which America prides itself.
He and Crazy Horse invoke these broad subjects without advocating one
party or another; Americana owes some of its political and cultural
potency to its impartiality.
"Is it really Neil's, or any artist's "responsibility" to either the
song, history or the music fan, to adhere to or at least reference or
explain the original purpose of a piece of music, and the political,
social or spiritual climate of its time, in some way, so that the
authenticity and history of something isn't lost or disrespected?
Does he owe it to the song, the song's author or the music fan to
prostrate himself before the energy that created that piece of music and
deliver it into the 21st century in a way that retains, and even helps
to convey or preserve a clear idea of the song and its history? Or, more
importantly, to not undermine reality or contribute to confusing, or
even rewriting, history?
This is definitely a very important topic, and I feel strongly about retaining the purity of historical accounting, but I
would argue "no" to the question of Neil's responsibility as an artist
toward either some kind of historical or social accuracy, or toward
supporting a certain political identification, or simply toward NOT
doing something that could be perceived as insulting to those of us with
touchy emotional triggers about American Indians, the dark history of
Colonial America, or the authenticity of music history.
For more of the intense rustie reaction to "Americana" by Neil Young w/ Crazy Horse all the way back in 2012, also, see:
(Again, we point out these 2012 links out as an early warning indicator of the full blown culture wars of today's cancel culture / censorship / woke mob mentality. A decade ago we warned that this is where this would lead. And here we are with yet another TW prophecy.)
The Neil Young Archive (NYA) is now out of the RED and into the BLACK -- financially speaking.
Neil Young announced on NYA that his Archives website is no longer posting losses. Five
years after launching, NYA is now financially breaking even.
"I'm pleased to report that NYA has reached an important milestone and is self-sustaining. Revenue from subscribers would now cover development and operational costs.
Thank you all for supporting our efforts and helping us get to this point."
The
"Neil Young Archives", on which Young's entire catalog is streamed in
high-resolution quality and presented with comprehensive background
information, went online in December 2017.
The number of subscribers is estimated to be about 20,000.
>> Pre-Order on Amazon.com << 
Human Highway
Concert Review of the Moment
This Land is My Land
FREEDOM In A New Year
*Thanks Neil!*
![[EFC Blue Ribbon - Free Speech Online]](http://www.thrasherswheat.org/gifs/free-speech.gif)
The Unbearable Lightness of Being Neil Young
Pardon My Heart
"We're The Ones 
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