Music Video of Neil Young's "Computer Age"

A music video of Neil Young's "Computer Age" from TRANS.

The editor writes:

This is a music video I made in a college class. I used a song by my guitar hero, Neil Young. I tried to make this video express the point that technology is taking over the way we run the world but we should question if that is a good or bad thing.

Good question.

Not sure we have the answer other than ... both.

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Randomly Blogged: Neil Young Signs, Cool Album of the Day, The Rock and Roll Librarian, Beyond The Pale & More Good Neil Stuff

Cross-Country Skiing Trail Signs
Photo by Miron "How could people get so unkind?" M.

Some randomly blogged Neil Young...

• From The Rock and Roll Librarian: Long May You Run:

  I have to admit that my all-time favourite has nearly brought me to tears on occasion.
  
  Long May You Run by Neil Young.
  
  There is no doubt that such a car ever existed in his life but somehow that doesn’t really even matter. The song is so heartfelt and so plainly Neil that it’s painful. His well-documented love for cars borders on fanaticism and goes back to his early days when he drove a hearse from Canada to California. His ranch is overflowing with all kinds of classic cars and he is currently driving a bio-deisel powered hybrid version of a 1959 Lincoln.

(Thanks Ian!)

• From Beyond The Pale: Neil Young And Crazy Horse (Part 1)

  The Ditch Trilogy is the unofficial, fan-branded moniker for 1973’s Time Fades Away, ‘74’s On The Beach, and the following year’s Tonight’s The Night.
  
  Barring Altman’s McCabe & Mrs. Miller, Updike’s Rabbit At Rest, Jean-Luc Godard’s entire filmography and Morrissey’s “Every Day Is Like Sunday,” this triptych is probably my personal favorite work of popular art.
  
  Time Fades Away is comprised of eight soundboard recordings from a tour so draining that Young has yet to release the record on CD. It is out of print, and he’s rarely played the songs since, which is an enormous loss, considering just how essential “Don’t Be Denied” and “Last Dance” truly are.

• Beyond The Pale: Sleeps With Nowhere: Neil Young And Crazy Horse (Part 2)

• Beyond The Pale: Pardon My Heart: Neil Young And Crazy Horse (Part 3)

(Thanks Jesse!)

• From The House That Scott Built: Get Back to The Country… Scott Young’s Farm » Youngtown

(Thanks Trevor!)

Neil Young - TRANS era
(photo via the Thrasher's Wheat Archive)

• From Neil Young “Trans” « Cool Album of the Day
  

  Neil Young, Trans. Love it _____, Hate It_____ You tell me. I don’t believe that there was ever a more polarizing Neil Young album than Trans. I know people that absolutely love this effort. I know people that can’t stand it. I feel that Neil loved that!
  
  What makes people react this way?
  
  Maybe you haven’t heard this album. What caused the split reaction was mainly due to one thing. That one thing was the vocoder. What is a vocoder? I guess you could say it was the grandfather to today’s auto-tuner.

• Neil Young “Tonight’s The Night” « Cool Album of the Day

• Neil Young and Crazy Horse “Live Rust” « Cool Album of the Day

(Thanks Larry!)


Neil Young with Crazy Horse at SECC Glasgow 2001, singing Gateway of Love, an unreleased song
(Thanks Sam!)

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PHOTO GALLERY: Crazy Horse & Neil Young at MusiCares Honors Paul McCartney

Crazy Horse & Neil Young
Photo via Purple Words on a Grey Background

Last weekend, Paul McCartney was honored as the 2012 MusiCares Person of the Year by an array of musical stars in Los Angeles.

Here's a photo gallery of Crazy Horse & Neil Young from Purple Words on a Grey Background.

More on Paul McCartney Honored at Musicares by Neil Young & Crazy Horse, others.

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Neil Young Interview with Redbeard at In The Studio

Harvest by Neil Young

A Neil Young interview with Redbeard at In The Studio marking the 40th anniversary of the album Harvest.

Neil Young: “Dylan's ‘Nashville Skyline’ and ‘Harvest’ were really, I guess, the two excursions by popular music artists in the country recording field.

They were just taken as works. At that time, it was just like a thing we did. We went there and it sounded good …. Country music is based on songs and songs about people.

It really all fit together real well.”

The interview --recorded on Neil's tour bus -- also contains some comments by the late Ben Keith.

Listen to Neil Young at In The Studio.

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A 15 year Old Covers ‘Heart of Gold’: Watch Tavi Gevinson

OK, normally we don't run Neil Young covers by 15 year olds.

But we did find this cover by Tavi Gevinson of Neil Young’s ‘Heart of Gold’ to be well... quite tender, touching and endearing.

At age 15, Tavi Gevinson blogs on the fashion industry for her blog Style Rookie and her online magazine Rookie.

Gevinson performed “Heart of Gold” after a midnight screening of her new short film, Cadaver. The song -- also featured in the film -- was performed at The Standard in East Village, New York.

Apparently, Neil personally approved the authorized use of the song in the film -- a rare event as we saw last year.

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Photo of the Moment: Joni Mitchell and Neil Young

Joni Mitchell and Neil Young
2012 Grammy Event
Los Angeles, CA - Feb 11, 2012

The Photo of the Moment is Joni Mitchell and Neil Young at a 2012 Grammy Event in Los Angeles, CA on Feb 11, 2012.

Joni Mitchell and Neil Young both hail from Canada, grew up musically in Toronto and later went on to become celebrated singer-songwriters around the world. Their musical intersections over the years have been both productive and fascinating.

More on the musical intersections and influences of Joni Mitchell and Neil Young.

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Happy Valentine's Day to All of The Hearts of Gold Out There

Matthew and Melinda

Happy Valentine's Day!

It's been 40 years now since "Heart of Gold" entered our lives, and we'd like to wish that every day could be Valentine's Day.

So there comes a time for a delightfully heart-warming story from Matthew and Melinda or ...Understanding Neil Young's Music.

Often, we've found ourselves trying to explain Neil Young's music to others with varying degrees of success. In the end, we find that his music isn't really something that can be explained.

While we've expended quite a few words on this blog making an attempt, it really is the stories of others which transcend the gap much better.


Art by Susan Farrington

So here's a story that really seems to capture the essence of Neil Young's musical hearts of gold. Matthew and Melinda: put on love...: falling in love and neil young....

matthew and i had been friends for nearly 2 years before he finally asked me out on a date. for months we had been interested, neither of us quite ready to make a permanent move that could ruin the friendship we had.

the day matthew left to go back to wisconsin for the summer, he came to my ghetto apartment to hang out and say goodbye. laundry baskets full of dirty clothes and borrowed bedding spilled out of his back seat, electrical cords and dirty socks blew wildly. the windows were down, his air conditioner didn't work. after chumming around my apartment for a little while, he started to look nervous. he wrung his hands, and bit his cheek, and stumbled over his words. "uhh... melinda, do you maybe want to go get some ice cream, before i leave? we can go to maggie moo's?" he shrugged his shoulders, and i can picture the look on his face like it was yesterday, his lip was quivering, and his eyes were searching, searching me, seeing if he could find what he was looking for. "yah. sure. let's go." what, did he think i would say no? he was one of my closest friends, and truth be told, i was already in love with him. i had known i was in love with him since valentines day. but really, this is ridiculous. we had been friends for 2 years, why was my stomach flipping turning and whirling? why was he biting his nails like tomorrow he would be allowed to no more? why was this different than any of the hundreds of times we had hung out before?

we slowly walked down to his car, and found our seats among the dirty socks and never opened school books. he plugged in his ipod and carefully chose a song. i shrugged down in my seat, and put my knees up on the dash, like any self conscious, slightly nervous, girl would. the song started, and i wondered what it was. matthew told me it was neil young, harvest moon. he told me it was the best song ever, one of his favorites. and as i listened to the words, my heart sang. this was the man i was in love with.

Harvest Moon
Neil Young

Come a little bit closer
Hear what I have to say
Just like children sleepin'
We could dream this night away.

But there's a full moon risin'
Let's go dancin' in the light
We know where the music's playin'
Let's go out and feel the night.

Because I'm still in love with you
I want to see you dance again
Because I'm still in love with you
On this harvest moon.

When we were strangers
I watched you from afar
When we were lovers
I loved you with all my heart.

But now it's gettin' late
And the moon is climbin' high
I want to celebrate
See it shinin' in your eye.

Because I'm still in love with you
I want to see you dance again
Because I'm still in love with you
On this harvest moon.


sitting there in matthews falling apart old honda, with no air, and the wind whipping wildly through the car, i knew there was no other place i would rather be in the world. not the eiffel tower, not at my family's cabins in the gunnison forrest, not in romania, or in louis vuitton. nowhere. the only place i wanted to be, was by matthew's side. it didn't matter that i was still unsure of how he felt, i knew his feelings would come, it didn't matter that he seemed afraid to touch me, that would come too... all i knew, was that i loved him.

we went to maggie moo's, and he bought me ice cream. his ice cream melted right out of cone in about 12 seconds, and dripped wildly down his arm. we laughed and laughed and talked about what our summer would be like without one another. i didn't want him to leave, i ate my ice cream slowly, and jabbered on and on about nothing. anything to keep him here another minute. i was about to lose my dear friend for the summer, and if he left now, i didn't know what was in store for us in the future. maybe our one chance, was this summer, and we would miss it.

he finally convinced me that he had to get moving, and we begrudgingly walked back to his car. where he played more neil young songs, and talked about why he liked neil young. i don't think i was really listening to him. i was only thinking about what was to come.

we drove back to my apartment in pure perfection, and it was time to say goodbye. it was a whilrwind, a rush of emotion and feelings. i hugged him goodbye, and wished he would kiss me. he walked out the door, turning back to see my face again, and i cried.

that was the beginning. may 24, 2005. that was falling in love, and hearing neil young, and the peace of knowing where i belong.

my heart was his that day, and it will belong to no one but him til the day i die. he is everything i ever hoped for, everything i dreamed of, and he loves me. everyday, i choose to love him, and he chooses to love me.
love and hugs and prayers...
melinda sue

Happy Valentine's Day Matthew and Melinda.... all of the hearts of gold out there.



And Happy Valentine's Day to my Heart of Gold, Thrashette. I love you!

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Also, see Top 10 Neil Young Love Songs.

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Photo of the Moment: Crazy Horse 2012

Crazy Horse 2012 - Los Angeles, CA
Billy Talbot, Frank Sampedro, Neil Young & Ralph Molina
Photo via Ralph Molina | Facebook

The Photo of the Moment is Crazy Horse v.2012.

Billy, Poncho, Neil & Ralph are all looking ready to go for Musicares Honors Paul McCartney.

Great to see! (Thanks Ralph!)

More photos of Neil Young & Crazy Horse at Musicares Honoring Paul McCartney.

Also, see Purple Words on a Grey Background for more Crazy Horse in action photos.

ps - and wait until you see tomorrow's Photo of the Moment!

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ROUNDUP: Paul McCartney Honored at Musicares by Neil Young & Crazy Horse, others

Crazy Horse & Neil Young
Photo via | WireImage |

This weekend, Paul McCartney was honored as the 2012 MusiCares Person of the Year by an array of musical stars in Los Angeles.

Among the many musicians paying tribute to the former Beatle, Neil Young & Crazy Horse reunited for their first gig together since the 2003/4 Greendale tour.

By all indications, the reunion of Crazy Horse was the musical highlight of the evening in which there were many.




Crazy Horse and Neil Young
"I Saw Her Standing There"
Photo by McCARTNEY PHOTO BLOG

From Paul McCartney Honored as MusiCares Person of the Year - New York Times.com By JAMES MCKINLEY, JR.:

But the performance that brought the crowd to its feet and seemed to capture the rock and roll spirit of the early Beatles came from Neil Young and Crazy Horse. Mr. Young, his long grey hair spilling out from under his white hat, launched into “I Saw Her Standing There” in a loose, free style, letting the guitars ring as he sang the teenage anthem with a snarl and launched into a post-modern guitar solo in which the melody jumped, stuttered and seemed to cry out in pain. Simply put, the song rocked, sounding as if it could have been recorded yesterday.

“Paul!” Mr. Young said after he finished, raising his hand in a salute, while the crowd applauded wildly.

Crazy Horse and Neil Young
"I Saw Her Standing There"
Photo by McCARTNEY PHOTO BLOG


Photo by REUTERS

The set list from the night, what a great event !! Magical Mystery Tour" - Paul McCartney

"Junior's Farm" - Paul McCartney

"Jet" - Foo Fighters

"Blackbird" - Alicia Keys

"No More Lonely Nights" - Alison Krauss & Union Station

"Here, There and Everywhere" - Tony Bennett

"And I Love Her" - Duane Eddy

"Oh! Darling" - Norah Jones

"Hey Jude" - Katy Perry

"I Saw Her Standing There" - Neil Young and Crazy Horse

"The Fool on the Hill" - Sergio Mendes

"We Can Work It Out" - Coldplay

"Yesterday" - James Taylor with Diana Krall and John Clayton

"For No One" - Diana Krall with James Taylor and John Clayton

"My Valentine" - Paul McCartney with Diana Krall, John Pizzarelli and others

"I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter" - Paul McCartney with Diana Krall, John Pizzarelli and others

"Nineteen Hundred and Eighty Five" - Paul McCartney

"Golden Slumbers/Carry that Weight/The End" - Paul McCartney with Joe Walsh




Brian Wilson and Neil Young
Photo via | WireImage |

Diana Krall, Elvis Costello, Neil Young & Pegi Young
Photo via | WireImage |

Elvis Costello and Neil Young
Photo via | WireImage |

Neil Young & Pegi Young
Photo via | WireImage |

More on Paul McCartney Honored at Musicares by Neil Young & Crazy Horse, others.

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Paul McCartney Honored at Musicares by Neil Young & Crazy Horse, others

UPDATE: ROUNDUP: Paul McCartney Honored at Musicares by Neil Young & Crazy Horse, others


Crazy Horse and Neil Young
"I Saw Her Standing There"
Photo by McCARTNEY PHOTO BLOG

From Paul McCartney Honored as MusiCares Person of the Year - New York Times.com By JAMES MCKINLEY, JR.:

But the performance that brought the crowd to its feet and seemed to capture the rock and roll spirit of the early Beatles came from Neil Young and Crazy Horse. Mr. Young, his long grey hair spilling out from under his white hat, launched into “I Saw Her Standing There” in a loose, free style, letting the guitars ring as he sang the teenage anthem with a snarl and launched into a post-modern guitar solo in which the melody jumped, stuttered and seemed to cry out in pain. Simply put, the song rocked, sounding as if it could have been recorded yesterday.

“Paul!” Mr. Young said after he finished, raising his hand in a salute, while the crowd applauded wildly.

UPDATE:
2/11/2012 03:03:00 AM - Multiple tweets are reporting "I Saw Her Standing There" played by Neil Young & Crazy Horse.

At 2/11/2012 07:36:00 AM, Anonymous Neil Young And Crazy Horse Play Heaviest Beatles Cover Ever | News | Music News | Noise11:

Neil Young and Crazy Horse performed a full-on grunge version of The Beatles’ ‘I Saw Here Standing There’ for Sir Paul McCartney’s MusiCares Person of the Year dinner last night (February 10) in Hollywood.

At 2/11/2012 08:10:00 AM, Anonymous Gillis said...

From grammy hompage ;
And Neil Young, in keeping with the spirit, pretty much was back in a mid-'60s Toronto garage as he and Crazy Horse powered through the early Beatles classic "I Saw Her Standing There."

Crazy Horse and Neil Young
"I Saw Her Standing There"
Photo by McCARTNEY PHOTO BLOG


Photo by REUTERS



DEVELOPING - Check Back

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Paul McCartney and Neil Young
The Hollywood Walk Of Fame - Los Angeles, California - 09.02.12
Photo by ContactMusic.com

Tonight, Paul McCartney will be honored as the 2012 MusiCares Person of the Year in Los Angeles.

Among the many musicians paying tribute to the former Beatle, Neil Young & Crazy Horse will reunite for their first gig together since the 2003/4 Greendale tour.

Paul McCartney on Hollywood Walk of Fame
(Neil Young on far left)

Yesterday, Paul McCartney received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Neil Young made some comments at the event.



Paul McCartney and Neil Young
The Hollywood Walk Of Fame - Los Angeles, California - 09.02.12
Photo by ContactMusic.com



From Paul McCartney rocks out for his Hollywood star - Entertainment - NZ Herald News:

"Let me tell you a little bit about our friend Paul here just as a musician," said Young, wearing a black leather Buffalo Springfield tour jacket. "When I was in high school and the Beatles came out, I loved the Beatles and I tried to learn how to play like them, and no one could figure out what Paul was doing on the bass. Not only was he playing differently because he plays left-handed, he played notes that no one had put together before -- in a way that made us stand in awe of this great musician."

Young said McCartney, 69, was "at the top of his game, he said, adding: "Like Charlie Chaplin was a great actor, that's how I look at Paul.

"Yet even with all of that craft that he has and his ability to put melodies and chords and feelings together, it's the soul that comes out of his music that makes me feel so good and so happy to be here with him ... today," he said.

Paul McCartney Inducted by Neil Young into Rock & Roll Hall of Fame - 1999

Paul McCartney and Neil Young have had quite a few interesting musical encounters over the years. (See Paul McCartney and Neil Young.)

So ... what Paul McCartney song will Neil Young & Crazy Horse cover?

The poll below represents the songs with the top votes from an earlier runoff this week.




And might it be possible that Neil & The Horse will do a medley?

Lastly, will Paul join Neil & The Horse?

Drop us a comment and let us know what you think.

And if anyone is going tonight, please leave a report. Enjoy!


Paul McCartney and Neil Young
Bridge School Benefit Concert - October 23, 2004
Shoreline Amphitheater, Mountain View, CA
Photo by Barry Brecheisen

UPDATE: ROUNDUP: Paul McCartney Honored at Musicares by Neil Young & Crazy Horse, others

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"Sleeps With Angels" - Neil Young & Crazy Horse @ Complex Studios - Promo

"Sleeps With Angels" by Neil Young & Crazy Horse from The Complex Sessions on YouTube.

Although this performance was recorded in the Complex studios, it isn't part of the Complex Sessions (filmed by Jonathan Demme). While The Complex Sessions was a live performance, this footage comes from the promo-only VHS 'Sleeps With Angels Continued ...' which documents the recording of the SWA album. (Thanks vaga2012 for update/correction!)

Also, see Comment of the Moment: Sleeps with Angels - "It's like a room full of mirrors".

More on The Complex Sessions directed by Jonathan Demme.

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Comment of the Moment: Sleeps with Angels - "It's like a room full of mirrors"

Sleeps With Angels: Neil Young, Crazy Horse
Preview Tracks

The Comment of the Moment is from the Complex Sessions videos regarding Neil Young & Crazy Horse's album Sleeps with Angels by Unknown:

Sleeps with Angels was the first Neil Young album that I bought myself as a teenager, and I still consider it as one of the best (if not *the* best) that Neil has ever created. I always thought it was quite undervalued in Neil's catalogue. Everything on this album seems to be in its place, nothing seems to be random. It's like a room full of mirrors, with references to so many things.

Of course, there's the obvious reference to Kurt Cobain's death and suicide note, that appears to have been a trigger for Neil to fall into Tonight's The Night - like dark mood. To which you find a reference in the black CD/LP label.

Musically it's some of the finest tracks that Crazy Horse has ever recorded. Not the easy forward-rocking Ragged Glory and also not the pot-induced one-song Broken Arrow, and not the convincing minimalism of Greendale, but a very versatile collection of songs where each song transports a different mood, but which at the same time does not fall apart, they still manage to come across as one album.

The album is also very interesting structurally. Blue Eden seems to be the dark center of the album. It picks up the theme from Change Your Mind ('embracing, distorting, supporting, ...') and musically leads to Safeway Cart. And references Driveby ('you feel invincible, it's just a part of life'). From there one (going backwards and forwards) songs somewhat mirror each other. Western Hero and Train of Love are the same song with different lyrics. Trans Am and Driveby have a very similar 'feel' to me. My Heart and A Dream That Can Last are the beginning and ending of the album that feel a little bit like child's songs/lullabies that wrap the enclosed darkness in peaceful tunes.

In all this well-produced darkness, Piece of Crap stands out as a .. well, piece of crap. But what a great rocker that is... and it nicely captures the feeling of that mystical generation X. Probably the best punk rock song ever done by Neil Young and Crazy Horse.

Only years after I bought it, I figured out that the picture on the inside of the CD which on first sight did not really reveal much except pixel mess (maybe a building and a road?) was a picture of Neil in sunglasses.

One oddity that I remember was that the CD came with an additional sheet of paper with all the lyrics translated into german (at least here in Germany.. would be interesting to find out if there have been translations to other languages as well?). Certainly useless (lyrics like this can hardly be translated), but at the same time supports the general theme of a 'concept album'. Obviously somebody found the lyrics so important that they needed to be translated for the audience. I have never ever bought an album with translated lyrics.

I am very much looking forward to the new Neil Young and Crazy Horse material. Sleeps with angels gets me in the right mood.

Thanks Unknown!

More on The Complex Sessions directed by Jonathan Demme.

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POLL: What Song will Neil Young & Crazy Horse cover for Paul McCartney at MusiCares?

Select Up To 3 Songs Only*

The news that Crazy Horse & Neil Young will reunite to play for Paul McCartney at the 2012 MusiCares Honors has electrified fans and generated much speculation about what song they will cover.

The 2012 MusiCares Person of the Year for honoree Paul McCartney will be this Friday, Feb. 10 in Los Angeles.

This will be the 1st Crazy Horse & Neil Young gig since the 2003/4 Greendale tour.

So ... what Paul McCartney song will Neil Young & Crazy Horse cover?

The poll above represents a sample of the suggestions left in comments of possibilities.

Here's what we're thinking. Folks can vote for their Top 3 and then we'll have a runoff this weekend of the top nominations.

The format for Musicares in the past has been one song per band. But maybe Neil & The Horse will do a medley?

How cool would a road trip/car medley be? Long and Winding Road, Why Don't We Do it in the Road?, Backseat of My Car, Baby You Can Drive My Car?

Any medley suggestions can be placed in comments below. Also, feel free to suggest any Paul songs not already listed and we'll try and add to the poll.

Lastly, will Paul join Neil & The Horse?

If anyone accurately predicts whether Paul will join Neil & The Horse, the medley selection and sequence, Thrasher's Wheat will be awarding some sort of prize or honor. (you must submit as a registered comment).

*A fourth vote is allowed when selecting "Medley of songs".

oh, the possibilities...

Invitation for 2012 MusiCares | GRAMMY.org

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Comment of the Moment: Losing My Religion on Audio Quality

The Comment of the Moment is concerns audio quality from the Steve Jobs, MP3's & iPods thread by rkennke:

Not sure why most discussions about audio quality need to be so religious. The fact is that you can make very fine CDs (just take NY's CDs starting from mid-90s to today) as well as very crappy vinyl records (oh boy have I listened to crappy stuff in the 80's and early 90's).

The thing with CDs is that 16bit depth and 44KHz resolution is just fine for human ears. Sure you can create much higher-resolution audio, and it carries tons of more information, but it's effectively inaudible. That is a consequence of the inability of human ears to hear anything beyond 22KHz (heck, most people probably cannot hear beyond 16KHz already) and Nyquists laws.

Similar things can be stated about MP3s. At a high enough bitrate, they are indistinguishable from CD quality. Double-blind listening tests shows that beyond 192kbit/s MP3s basically are indistinguishable from CDs or MP3s of higher bitrate.

The problem as far as I can see is CDs that are not well done. There's so many ways that CDs can be screwed up. Digital is very unforgiving with regards to clipping. Go beyond the dynamic range of the CD (i.e. turn the mix up too loud) and you get very bad distortions since the signal will be clipped off (whereas in analog you'd 'only' distort the signal). Unfortunately this is a very common practice nowadays (loudness wars). One reason why SACDs sound much better is that the mastering process for SACD strongly discourages this cranking up to the max loudness. Another problem with digital lies in the mixing and mastering process. Each transformation of the original recording means loss of information. Mix 2 tracks together and you loose information. Adjust levels of a track and you loose information. Etc etc. That's why it's important to record, mix and master with high-res audio. That has not been done in the first decade(s) of CD audio and that's one of the reasons they sound bad.

On the other hand, analog recordings and vinyl have their own share of limitations that the guys in the studio need to have in mind. The resolution of magnet tape and vinyl is not infinite either. At some level you get crystals of stuff which ultimately define your possible resolution, and the depth of the groove and mechanics of the tonearm severely limit the dynamic range of vinyl records (that's why the RIAA curve has lower levels for the bass: when the bass gets too strong the needles would simply hop out of the groove). Also, the resolution of the signal depends on the running speed of the needle over the groove. You get higher quality on the outer end of the LP than on the inner tracks (and that is audible!). Well-made records only have stuff on the outer range for this reason. The best sound you get on EPs that only have one track on the outer end and run at 45rpm. Of course the same considerations apply with regards of the recording, mixing and mastering process: you need to use much higher-quality material during the process than you use for the end result because of all the inevitable loss in between.

Please stop being religious.

Listen to the music not the technology. Give me any well done CD, vinyl or MP3 and I'll be happy! It doesn't get better only because I listen to it on the highest resolution format on the most expensive stereo ever. Music is good when it touches our hearts. And I remember how some music touched me very deeply even when I listened to it on the crappiest cassette player ever in my parents house.

Thanks rkennke!

Our take on this isn't so much that folks get religious on audio quality as much as that they are passionate about how their music sounds.

More on Steve Jobs, Neil Young, MP3's & iPods.

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Neil Young and Crazy Horse: "When I Hold You in My Arms" - Farm Aid 2001

Neil Young and Crazy Horse performing "When I Hold You in My Arms", live at Farm Aid in 2001.

The Concert for America in Noblesville, Indiana was held just 18 days after the September 11 attacks on September 29, 2001.

The Concert for America honored family farmers as a resource for the nation.

This version of "When I Hold You in My Arms" is quite unique with Neil playing both the piano and Old Black guitar.

And -- needless to say -- this rendition given the context is unbelievably poignant and heartfelt.

More on Farm Aid: The Music Industry’s Longest-Running Philanthropic Concert.

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Comment of the Moment: "Horse Back" and Audio Quality

The Comment of the Moment is concerning "Horse Back" and Audio Quality from the Steve Jobs and Neil Young thread by Kimball:

Now, on the subject of Horse Back Neil, wow, that is an assault of rich guitar tone. I can tell that even through the lossy compression of the video on Neil's website. Its going to be great to hear the record(s) when they come out.

Remember that little note on Neil's own news page on his website, that 2012 is going to be the year that the record companies bring high quality or high resolution audio to the masses. Seems like that was there back in August or so, and now Neil's speaking about the subject in public. I can't wait to see what the format is, and what it will require for equipment.

While I've been watching these videos of Neil speaking about digital sound quality, I've noted his lack of mention of the previously available forays into high rez that have been available in SACD and DVD-Audio (he even re-released several of his albums on DVD audio). He also has been spanking the 128 kbps MP3. He does not mention the availability of equipment that plays CD quality flac files, like the Cowon J3. I know he's got his sights on players that will support 24/192 files. I would love that support too. But perhaps he'll get more critical public mass momentum if he gets people to understand flac equipment that at least does CD quality, which is a great deal better than 128 MP3s.

(AIFF and WAV are lossless formats that maintain full CD quality, but are also uncompressed meaning they take up maximum space. FLAC is the same in that it is lossless, but it takes up less disk space. The same quality, but compressed. That is the difference between lossy and lossless compression. Its the compression that relates to how much space the material takes up. The lossy vs lossless relates to whether there is a loss of information. Think of a .ZIP file of a document. It takes up less space, but you can still expand it to get back to the original. That's lossless compression. Imagine if you wrote your life story and then saved it with LOSSY compression to be able to save it to fit on your thumb drive. You might lose every other letter or maybe you'd lose years of passages. With lossy compression the information is gone and it doesn't come back when you read out the material. Think of it in terms of your autobiography and you're approaching how Neil and other artists feel about their personal musical compositions going through the lossy shredder.)

Thanks Kimball! Great comment.

More on audio quality, Steve Jobs and Neil Young.

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"Piece Of Crap" (Live Complex Sessions) - Neil Young & Crazy Horse

Given all the recent hoopla over today's crappy sound quality, crappy MP3's, and Apple's crappy iPods, what could be more appropriate?

Here's "Piece Of Crap" by Neil Young & Crazy Horse from the Complex Sessions.

This goes out to all those Restless Consumers everywhere.

And what could be more appropriate for a Stupor Super Bowl Sunday???

(Thanks doc! Never thought we'd say that...)

More on The Complex Sessions directed by Jonathan Demme.

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Complex Sessions: Neil Young & Crazy Horse "Change Your Mind", Director Jonathan Demme

Neil Young and Crazy Horse's "Change Your Mind" from the Complex Sessions masterfully captures the group in all their power and beauty.

Recorded at the Complex Studios in Los Angeles, where Neil Young and Crazy Horse had recorded Sleeps With Angels, director Jonathan Demme filmed them performing four songs from the album. Shot over two nights on Oct. 3-4, 1994, the 30-minute video contains "My Heart," "Prime Of Life," "Change Your Mind," and "Piece Of Crap."

In this 15-minute "Change Your Mind," with its lengthy instrumental passages, Demme varies the lighting from near darkness to excessive brightness.

(Thanks Keith W!)

From NEIL YOUNG'S - and Rock n' Roll's - Finest Moment (Fi - The Magazine of Music & Sound, June, 1996) by Paul Williams:

At my local record store, I recently came across a videocassette which apparently had been available for a year, but which I'd never heard about, called Neil Young and Crazy Horse: The Complex Sessions. Bought it, brought it home, watched and listened and was absolutely astonished.

Don't fall into the trap of believing that the great moments in rock and roll history are all in the past. This twenty-seven minute performance by one of rock's greatest and most enduring artists and bands is headline news. What rock and roll has always tried to achieve has never come any closer than this, or Chuck Berry's "Johnny B. Goode," or Janis and Big Brother live in 1967, or Springsteen and E Street in 1975.

You shoulda been there.

And in this case, thanks to the miracle of recording technology, you can be. This videotape will wear out no faster than your all-time favorite 45, it is just as deserving of repeated plays, just as possibly able to continue to deepen its resonance through the rest of your lifetime. The best argument I've ever heard for owning a "home theater" setup with superior audio capabilities.

The mix on this tape is so brilliant it even sounds good on a damn TV set, but I keep wanting to turn it up louder than the TV will go.

The Complex Sessions seems to me to represent a pivotal moment in rock history (as, say, "Smells Like Teen Spirit" did), not only because it's so good but also because it is a breakthrough in the creative use of a medium (the long-form rock video as a work of art) that has defeated most supplicants, including Neil as often as not. On the other hand, it isn't selling many copies, and in our increasingly corrupt pop culture, that and inches of press coverage are the only measurements of "significance." Oh well. Great music is still great music.

If a tree falls in the forest but nobody writes a review, did it make a sound?

Complete article on Complex Sessions NEIL YOUNG'S - and Rock n' Roll's - Finest Moment (Fi - The Magazine of Music & Sound, June, 1996) by Paul Williams.

More Jonathan Demme and Neil Young, Sleeps With Angels reviews, and "Change Your Mind" lyrics analysis.

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Steve Jobs and Neil Young: Comment of the Moment

Neil Young & Steve Jobs

Quite a bit of discussion regarding the news that "Steve Jobs Preferred Vinyl" Says Neil Young.

The widely picked up quote was preceded earlier by Neil Young's announcement that he supported the Occupy Audio movement due to his "anger over today's sound quality".

Which brings us to the Comment of the Moment:

This story grabbed my interest, because I know of Young's long term dedication to sound quality. And also just because it was an interesting idea that these two could be discussing a major move forward.

But realistically, I wonder how far he could ever have got with Jobs (or could get now, with just Apple). I suspect Jobs and Young would have struggled to find common ground. Jobs may have liked vinyl, but he liked Apple a whole lot more.

True, the iPod itself is quite an innovative product, but from the very beginning, it was about quantity over quality, "1000 songs in your pocket" and all that crap.

And mainly what it is is a shamefully locked piece of equipment, a vehicle for Apple's proprietary obsessions.

Consider.

We've had "hi-def" digital sound for at least 15 years now, even DVD Video has 24-bit sound written into its standard (Google the Bob Stuart interview in Stereophile). Yep, you can run off a lovely hi-def audio disc on a cheap DVD-V blank.

We've had hi-def digital disc formats that didn't too well commercially - DVD-Audio and SACD, and now we have hi-def audio on Bluray. And we have what may be the true home of hi-def, computers. And where has Apple really been in all this? Nowhere. Jobs and Apple have been completely silent on the subject, and where their equipment can even handle this stuff, they're usually very late to the game.

Instead, they've had a separate but extraordinarily lucrative existence where they developed the iPod and iTunes, got people buying a song at a time for a dollar a time, and did nothing to disabuse people of the idea that MP3 was all they needed.

If Jobs knows vinyl sounds great on his billionaire-class turntable, why didn't he do more to promote higher quality digital audio for the plebs? He's had ten years with the iPod, more than enough time considering that during the same period, audiophiles have adopted high quality computer audio in a very big way.

Instead, the iPod is more about what you _can't_ do. No SPDIF or other way to get the digital signal out to a DAC. If you want to do that, you have to buy a Wadia box (licensed by Apple) for $300. And that's not the external DAC, it's just a digital middleman. Unlike an external DAC, which can be an extremely versatile audio device that deals with multiple sources, it presumably has no function other than getting digital off an iPod and passing it along. You can't plug it into anything else or do anything else with it. For $300! It's basically a license in box form.

http://www.stereophile.com/digitalprocessors/1008wad/index.html

Now it would be perfectly possible for Apple to just build digital-out capability into its iPods - in the same way a $30 PC soundcard can do it, a DAT player can do it, a CD player can do it (I do all three right now). Instead, the iPod is permanently prevented from reaching its full hifi potential - as a digital transport - unless you take Apple's approved, Apple-takes-a-cut-of-the-money route. Isn't it interesting how the iPod, in 2012, can't do things that a CD player or a DAT could easily handle in 1990?

Compare that to how you freely move music files around on a computer, swap between computers, send out to a DAC, basically do whatever the hell you want with them, and you see that the iPod is classic crippleware.

Now how many of us really believe that the Jobs-Young summit would have produced results that weren't weighted in Steve's favour? I've got the greatest respect for Neil Young and what he's achieved for audio over the years - he's a frigging _hero for the way he's pushed this issue - but I'm convinced Jobs would have obstructed or circumvented him one way or another.

So what have we got?

Neil Young: brought out the Archives - his BABY - on Bluray.

Steve Jobs: Blu-ray? What's that?

http://gigaom.com/apple/tasting-the-forbidden-fruit-blu-ray-on-the-mac/

And there you have the difference between the two in a nutshell.

A lot to consider in this comment.

So we'll just say that we're always searchin' for quality -- rather than quantity. But -- generally -- we can't always get what we want, but we're happy we get what we need. :)

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VIDEO: Neil Young Discusses Crazy Horse Reunion | Rolling Stone

Here's a video clip posted on Rolling Stone of Coffee with Neil Young and Jonathan Demme at Slamdance Festival where Neil made the surprise announcement about a new Crazy Horse album being recorded.

Coffee with Neil Young and Jonathan Demme (3 of 4) from Slamdance on Vimeo.

Also:
VIDEO: Coffee with Neil Young and Jonathan Demme Part #2

Also, see BREAKING: New Crazy Horse & Neil Young Video Streaming NOW!!!.

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