In 2021, we reported on the very sad news of the passing of Pete Long: 1950 - 2021 - a truly definitive Neil Young fan.
More recently, Neil Young fans may have noticed that the liner notes for Neil Young's Original Bootleg Series Release #6 Somewhere Under The Rainbow - Nov 3, 1973 were written by Pete Long.
To begin to describe what transpired back in 1973 in order to record a full concert and then have the bootleg released officially some 50 years later is impossible.
If only Pete had lived to this day to see that his vital archiving and sharing services which have proven to be so invaluable to Neil Young fans.
The achievement would certainly earn a place in a Hall of Fame given the circumstances and notoriety of the Tonight's The Night tour. Nils Lofgren described it as a "drunken wake moving from city to city in memory of the late Danny Whitten of Crazy Horse and Bruce Berry, roadie".
Pete Long, was the author of Ghosts on the Road -- the definitive published guide to Neil Young concerts.
From Guardian News obituary by John Soane: (thanks Mark J.)
Pete chose a typically idiosyncratic approach to analysing – and appreciating – music. This was particularly evident in his self-published book, Ghosts on the Road (2007), in which, through meticulous research, he documented every live Neil Young performance from 1961 to 2006 – the venues played, songs performed and accompanying musicians – to create a unique perspective on Neil’s life and work.
Having established himself as an expert on all things Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, Pete developed a great relationship and friendship with the photographer and musician Joel Bernstein. This led to Pete becoming part of the team Neil surrounded himself with for his archive releases. He also worked with Joel on Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young projects, including the 1974 concert series box set, receiving a Grammy nomination in the process. Graham Nash looked to them similarly on his solo reissue releases.
Pete Long ... gone but not forgotten ...
Also, see Neil Young Appreciation Society's Broken Arrow Search Results (via Sugar Mountain) for Pete Long's huge contributions to The Society & BA.
| Book Excerpts - Pete Long - Ghosts on the Road Reviewed By Tim Burgin Neil Young Appreciation Society's Broken Arrow |
Also, see Pete Long's article and photos archived from Neil Young Appreciation Society's Broken Arrow (on Sugar Mountain.
I sure appreciate Pete Long! I wore out the pages of both of my copies of Ghosts On The Road. I blame Pete for helping turn me into someone who knows way more than anybody should know about Neil’s music!
ReplyDeleteStill waiting to hear his full, uncut recording of Rainbow…
ReplyDeletePete was a huge West Ham United fan and used to travel the country supporting them. I used to meet him in a pub in Nottingham every time the Hammers were playing Forest. We would spend a couple of hours swapping tapes and just talking Neil Young. A really, really nice bloke. I used to own a copy of his Rainbow tape, god knows what happened to it over the years.
ReplyDeleteI met Pete several times in the context of the NYAS including a meeting before our first issue was completed which would have been in 1981.
ReplyDeleteI can only have admiration for his depth of knowledge and his unassuming and courteous demeanour.
I read his obituary in The Guardian in 2021 with considerable sadness but with a growing sense of wonder at his many achievements.
David Clarke NYAS member #3
Not a week goes by where I don't wish I could reach out and get Pete's view on something.
ReplyDeleteAnd for the record - there is no way that Pete wrote those liner notes to Somewhere Under The Rainbow. Pete was a clever, thoughtful writer who would never have resorted to overuse of all caps and quotation marks. Those same notes were part of the original CD bootleg that came out in the early 2000's without reference to him. I don't know why NYA has attributed those to him.
RIP Pete.
@ mshare - Pete was a gateway drug to Neil... in a good way.
ReplyDeletenever heard anyone having to go to Neil rehab.
@ Tomatron - right. someone might need to write to NYA as a reminder on this.
@ Mike - great to hear from you and thanks for sharing Pete memories.
certainly would like to hear more.
Especially those early NYAS days.
you can reach us at thrasher@thrasherswheat.org
be sure to check SPAM folder for replies. sorry.
@ zuma - thanks for correction on liner notes.
ReplyDeleteHas anyone brought this up to NYA?