"I Don’t Want To Talk About It": Was Song Co-written by Nils Lofgren?

ASK ME ANYTHINGNils Lofgren | Instagram

Here's a great story from Nils Lofgren about Danny Whitten's song with Crazy Horse titled "I Don’t Want To Talk About It".

From an email from Robert over on Neil Young Unreleased:

You really need to listen to Nil’s story about this famous song. 

It makes Nils seem an incredibly generous soul to me. This beautiful plaintive ballad has always been credited as being written solo by Danny Whitten. It was a major hit for Rod Stewart, even reaching number 1 in the UK, so royalties must have been abundant. Neil performed it a number of times in 1982 as a tribute to Danny, but never released it on physical media.

It now seems Nils helped to write the original song by contributing the main part of the second verse, helping to finish it and make it ready to be recorded by Crazy Horse for their first album. And yet Nils has never had - and presumably has never laid claim to - a co-writing credit. Was he helping Danny out in a time of need? Many have been given a co-writing credit for much less - Neil is specially generous with others in that respect. 

But the implications behind this recollection by Nils are pretty amazing and very admirable. 

Top hat off to you, Nils.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Nils Lofgren (@realnilslofgren)

 

Thanks so much Robert & Neil Young Unreleased. Yes, a great story from Nils on the early Crazy Horse days.

Like you mentioned in our exchange, the question mark in the title is actually superfluous. By any normal standards it is clearly a co-write with Nils even if not officially registered as such. What is interesting, is that Nils presumably never asked for, expected or claimed it, not even after Danny was gone.

Lastly, here is Nils Lofgren with Pegi Young and Mickey Raphael perfoming "I Don't Want To Talk About It" (Danny Whitten/Crazy Horse) at Bridge School Benefit 30 concert, Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mountain View, CA on 23 October 2016. (thanks wsanjose01 !)

"I Don't Want To Talk About It"

 

Remembering Danny Whitten: 1943 - 1972

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Comment of the Moment: "ALL ROADS LEAD HOME": MTL&Y = Ralph Molina, Billy Talbot, Nils Lofgren & Neil Young

 

MTL&Y

 Nils Lofgren, Billy Talbot, Neil Young & Ralph Molina & ???

 

Ralph Molina, Billy Talbot, Nils Lofgren and Neil Young have completed a new album titled All Roads Lead Home and scheduled for release on March 31.

Here is the Comment of the Moment on "ALL ROADS LEAD HOME": MTL&Y = Ralph Molina, Billy Talbot, Nils Lofgren & Neil Young by Ron:

I  have been enjoying listening to this tune by Nils too. 

He is indeed a very talented guy - guitar, piano, accordion and vocals he can do it all - and its good to see his brother Tom involved again too.

I saw Nils a few times in the seventies and they were great shows. As part of the show he and Tom used to get together on one song and pick each other's guitar strings while fingering the notes on their own guitars. Bit of a gimmick but the crowds loved it. And then of course Nils would do a backflip on a mini trampoline for fun too.

Nils was quite big in the UK in the seventies - he appeared on the unique Old Grey Whistle Test show on UK TV a few times which helped. His first self-titled solo album and Cry Tough were and are big favourites of mine. Billy and Ralph sing on one track on Cry Tough.

He still tours solo/with friends in the UK regularly. I saw him a few years back and it was another great show. A great mix of acoustic and electric songs and he even plays a harp on one song. He's a good storyteller too and has a many good anecdotes to share. Catch him if you can if he comes to your town.

PS - The first time I saw Nils the support act were a just starting out Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. They were great too and you just felt sure they were going to be stars. So sad that we lost Tom so young.

Thanks Ron for the CotM. Yes, Nils and Neil have quite a history... a tale we've told before that never gets old.

More on "ALL ROADS LEAD HOME": MTL&Y = Ralph Molina, Billy Talbot, Nils Lofgren & Neil Young.

'ALL ROADS LEAD HOME'Ralph Molina, Billy Talbot, Nils Lofgren & Neil Young 

 More on Nils Lofgren and Neil Young.

Nils Lofgren w/ Neil Young - "Believe"
29th Annual Bridge School Benefit Concerts
Photo by thrasher
(Click photo to enlarge)

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'ALL ROADS LEAD HOME': MTL&Y = Ralph Molina, Billy Talbot, Nils Lofgren & Neil Young

'ALL ROADS LEAD HOME'Ralph Molina, Billy Talbot, Nils Lofgren & Neil Young 

Ralph Molina, Billy Talbot, Nils Lofgren and Neil Young have completed a new album titled All Roads Lead Home. 

ALL ROADS LEAD HOME is available for pre-order now and is out March 31. 

STREAM "YOU WILL NEVER KNOW"

 

MTL&Y

 Nils Lofgren, Billy Talbot, Neil Young & Ralph Molina & ???

 

ALL ROADS LEAD HOME track listing:

1. RAIN - Billy Talbot
2. YOU WILL NEVER KNOW - Nils Lofgren
3. IT’S MAGICAL - Ralph Molina
4. SONG OF THE SEASONS - Neil Young
5. CHERISH - Billy Talbot
6. FILL MY CUP - Nils Lofgren
7. LOOK THROUGH THE EYES OF YOUR HEART - Ralph Molina
8. THE HUNTER - Billy Talbot
9. GO WITH ME - Nils Lofgren
10. JUST FOR YOU - Ralph Molina

CLICK HERE TO PRE-ORDER

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INTERVIEW: Nils Lofgren on his return to Neil Young and Crazy Horse | Guitar World

Nils Lofgren w/ Neil Young - "Believe"
29th Annual Bridge School Benefit Concerts
Photo by thrasher
(Click photo to enlarge)

Nils Lofgren recently sat down with Guitar World to give his own warts-and-all look at the making of Colorado with Neil Young and Crazy Horse.

Nils discusses the challenges - and also the magic - of recording at Studio in the Clouds. In addition, Nils discusses the similarities and differences in playing with Young and Bruce Springsteen.

From Nils Lofgren on his return to Neil Young and Crazy Horse: "We hit this groove and nobody wanted to stop" | Guitar World by Richard Bienstock:

Nils Lofgren: "So we didn't belabor anything. There was no, 'We're going to rehearse today and record tomorrow.' As soon as we got the technical glitches out of the way and we were able to roll tape, we started tracking - even though we were learning the songs at the same time."

"But it’s not unusual to any of us. I remember way back with Tonight's the Night, Neil and [producer] David Briggs said, 'Look, this is an anti-production record. We don't even want you learning the songs too well.'

"We'd get there around dinnertime, shoot pool, sip some tequila, share a joint, talk about all our friends we'd lost and commiserate. Then around midnight we'd go in and Neil would talk us through three or four songs and we’d get on our instruments and literally start playing. And once Neil gets the vocal, you are done. No one's allowed to change a note. It was that kind of same vibe this time, only we were all a bit happier."

Guitar World: How does that sort of looseness translate when you’re recording longer format songs? For example, She Showed Me Love from Colorado - is the framework completely open-ended when you’re tracking something like that? Do you have a sense of how long the song is going to go on while you’re recording it?

Nils Lofgren: "There was zero sense of it. Zero discussion of it. She Showed Me Love, it was late at night, everyone was fried, but we thought, 'Let's get set up.' And by the time we were set up, we figured, 'Let’s get the song ready, then we’ll come in fresh tomorrow and do it.' So we started playing it to get it ready.

"We all had our amps to where we could hear each other. We had a PA system for Neil to sing through in the room. We didn’t use headphones. We wanted to hear each other. So there was a lot of leakage. But Neil was singing well despite the late hour and the jam just happened.

"We kept watching Neil, and he kept going from rhythm to lead. We hit this groove and nobody wanted to stop. So I just kind of hung on a thematic rhythm because I didn't want to break it up. And all of a sudden I felt like, 'Yeah, this is Crazy Horse. We're down in this pocket. I don't want to mess with it.' And 13 minutes later we were still playing.

"Then the next day we came in and, you know, sometimes you come in, you listen and you go, 'Okay, that's good, let's pick up where we left off.' But there was something special there. It was kind of like we were discovering each other while we discovered the song. And Neil said, 'I think we're done. Let's go on to the next song.'"

Full interview @ Nils Lofgren on his return to Neil Young and Crazy Horse: "We hit this groove and nobody wanted to stop" | Guitar World by Richard Bienstock.

More on Nils Lofgren and Neil Young.

Nils Lofgren and Neil Young
Vote For Change tour 2004
St. Paul, Minnesota
Photo by Joseph Quever

REVIEW: MOUNTAINTOP - Neil Young & Crazy Horse

NYCH: Billy, Neil, Nils, & Ralph - April 2019
META-REVIEW: COLORADO by Neil Young & Crazy Horse

Also, see The Difference in Greatness: Bruce Springsteen and Neil Young.


The Difference in Greatness: Bruce Springsteen and Neil Young

"You know, the difference between the greatness of Bruce Springsteen and that of Neil Young as someone once explained to me back in college: Bruce makes you think you, too, can be as great as he is; Neil makes you think he is really no better than you are to begin with. Remember that."
Dr. Eric Alterman - Altercation

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INTERVIEW - Nils Lofgren: Back on the Horse | Premier Guitar

Nils Lofgren
Photo by Carl Schultz | Premier Guitar

In a recent interview, Nils Lofgren says he pre-ordered his own new album, Colorado, even though he knew that management would send a copy, saying: "Just the excitement of being a kid, getting it sent in the mail… you open it up, it’s a new Neil Young record with Crazy Horse.”

From Nils Lofgren: Back on the Horse | Premier Guitar by Nick Millevoii:

Premier Guitar: How did working on a new album together follow the shows you did with Crazy Horse?

Nils Lofgren: Neil got excited and started writing for Crazy Horse. He sent a demo and said, “Hey, I know you’ve got your record coming out and your tour, but I keep writing and they’re coming pretty fast. Any chance we could all get together in Colorado and start recording a new record before you hit the road?” My wife Amy and I—we just lost our 15-year-old dogs Rain and Groucho a year before—we were really kind of hunkered down for a couple of weeks with our remaining two dogs to grieve. Amy gave me the thumbs up and said, “I’ll drive you up there.” So we had a good time then, just reminiscing and realizing, despite life’s ups and downs, in particular all the great musicians we’ve lost that I’ve gotten to play with over the years. To have the four of us, after 50 years, have a chance to show up in a beautiful place and create something new, there’s a deep gratitude that comes with it.

After 50 years, that’s really rare.

Billy and Ralphie and I knew that we had the songs, because at this point Neil sent us 11 demos. Neil said, “Don’t work out parts, just get familiar with the chords on the demos,” which is reminiscent of all my work with Neil, and it turned out to be a beautiful experience. We knew whatever obstacles were in front of us, either way, we were going to do something special and, as always, we kept it raw and raggedy.

There was no rehearsal, no practice.

We didn’t want to use headphones. Neil was singing through a PA in the room, so it was kind of like a little live club setting and we went after an immediate discovery of the song. We took the arrangements off the demo and just followed them. Of course, if Neil was playing a solo and kept playing, we wouldn’t go back to the verse until he got back to the verse. It was very organic, stream of consciousness, and it was just a brilliant chapter. You don’t get many chapters like that after 50 years … and to have a new album come out of it was really exciting.

I’ve already ordered mine.

Full interview at Nils Lofgren: Back on the Horse | Premier Guitar by Nick Millevoii.

More on Nils Lofgren and Neil Young.

Also, see Nils Lofgren's comments on working with both Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band and Neil Young's Crazy Horse.

The Difference in Greatness: Bruce Springsteen or Neil Young? https://t.co/PIY8h4DpXz
Nils Lofgren w/ Bruce Springsteen & E Street Band and w/ Neil Young & Crazy Horse
@nilslofgren @NeilYoungNYA @springsteen #CrazyHorse4HOF @CrazyHorse4HOF pic.twitter.com/ouAIvNASXu

— ThrashersWheat (@ThrashersWheat) October 20, 2019

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Neil Young Film "Berlin" This Weekend in Hearse Theater on NYA

"Neil Young in Berlin"
(VHS tape box from TW Archives)

Neil Young's film "Berlin" will be playing this weekend in Hearse Theater | NYA on Sunday, Nov. 24 Saturday, Nov. 23. (Interestingly, as soon as we posted this, the film was moved up one day. Probably just a coincidence. psst, there are NO coincidences.)

"Neil Young in Berlin" (1983), directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg, is with The Trans Band and filmed in concert on Oct 19, 1982 at Deutschlandhalle, West Berlin, West Germany.

"Sample & Hold"
Neil Young & Nils Lofgren

The film, which runs 60 minutes, with The Trans Band including Nils Lofgren, Bruce Palmer, Ben Keith, Ralph Molina and Joe Lala, is epic in many respects. In particular Neil Young's nearly savage and brutal destruction of Ol Black guitar is almost unbelievable.

Year 1982 - Neil Young Pulled from the Future into the Past
(Out of the Blue, Into the Black)

The concert includes:
Cinnamon Girl / Computer Age / Little Thing Called Love / Old Man / The Needle And The Damage Done / After The Gold Rush / Transformer Man / Sample And Hold / Like A Hurricane / Hey Hey, My My / Berlin

So get your popcorn!

The Trans Band

Before the Fall:
Neil writes "Love Is All We Need" on the Berlin Wall in 1982

"Just like a young boy running down the road
I'm singing out the same old song
Can't go back the way I started from
The road goes on and on
Won't you help me, help me, help me, help me,
Help me, help me, help me, help me,
Make my way on home
Help me make my way on home
After Berlin.

Lights are shining in the German sky
Clouds make walls between the moon and I
Don't know where I started from
So won't you take me, take me, take me, take me,
Take me, take me, take me, take me,
Just the way I am
Ah, take me, just the way I am
After Berlin.

I'll be cruising down the corridor
Seeing things I never seen before
Tomorrow morning in old Berlin
Where they lock you out or lock you in
Won't you save me, save me, save me, save me,
Save me, save me, save me, save me,
From the final day
Save me from the final day
After Berlin.

Just like a young boy running down the road
I'm singing out the same old song
I can't go back the way I used to go
The road goes on and on
Won't you help me, help me, help me, help me,
Help me, help me, help me, help me,
Find my way back home
Won't you help me make my way on home
After Berlin.

Help me, help me, help me, help me.
Help me, help me, help me, help me."

"Berlin" by Neil Young (unreleased)

More on Neil Young's TRANS album and era.

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INTERVIEW: Neil Young’s Adventures on the Hi-Res Frontier - The Pagan Mechanic Rides Again | WIRED

Neil Young
Photograph: Kelia Anne MacCluskey

In a recent interview with Neil Young he discusses recording the album Colorado with Crazy Horse and on bringing real quality to streaming audio -- whether we want it or not.

From The Pagan Mechanic Rides Again: Neil Young’s Adventures on the Hi-Res Frontier | WIRED by Jesse Jarnow:

Neil Young: “We started off doing something that we’d never done before, just to see what would happen,” Young says. He’d played some solo shows in the months leading up to the session and rediscovered a concept even more satisfying than first takes: no first takes at all.

“Every time you do a song, it’s an opportunity to define it and what it means and how it feels,” he says. “So if you feel it while you’re doing the song [live], you’re fucked, you’ve already done the song. It’s only going to happen once like that, when you get that feeling. And so I had that feeling on a couple of the songs, that I’d done the song. I didn’t want to do it again.”

“It’s really hard to chase something once the singer’s done,” Lofgren says. “Why do it? So it was quite challenging. When Neil plays live, he’s got great time, but he wasn’t playing to a click track. Ralphie and Billy were great at learning the track and weaving in with the groove.”

There are jams and there are half-baked ideas. There are indelible melodies and eco-anthems and echoes of the Memories. There is a rhythm track made from Lofgren’s tap dancing shoes run through an octave divider (“Eternity”). There is Ralph Molina's and Billy Talbot’s otherworldly sense of space on perhaps the most exquisitely fragile Crazy Horse jam of all time (“Milky Way”), the type of creation Young wants listeners to experience in the same fidelity as the band did.

Full interview @ The Pagan Mechanic Rides Again: Neil Young’s Adventures on the Hi-Res Frontier | WIRED by Jesse Jarnow.

Neil Young at Lost Planet Editorial, Santa Monica, CA - Sept. 9, 2019
Photo by Rebecca Cabage/Invision/AP

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INTERVIEW: Nils Lofgren on Reconnecting With Neil Young & Crazy Horse | Variety

Nils Lofgren w/ Neil Young - "Believe"
29th Annual Bridge School Benefit Concerts
Photo by thrasher
(Click photo to enlarge)

Nils Lofgren and Neil Young have a very long history and go all the way back to the "After the Gold Rush" days when Lofgren was only 17 years old.

Here is an interview with Nils Lofgren where he discusses joining Crazy Horse and working ON Neil Young's album “Colorado”.

From From E Street to ‘Colorado’: Nils Lofgren on Reconnecting With Neil Young & Crazy Horse: Neil Young's right hand man is Bruce Springsteen's left hand man, to say nothing of being his own man | Variety by A.D. Amorosi:

Neil has moved the possibility of live dates with Crazy Horse into 2020, saying he wants to concentrate on film work during the rest of 2019. Bruce Springsteen has indicated he’s getting back into the saddle in 2020 with the E Street Band. Do you know what next year looks like? And how does it feel to be someone working alongside two empire state songwriters and bandleaders?

Nils Lofgren: There are vast similarities between Springsteen and Neil in that neither micro-manages what you play.

They want to hear your ideas. As long as you’re down in it, they allow for raw emotion in your work. They prefer it. That’s a beautiful thing. With that, when it comes to their plans, my wife Amy and I are on hold with any of my (solo) shows until the year reveals itself. There’s nothing booked yet, so I’m laying low.

I will say that if were up to me, you’d see a lot from both bands out there.

You have worked with Neil or Crazy Horse several times, going back to the record the band did without him in 1971, as well as his “After the Gold Rush” (1970) and “Tonight’s the Night” (1975) albums. How did you find the dynamics have changed going into “Colorado”?

Nils Lofgren: I met Neil when I was 17.

I actually walked in on him 50 years ago this last May while he was playing at the Cellar Door (in Washington, D.C.) when he was first touring with “Everybody Knows This is Nowhere.” My band, Grin, was headed to Los Angeles, after that, and true to his word, when we got to L.A., Neil turned me onto (producer) David Briggs, who took me under his wing, and by the time I turned 19, had me on “After the Gold Rush.” That was a big deal. Now, long before I got there, or got with him, there was a plan for Crazy Horse to make their own album, without Neil, but with their own singer, Danny Whitten. They invited me to join in for that album, which was another great honor. Then sadly, Danny went and died on us, which lead to the “wake album” we call “Tonight’s the Night.” Later on (in the 1980s), I did Neil’s “Trans” album and tour with him as well.

We have this reoccurring history, which, save for my own stuff and with Grin, is my longest running musical relationship — my longest running musical family.

More on Nils Lofgren and Neil Young.

Also, see Nils Lofgren's comments on working with both Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band and Neil Young's Crazy Horse.

The Difference in Greatness: Bruce Springsteen or Neil Young? https://t.co/PIY8h4DpXz
Nils Lofgren w/ Bruce Springsteen & E Street Band and w/ Neil Young & Crazy Horse
@nilslofgren @NeilYoungNYA @springsteen #CrazyHorse4HOF @CrazyHorse4HOF pic.twitter.com/ouAIvNASXu

— ThrashersWheat (@ThrashersWheat) October 20, 2019

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8 New Songs Recorded With Crazy Horse Says Neil Young

NYCH
Billy, Neil, Nils, & Ralph
via Neil Young Archives | Twitter

Neil Young is in the studio with Crazy Horse recording an album, as noted earlier this week.

The band jammed on April 20 under a full moon while recording high up in the Rocky Mountains. And the sessions appear to be very fruitful thus far with Neil reporting that as of 04-22-19 "8 songs now recorded".

Letter to Editor | Neil Young Archives

Earlier this month, on Letters to the Editor section | Neil Young Archives, Neil wrote that "Crazy Horse is about to enter the studio with 11 new ones." So 8 down and 3 to go?!

Neil Young also indicates that a tour is in the works.

The studio sessions mark the first new album with Crazy Horse in 7 years since the release of Psychedelic Pill. As previously noted, Nils Lofgren has joined the sessions with Ralph Molina and Billy Talbot. Frank "Poncho" Sampedro, has stated that he is "retired" per a recent interview with Uncut Magazine.

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FIRST LOOK: Neil Young In Studio w/ Crazy Horse (Full Moon Session)

Neil Young In Studio w/ Crazy Horse
(Full Moon Session)
via Rusted Moon

Neil Young has posted short video sequences of the sessions for the new album with "Crazy Horse" on Instagram (see snapshots above via Rusted Moon).

The snippets show the band jamming on April 20 at full moon in a recording studio high in the Rocky Mountains.

#HAPPYEARTHDAY 🌍 LOVE 💚 - NYCH#EarthDay #NeilYoung #NeilYoungArchives #NYA #Crazyhorse pic.twitter.com/aTGUTcIAg9

— Neil Young Archives (@NeilYoungNYA) April 23, 2019

CRAZY HORSE IN STUDIO!
via Neil Young Archives

Last month, Neil Young confirmed that more Crazy Horse concerts were to be scheduled, as well as, a new Crazy Horse album was in the works.

Then, earlier this month, on Letters to the Editor section | Neil Young Archives, Neil writes that "Crazy Horse is about to enter the studio with 11 new ones."

NEW CRAZY HORSE
via Neil Young Archives

So it looks like the first new album with Crazy Horse in 7 years since the release of Psychedelic Pill. Nils Lofgren will join the sessions. Neil writes on NYA: "Nils, seen in shadow on the image above, will be with Ralph Molina, Billy Talbot and I, making our new CRAZY HORSE music high in the Rockies."

Frank "Poncho" Sampedro, has stated that he is "retired" per a recent interview with Uncut Magazine.

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Neil Young: "Crazy Horse is about to enter the studio with 11 new ones."

CRAZY HORSE IN STUDIO!
via Neil Young Archives

Last month, Neil Young confirmed that more Crazy Horse concerts were to be scheduled, as well as, a new Crazy Horse album was in the works.

On today's updated Letters to the Editor section on Neil Young Archives, Neil writes that "Crazy Horse is about to enter the studio with 11 new ones."

NEW CRAZY HORSE
via Neil Young Archives

So it looks like the first new album with Crazy Horse in 7 years since the release of Psychedelic Pill. Nils Lofgren will join the sessions. Neil writes on NYA: "Nils, seen in shadow on the image above, will be with Ralph Molina, Billy Talbot and I, making our new CRAZY HORSE music high in the Rockies."

Frank "Poncho" Sampedro, has stated that he is "retired". In a recent interview with Uncut Magazine, Poncho said:

“I’m 70 and I’m retired now and want to stay home.

People say, ‘Isn’t it sad you’re not in Crazy Horse?’ I don’t think of it that way. I’ll always be in Crazy Horse. I’m as big a part of Crazy Horse as anyone that’s ever been in it.”

There are many more Letters to the Editor today, so check those out as well.

Looks like the NYA Team is really starting to get ready to crank it out in these coming days, weeks, months. We're the lucky ones.

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LAST CALL: CONTEST: Uncut Magazine: Neil Young & The Legend of Crazy Horse - May 2019

"I'm tapped into the source!"
Neil Young & The Legend of Crazy Horse
Uncut Magazine Cover - May 2019
CONTEST: Win A Copy

Last call for our contest to win a copy of the latest issue of Uncut Magazine celebrating 50 years of the band Crazy Horse. Full contest details @ CONTEST: Uncut Magazine: Neil Young & The Legend of Crazy Horse - May 2019.

Also, how about it Rock Hall?! 50 years of Crazy Horse! Let's Induct Neil Young & Crazy Horse into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame!!!

Induct Neil Young & Crazy Horse into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

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Neil Young's Triumphant Return to Winnipeg | CBC

Neil Young made a triumphant return to Winnipeg earlier this month.

CBC Thunder Bay's Gord Ellis was at the first of two Winnipeg concerts of Neil Young & Crazy Horse (Night #1, 2019-02-03) and discusses Neil Young's connection to both Winnipeg and Thunder Bay.

More on Neil Young & Crazy Horse's Winnipeg concerts:

• TONIGHT: Live Stream Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Winnipeg Night #1, 2019-02-03 - (42 Comments)
• Comment of the Moment: Nils Lofgren's Guitar in Crazy Horse Band - ( 4 Comments)
• LIVE STREAM TONIGHT: Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Winnipeg Night #2, 2019-02-04 - ( 37 Comments)
• Setlist Analysis: Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Winnipeg 2019 - ( 3 Comments)
• Forever Young: Italian Superfan follows Music Hero into Winnipeg Winter | Winnipeg Free Press

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Forever Young: Italian Superfan follows Music Hero into Winnipeg Winter | Winnipeg Free Press

Sergio Bratti of Italy has seen Neil Young perform 84 times
Photo via MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS

Here's a great article on super rustie Neil Young fan Sergio Bratti from Italy (whom we had the pleasure of meeting with last summer in Chicago.)

From Forever Young: Italian superfan follows music hero into Winnipeg winter | Winnipeg Free Press by Ashley Prest:

Music icon Neil Young keeps on "rockin' in the free world" — and superfan Sergio Bratti has travelled the world to see him do it.

When Bratti, who lives in Ferrara, Italy, attended concerts Sunday at the Burton Cummings Theatre and Monday at the Centennial Concert Hall, it marked the 83rd and 84th times, respectively, he has seen Young perform.

"I saw Neil for the first time in 1982 in Italy in Verona, and it started a love for his music and his soul about his music," Bratti, 54, said in an interview prior to Monday's concert in Winnipeg. "The man and the lyrics and the sound and his voice about his music, for me, it rocks."

While following Young has taken him across Europe and the United States, Bratti said the two shows in Winnipeg were his first in Canada — and it was meaningful they were in the city Young spent formative years.

"Winnipeg is the place where Neil was growing up, and where it was the start of his music life. I wanted to see this city and this place where Neil lived," said Bratti, who works as a senior retail manager.

Full article at From Forever Young: Italian superfan follows music hero into Winnipeg winter | Winnipeg Free Press by Ashley Prest.

ciao! Sergio, great meeting with you last summer in Chicago! See you down the road!

More on Neil Young & Crazy Horse's Winnipeg concerts:

• TONIGHT: Live Stream Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Winnipeg Night #1, 2019-02-03 - (42 Comments)
• Comment of the Moment: Nils Lofgren's Guitar in Crazy Horse Band - ( 4 Comments)
• LIVE STREAM TONIGHT: Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Winnipeg Night #2, 2019-02-04 - ( 37 Comments)
• Setlist Analysis: Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Winnipeg 2019 - ( 3 Comments)

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Concert Review of the Moment: Winnipeg Concerts of Neil Young & Crazy Horse - February 2019

Image via Neil Young Archives | NYA

The Concert Review of the Moment is from the recent Winnipeg concerts of Neil Young & Crazy Horse on 2019-02-03 (Night #1) and 2019-02-04 (Night #2).

Neil Young Solo
Photo by thrashette via NYA Livestream

The Concert Review of the Moment comes after the following message was posted here on Thrasherr's Wheat: "Was ANYONE at either show who can give us a thoughtful review????!!!!"

To which Jeff posted the following comments...

These comments aren't thoughtful but came from my Facebook page.

My wife and I had tickets for Monday night's show and were going to drive from Bismarck. I only got tickets for one show because we had been on the road for over a month and were in Pensacola on Wednesday Jan. 30 and wanted to allow at least three days to get back and allow a cushion. An approaching storm got us on the road to Winnipeg a day early, and I snagged tickets online for the Sunday night show immediately.

Here is my first post: "I’m pretty sure this world would be a better place with more Neil Young fans in it. The young couple from Edmonton with whom we shared our table at dinner last night were a perfect start. He was a rabid Neil fan who had met Neil twice—the last being just that afternoon when he staked out the concert hall to get an autograph on his 'On the Beach' vinyl album cover. To make a good day better, yesterday also happened to be his 40th birthday. As we walked to the show, he tried to convince us that we needed to reconvene in the same bar after the show. I said, 'We’re really old. We’ll have to head for bed then.' They will be back on the floor tonight so I’ll try for a photo of us together.

The Burton Cummings Theater is a grand old venue with a main floor and two balconies with a capacity of just over 1,600. This was the coziest place I’ve seen Neil at ever. The merch line was long and slow so I missed the opening acoustic number 'Thrasher', but I did score another T-shirt for my collection. A woman from Minneapolis and a young man from Winnipeg chatted with me like we were old friends the entire 45 minutes we were waiting.The woman sitting behind us congratulated me as I grabbed my seat because she had given up on getting a shirt earlier due to the long line.

I won’t bore you with the details but the format was a short acoustic set and then Crazy Horse joined Neil on stage. They jammed and soared as only the self-described “third best garage band in the world “ could on a frigid winter night that needed some warming up. And they most certainly did heat up the hall.

I had one wish for the set list and that was 'Don’t Be Denied', Young’s song about growing up in Winnipeg. As you can read in the attached story, Young and the Horse played it last night for the first time since 1997. The show ended much too soon after almost two hours. We floated through the snow back to our campsite.

Waiting for the elevator we talked to a silver ponytail who had attended three of the four shows in Minneapolis last week. He said he had seen Neil about 20 times, and this was the second best show of all he had seen. We’re excited for tonight’s show and really happy that the weather got us up here a day early.

I’m hoping for an even better show tonight as Young has really been mixing up the set lists on this little winter tour.

Here’s the second post:

"We're home safe again after the last leg of this long winter road trip.

In my view, last night's show certainly had the stronger of the two setlists. The acoustic half hour was very similar with the exception of the opener 'Out on the Weekend' replacing 'Thrasher' and 'War of Man' and 'Don't Let It Bring You Down' taking the place of 'Heart of Gold'. The electric Crazy Horse set was mostly revamped retaining only 'Winterlong, 'Cortez the Killer' and 'My My, Hey Hey Hey (Into the Black)'.

I'm with Pancho, Crazy Horse's guitar player who is replaced by Nils Lofgren on this tour, in that I don't need to hear 'Cinnamon Girl' every time I see Neil live. (I remarked to Linda that this has to be the first show we've ever seen without 'Heart of Gold' and 'Cinnamon Girl'. I checked my list and these were our sixth shows to see Crazy Horse, and the thirteenth total Neil shows not counting the two times we've seen CSNY.)

The Centennial Concert Hall was a larger venue than the previous night--2,600 vs. 1,600 and some of the intimacy of the first night wasn't there. I had to nitpick to find a problem with Neil's singing on the electric opener 'Rockin' In The Free World', and I thought that his electric guitar Old Black was lost in the mix in a couple of places in the show.

But, damn! That was a fun two nights of music. (The attached link provides more details about the show if you care.)

PS The three photos are a tour of the stage before a Neil show. [ See jeff.weispfenning | FB]

The set at the start is a mix of an acoustic show and an electric show. In the first photo you can see the tie-dyed grand piano, the huge Crazy Horse banner and the circle of acoustic guitars and one banjo that disappear after the acoustic set. In the second photo, you can see (left to right) the old pump organ (that wasn't used either night), the ring of acoustic guitars, the Love light, the White Falcon Gretch guitar and the wooden Indian. The final photo shows the Danger Bird organ suspended high above the stage. It's up there every time Neil and the Horse play, but I've only seen it come down for 'Like a Hurricane'. It came down last night for the encore. And, maybe my personal highlight, they played 'Danger Bird'."

Thanks for the reviews Jeff! Very thoughtful indeed and much appreciated details and commentary.

Now, please let us know your FB page where the photos are posted and we'll update here.

Also, see:

• Neil Young's Solo "Big 3M Theater Tour" Begins Tonight: Riverside Theater, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, January 23 - (49 Comments)
• CONCERT REVIEW: Neil Young Stuns Furloughed Fed on Opening Night of 2019 Mini Solo Tour - (4 Comments)
• Concert Review of the Moment: Neil Young Solo - Riverside Theater, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, January 23, 2019 - (4 Comments)
• Neil Young Solo: Madison, Wisconsin, January 24 - (26 Comments)
• Comment of the Moment: Neil Young Solo: Madison, Wisconsin, January 24 - (5 Comments)
• Neil Young Solo Minneapolis Residency: #1 - Pantages Theatre, January 26 - (25 Comments)
• LIVE STREAM: Neil Young Solo Minneapolis Residency: Night #2 - Orpheum Theatre, January 28, 2019 - (42 Comments)
• LIVE STREAM "TEST" TONIGHT: Neil Young Solo Minneapolis Residency: Night #3 - State Theatre, January 29, 2019 - (61 Comments)
• Neil Young Solo Minneapolis Residency: Night #4 - Northrop Auditorium, January 31, 2019 - (38 Comments)
• Neil Young's Solo "Big 3M Theater Tour": Setlist Analysis - ( 46 Comments)
• Pacific Northwest Concert Dates Added - ( 46 Comments)
• TONIGHT: Live Stream Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Winnipeg Night #1, 2019-02-03 - (42 Comments)
• Comment of the Moment: Nils Lofgren's Guitar in Crazy Horse Band - ( 4 Comments)
• LIVE STREAM TONIGHT: Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Winnipeg Night #2, 2019-02-04 - ( 37 Comments)
• Setlist Analysis: Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Winnipeg 2019 - ( 3 Comments)

See you down the road!
ps - Keep it wild

Image via Neil Young Archives | NYA

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Setlist Analysis: Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Winnipeg 2019

Setlists - Winnipeg 2019
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
via Sugar Mountain | Chronological Grid

Here is a setlist analysis of Neil Young & Crazy Horse's Winnipeg 2019 concerts.

Data for this setlist analysis and statistics is via our good buddy Tom on Sugar Mountain.

Over the course of just 2 concerts in Winnipeg 2019:

• 35 total songs
• 28 unique songs
• Wonderin' - 1st concert performance since March 21, 1996
• Distant Camera - 1st concert performance since June 2, 1999

Songs per Album - Winnipeg 2019
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
via Sugar Mountain | Chronological Grid

In terms of Songs per Album, 4 songs from Ragged Glory, and 3 songs each from Tonight's The Night and Zuma.

CENTENNIAL CONCERT HALL : thanks winnipeg - you rock! | NYA

Also, see:

• Neil Young's Solo "Big 3M Theater Tour" Begins Tonight: Riverside Theater, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, January 23 - (49 Comments)
• CONCERT REVIEW: Neil Young Stuns Furloughed Fed on Opening Night of 2019 Mini Solo Tour - (4 Comments)
• Concert Review of the Moment: Neil Young Solo - Riverside Theater, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, January 23, 2019 - (4 Comments)
• Neil Young Solo: Madison, Wisconsin, January 24 - (26 Comments)
• Comment of the Moment: Neil Young Solo: Madison, Wisconsin, January 24 - (5 Comments)
• Neil Young Solo Minneapolis Residency: #1 - Pantages Theatre, January 26 - (25 Comments)
• LIVE STREAM: Neil Young Solo Minneapolis Residency: Night #2 - Orpheum Theatre, January 28, 2019 - (42 Comments)
• LIVE STREAM "TEST" TONIGHT: Neil Young Solo Minneapolis Residency: Night #3 - State Theatre, January 29, 2019 - (61 Comments)
• Neil Young Solo Minneapolis Residency: Night #4 - Northrop Auditorium, January 31, 2019 - (38 Comments)
• Neil Young's Solo "Big 3M Theater Tour": Setlist Analysis - ( 46 Comments)
• Pacific Northwest Concert Dates Added - ( 46 Comments)
• TONIGHT: Live Stream Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Winnipeg Night #1, 2019-02-03 - (42 Comments)
• Comment of the Moment: Nils Lofgren's Guitar in Crazy Horse Band - ( 4 Comments)
• LIVE STREAM TONIGHT: Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Winnipeg Night #2, 2019-02-04 - ( 37 Comments)

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LIVE STREAM TONIGHT: Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Winnipeg Night #2, 2019-02-04

Hearse Theater | NYA

Neil Young and Crazy Horse will perform in concert tonight at Centennial Concert Hall, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, Monday, 2019-02-04.

Tonight's concert will be live streamed on NYA.

NYCH
Livestream test 8:30CST tonight!
From the Centennial Concert Hall, Winnipeg 🇨🇦

Remember - this is a test.
Be prepared for the possibility of technical difficulties.

But if you’d like to join us,
The horse is coming out of the barn again 🐎#neilyoung #neilyoungarchives pic.twitter.com/3ioMnKGWXJ

— Neil Young Archives (@NeilYoungNYA) February 4, 2019

THANKS BURTON CUMMINGS :
beautiful old theater brings hometown crowd | NYA

Neil Young and Crazy Horse w/ Nils Lofgren - 2018

6:30PM - Doors
7:30PM - @willandhismusic
8:45PM - @Neilyoung & Crazy Horse pic.twitter.com/dCSumHqXfv

— ThrashersWheat (@ThrashersWheat) February 3, 2019

Got a report? Drop us a comment below.

Check Sugar Mountain for setlist updates and Chronological Grid, Recording Summary, Statistics and Extras.

Check back for updates, reviews, setlists, etc.

Also, see:

• Neil Young's Solo "Big 3M Theater Tour" Begins Tonight: Riverside Theater, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, January 23 - (49 Comments)
• CONCERT REVIEW: Neil Young Stuns Furloughed Fed on Opening Night of 2019 Mini Solo Tour - (4 Comments)
• Concert Review of the Moment: Neil Young Solo - Riverside Theater, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, January 23, 2019 - (4 Comments)
• Neil Young Solo: Madison, Wisconsin, January 24 - (26 Comments)
• Comment of the Moment: Neil Young Solo: Madison, Wisconsin, January 24 - (5 Comments)
• Neil Young Solo Minneapolis Residency: #1 - Pantages Theatre, January 26 - (25 Comments)
• LIVE STREAM: Neil Young Solo Minneapolis Residency: Night #2 - Orpheum Theatre, January 28, 2019 - (42 Comments)
• LIVE STREAM "TEST" TONIGHT: Neil Young Solo Minneapolis Residency: Night #3 - State Theatre, January 29, 2019 - (61 Comments)
• Neil Young Solo Minneapolis Residency: Night #4 - Northrop Auditorium, January 31, 2019 - (38 Comments)
• Neil Young's Solo "Big 3M Theater Tour": Setlist Analysis - ( 46 Comments)
• Pacific Northwest Concert Dates Added - ( 46 Comments)
• TONIGHT: Live Stream Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Winnipeg Night #1, 2019-02-03 - (42 Comments)
• Comment of the Moment: Nils Lofgren's Guitar in Crazy Horse Band - ( Comments)

Neil Young Solo Minneapolis Residency: Night #3 - State Theatre, January 29, 2019
Photo via NYA

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