Comment of the Moment: Neil Young Empties the Vaults + Were The Bootleggers Right?

 Neil Young Archives Albums Ranked  (Click photo to enlarge)

 

Earlier this week we posted an article on Neil Young Empties the Vaults: The Bootleggers Were Right | Paste.

The article examines -- to a degree -- some of the ethics, ambiguities and legalities around the subject of bootleg records. 

And -- of course -- our rustie grain friends weighed in on the subject and the delicate morality involved. Here is our Comment of the Moment by Kevin D. :

“the bootleggers may have been right” – Yes indeed but like most things the subject I believe is a little more nuanced. 

To me there are two distinct and separate forms of bootleg – one is a live recording (audience or soundboard) vs outtake, alternate versions or in Neil’s case, lost albums. 

The issue of copyright hangs over all of this like a dark shadow but to simplify it (if you would indulge me) it can be argued recordings of live performance may or may not fall under the artist copyright but the fact that a paying punter has “paid” to see and listen the performance makes the issue of copyright complicated. If you are interested in learning more on the legal aspect Clinton Heylin book “Bootleg – the secret history of the other recording industry” is a good read.

I am not a lawyer so will leave that matter to them but getting back to live performances they have great value to me as a fan since most of us are unable to attend every Neil show for various reasons and in Neil’s case, they provide ways to hear unreleased songs in a delivery approved by the artists since they are performing them. This was especially true back in the 70’s. 

Another reason “the bootleggers may have been right” they provide better versions of songs than their studio album counterparts a good example of this would be the album “Life” vs the Trade Mark of Quality boot “Damage Done” from the 1986 Crazy Horse tour. To me the boot is a more enjoyable listen.

However, now we start to get into the area of artistic vision and creativity, and it should be stated in my view Neil’s artistic vision trumps all rights and we must respect his choice to issue Life vs a live concert recording of the tour. Does this make the bootleggers wrong? Not necessarily in my view. But it does raise the question that if Neil chooses not to release something which is his artistic and creative right, we should respect that artistic decision. The fact as fans we may be interested to hear those outtakes and lost albums does not give license to bootleggers to release them. So, I can see the argument here that the bootleggers were wrong.

As fans of Mr. Young, we are interested in all things Neil, albums, concerts, outtakes and lost albums to help us understand and appreciate Neil’s as an artist more fully. So back before NYA and Sir Bob’s bootleg series and Bruce Springsteen live series the bootleggers were simply meeting market demand.

Were they right? I am not so sure it even matters as folks like me, and I suspect some of you go to Neil’s shows (at least before thicket prices reached ridiculous prices, but that is another story) buy all his albums, box sets etc. so the argument that bootlegs take away artistic sales is mute IMHO.

So maybe it is not the bootleggers were right as so much the record companies and artists were a little slow on the uptake?

Kevin D. in Morro Bay

 Thanks for the thoughts here Kevin D. Most appreciate your sharing.

As we stated in our original post, the question is not whether "the bootleggers may have been right" but that the record labels were clearly wrong.

Ironically, for once, the greed of the record labels wasn't in the fans or artists best interests.  Although another topic someday might have been the impact on Neil's career if much of the unreleased 1970's work had actually been released at the time.

And if it had not been for those enterprising bootleggers, some of the best of live concert performances would have never been heard except by those lucky enough to be in the audience.

More on Neil Young Empties the Vaults: The Bootleggers Were Right | Paste. 

More on  Neil Young's Official Bootleg Series.

Neil Young's Official Bootleg Series

---

---

Neil Young Empties the Vaults: The Bootleggers Were Right | Paste

Neil Young Archives Volume II

As usual, much speculation about the future of Neil Young's Archives project.

Of course, there is the "Informed Speculation" on Neil Young's next  Archives release of Volume #3, presumably coming sometime here in 2024. And then there is the recent  "Very Informed Speculation" on what will be in Archives Volume #4.

All of which brings us to the article "The Curmudgeon: Neil Young Empties the Vaults" | Paste by Geoffrey Himes:

There’s a reason Columbia/Legacy Records has given its reissues of Bob Dylan and Miles Davis the umbrella title of The Bootleg Series. 

It’s a back-handed acknowledgement, decades after the original debates, that the bootleggers may have been right. When rock’n’roll bootlegs became widespread in the 1970s, their advocates were arguing, “Yeah, sure, they’re illegal, but if the record companies and their artists refuse to release some of the best music of our time, unlawful work-arounds are justified. If fans can’t legally obtain Dylan’s 1966 “Judas” concert or his “Basement Tapes” with the Band, then listeners deserve to find them on the black market.”

When Columbia finally released those recordings decades later, it confirmed that, yes, these were cultural highlights of their era that should not have been withheld. Instead of trying to create an artificial scarcity of product, the industry should have released more music while these artists were at the peak of their powers. (Bootlegs should not be confused with “pirates,” exact copies of legally available recordings—there’s no justification for that.) In recent years, the labels have seen the error of their ways and have emptied the vaults of not just Dylan but also such much-bootlegged artists such as the Grateful Dead, Joni Mitchell, Prince, Bruce Springsteen and Van Morrison. This music from these artists’ prime often eclipses the quality of their later work, and most fans prefer the best stuff to the latest.

Over the past five years, few artists have been as active as Neil Young in filling in the gaps of his discography.

Full article @ "The Curmudgeon: Neil Young Empties the Vaults" | Paste by Geoffrey Himes.

So back to the "the bootleggers may have been right" quote. Let's remove any doubt right here and now: The Bootleggers Were Right.

The excellent linked article @ Paste makes the entire case in and of itself.

Or -- in other words -- the record labels were clearly wrong. And if it had not been for those enterprising bootleggers, some of the best of live concert performances would have never been heard except by  those lucky enough to be in the audience.

Fortunately for Neil Young fans, his music has long been near the top of the bootleggers artist lists.

More on  Neil Young's Official Bootleg Series.

Neil Young's Official Bootleg Series

Neil Young Archives Volume II (1972 - 1976)
(see Neil Young Archives: Where Art, Business and Community Intersect | NYA) 

Neil Young Archives Albums Ranked

---

---

Missing ‘Rainbow' Raps Added to Neil Young Archives

 Full ‘Rainbow' Concert w/ Raps
 Info Card | Neil Young Archives
(Click photo to enlarge)  

Back in June 2023, our letter to NYA regarding the missing ‘Rainbow' Raps was published on LTE | T-C | Neil Young Archives.

  ‘Rainbow' Raps 

LTE | T-C | Neil Young Archives (Click photo to enlarge)

 

Neil responded with a somewhat standard answer/non-answer that "we'll check".  Actually, in an earlier reply on subject,  it seemed that Neil had previously checked and found that "It should be no problem".

Tonight’s The Night | LTE | NYA

 

A LTE earlier this year in April on Neil Young Archives by Omar/ Lone Red Rider echoed our post asking Where Are The Raps on Neil Young's ‘Somewhere Under The Rainbow” Offical Bootleg?

 

 Under The Rainbow* - Nov 3*, 1973Neil Young's Original Bootleg Series Release #6 (NOTE: unreversed original image flipped)
 

As background, Neil Young's Original Bootleg Series released ‘Somewhere Under The Rainbow” featuring the Santa Monica Flyers, recorded live at the Rainbow Theatre in London on Nov. 5, 1973.

But as a TW comment by Tomatron asked, where are the legendary between song raps that made the  Tonight’s The Night tour so unforgettable -- or forgettable, depending - for so many?

 

And lo and behold we now learn that NYA has the full Rainbow concert with "raps" clocking in at about 121  minutes -- up from the original's 1 hr 28 min running time.  The full Rainbow concert can be found at the bottom of the album's Info Card.

 

As with Neil Young's Official Bootleg Series  Citizen Kane Jr. Blues -- when streamed on NYA -- the stream contains the full concert recording, including the between song raps, such as the semi-essential "Honeyslide Recipe" rap.

Link to full, unedited concert ofCitizen Kane Jr. Blues by Neil Young(See Rustie Pro Tip on Navigating Neil Young Archives)

The raps are not on the vinyl or CD releases themselves but only available on NYA.  (See Rustie Pro Tip on Navigating Neil Young Archives.)

The matter is not inconsequential for rustie grains , who consider the dark and liquid Tonight's The Night concerts with Neil's rambling tales to be as core to the experience as Jose Cuervo tequila. (See Dutch Translation of Liner Notes for Neil Young's Tonight's the Night album.

So thank you Tomatron & LRR! Long may you ride!

More on  Neil Young's Original Bootleg Series Releases: ‘Somewhere Under The Rainbow” & ‘High Flyin’

 

Neil Young's Official Bootleg Series

---

---

Neil Young "Checking" On Missing ‘Rainbow' Raps

 ‘Rainbow' Raps LTE | T-C | Neil Young Archives (Click photo to enlarge)  

Our letter to NYA on the missing ‘Rainbow' Raps was published last week on LTE | T-C | Neil Young Archives.

Neil responded with a somewhat standard answer/non-answer that "we'll check".  Actually, in an earlier reply on subject,  it seemed that Neil had previously checked and found that "It should be no problem".

Tonight’s The Night | LTE | NYA

 

A LTE earlier this year in April on Neil Young Archives by Omar/ Lone Red Rider echoed our post asking Where Are The Raps on Neil Young's ‘Somewhere Under The Rainbow” Offical Bootleg?

 

 Under The Rainbow* - Nov 3*, 1973Neil Young's Original Bootleg Series Release #6 (NOTE: unreversed original image flipped)
 

As background, Neil Young's Original Bootleg Series released ‘Somewhere Under The Rainbow” featuring the Santa Monica Flyers, recorded live at the Rainbow Theatre in London on Nov. 5, 1973.

But as a TW comment by Tomatron asked, where are the legendary between song raps that made the  Tonight’s The Night tour so unforgettable -- or forgettable, depending - for so many?

 

As with Neil Young's Official Bootleg Series  Citizen Kane Jr. Blues -- when streamed on NYA -- the stream contains the full concert recording, including the between song raps, such as the semi-essential "Honeyslide Recipe" rap.

Link to full, unedited concert ofCitizen Kane Jr. Blues by Neil Young(See Rustie Pro Tip on Navigating Neil Young Archives)

The raps are not on the vinyl or CD releases themselves but only available on NYA.  (See Rustie Pro Tip on Navigating Neil Young Archives.)

The matter is not inconsequential for rustie grains , who consider the dark and liquid Tonight's The Night concerts with Neil's rambling tales to be as core to the experience as Jose Cuervo tequila. (See Dutch Translation of Liner Notes for Neil Young's Tonight's the Night album.

So thank you LRR! Long may you ride!

More on  Neil Young's Original Bootleg Series Releases: ‘Somewhere Under The Rainbow” & ‘High Flyin’

 

Neil Young's Official Bootleg Series

---

---

A Tribute to Pete Long: The Definitive Neil Young Fan

Pete Long with his partner, Caroline, in 1989

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.

 Somewhere Under The Rainbow - Nov 3, 1973Neil Young's Original Bootleg Series Release #6 

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".

 

Liner Notes by Pete Long: Somewhere Under The Rainbow

 Neil Young Archives

Pete Long, was the author of Ghosts on the Road -- the definitive published guide to Neil Young concerts.

 

Ghosts on the Road by Pete Long

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

(Click photo to enlarge)

 

Also, see  Pete Long's article and photos archived from Neil Young Appreciation Society's Broken Arrow (on Sugar Mountain.

---

---

REVIEW: ‘High Flyin’ by Neil Young w/ The Ducks - 1977 | Everybody’s Dummy

‘High Flyin’ w/ The Ducks   Neil Young's Original Bootleg Series Releases #02 (Click photo to enlarge)

 

From Neil Young 67: High Flyin’  | Everybody’s Dummy:

It only took 45 years, but an official Ducks album finally came out as part of the Neil Young Archives Official Bootleg Series.  

High Flyin’ presents two discs of the band in their element: a bar. Three such venues are represented here, including Neil favorite The Catalyst, along with a recorded “live rehearsal” and an appearance at a local auditorium. The songs were recorded well enough—by Neil’s own team, of course—to the point where you can almost smell the spilt beer and urinal cakes.

Just as in every scene across America and most of Canada throughout the rock ‘n roll era up through today, The Ducks were a decent bar band, with accomplished if pedestrian vocalists. If anything, they were faster than Crazy Horse, and certainly funkier. Overall, pretty solid rock ‘n roll, as would be expected of any other bar band with a hotshot guitarist. 

The draw here, obviously, is anytime Neil rips off a stinging lead, blows into a harmonica, adds a harmony, or steps forward to sing one of his own songs. “Are You Ready For The Country?” is a fun stomper as ever, while “Sail Away” and “Human Highway” get nice electric treatments with energetic harmonies. The band’s treatment of “Little Wing” is especially moving, as Neil gives it something of a riff missing from the acoustic take, and “Mr. Soul” is delivered with pure Springfield energy. 

Thanks as always wardo @ Everybody’s Dummy for the thoughts and review. Review #67!!! Appreciate the dedication to the Ducks & Neil album reviews. Likewise, we also found  ‘High Flyin’ a pleasant surprise.

 

 

Neil Young w/ The Ducks - 1977

 

More on Bootleg Singles: Neil Young Archives - Ducks 1977 & Rainbow 1973.

   Neil Young - August 1977 Catalyst Club, Santa Cruz, CA PHOTO: RICHARD MCCAFFREY/BAM

More on The Story of Neil Young’s Short-lived Santa Cruz Band The Ducks | Good Times.  Also, see Duck Tales: Eyewitness Report on Neil Young and The Ducks Concerts, Santa Cruz, CA - 1977.

 

More on  Neil Young's Official Bootleg Series.

Neil Young's Official Bootleg Series

 

• Where Are The Raps on Neil Young's ‘Somewhere Under The Rainbow?
• REVIEW: Neil Young's Latest Trifecta - 'Somewhere Under The Rainbow', 'High Flyin' ' & Molina, Talbot, Lofgren's 'All Roads Lead Home' | Davy's Cinema Flicks & Music Picks
• Comment of the Moment by Scotsman: Neil Young's Original Bootleg Series Releases: ‘Somewhere Under The Rainbow” & ‘High Flyin’
• Neil Young's Original Bootleg Series Releases: Original Bootleg Series Releases: ‘Somewhere Under The Rainbow” & ‘High Flyin’

Jeffrey Reid "Jeff" Blackburn: 1946 - 2023  w/ Neil Young

(see A Tribute to Jeffrey Reid "Jeff" Blackburn: 1946 - 2023)

---

---

"It should be no problem" Says Neil Young's on ‘Rainbow' Raps

Tonight’s The Night | LTE | NYA
(Click photo to enlarge)

 

This posting falls into the category of "Ask and ye shall receive".

A recent LTE on Neil Young Archives by Omar/ Lone Red Rider echoed our recent post asking Where Are The Raps on Neil Young's ‘Somewhere Under The Rainbow” Offical Bootleg?

 

 Under The Rainbow* - Nov 3*, 1973Neil Young's Original Bootleg Series Release #6 (NOTE: unreversed original image flipped)
 

As background, recently Neil Young's Original Bootleg Series released ‘Somewhere Under The Rainbow” featuring the Santa Monica Flyers, recorded live at the Rainbow Theatre in London on Nov. 5, 1973.

But as a TW comment by Tomatron asked, where are the legendary between song raps that made the  Tonight’s The Night tour so unforgettable -- or forgettable, depending - for so many?

 

As with Neil Young's Official Bootleg Series  Citizen Kane Jr. Blues -- when streamed on NYA -- the stream contains the full concert recording, including the between song raps, such as the semi-essential "Honeyslide Recipe" rap.

Link to full, unedited concert ofCitizen Kane Jr. Blues by Neil Young(See Rustie Pro Tip on Navigating Neil Young Archives)

The raps are not on the vinyl or CD releases themselves but only available on NYA.  (See Rustie Pro Tip on Navigating Neil Young Archives.)

The matter is not inconsequential for rustie grains , who consider the dark and liquid Tonight's The Night concerts with Neil's rambling tales to be as core to the experience as Jose Cuervo tequila. (See Dutch Translation of Liner Notes for Neil Young's Tonight's the Night album.

So thank you LRR! Long may you ride!

More on  Neil Young's Original Bootleg Series Releases: ‘Somewhere Under The Rainbow” & ‘High Flyin’

 

Neil Young's Official Bootleg Series

 

---

---

Comment of the Moment: Original Bootleg Series Releases: ‘High Flyin’ by Neil Young w/ The Ducks - 1977

‘High Flyin’ w/The Ducks   Neil Young's Original Bootleg Series Releases #02 (Click photo to enlarge) 

Our Comment of the Moment is from Neil Young's Original Bootleg Series Releases:  ‘High Flyin’ by the steadfastly earnest Dan:

The Ducks : It’s important to note that until now I had no previous exposure to this particular lineup in the Neil Young universe. 

I have never been a big collector of bootlegs except for The Beatles, although I did own I’m Happy That Y’all Came Down. So I have been curious about this release since it was announced, and had no preconceptions on what it would be like.

My first listen was sadly marred by distractions, so I wasn’t able to really focus much, but my first impression was a tad perplexed. Obviously I could hear and feel Neil’s guitar, but he clearly wasn’t the main focus. The other three voices were unfamiliar and frankly not that captivating. It felt like a well oiled bar band who were relaxed and having a good time. So my initial reaction was almost dismissive.

The next day I had more time so I started over, and played both discs without interruption. As everyone here is aware there have been so many NY albums that have been released that require repeated listening to allow soaking in, and first impressions can be misleading. That’s the case here with The Ducks

These three guys are definitely skilled musicians who clearly enjoy a loose environment to play in, and Neil was obviously relaxed and confident. The vocals don’t jump out of the speakers and grab your attention, and these guys don’t have the vocal qualities that place them in the same level that Neil’s does. They aren’t bad vocalists, they’re just unremarkable. That being the case, they certainly don’t mar the proceedings, offering up some nicely crafted songs that are musical and catchy.

The obvious highlight is Neil’s performance throughout the entire set, and his guitar work is absolutely stellar. As a whole I found myself really impressed with the chemistry between these four gentlemen, and I enjoyed finally getting to hear what the Ducks were all about. That being said, I don’t need it on vinyl, because it isn’t a title I’ll put on frequently. It certainly deserves to be part of the archive, and an essential part of Neil’s career.

This is a fun performance from a group of talented people who are clearly having a good time, and deserve to get the recognition they obviously deserve. A great addition to the NY cannon, but probably not essential to the casual fan.

Peace 🙏

Thanks as always Dan for the thoughts and comment. Likewise, we also found  ‘High Flyin’ a pleasnat surprise.

After all these decades finally emerging from the Archives vaults. Amazing how 6 or 7 gigs in different venues got stitched together into a seamless concert anchored by some of Neil's tunes intermixed with straight ahead country rock. 

Can only imagine how much of a treat these intimate concerts were for those in the know.

Neil Young w/ The Ducks - 1977

 

More on Bootleg Singles: Neil Young Archives - Ducks 1977 & Rainbow 1973.

   Neil Young - August 1977 Catalyst Club, Santa Cruz, CA PHOTO: RICHARD MCCAFFREY/BAM

More on The Story of Neil Young’s Short-lived Santa Cruz Band The Ducks | Good Times.  Also, see Duck Tales: Eyewitness Report on Neil Young and The Ducks Concerts, Santa Cruz, CA - 1977.

 

More on  Neil Young's Official Bootleg Series.

Neil Young's Official Bootleg Series

 

• Where Are The Raps on Neil Young's ‘Somewhere Under The Rainbow?
• REVIEW: Neil Young's Latest Trifecta - 'Somewhere Under The Rainbow', 'High Flyin' ' & Molina, Talbot, Lofgren's 'All Roads Lead Home' | Davy's Cinema Flicks & Music Picks
• Comment of the Moment by Scotsman: Neil Young's Original Bootleg Series Releases: ‘Somewhere Under The Rainbow” & ‘High Flyin’
• Neil Young's Original Bootleg Series Releases: Original Bootleg Series Releases: ‘Somewhere Under The Rainbow” & ‘High Flyin’

Jeffrey Reid "Jeff" Blackburn: 1946 - 2023  w/ Neil Young(see A Tribute to Jeffrey Reid "Jeff" Blackburn: 1946 - 2023)

---

---

Where Are The Raps on Neil Young's ‘Somewhere Under The Rainbow” Official Bootleg?

 Under The Rainbow* - Nov 3*, 1973Neil Young's Original Bootleg Series Release #6   

Last week, Neil Young's Original Bootleg Series released ‘Somewhere Under The Rainbow” featuring the Santa Monica Flyers, recorded live at the Rainbow Theatre in London on Nov. 5, 1973.

What the bootleg recording quality of Rainbow '73 may lack in fidelity it "sears with passion", as our pal Davy observed in his video review.

Which brings us to the following question on Neil Young's Original Bootleg Series Releases: ‘Somewhere Under The Rainbow” & ‘High Flyin’ by Tomatron:

Will the digital version of Somewhere Under The Rainbow have the complete concert file released along with the album like most of the previous OBS albums had? 

I don’t recall there being a gap between the release of these albums last year and the addition of the full show minus edits, but maybe someone recalls more clearly. I did not, in a search of the site, find any separate updates regarding complete concert tracks. Of course they are only available for streaming and download through NYA. 

I did notice while listening to the amazing 11/5/73 live album that there are a few places where edits occur, and am wondering if the full unedited concert is available from Pete Long’s audience recording they utilized for the official bootleg release.

A good question Tomatron, where are the raps?

Neil Young's Official Bootleg Series  Citizen Kane Jr. Blues -- when streamed on NYA -- contains the full concert recording, including the between song raps, such as the semi-essential "Honeyslide Recipe" rap.

Track List | NYA(w/ link to full, unedited concert)
Citizen Kane Jr. Blues by Neil Young

The raps are not on the vinyl or CD releases themselves but only available on NYA.  (See Rustie Pro Tip on Navigating Neil Young Archives.)

The matter is not inconsequential for rustie grains , who consider the dark and liquid Tonight's The Night concerts with Neil's rambling tales to be as core to the experience as Jose Cuervo tequila. (See Dutch Translation of Liner Notes for Neil Young's Tonight's the Night album.)

More on  Neil Young's Original Bootleg Series Releases: ‘Somewhere Under The Rainbow” & ‘High Flyin’

 

Neil Young's Official Bootleg Series

---

---

Comment of the Moment by Scotsman: Neil Young's Original Bootleg Series Release: ‘Somewhere Under The Rainbow”

 Under The Rainbow* - Nov 3*, 1973Neil Young's Original Bootleg Series Release #6
  Our Comment of the Moment is from Neil Young's Original Bootleg Series Releases: ‘Somewhere Under The Rainbow” & ‘High Flyin’ by the fearless and faithful Scotsman:

According to folklore, go to the end of the rainbow, and you’ll find a pot of gold.

The gold is imaginary, of course.

But that’s okay. Because life’s pleasures are all in the mind, anyway — one way or another.

I think that’s a particularly useful “lens” to look through when appreciating (not “enjoying”: that would be the wrong word) an album like Somewhere Under the Rainbow.

If you come looking for showroom sound-quality… you ain’t gonna find it. Disappointment looms. Instead, the best way to approach this album is the same way we should approach all audience-tapes — as a potent tonic (and *stimulant*) for our imaginations.

Look for the “story” in the experience, and it no longer matters that the sound quality is decidedly rustic. In fact, in this particular instance, it may even be a good thing. Because the listener’s imagination has to work that bit harder. It has to actively dig in, get down in the trenches, instead of having the experience served up on a silver platter.

Enjoying an audience recording is not an effortless experience. It requires active *engagement*. And engagement is more important to enjoyment than sound quality.

Listening to this tape, our minds wander away to the Rainbow Theatre in London. It’s a drizzly evening—we imagine—in November 1973. Everything around us is in black-and-white, and our eyes are blurred — it’s as if we’ve mislaid our glasses, or contact lenses. Or perhaps we’ve just had too much to drink… just like the musicians on-stage.

Without being able to see clearly, we instead start to dream. The shackles of reality are tossed aside. We hear the sound of Ralph’s drums bouncing off the mahogany walls (I’m imagining they’re mahogany). Ben Keith’s steel guitar seems to bathe us in tequila at the same time it stabs us in the gut.

Neil Young isn’t quite visible. We can hear him, we can feel his soul communicating with us. But this isn’t a 4k video — It’s a rough-around-the-edges audience tape. And of course, that’s not at all the biting criticism it would read as if not preceded by the previous nine paragraphs.

In an ideal word, of course, perhaps we’d have a recording of this show that combined the best of both worlds: increased clarity *and* license-to-dream atmosphere, simultaneously.

But it’s important to note that it’s impossible to fully go to both extremes at once. Because when a dream becomes crystal-clear, it’s no longer identifiable as a dream at all. And music is all about dreaming.

Somewhere Under the Rainbow will be ignored by some because of its lo-fi sound quality. But being forced to steer clear of extreme clarity (because a better quality tape doesn’t exist) doesn’t do this record as much harm as we might expect. It’s an album that does everything it’s supposed to do, for anybody who cares enough to *lean into* the experience instead of shying away.

The gritty razor’s edge of the performance is sharpened and “pumped up” to danger levels by the overloaded recording. It’s a case of the art being in sync with the medium it’s presented on — causing the medium itself to become part of the art.

 

Back Cover w/ Bruce Berry

 Under The Rainbow* - Nov 3*, 1973 

Neil Young's Original Bootleg Series Release #6

 

How about the music itself? Ask a Neil Young fan what Tonight’s the Night is all about, and maybe he’ll reply “Bruce Berry”. (Bruce is mentioned by name in the first two words of the title track’s lyrics, and his photo is on the back cover of Somewhere Under the Rainbow.)

That’s true, of course. But there’s more to it than that. Tonight’s the Night is about the realisation that “all that glitters is not gold” (Don’t Be Denied) and “Everything is cheaper than it looks”.

And even more than that, it’s about Danny Whitten.

Danny’s death overshadows this entire period — from Tuscaloosa to Times Fades Away, to the Roxy, to a place under the rainbow where the musicians on stage ignite their sorrows in burning liquor.

30 years later, Neil would write Leave the Driving and Carmichael. These songs have always felt like blood relatives of Tonight’s the Night — direct descendants.

What connects them? Drugs, death, mourning, grief, and guilt.

Maybe your opinion parallels mine: many of Neil’s fans need to work a little harder at understanding exactly why Times Fades Away is Neil’s least favourite record. Because once we do that, we can see why the move from arenas to the Roxy was so cathartic, and why Tonight’s the Night is infused with heartwarming sadness whilst Tuscaloosa is merely depressed.

The song at the heart of all this is Don’t Be Denied. Written the day after Danny’s death, the song has an inspiring element to it *and* a tortured element. Why? Because the singer believes he can save others, and maybe even save himself. But he knows it’s too late to save Danny.

(As outsiders with a healthy distance from the subject, we can instantly recognise two things: Neil Young was not personally responsible for Danny Whitten’s death, but must have felt like he was for a long, long time.)

At the Rainbow, Don’t be Denied grabs us by the throat *and* keels over backwards in a pool of tequila — simultaneously. And that description kind of sums this record as a whole. It’s edgier than Roxy… less controlled, less of a laid-back party, and more of an intense exorcising of demons.

The floodgates open, and we pick through the mess.

I’ve always had a soft spot for audience recordings. Because they have character. A well-mixed professional recording will often have more wow-factor, nuance and detail, but only the best (including more than a few of the concerts featured on the NYA timeline) can match them for magic.

I like to hear the room the music was made in — the haunting reverb (though not as artificial-sounding and tunnel-like as on Noise and Flowers).

Most of all, I like music that inspires the listener to become involved.

And Somewhere Under the Rainbow does that, in abundance. Oh, It’s a scary record, for sure — and I’m glad not all of Neil’s record sound like this. But I’m also glad this one does.

And listen to Neil’s voice floating in the air on Human Highway, conjuring a few ghosts along with it, and you may even charitably decide that the quality of this album isn’t just acceptable: it’s actually the definitive document of a complex, captivating period that demands a close look, and a empathetic listen.

Scotsman.

Thanks so much for the visit Scotsman!  Like the swallows returning to Capistrano, sharing your thoughts here on TW on the latest by Neil is certainly a welcome omen and portends an auspicious Spring.

We've been enjoying your writings over on Patreon as well and encourage other rustie grains to visit and peruse.

More on Neil Young's Original Bootleg Series Releases: ‘Somewhere Under The Rainbow” & ‘High Flyin’.

‘High Flyin’ & ‘Somewhere Under The Rainbow”  Neil Young's Original Bootleg Series Releases
(More on Neil Young's Original Bootleg Series Releases: ‘Somewhere Under The Rainbow” & ‘High Flyin’) 

Neil Young's Official Bootleg Series

 

---

---

Neil Young's Original Bootleg Series Releases: ‘Somewhere Under The Rainbow” & ‘High Flyin’

‘High Flyin’ & ‘Somewhere Under The Rainbow”  Neil Young's Original Bootleg Series Releases
(Click photo to enlarge)

 

While tonight's the night, tomorrow's the day!

Neil Young's Original Bootleg Series has two new releases tomorrow, Friday April 14: ‘Somewhere Under The Rainbow” and ‘High Flyin’.

‘Somewhere Under The Rainbow” features Neil Young with the Santa Monica Flyers, recorded live at the Rainbow Theatre in London on Nov. 5, 1973. ‘High Flyin’ features Neil Young with The Ducks on a 3LP live album recorded over the summer of 1977.

From Glide Magazine by Doug Collette:

"The recording of Neil Young's 'Somewhere Under The Rainbow' radiates palpable resolve and despair in almost equal measure, plus an air of genuine catharsis."

 

 Under The Rainbow* - Nov 3*, 1973  

Nils Lofgren says as he’s played in England over the past 30 years there’s always at least one person who’ll apologize for “booing and yelling for hits” during that Rainbow concert, telling him:

 “’and now I realize I witnessed one of the greatest artistic nights of my life.’” 

(via ABC Audio)

 

"Tonight’s the Night may sound like your drunk uncle at a wake, but it’s cathartic, funereal country-rock at its finest, simultaneously agonizing yet gorgeous. “It was a healing, commiserative experience since we were trying to deal with the fact that all our friends and heroes were starting to drop dead,” Lofgren recently told Rolling Stone. "

More on Neil Young's Official Bootleg: Under The Rainbow* - Nov 3*, 1973.

 

More on Bootleg Singles: Neil Young Archives - Ducks 1977 & Rainbow 1973.

   Neil Young - August 1977 Catalyst Club, Santa Cruz, CA PHOTO: RICHARD MCCAFFREY/BAM

More on The Story of Neil Young’s Short-lived Santa Cruz Band The Ducks | Good Times.  Also, see Duck Tales: Eyewitness Report on Neil Young and The Ducks Concerts, Santa Cruz, CA - 1977.

More on  Neil Young's Official Bootleg Series.

Neil Young's Official Bootleg Series

---

---