NEW PREVIEW: Neil Young Journeys Film

A new preview of Neil Young's Journeys film is now available.

Directed by Jonathan Demme, Journeys captures Neil Young's 2011 solo tour to Toronto's Massey Hall. Concert footage of the Massey Hall performances is interspersed with scenes from a road trip through Ontario. Driving a 1956 Ford Crown Victoria, Young visits the rural town of Omemee, where he spent a key part of his formative years, and reminisces about his former neighbors. As he drives past the dramatically changed landscape, Young fondly embraces his memories of the past.

More on Neil Young Journeys Film Premiere.

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No Depression Review: "Americana" by Neil Young and Crazy Horse

An early preview review of "Americana" by Neil Young and Crazy Horse from No Depression | Americana and Roots Music by Nancy Dunham:

If a listener doesn't tune into the words on some of the songs, it'd be easy to mistake them for modern-day rock anthems. That's especially true on the album's opening track "Oh Susanna," which is awash in electric guitars and throbbing drums plus Young's unmistakeable voices, which still have the strength and nuances they held a few decades ago.

...

My view is that anyone who can make songs such as "She'll be Coming 'Round the Mountain" cool again and introduce classic songs to a new generation is a genius, in my view.

More on "Oh! Susanna": The Story Behind The Song



Set for a June 5th release, you can now pre-Order "Americana" on Amazon.com (Thanks! You'll be helping to support us.)

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The Scream and Neil Young

Edvard Munch’s “The Scream”
Sold @ $119.9 million
(Click photo to enlarge)

Just in case you haven't been following the art auction world lately, the painting “The Scream” by Edvard Munch’s just sold for $119.9 million.

So Petter Olsen, now that you've sold “The Scream”, what are you going to do?

From NYPOST.com:

Some guys have all the luck.

After selling Edvard Munch’s “The Scream” for a whopping $119.9 million, the painting’s ex-owner, Petter Olsen, came face to face with one of his all-time idols. After the gavel dropped at the Sotheby’s auction Wednesday night, the billionaire Norwegian businessman headed to dinner with his old friend, New York art dealer Edward Tyler Nahem, at Café Boulud.

When Olsen entered, he spotted his personal hero, rock ’n’ roll legend Neil Young.

The two then spent “15 minutes in conversation, as the room looked on in amazement,” a spy said, adding that even though Olsen had just made a fortune, he looked happier to have met Young. Olsen was apparently a Young fan going back to his student days at Stanford University in the 1970s. Among those at the dinner for eight were Olsen’s girlfriend, his three daughters and Nahem, sources said.

And what does one eat after pocketing so much money? On the menu, spies said, were white asparagus with hen’s eggs, foie gras, peekytoe crab, spring lamb (or halibut), molten Valrhona chocolate cake and, to wash it all down, Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

Olsen has said he sold off “The Scream” to fund a new Munch museum he’s planning to open in Norway.

No word on what Neil was wearing or eating or who he was with or other oh-so irrelevant gossipy details.

capsized in excess...

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BOOK COVER: 'Waging Heavy Peace' by Neil Young

'Waging Heavy Peace' by Neil Young
(Click photo to enlarge)


The book cover for 'Waging Heavy Peace' by Neil Young is now up on Amazon.com: Waging Heavy Peace (9780399159466): Neil Young: Books and set for release on October 2, 2012.

The photo for the book cover looks to be from the same photography session that put Neil Young On the Cover of the Rolling Stone.

Book blurb:

"Young has consistently demonstrated the unbridled passion of an artist who understands that self-renewal is the only way to avoid burning out. For this reason, he has remained one of the most significant artists of the rock and roll era."
-Eddie Vedder

More on “Waging Heavy Peace”: Neil Young's Upcoming Book.

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Kent State Ohio Massacre Coverup Continues

Terry Norman - FBI informant/provocateur
70 Seconds Before Kent State Shootings
May 4, 1970 @ 12:24 PM
Kent State Truth Tribunal

So what really happened at Kent State, Ohio 42 years ago today?

Based on last week's U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) investigation report, we still might never know. Or will we someday learn the awful truth of that tragic day that left 4 dead in Ohio?

It seems that the key to the truth lies with Terry Norman.

In recently discovered film of the Kent State Shooting in 1970 (1:07.40 thru 1:08), FBI informant provocateur Terry Norman (photo at top) is the young man in the light colored sports jacket. Earlier that day Norman's mentor, Detective Tom Kelly from the Kent Police had attempted to have Norman's gun approved for carrying on campus during the demonstrations, but that approval never came so it's KEY that the video clearly shows Norman handing over his gun to Detective Kelly.

From forensic evidence expert Stuart Allen's analyses of the Kent State Tape in 2010, we learned that Norman shot that weapon at the May 4th demonstration as he was attacked & beat-up by students who saw his gun. (More on Terry Norman ~ Does Terry Norman Hold the Key to Kent State?.)

Watching these Kent State videos without sound, Norman's gun hand-off coupled with the post-Kent State Tape analysis, we now understand the importance of this interaction caught on video & at many other sources.

Norman's pistol 'created the sound of sniper fire.'

In response to the DOJ whitewash report Congressman Dennis Kucinich issued a statement:

“The letter also failed to indicate any efforts to reconcile the evidence in the recording with any prior statements about the incident made by FBI paid informant, Terry Norman, who was on campus that day and was known to have brandished a gun that might have created the sounds caught in the recording.

“While I appreciate the response from the Justice Department, ultimately, they fail to examine key questions and discrepancies. It is well known that an FBI informant, Terry Norman, was on the campus. That FBI informant was carrying a gun. Eye witnesses testified that they saw Mr. Norman brandish that weapon. Two experts in forensic audio, who have previously testified in court regarding audio forensics, found gunshots in their analysis of the audio recording.

Did an FBI informant discharge a firearm at Kent State?

Did an FBI informant precipitate the shootings?"

Why is understanding the Kent State Ohio Massacre critical?

To understand the events of May 4, 1970 at Kent State and the four dead in Ohio, is to understand much of what has happened in our history before, during and after.

In the intervening 41 years, there have been a wide range of commissions, studies, research and theories of what actually led to twenty-eight Ohio National Guardsmen shooting into a crowd of anti-war protesters at Kent State University which left four college students dead on the ground.


Photo by Kent State photojournalism student John Filo

"History never exactly repeats itself.

But its currents are never far from the present. As today’s protesters and police employ bolder tactics, the Kent State and Jackson State anniversaries should remind us that deadly mistakes can and do happen. It is the government’s responsibility to wield proportionate force, not to over-arm police and place them in a position where they could panic with deadly results."
~~ Steven Rosenfeld, Will a Militarized Police Force Facing Occupy Wall Street Lead to Another Kent State Massacre? | Civil Liberties | AlterNet

Despite many official denials, there have always been persistent theories that the National Guard was actually provoked into the shootings by a belief that they were being fired upon themselves and therefore were acting in self defense.

What follows is a brief recap for those less familiar with the The Kent State Massacre, followed by the latest developments.

The spring of 1970 was a time of significant unrest on college campuses protesting the Vietnam war and President Richard Nixon's announcement of a new American invasion of Cambodia, provoking an escalation in anti-war protests. The anti-war protest movement culminated with the Kent State Massacre which resulted in hundreds of universities, colleges, and high schools closing throughout the United States due to a student strike of four million students. The official President's Commission on Campus Unrest concluded that "the indiscriminate firing of rifles into a crowd of students and the deaths that followed were unnecessary, unwarranted, and inexcusable."



Twenty-eight Ohio National Guardsmen fired sixty-seven rounds in thirteen seconds, leaving four students dead

Here is a summary of recent new developments from Kent State Truth Tribunal. (For more, see Kent State Truth Tribunal. Thanks Laurel for all of your work in your sister Allison's name.)


Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young - Minneapolis, MN 1970
"They were about to walk out on stage and were spending a moment warming up."
Photo by Henry Diltz

Immediately after the Kent State shooting on May 4, 1970, Neil Young composed the song "Ohio" after looking at photos appearing in Life magazine and then taking a walk in the woods. Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young went to the studio and recorded the song which was released to radio stations shortly after the killings.

A rather significant article in today's The Cleveland (Ohio) Plain Dealer "Neil Young's 'Ohio' evokes strong images of May 4, 1970 shootings at Kent State" by Mark Dawidziak:

It was more than just another protest song.

Ohio was a cry of anguish, penned by Neil Young after seeing pictures taken at Kent State University on May 4, 1970.

But 40 years after members of the Ohio National Guard opened fire on college students, Young's "Ohio" remains the most evocative pop-culture response to a defining moment in American history.

"This is an event that now is in every history book," said Carole A. Barbato, a Kent State University professor of communication studies who team-teaches a course on May 4. "Wherever you live, even though your environment obviously shapes how you perceive things, you're probably as aware of the shootings at Kent State as those of us in Northeast Ohio. And even though this still would be in the history books, the pop culture certainly does perpetuate that. "Ohio" was entering the pop-culture consciousness within three weeks of the shootings.

"It was the quickest and best reaction to Kent State, with Neil Young acting as 50 percent songwriter and 50 percent journalist," said David Bianculli, a pop-culture historian who teaches at Rowan University and regularly contributes to NPR's "Fresh Air."

"I'll tell you what that song meant," said Bianculli, author of the recently published "Dangerously Funny: The Uncensored Story of the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour." "After the assassinations of Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy, you felt kind of helpless as a young person. It seemed that when someone had your voice, that voice was silenced, usually by violence.

"Then you have Kent State, and college kids are actually fired upon. And when you just might start to be thinking, you don't dare have a voice or there is no voice, from the radio comes this voice of solidarity and outrage. It wasn't just a pop song."

...
"After 1970, that doesn't happen again. It didn't need to happen again, mostly because it didn't need to happen there. And that's what Neil Young's song spoke to."

Thanks Ken D.

More on Neil Young composed song "Ohio" performed by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young (CSNY).

Timeline of Events Leading up to May 4, 1970:

4 Days in May: Ohio, May 1, 1970

4 Days in May: Ohio, May 2, 1970

4 Days in May: Ohio, May 3, 1970

4 Dead In Ohio: May 4, 1970


Let us continue the struggle to ensure that Allison's murder (& Bill's, Jeffry's and Sandra's) was not in vain.

The Four Dead in Ohio

Allison Krause - Age: 19, 110 Yards
William Schroeder - Age: 19, 130 Yards
Jeffrey Miller - Age: 20, 90 Yards
Sandra Scheuer - Age: 20, 130 Yards



A video collage of still images commemorating the 36th Anniversary of the killing of four college students by National Guardsman at Kent State in 1970

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Some Thoughts on New Video "Oh Susannah" by Neil Young & Crazy Horse

Music Video for "Oh Susannah" by Neil Young & Crazy Horse
(Click photo to enlarge)

Tuesday's release of a video for "Oh Susannah" , from the upcoming album Americana by Neil Young & Crazy Horse, has been well received by fans based on early comments.

Obviously, one of the most surprising aspects of the video is what it isn't. That is to say, this is not a music video of a bunch of old guys rockin' out in a barn somewhere in Northern California but rather a simple video bringing a deeper meaning to an old Americana folk classic.

Here's what Jill has to say:

I love it, song and video, and I`m just so glad to hear the Horse back in action.

When I first watched it my initial reaction when the little boy lit up his cigarette was to shout “no, don`t let him smoke it!!” But that`s how it was, and Neil has never been one to shy away from the truth or from controversy.

I think there`s also a message here that even when times are hard, especially when times are hard maybe, making music is always there as a comfort and an inspiration, that`s where these old songs came from and what links us together. I loved the version Neil did with Dave Matthews at Bridge last year, but I think this rocks even more, and the beautiful vocals of the children`s choir give the song a lift at just the right time.

Brilliant stuff as always, and I`m looking forward to hearing the rest of the album.

Another comment from HuffingtonPost.com by jephman:

Say what you want about Crazy Horse but Neil got the sound he wanted.

Unconventional? Yes but no band to this day can really mimic that sound and confuse it with another band. The members of Crazy Horse aren't full of themselves which made it easy for Neil to work with and get what he wanted.

There will come a day when the genius of this man is heralded for all his contributions from the unplugged acoustic type sessions to Crazy Horse. He was also very good with lyrics which ranged from heartfelt love songs to insightful sarcasm. Either way his music was something you could have some fun with and somehow you could tell he would be just a great person to know.

It appears that the film is from documentary footage of the Dust Bowl/Depression era 1930's. Such footage captured an often unspoken reality of widespread poverty in American life at the time.

So for those who might fail to see the connection between the Depression era 1930's and today... well look around. It's not a pretty sight. The reality of life in Americana has not changed for the better, for all too many of whom live and struggle under very harsh, brutal conditions.

The fantasy world portrayed on your TeeVee is in no way, shape or form anywhere close to what the world is truly like. Today, we are living John Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath and the ghost of Tom Joad surrounds us.

Here's a comment by Matthew L. in response to some of our thoughts:

Good assessment on the meaning of the video.

Kind of fits with Neil and the band putting their own faces on the concept of Americana. The troubles and struggles of life continue unabated, and, as Americana in general tends to reflect the less glamorous realities of everyday life in early American history, it projects very well right on top of today's realities. A lot of the iconography has changed, but many of the basic struggles of living continue. We focus so much on glamour, that we miss the reality around us.

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Indeed. Same as it ever was. Same as it ever was. Same as it ever was.

We await additional videos from Americana. And we think we'll continue to be pleasantly surprised by Neil's unconventional approach to conventional Americana.

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OFFICIAL VIDEO: "Oh Susannah" by Neil Young & Crazy Horse

The official video release of "Oh Susannah" by Neil Young & Crazy Horse.

More on "Oh! Susanna": The Story Behind The Song



Set for a June 5th release, you can now pre-Order "Americana" on Amazon.com (Thanks! You'll be helping to support us.)

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"Oh! Susanna": Dave Matthews and Neil Young

"Oh! Susanna" (Live) - Dave Matthews / Neil Young - Mtn. View, Shoreline - October 23, 2011

One of the bigger surprises from Bridge 2011 weekend was the pairing of Dave Matthews & Neil Young on "Oh! Susanna".

For many, this was a concert highlight.

As we mentioned recently, with all of the anticipation for the upcoming album Americana by Neil Young & Crazy Horse, there's been a lot of focus on the song "Oh! Susannah".

Yesterday, we posted The Big 3's "The Banjo Song (Oh Suzanna!)" from 1963. And before that, the campy Bananarama cover of "Venus" which is a cult classic YouTube video by Shocking Blue which is based off of the Americana tune "Oh! Susannah" and its riffs. "Venus" was written by Robbie van Leeuwen and originally recorded by Shocking Blue for their 1969 album, "At Home".

And just as we were reminded about The Byrds version of "Oh Susanna" and James Taylor with Johnny Cash's version of "Oh Susanna" along comes another "Oh Susanna" version.

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Neil Young with Jonathan Demme: 92nd Street Y - New York, NY, June 8, 2012

Neil Young with Jonathan Demme
Date: Fri, June 8, 2012, 8 pm
Venue: Kaufmann Concert Hall
Location: Lexington Avenue at 92nd St, New York, NY

From 92y.org:

Join rock legend Neil Young in conversation with acclaimed director Jonathan Demme (Married to the Mob, Rachel Getting Married) and see an excerpt from the forthcoming film Neil Young Journeys, their third collaboration, in which Demme follows Young on a road trip to his hometown in Ontario for the last nights of his world concert tour.

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"Oh! Susanna": The Story Behind The Song Continues

 

Americana by Neil Young & Crazy Horse

One of the bigger surprises from Bridge 2011 weekend was the pairing of Dave Matthews & Neil Young on "Oh! Susanna". For many, this was a concert highlight. Above is the video for The Big 3's "The Banjo Song (Oh Suzanna!)" from 1963. As we mentioned recently, with all of the anticipation for the upcoming album Americana by Neil Young & Crazy Horse, there's been a lot of focus on the song "Oh! Susannah".

Yesterday, we posted the campy Bananarama cover of "Venus" which is a cult classic YouTube video by Shocking Blue which is based off of the Americana tune "Oh! Susannah" and its riffs. "Venus" was written by Robbie van Leeuwen and originally recorded by Shocking Blue for their 1969 album, "At Home".

And just as we were reminded about The Byrds version of "Oh Susanna" and James Taylor with Johnny Cash's version of "Oh Susanna" along comes another "Oh Susanna" version. And as the legacy and history of "Oh! Susanna" continues to flap around on The Judgement Not To Pre-Judge "Americana", here's a comment by Matt & Jes Wedding:

First off, no one is snickering at Neil. Nor are they snickering at James Taylor because he didn't give a 15 minute lecture on "the history of the song Oh! Suzanna" before he played it live. Song meanings change over time. The original intent and malice that the song was written with and for is no longer present in the current incarnation of the song in our collective "Americana." Is it interesting to see where the song originally came from and how it has changed over time? Yes. But if this song has become "illegal" to reproduce in your mind because an old version of the song (which is not what Neil is playing) was racist, then there are a whole lot of other things that should be "illegal" as well. As I stated, song meanings change over time. This one has had 150 years to churn away in the collective American psyche, and in the mid-60s was reborn as a different song with a different meaning...you know, the version that EVERYONE knows. Not the original version that NO ONE knows. In a much more recent example of song meanings and change over time, think about Eddie Vedder and the song "Alive." Here is Ed recounting how the song has changed during VH1 storytellers, from twofeetthick.com: Ed retells the story of “Alive” saying “it’s a song about someone I know very well (laughs) … Ok, it’s about me” and goes on to say how the chorus is sung by fans with exuberance and it has trancended from being a song about a curse, to being an uplifting song. He concludes with “you changed the meaning of the song, you lifted the curse” And it only took 15 years to completely reverse and change the meaning of the entire song. Different circumstances, sure, but same idea. So snicker away if that helps you. I just don't see the point in living life stuck in 1830.

More on "Oh! Susanna": The Story Behind The Song



Set for a June 5th release, you can now pre-Order "Americana" on Amazon.com (Thanks! You'll be helping to support us.)

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The Judgement Not To Pre-Judge "Americana"

The Comment of the Moment is from Friday Afternoon Insanity: Yes, This Is Still A Neil Young Blog and responds to some of the pre-judicial early reviews that have been floated in anticipation of the upcoming album "Americana" by Neil Young & Crazy Horse.

What seems to be most bizarrely troublesome about all the chatter is how much of it is totally baseless since the writers openly admit they haven't heard the songs they're criticizing.

But hey?! It's the Internets. Everyone has an opinion. Including the inestimable D. I. Kertis who said...

It's good to see Neil back with the Horse finally.

I'm not one of those fans who's in love with Crazy Horse to the exclusion of all else, but it's inspiring good vibes nonetheless. I was a bit surprised when I first found Neil's new album was going to be folk/protest songs, and I'm not surprised it's gotten some pre-release flak (haven't most of Neil's albums lately?), but as for me, I'm trying to keep an opened mind to it. A new NY album will certainly be a nice way to begin the summer, and while I never specifically wished for Neil to play "Oh! Susannah" or "Clementine", I'm rather intrigued to hear what the Neil Young/Crazy Horse take on these songs will be. (Remember, Neil's Crazy Horse albums don't always sound just like the Crazy Horse we all know and love--I'm thinking especially of "Sleeps with Angels" here.)

Although it makes me even more curious about this album's "sound", I certainly have no qualms with the children's choir. Indeed I find the concept somewhat endearing.

Chrome Dreams II's "The Way", which featured a kids' choir, keeps coming back to me in a good way (one of my favorite of the relatively recent albums, too), and it's really cool that Neil, as an older rock musician, seems to be interested in reaching out to children. I also look at it, perhaps even more importantly, from the perspective that this is, after all, *folk* music: songs (if you'll pardon the reference) by the people, of the people, for the people.

Most of them are probably in public domain at this stage, many are universally recognized at least within the US, and, being in essence commonly owned, are intended to be singable by anyone anywhere, including children. So perhaps the inclusion of the children's choir on this album serves to highlight the universal nature of the kind of music Neil is essaying here. That's just a thought before actually hearing how 'Americana' plays out, but we shall see what we shall hear in not too long.

What I absolutely do not understand, though, is the talk of imperialism (and even, in one post I saw somewhere, fascism) over the inclusion in the track list of 'God Save the Queen'. I don't want to get too deeply into things here, but suffice to say that, as well know, 'God Save the Queen' is the British national anthem (also the tune for the American patriotic song 'My Country 'Tis of Thee, by the way), and if anyone seriously believes that 21st century England is oppressively imperialistic or "fascist" simply for continuing to have a reigning monarch, that just strikes me as gross ignorance of the world beyond one's own borders.

I'm not saying any country is completely idyllic or perfect; I think England has its issues just like anywhere else. But just because a nation does not have all of its leaders elected like in the US, that doesn't mean the people are being oppressed or that the ideology is necessarily wrongheaded. So I do strongly take exception to remarks of that nature.

Other than that, I'd prefer for the most part to sit back and give 'Americana' a fair chance. There's no use in a knee-jerk reaction, and nothing positive to be gained by rushing to judgement here. I'm sure 'Americana' will be as controversial as anyone Neil Young release, but I think it should at least be allowed a chance to reveal itself before we get too far into the complaints and nitpicking.

P.S. I saw my "comment of the moment" spot; thanks . I probably don't come here that often because writing comments of the moment takes so much time and energy, but it's nice to feel wanted. I'm sure I'll have more to say on 'Americana', the Linc-Volt, and other matters in the coming weeks and months.

Thanks -- as always -- for your time and energy D.I.!!! Your opinions (as well as dissenters) are wanted and welcomed. It's all one comment, afterall.



Set for a June 5th release, you can now pre-Order "Americana" on Amazon.com (Thanks! You'll be helping to support us.)

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Friday Afternoon Insanity: Yes, This Is Still A Neil Young Blog

As we promised yesterday, here's some Friday afternoon craziness. And, yes, this is still a Neil Young blog.

Yesterday, we posted a cult classic YouTube video of "Venus" by Shocking Blue which is based off of the Americana tune "Oh! Susannah" and its riffs. "Venus" was written by Robbie van Leeuwen and originally recorded by Shocking Blue for their 1969 album, "At Home".

As we mentioned recently, with all of the anticipation for the upcoming album Americana by Neil Young & Crazy Horse, there's been a lot of focus on the song "Oh! Susannah".

And just as we were reminded about The Byrds version of "Oh Susanna" and James Taylor with Johnny Cash's version of "Oh Susanna" along comes another "Oh Susanna" version.

Here's the video of Bananarama's "Venus" from 1986 album, "True Confessions".

Ahhh, those '80's....

Check it out.



Set for a June 5th release, you can now pre-Order "Americana" on Amazon.com (Thanks! You'll be helping to support us.)

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The "Oh! Susannah" Riffs Keep Coming: Shocking Blue's "Venus"

The "Oh! Susannah" riffs just keep right on coming it seems.

As we mentioned recently, with all of the anticipation for the upcoming album Americana by Neil Young & Crazy Horse, there's been a lot of focus on the song "Oh! Susannah".

And just as we were reminded about The Byrds version of "Oh Susanna" and James Taylor with Johnny Cash's version of "Oh Susanna" along comes another "Oh Susanna" version.

Here's the cult classic video of Shocking Blue's "Venus" which has the "Oh Susanna" riff.

Ahhh, those '60's....

Check it out.

ps - and just wait until you see tomorrow's video...



Set for a June 5th release, you can now pre-Order "Americana" on Amazon.com (Thanks! You'll be helping to support us.)

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Borrowed Tunes: Toronto Neil Young Tribute - May 4 & 5

A Toronto Neil Young Tribute coming up at Hugh's Room on Friday & Saturday, May 4 & 5.

This will be a special 5th Year Anniversary Event.

Neil Young Tribute

TOM WILSON
LEE HARVEY OSMOND
OH SUSANNA
LIAM TITCOMB
THE UNDESIRABLES
HEMINGWAY CORNER
ANNABELLE CHVOSTEK
BRENT TITCOMB
RORY JORDAN-STEVENS
DANIEL ROTH
DOUG CAMERON
CORIN RAYMOND

Thanks Mike R.!

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James Taylor with Johnny Cash Cover "Oh Susanna" - 1971

As we mentioned yesterday, with all of the anticipation for the upcoming album Americana by Neil Young & Crazy Horse, there's been a lot of focus on the song "Oh! Susannah".

And just as we were reminded about The Byrds version of "Oh Susanna" along comes another "Oh Susanna" version.

This one is so classic, it boggles the mind -- James Taylor with Johnny Cash on the Johnny Cash TV Show on Feb. 17, 1971. (Thanks Harold!)

Simply amazing.



Set for a June 5th release, you can now pre-Order "Americana" on Amazon.com (Thanks! You'll be helping to support us.)

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"Oh! Susannah" by The Byrds

With all of the anticipation for the upcoming album Americana by Neil Young & Crazy Horse, there's been a lot of focus on the song "Oh! Susannah".

And we were reminded that the last song on The Byrds 1965 album Turn, Turn, Turn was "Oh Susanna". (thanks Mark!)

From the liner notes for Americana by Neil Young & Crazy Horse for the song "Oh, Susannah":

This song written by Stephen Foster was originally performed on September 11, 1847. The Americana version was arranged with a new melody by Tim Rose and was originally performed by The Big Three in 1963, and updated by Tim Rose and the Thorns in 1964. This band did a lot of arrangements of folk songs that were changed to be rock and roll songs and called folk-rock. Tim Rose was one of the pioneers of folk- rock. Much of the music of Americana is based on this idea.

Set for a June 5th release, you can now pre-Order "Americana" on Amazon.com (Thanks! You'll be helping to support us.)

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2012 CROSBY, STILLS, NASH & YOUNG CONVENTION: Reggio Emilia, Italy, May 5 & 6

2012 CSN&Y Convention | Facebook

Nine bands from all over Italy, two locations, record stalls, cd, dvd, photographs, rare and never-seen-before audio and video items, collectors and fans from Europe, the fine cuisine of the Italian food valley, good vibes and a lot of great music. Free admission!

Saturday, May 5th: the international convention dedicated to Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young is back. And it displays an incredible program!

AFTERNOON (ALMOST) UNPLUGGED
It starts early, at 3 p.m. Saturday, May 5, at Tabacchi Blues Fountain Rubiera in Reggio Emilia (via Madonna of Pompeii 2 side via Fontana - www.tabacchi-blues.com). On stage at the five local bands will rise. Open dances Stefano Fedele from Udine, followed by Renzo Cozzani and Daniel Schiaffino from La Spezia, and again an acoustic trio , Bittersweet (Brescia) and the distortion sound of Topanga Four (Padova) and Neil's Addiction (Bologna).
Admission is free at Tabacchi Blues, and do not require booking.

ELECTRIC PARTY - NIGHT
From 7.30 p.m. on the night CSNY International convention change area. We'll move down to the "Batard" (by Canaletto, 35 in San Prospero, Modena - www.batard.it) where Simonel Borghi and Luca Poli from Ancona to kick off the program. After that, the Reggio Emilia band "The Youngs" will premiere the full Neil Young's Harvest, which in 2012 celebrates its first forty years. Then the Romans will go up on stage CSNY Experience Stefano Frollano and Francesco Lucarelli. The honor of closing the evening will be up to Rusties from Bergamo, the name is so popular in Italian music circuit.
At Batard the entrance is free, but there will be a dinner set menu (20 euros per person excluding drinks) for which we strongly advise you booked (via email at giampaolocorradini@gmail.com).

THIRD TIME
If there is a sufficient number of reservations (at least 40), Sunday, May 6 there will be a "third time" always at Batard: lunch set menu for 18 euros per person, excluding drinks, and free access to the stage for a jam session will go on till you drop ... who intends to enjoy the fantastic cuisine of Batard and listen and / or participate in the jam session on Sunday afternoon, you must book by mail at giampaolocorradini@gmail.com

CSNY AND THE INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION 'MADE IN COLLABORATION WITH MUZIK AND STATION RECORDS Kayman

MENU Batard Saturday, May 5 (20 euros per person excluding drink, booking recommended for caldissimamente giampaolocorradini@gmail.com) begin dinner at 20.30

Lasagne
Platter of cured salami PALMIERI of San Prospero with Fable Mortadella, Coppa seasoned Culaccia Zibello, Greaves, salami
Baskets with tigelle dumplings and baked
Platters of cheese Grana, Toma, Pecorino, accompanied by honey and jams

Torta Barozzi like chocolate and coffee
Water (excluding wine)

It 'will be a vegetarian alternative to the standard vegetable lasagna, insalatoni, salmon carpaccio, mozzarella and tomato crostini)

THIRD TIME MENU Batard Sunday, May 6 (18 EURO PER PERSON, LUNCH WILL 'ONLY IF THERE WILL BE AT LEAST 40 BOOKING. RESERVATIONS giampaolocorradini@gmail.com)

Tortellini in broth
Sausage with beans
Jam tart
Water and coffee (without wine)

INFORMATION AND RESERVATIONS: giampaolocorradini@gmail.com and 2012 CSN&Y Convention | Facebook

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Lincvolt Update: The Final Assembly Begins

Earlier today -- as part of Thrasher's Wheat's Earth Day observance -- we referenced how Neil is making a difference with his LincVolt project.

But we neglected to provide the latest update on the star crossed 5 year LincVolt project. From Lincvolt - Repowering the American Dream - Blog, we learn that LV is in the final assembly and about to begin touring around the country extolling the benefits of clean electric transportation.

Read all the details at Lincvolt - Repowering the American Dream - Blog.

(Thanks k!)

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Happy (Mother) Earth Day!

"

Happy (Mother) Earth Day!

Neil Young performs "Mother Earth" in Milwaukee on October 2, 2010, from broadcast of Farm Aid 25: Growing Hope for America.



Save Mother Earth for another day...

Here at Thrasher's Wheat, we're observing Earth Day by playing Neil Young's Greendale.

And -- in all seriousness -- we try and make everyday Earth Day on this blog. Some may note the badge on the lower right sidebar that states that "This Blog Fights Climate Change". And we like to talk about Sun Green and Earth Brown's mission to save Alaska from time to time.



As we've argued repeatedly over the years about the vastly underrated and under appreciated Greendale, the inconvenient truth of Greendale was that Sun Green -- and Neil Young -- were right.



And -- inconveniently -- the job is bigger than saving just Alaska.

From Venice Magazine interview (February 2004) on making a difference:

YOUNG: "Well, I think it is incumbent upon me, with Greendale out there, to do everything that I can to try to live up to Sun Green's vision of what the world should be like, and the kind of changes people should make. Which is more like, "Put your money where your mouth is.

And it's slow, a painfully slow process, but one of the things that we are doing is starting to power our vehicles for this next tour with bio-fuel that has no emissions that damage the ozone, 75 to 80% less pollution than normal diesel, and we'll just try to make a statement that, "Hey, this is something you can do right now, I could be driving around in my SUV or Hummer burning vegetable oil." The thing everybody hates about those is how wasteful they are. The fact that it's big, it's in the way, it's macho, and it's polluting the fucking planet and wasting fuel while it's doing it, it's pouring gallons and gallons of gasoline through one of these things, that's what bothers people."

And that's only one reason why we applaud the LincVolt project.



The inconvenient truth of Greendale is that regardless of whether you loved it or hated it, it was "the most important album of 2003, the musical equivalent of Silent Spring".

Now that is clear that the classic capitalist economic model is seriously flawed we need to understand how best to re-engineer our societies. Because we have now reached the fork in the road and must make a serious choice -- continue in the direction we're heading or choose the hidden path which is less traveled.

Mother Earth by Neil Young


Oh, Mother Earth,
With your fields of green
Once more laid down
by the hungry hand
How long can you
give and not receive
And feed this world
ruled by greed
And feed this world
ruled by greed.

Oh, ball of fire
In the summer sky
Your healing light,
your parade of days
Are they betrayed
by the men of power
Who hold this world
in their changing hands
They hold the world
in their changing hands.

Oh, freedom land
Can you let this go
Down to the streets
where the numbers grow
Respect Mother Earth
and her giving ways
Or trade away
our children's days
Or trade away
our children's days.

Respect Mother Earth
and her giving ways
Or trade away
our children's days.

Neil Young performed "Mother Earth" at each of his concerts during 2010.

Why?

So, if you never really figured out what 2003's Greendale was all about -- or if you missed the stageplay concert -- then take a few moments and watch this video of "Be The Rain".



Be the Rain. Be the Change. Be the Wheat.

“Treat the earth well: it was not given to you by your parents; it was loaned to you by your children. We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children.”

-- Ancient Indian Proverb.

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Levon Helm: Gone But Not Forgotten

Levon Helm, Stephen Stills, Paul Butterfield, Neil Young, Ron Wood at The Last Waltz
Photo by Bo Shannon (c)
(Click photo to enlarge via Purple Words on a Grey Background)

We're glad to say that we had the honor and pleasure of seeing Levon Helm perform over the years. We didn't catch The Band in their very early days, but were lucky to see the various incarnations right up until last summer when Levon, while still vigorous on drums, could barely croak out a verse. Nevertheless, memories to cherish.

Much, much has been written to acknowledge Levon's place in musical history and we won't try and do justice. But we'll make note of the various musical intersections of Levon Helm and Neil Young.

Levon Helm played drums and contributed vocals on Neil Young's On The Beach (reviews) on the tracks "Revolution Blues" and "See the Sky about to Rain". Helm also appeared on "The Old Homestead" on Hawks And Doves (review) .

Bob Dylan, in a post on his official website, writes:

"He was my bosom buddy friend to the end, one of the last true great spirits of my or any other generation.

This is just so sad to talk about.

I still can remember the first day I met him and the last day I saw him. We go back pretty far and had been through some trials together. I'm going to miss him, as I'm sure a whole lot of others will too."

From Levon Helm: So Real It Makes You Believe < PopMatters by Sean Murphy:

There are certain albums you come upon at the ideal age, and I reckon, as a freshman in college, it was the ideal time to fall under the spell of Neil Young’s On the Beach. Much more on that album another time (short summary: it’s impeccable), but one of the songs that has never ceased to leave me at once unsettled and exhilarated is “See the Sky About to Rain”. It was interesting enough in its earlier incarnation as an acoustic number that Young performed on his ’71 tour. In fact, hearing that version helps you appreciate how much Young and his band did to elevate it (here I go again) to that other place.

Beyond boasting one of Young’s most desolate (and beautiful, yes beautiful) vocal performances, it has the whiskey-soaked Wurlitzer, the harmonica, the steel guitar (!) and that dark-night-of-the-soul vibe that more than a few folks—coincidentally or not—tapped into during the early-to-mid ‘70s. But mostly it has those drums: Helm’s work here is a clinic. Like all his playing and like the man himself, it is muscular, sensitive, soulful and masculine. It prods and occasionally cajoles, but it mostly keeps the time and supplies the requisite pace to the proceedings. (In a wonderfully full-circle sort of touch, Young—who had recently felt some rebel blowback for his acerbic, if accurate, cultural critiques in “Southern Man” and “Alabama”—alludes to his own recent and the region’s older history by name-checking “Dixie Land”. It’s one of those improbable moments that you shake your head at and remain in thrall of for the rest of your life.)

I can’t imagine music without Levon Helm. I can’t imagine my world without Levon Helm. Fortunately I’ll never have to.

More on Levon Helm on Purple Words on a Grey Background: RIP Levon Helm (26 May 1940 -19 April 2012)).

(Merci Jacques!)

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