Garth Hudson: 1937 – 2025 + Statement by Neil Young

Garth Hudson & Neil Young - 2010
(Click photo to enlarge)

The Band's Garth Hudson passed away recently at age 87. 

Neil Young has released a statement on T-C | Neil Young Archives  on memories of Garth Hudson.

GARTH via  T-C | Neil Young Archives 
Back in 2010, Garth Hudson produced an all-Canadian tribute album which honors the Band. The album features Neil Young with The Sadies on "This Wheel's on Fire".

Canadian Celebration of the Band

Hudson says of the Young/Sadies collaboration:

"It all came together very easily.

I was privileged to watch Neil with Mr. Bob Young backstage in Toronto and London; the concerts in London and Toronto were amazing. And Neil's equipment is not the type you expect, it's not the usual. His amplifiers are very special, a combination of old and new technology. 

It's an amazing sound, a sound you can't get with digital electronics and digital gear."

Garth Hudson & Neil Young w/ The Sadies - 2010

More on "This Wheel's on Fire": Neil Young w/ The Sadies on All-Canadian Tribute Album to The Band. + 

• This Neil’s on Fire: A Classic Cut Reborn

Neil Young & The Sadies - "This Wheel's On Fire"

Produced by Garth Hudson

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What Happens When a Beloved Rock Star Gets Fed Up? | Neil Young's 1974 On the Beach Album | The Atlantic

Neil Young's On The Beach - 1974
 (Click photo to enlarge)

 

Last year, we shared the news that Neil Young is planning a 50th anniversary edition of the album On The Beach. 

And here we are in 2024 -- and while no 50th anniversary edition details as of yet --  we did get news on Neil Young Archives Vol. III, a 17 CD BOX SET.

Nevertheless, the tributes to Neil Young's 1974 masterpiece continue to roll in.  Here's the latest: What Happens When a Beloved Rock Star Gets Fed Up? | Neil Young was never more paranoid or pessimistic than with 1974’s On the Beach—for good reason | The Atlantic by Elizabeth Nelson. (thanks Bob G.!)

By the year of On the Beach’s release, rock and roll had become big business, and the American concert landscape was changing as a result. 

Bob Dylan and the Band had reconvened on their multimillion-grossing run of dates, and CSNY, too, had begun to sell out stadiums and arenas on what came to be known, by dint of its excess, as the Doom Tour. In time, messianic pop singers would create grotesque carbon footprints in the interest of advancing their brands. Young and his band were fueled by a combination of potent fried weed and honey, called “honey slides”—and the creeping paranoia that accompanies getting too stoned matches the mood of the album’s closing songs.

Young sounds confused but resolute.

On the almost seven-minute title track,he makes suggestions, seemingly to himself: “Get out of town, think I’ll get out of town,” in a way that makes you think as a listener, He’s never going to get out of town. “Motion Pictures”—an elegy for his estranged partner, the actor Carrie Snodgress—is about Young embracing the beauty of nature, as the people around him are captivated by their television sets. “All those people, they think they’ve got it made,” he sings. “I wouldn’t buy, sell, borrow, or trade / Anything I have to be like one of them.” He sings: “I’d rather start all over again.”

Full article @  What Happens When a Beloved Rock Star Gets Fed Up? | Neil Young was never more paranoid or pessimistic than with 1974’s On the Beach—for good reason | The Atlantic by Elizabeth Nelson. 

More on Neil Young's 1974 masterpiece album On The Beach ...

Rare "On The Beach" Poster with Neil facing camera

 (Click photo to enlarge)

 

More on Neil Young's "Ditch Trilogy/Quadrilogy".

Neil Young's "Ditch Quadrilogy" (see Neil Young's "Ditch Quadrilogy" Re-Re-Release is Finally Coming! Official Release Series Discs 5-8 (4CD): May 12, 2017 Release)

 

"The Drought" & "On The Beach"(see The Surrealism of Neil Young's "On The Beach" Album )

 

Also, see:

• On The Beach Album by Neil Young: A 50 Year Old Masterpiece  
• Comment of the Moment: 50th Anniversary Edition of Neil Young's On The Beach Album Planned 
• The Essentials: On the Beach by Neil Young | The Old Grey Cat
• "Time Fades Away", "Tonight’s the Night" & "On the Beach": The Beautiful, Enduring Gloom of Neil Young's Ditch Trilogy
  
• The Surrealism of Neil Young's "On The Beach" Album
  
• Tattoo of the Moment: "On The Beach Face" Neil Young's Album Cover
• On The Beach: 45 Years Later, Still Neil Young’s "Most Beautiful (and Most Depressing) Album")
• Nick Cave and His Favorite Neil Young "Hiding Song": "On the Beach"
  

 

Neil Young On The Beach: Reflecting on Reflections 

(See  On The Beach: 45 Years Later, Still Neil Young’s "Most Beautiful (and Most Depressing) Album")

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Jason Isbell & Dave Matthews Cover Neil Young's "Cortez" in Mexico

Dave Matthews with Jason Isbell  (Click photo to enlarge) 

Here is a cover of Neil Young’s "Cortez the Killer" by Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds with Jason Isbell joining in Cancun, Mexico on Feb 15, 2024.

 

Or, as described succinctly by AL.com:

"A trio of musicians born in Alabama, South Africa and Germany wowed fans in Mexico by playing a song about a 16th century Spanish conqueror written by a 20th century Canadian hippie." 

 

And here's another cover the next night here if you're so inclined.

Also, see VIDEO: Dinosaur Jr., Warren Haynes, Kurt Vile Cover Neil Young’s Cortez the Killer

More on Jason Isbell: My Musical Life in Five Riffs (#2 - Neil Young’s “Cortez the Killer”).

More on Neil Young’s "Cortez the Killer". 

 J Mascis & Jason Isbell

Music Hall of Williamsburg, New York - 12-6-23(see VIDEO: Dinosaur Jr. & Jason Isbell Cover Neil Young’s "Cortez the Killer" - Brooklyn, NY, 12/6/23 )

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VIDEO: Dinosaur Jr. & Jason Isbell Cover Neil Young’s "Cortez the Killer" - Brooklyn, NY, 12/6/23

 J Mascis & Jason IsbellMusic Hall of Williamsburg, New York - 12-6-23(Click photo to enlarge)

Another cover of Neil Young’s "Cortez the Killer" as set closer by Dinosaur Jr./J Mascis with Jason Isbell at the residency celebrating 30 years of “Where You Been” at Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn, NY on 12/6/23.

 

 

More on the concert at J & J: Watch Jason Isbell Join Dinosaur Jr. On Blistering Neil Young Cover In Brooklyn | JAMBASE by Andy Kahn.

Also, see VIDEO: Dinosaur Jr., Warren Haynes, Kurt Vile Cover Neil Young’s Cortez the Killer

More on Jason Isbell: My Musical Life in Five Riffs (#2 - Neil Young’s “Cortez the Killer”).

More on Neil Young’s "Cortez the Killer".

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The Needle and the Damage Done (Reimagined by Marianne Kesler)

Frame via "The Needle and the Damage Done" As Reimagined by Marianne Kesler

Here is a cover of the Neil Young song "The Needle and the Damage Done"  as "reimagined " by Marianne Kesler.

Find this heartfelt reflection of her Dad, who struggled with a 27 year narcotics addiction.

  

"The Needle and the Damage Done" is track 12 of the Pear in the Pink Thing (Reimagined) series by Marianne Kesler.

Pear in the Pink Thing (Reimagined) has original songs plus two Neil Young covers. 

Album & songs on website: http://www.mariannekesler.com

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VIDEO: Dinosaur Jr., Warren Haynes, Kurt Vile Cover Neil Young’s Cortez the Killer

 J Mascis & Warren Haynes Music Hall of Williamsburg, New York - 12-2-23(Click photo to enlarge)  

Warren Haynes and Kurt Vile joined Dinosaur Jr. with J Mascis for a cover of Neil Young’s "Cortez the Killer" at Music Hall of Williamsburg in New York on 12-2-23.

 

More on the concert at Warren Haynes lends his epic solo chops to Dinosaur Jr. as he jams Neil Young and the Cure with J Mascis | Guitar World by Jonathan Horsley.

 

More on Neil Young’s "Cortez the Killer".

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Chrome Dreams by Neil Young - UPDATED

 Chrome Dreams by Neil Young Art by Ronnie Wood, Christmas '76  (Click photo to enlarge)

 

UPDATE June 30: This is now officially posted on NYA w/ "Sedan Delivery" preview stream.

Neil Young Archives

 

The May 22, 1975 version of “Sedan Delivery,” is a much slower, mellower take  with a lyric variation:  

"The full moon is in my shoulder

I’m feeling a better way

there’s no one to say goodbye to

there’s no one to make me stay"

1. Pocahontas.............(3:24)
2. Will to Love...........(7:11)
3. Star of Bethlehem......(2:42)
4. Like a Hurricane.......(8:14)
5. Too Far Gone...........(2:41)
6. Hold Back the Tears....(5:16)
7. Homegrown..............(2:20)
8. Captain Kennedy........(2:55)
9. Stringman..............(3:32)
10. Sedan Delivery.........(5:22)
11. Powderfinger...........(3:23)
12. Look Out for My Love...(4:06)

 

 Neil Young: Chrome Dreams Era c~1975

 

From Rusted Moon:

"Chrome Dreams" was supposed to be released in early 1977 as a follow-up to "Zuma".

Neil Young included song material from the Zuma sessions with "Crazy Horse" (1975), recordings at his ranch and the Indigo Ranch solo session for "Hitchiker" (1976). However, Neil Young dropped the already completed work, of which a test pressing already existed, and released "American Stars'n Bars" instead. Five of the twelve songs ended up on this album. More songs appeared - some in different versions - in the following two years on the albums "Comes A Time" and "Rust Never Sleeps". The versions intended for "Chrome Dreams" at the time have since appeared on other archive albums such as "Hitchhiker" or in "Archives Vol. 2".

Per PR:

"Powderfinger" is the early/first solo version, the original.

"Pocahontas" is the same version that first appeared on RUST NEVER SLEEPS, but without the overdubs.

"Sedan Delivery" and "Hold Back the Tears" are originals with lyrics that were not included in later released versions. Both are very different versions than previously released.

"Stringman," is another original performance, included on the ODEON/BUDOKAN disc in ARCHIVES VOL. II; prior to that the song had only appeared on Young's UNPLUGGED album in a later version, not the original.

UPDATE:  The album cover preview and advance track have been removed from Apple Music. We do not have any further info on why Apple Music apparently violated an embargo and/or shenanigans are at work here.  Any further details would be appreciated.  Drop a comment below.

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Here is a preview of the album cover for the upcoming  Chrome Dreams by Neil Young.

The release date is August 4, 2023 by Other Shoe Productions.  Artwork looks to be by Ronnie Wood, Christmas '76. (NOTE: Neil - "original cover (drawn by Briggs) was burned in my house fire in 78 - lost forever.")

Image courtesy of Mike "Road Dawg" who tells us that this is now posted on Apple Music with "Sedan Delivery" now streaming.

Recall a LTE on NYA in 2022,

"Chrome Dreams was mastered and I used to have a recording of it (test pressing) that burned in a fire with my house. It was a good record that I passed by, having written so many songs at the time."

 More background from Ward W on NYU | FB:

"Pocahontas, Powderfinger, and Captain Kennedy are the Hitchhiker versions. 

 

Bethlehem is the Homegrown/Stars Bars take. Homegrown, Hurricane, and Will To Live are the Stars Bars versions. Stringman and Too Far Gone are in Archives 2. Look Out For My Love is the Comes A Time version. So if not for Hitchhiker and Archives 2, this is a little repetitive. But Sedan Delivery is terrific, and Hold Back The Tears is a cool solo acoustic alternate."

And recall another LTE on NYA in 2022,

‘chrome Dreams’ from 77 is an acetate - a finished record - unreleased. NYA has that acetate. It will be released in its entirety as a “Special Release Series” offering. It’s from the Volume 2 period. I believe some songs on it are on Vol 2.
It will get made eventually. I hope you will like it. It was a finished record…until I changed my mind……

 

Chrome Dreams II (2007)

by Neil Young

 

And who can forget Chrome Dreams II? (see them critics sitting alone react in reviews from back in the day... after those days that used to be...) For example,

From  Uncut.co.uk 2007 review of Neil Young's "Chrome Dreams II":

"I’ve heard “Chrome Dreams II” now, and I’m broadly struggling to see its connection to the first mythical set.

In some ways, it’s a kind of reverse: if “Chrome Dreams” was a collection of great Neil songs that were subsequently dispersed across various disparate albums, “Chrome Dreams II” in part seems to be a collection of disparate, mainly great Neil songs that have been gathered together, somewhat belatedly."

The Neil Young album released in 2007 when the 1st version release never even occurred?  And here we are in 2023 - some 15 years later -- we are finally scheduled to get Chrome Dreams #1.

That Neil. Always throwing the curve balls. Because you have to throw curve balls in order to stay ahead of the curves.

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Comment of the Moment: 50th Anniversary Edition of Neil Young's On The Beach Album Planned

Neil Young's On The Beach - 1974
 (Click photo to enlarge) 

Yesterday, we shared the news that Neil Young is planning a 50th anniversary edition of the album On The Beach.

Our Comment of the Moment on 50th Anniversary Edition of Neil Young's On The Beach Album Planned by Richie Cruz:

Please leave On The Beach as it is, always was, and hopefully always will be. No extra songs, no outtakes, no filler, none of that garbage.

You released a perfect album in 1974, nothing can improve on that. Anything you add takes away from the masterpiece, which is often the case when artists cash in on some meaningless anniversary crap. If anything was left off the original, there's a reason. What was originally released was perfect.

I know I'm probably a lone wolf on the subject, but I've always believed you're okay being a lone wolf most of the time as well. I know the Neil Young of 1974 would think this is a bad idea, I'm hoping the Neil Young of 2023 still feels the same. Please leave On The Beach as it was meant to be. 

Hope you think about it.

Ok, got it Richie and we hear your passion for perfection.  We tend to agree not to mess with the original release. But...

How about the outtakes, demos, etc be on a separate disc? Maybe include the OTB poster? And prints from the OTB photo session?  Along with proper vinyl reprinting to include the umbrella design inside jacket.

Rare "On The Beach" Poster with Neil facing camera

 (Click photo to enlarge)

 

More on Neil Young's "Ditch Trilogy/Quadrilogy".

Neil Young's "Ditch Quadrilogy" (see Neil Young's "Ditch Quadrilogy" Re-Re-Release is Finally Coming! Official Release Series Discs 5-8 (4CD): May 12, 2017 Release)

 

"The Drought" & "On The Beach"(see The Surrealism of Neil Young's "On The Beach" Album )

 

Also, see:

• The Essentials: On the Beach by Neil Young | The Old Grey Cat
• "Time Fades Away", "Tonight’s the Night" & "On the Beach": The Beautiful, Enduring Gloom of Neil Young's Ditch Trilogy
  
• The Surrealism of Neil Young's "On The Beach" Album
  
• Tattoo of the Moment: "On The Beach Face" Neil Young's Album Cover
• On The Beach: 45 Years Later, Still Neil Young’s "Most Beautiful (and Most Depressing) Album")
• Nick Cave and His Favorite Neil Young "Hiding Song": "On the Beach"
  

 

Neil Young On The Beach: Reflecting on Reflections 

(See  On The Beach: 45 Years Later, Still Neil Young’s "Most Beautiful (and Most Depressing) Album")

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50th Anniversary Edition of Neil Young's On The Beach Album Planned

Rare "On The Beach" Poster with Neil facing camera (Click photo to enlarge) 

A 50th anniversary edition of Neil Young's On The Beach album is being planned, per a recent Letter to Editor on Neil Young Archives.

"Yes. we will be having a ‘50th’ On the beach. i am getting right on it."

Letter to Editor | Neil Young Archives

 

In 2022, we posted on The Essentials: On the Beach by Neil Young | The Old Grey Cat where the album OTB is considered to be the critical link in Neil Young's "Ditch Trilogy/Quadrilogy".

We sense a surge in relevance of On the Beach to the these times in which we live.  The parallels between the 1970's and today are unmistakable to all but those  asleep and unaware of the pending Big Shift.

More on Neil Young's "Ditch Trilogy/Quadrilogy".

Neil Young's "Ditch Quadrilogy" (see Neil Young's "Ditch Quadrilogy" Re-Re-Release is Finally Coming! Official Release Series Discs 5-8 (4CD): May 12, 2017 Release)

 

Also, see:

• The Essentials: On the Beach by Neil Young | The Old Grey Cat
• "Time Fades Away", "Tonight’s the Night" & "On the Beach": The Beautiful, Enduring Gloom of Neil Young's Ditch Trilogy
  
• The Surrealism of Neil Young's "On The Beach" Album
  
• Tattoo of the Moment: "On The Beach Face" Neil Young's Album Cover
• On The Beach: 45 Years Later, Still Neil Young’s "Most Beautiful (and Most Depressing) Album")
• Nick Cave and His Favorite Neil Young "Hiding Song": "On the Beach"
  

 

Neil Young On The Beach: Reflecting on Reflections 

(See  On The Beach: 45 Years Later, Still Neil Young’s "Most Beautiful (and Most Depressing) Album")

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Jimmy Fallon Spoofs Neil Young Singing "Angela Bassett Did The Thing" | The Tonight Show

"Neil Young Did The Thing" | The Tonight Show

 

The irrepressible Jimmy Fallon strikes yet again with another Neil Young cover. 

But -- as usual -- we just don't have a clue here.  If you can figure this out, drop a comment below.

Neil Young (Jimmy Fallon)

 

From YouTube description: 

"Neil Young Sings "Angela Bassett Did The Thing" | The Tonight Show". Neil Young (Jimmy Fallon) recreates Ariana DeBose's viral rap performance from the BAFTAs."

Got it??!! 

  

 

Jimmy Fallon has a long history with punking Neil Young.

Jimmy Fallon  “Fuckin’ Up"

(see Jimmy Fallon Strikes Again w/ Another Neil Young Fuck Up )

"Two Neil Youngs on a Tree Stump"
Neil Young and Jimmy Fallon

 

"Old Man"
Neil Young on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" - 2015

Bruce Springsteen and Neil Young: "Whip My Hair" - 2010 

Jimmy Fallon as Neil Young | Letterman - 2012 

Of course, who could ever forget Neil Young News: Another Jimmy Fallon Impression: "Pants On The Ground"???

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REMINDER - CONTEST: Record Collector Magazine Presents Neil Young

Record Collector Magazine Presents Neil Young
(Click photo to enlarge)

 

A comprehensive guide to Neil Young's music is now available from Record Collector Magazine.

Also, thanks to Record Collector Magazine, Thrasher's Wheat will have a contest a contest to win a free issue.  See contest details here.

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CONTEST: Record Collector Magazine Presents Neil Young (& TW, too!)

Record Collector Magazine Presents Neil Young
(Click photo to enlarge)

 

A comprehensive guide to Neil Young's music is now available from Record Collector Magazine.

Also, thanks to Record Collector Magazine, Thrasher's Wheat will have a contest a contest to win a free issue.  Details below.

 

4 Way Street

Record Collector Magazine 

 

We here at Thrasher's Wheat were honored to participate with
Record Collector Magazine on this special edition and are very much looking forward to our copy arriving any day now. In the meantime...

Record Collector Presents Neil Young... 

 

Fifty years on from his signature album Harvest, we celebrate the astonishing career of Neil Young, one of the world’s most enduring artists. In this special 116-page magazine, we track Young’s life and music from his early days on the scene through to the present day. There are in-depth features on his much-loved albums, Harvest and After The Gold Rush, as well as detailed reviews of his numerous LPs. We look at his years in Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, plus we showcase fan collections, share memorabilia and curios, and uncover plenty of rare and collectable vinyl. 

 

The definitive guide to a genuine musical legend.

 

Silver and Gold

Record Collector Magazine

 

Record Collector Presents NEIL YOUNG

Take a look inside… 👇

Order your copy here👉https://t.co/2NrFtjmKQE#neilyoung #neilyoungcover #neilyoungarchives #davidcrosby #crosbystillsandnashandyoung #CSNY #harvesttime #crazyhorse #buffalospringfield #thrasherswheat pic.twitter.com/O0WtszSRKv

— Record Collector Mag (@RecCollMag) February 3, 2023

Pre Order your copy now at:  shop.recordcollectormag.com/rcneiltw

Harvest Festival (w/ TW!)

Record Collector Magazine 

 

CONTEST: Record Collector Magazine Presents Neil Young

A lucky Thrasher's Wheat supporters will be eligible to win a copy of Record Collector Magazine Presents Neil Young. We truly appreciate being able to do what we do here at TW, and we love being able to give something back in return.

To enter the contest, follow these steps:

#1) Subscribe (or be already subscribed) to our email list.

2) Then just email us @

Email <Thrasher@thrasherswheat.org>  

Include your name, postal mailing address, including *COUNTRY*.

Entries must be emailed to <Thrasher@thrasherswheat.org>   with SUBJECT line: CONTEST - "Record Collector Magazine Presents Neil Young"

Deadline: Monday, February 13, 5PM EST

Uncut will then randomly select Thrasher's Wheat readers as winners.

Don't Be Denied!

AND/OR: 

Pre Order your copy now at:  shop.recordcollectormag.com/rcneiltw

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Details on Uncut Magazine Neil Young Cover - February 2023

Neil YoungUncut Magazine - February 2023  (Click photo to enlarge) 

The February 2023 issue of Uncut Magazine features Neil Young on the cover.

The issue has an interview with Neil about his 2022 -- Barn, Toast, World Record, the Harvest film documentary, along with a look ahead to 2023.

 

"He never stops and fades away"

 

So what would Nils Lofgren of Crazy Horse like to see released in Neil Young’s Archive Series? Outtakes of Trans recorded in Hawaii, he tells Mojo magazine. (Thanks Harrison!) Maybe “Johnny’s Island”, as Neil has alluded? (thanks John H!)

Also, Neil Young says:

“I got a lot of stuff to clean up.

I’ve got a big mess that I left behind. I’ve created a lot of unfinished records, unfinished this and that. I now have the time to deal with it, focus on it.

But at the same time, anything new takes precedent—always. Once I start thinking about something new, I drop the old stuff right away and do the new thing.”

Producer Rick Rubin, who also worked on World Record and portions of Toast, said that Young isn’t the most conventional record maker.

“Time doesn’t move at traditional speed where Neil is involved,” said Rubin. “Some things seem to come out impossibly quickly. Other times, they live in obscurity for years until the inclination to release something appeals to Neil.”

See back issues of Uncut Magazine.

Uncut Neil Young Cover: Issue 285 - February 2021 

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Canada's Arbutus Global Middle School Covers Neil Young's "Heart of Gold"

Canadian Music Class Challenge

 

OK, we admit it.  We're just a bunch of suckers for cute kids doing Neil Young cover songs. 

Here is Neil Young's song "Heart of Gold" covered by Canada's Arbutus Global Middle School as part of Canadian Music Class Challenge. enjoy

 

From video description:

These incredible Grade 6,7 and 8 music students from Arbutus Global Middle School in Victoria BC live, learn and make music on the beautiful lands of the Songhees, Esquimalt and WSANEC peoples. We are thrilled to be participating in the CBC Music Class Challenge and share our latest entry of Neil Young’s Heart of Gold. 

Putting this arrangement together has been a labour of love. We hope you enjoy our video! 

For more information about the Canadian Music Class Challenge please visit: http://cbcmusic.ca/musicclass

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Uncut Magazine Neil Young Cover - February 2023

Neil YoungUncut Magazine - February 2023  (Click photo to enlarge) 

The February 2023 issue of Uncut Magazine features Neil Young on the cover.
 

The issue has an interview with Neil about his 2022 -- Barn, Toast, World Record, the Harvest film documentary, along with a look ahead to 2023.

See back issues of Uncut Magazine.

Uncut Neil Young Cover: Issue 285 - February 2021 

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Grammy Nomination for Beck's Neil Young Cover of "Old Man" + "A Band a Brotherhood a Barn" Film Nominated

Best Rock Performance Grammy Nominations 2023

 

Beck has a Grammy nomination for Best Rock Performance for a Neil Young cover song of "Old Man.

Also, on a brighter note,  a Grammy nomination for Neil Young & Crazy Horse – A Band a Brotherhood a Barn in Best Music Film category.  But still no major Grammy  nomination for Neil after 7 decades in the music business. (see The Story Behind Why Neil Young Has Never Won a Major GRAMMY Award.)

 A Band a Brotherhood a Barn -

Neil Young w/ Crazy Horse 

Back to the irony here which is unbelievably rich.

 

 

To rewind just a bit, back in September, Beck covered Neil Young’s song ‘Old Man’ for a NFL TV commercial.

 

 

Beck Covering Neil Young’s ‘Old Man’ for NFL Commercial

 

Why this song was specifically chosen to promote football was never well understood and made little sense from a marketing perspective. Because old men are target market and watch lots of tee-vee, perhaps?

This sparked a bit of a flare up on the long running controversies involving artists selling out for commercial purposes.

 

Sponsored by Nobody?!
Neil Young's 1988 "This Note's for You"

 

On Instagram, Young posted a photo showing him holding a beer bottle with a label that reads, "SPONSORED BY NOBODY" without a caption.  hmmmm...

Neil Young| Instagram

The photo posted on IG is from the video for the 1988 Bluenotes song "This Note's for You" in which the musician parodied fellow artists (like Michael Jackson, Eric Clapton, etc.) who used themselves and their songs for product and company advertising.

As we reported in January 2021, Neil Young sold his copyrights for 1,180 songs to Hipgnosis Songs Fund for $150,000,000.

"There will never be a ‘Burger of Gold’":

 Merck Mercuriadis - Founder, Hipgnosis Songs Fund Limited

(See These Notes Are For Who? Neil Young Sells Song Catalog Stake For $150,000,000 )

 

Merck Mercuriadis, founder of Hipgnosis Songs Fund Limited, stated at the time:

"Hipgnosis and Young have a common integrity, ethos and passion born out of a belief in music and these important songs. There will never be a ‘Burger of Gold’ but we will work together to make sure everyone gets to hear them on Neil's terms.”

"There will never be a ‘Burger of Gold’".   Seems clear enough.  No worries, right?

So does the promise made above hold for Young’s classic song ‘Old Man’? Is this very poor taste usage not akin to ‘Burger of Gold’"?  Apparently it did not.

The question is why?

How could those statements above reconcile with the travesty of what became known as a "spectacularly bad idea and in poor taste"?

Neil Young - "Cough Up the Buck$" Video - 2008

So why did Neil Young authorize and agree to this usage? Or maybe he didn't authorize this because the decision was handled by the new ownership stake in his catalog?

Our earlier cautions about "risking the "family jewels"  was actually addressed directly by Neil Young himself on NYA. (Also, please note some of our clarifications on this subject after the giant hullabaloo/kerfuffle in 2021.)

"gotta watch out for the greedy hand

the greedy hand" 

 

The Greedy Hand | Neil Young Store | WBR

Also, see this 2007 piece The Price of Neil: When Art and Commerce Collide.  More on "Cough Up the Buck$": Neil Young's Song of the Day | NYA. 

 

 

"Old Man" art by Ianardo

 

Also, see The Story Behind Why Neil Young Has Never Won a Major GRAMMY Award.

 

"Best Art Direction on a Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package"
Jenice Heo, Neil Young, and Gary Burden
Grammy Award Pre-telecast Ceremony, Los Angeles, Jan 31, 2010 ( see The Story Behind Why Neil Young Has Never Won a Major GRAMMY Award)
Photo by Matt Sayles/Associated Press 

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