IN THE STUDIO: Neil Young and The Chrome Hearts Recording New Album
(Click photo to enlarge)
Labels: album, concert, neil young, studio, tour
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An unofficial news blog for Neil Young fans from Thrasher's Wheat with concert and album updates, reviews, analysis, and other Rock & Roll ramblings. Separating the wheat from the chaff since 1996.
Labels: album, concert, neil young, studio, tour
"No review’s going to do this justice, so let’s just get this out the way. Neil Young was just phenomenal.
Michael Eavis has tried and failed four times previously to get Neil Young to play at his little party down on Worthy Farm dating right back to the days when local stores would put ‘No Hippies Allowed’ on their windows.
Why Old Farmer Eavis has been so determined to book him is apparent from the moment Neil Young hits the stage. There’s no farting about, his trusty scarred Gibson Les Paul, Old Black, comes straight out and he clangs straight into My My Hey Hey. Seldom has the lyric “better to burn out than fade away” been more pertinent than the day after the death of a King. But also because at this festival of legends there are some here who have faded beyond repair. What this set proved more than anything is that Neil Young isn’t among their number."
Labels: concert, neil young, reviews, stream
It appears that a Neil Young & The Chrome Hearts Europe Summer 2025 concert tour is in the works.
Per a "Message From Neil" posted on Neil Young Archives - Nov. 15, 2024, a tour plan that has already been submitted will be revised again. Instead of touring indoor halls and theaters, Neil Young only wants to perform in open-air arenas. (Thanks RoadDawg Mike!)
"Indoor concerts could be too risky for health reasons and we don't want to have to cancel any concerts next summer for health reasons."
Neil Young first performed with the "Chrome Hearts" at Farm Aid in September and played two indoor concerts in the Capitol Theater in Port Chester, New York.
Additional Chrome Hearts concerts never were scheduled despite a tour announcement.
Neil Young only played two concerts with the "Chrome Hearts" in Port Chester, marking the "beginning of a new era". The band consists of Micah Nelson (guitar), Corey McCormick (bass), Anthony Logerfreo (drums) and Spooner Oldham (keyboards).
Labels: concert, neil young, tour
Everyone wants to live with a cinnamon girl so that they can be happy the rest of their life, right? Who wouldn't?
From The Last 20 Seconds of Neil Young's “Cinnamon Girl” | Recliner Notes:
There is one aspect of “Cinnamon Girl” that remains overlooked: the last 20 seconds.
“Cinnamon Girl” is powered by a riff that launched a thousand ships as countless bands and Young himself have adopted the same crunchy, guitar-based template. A heckler once yelled at Young that all of his songs sounded the same and Young famously responded: “It’s all one song.” There’s a strong argument that “Cinnamon Girl” is in fact that one song, serving as an urtext for grunge and indie rock for generations to come.
Young plays the song in a drop-D tuning, meaning that he starts with a guitar’s standard tuning and lowers the low and high E strings to D notes. Young had employed the tuning before on Buffalo Springfield’s “Mr. Soul,” but it is in “Cinnamon Girl” that he grasps the true power of this technique, providing Young with a low drone, whether heard or implied, that permeates the song with a deep intensity and weight.
The drone is heard plainly at the 2:37 mark of “Cinnamon Girl” as Young and Crazy Horse finish playing the central riff of the song one last time. Young holds the low D after the other guitar and bass fade out. The last 20 seconds of the recorded time of “Cinnamon Girl” acts as the coda of the song. In music theory, a coda is a concluding statement within a song or larger movement. It’s a wrap-up and usually serves as an addition or extension of the principle motif or arrangement of the piece. In this coda, Young plays a flurry of notes by hammering the strings on the fretboard of the guitar to produce the sound rather than using a pick. Over the course of these 20 seconds, he plays 11 different flurries, each a variation on a theme. It’s not the central riff of “Cinnamon Girl” anymore, but this new theme feels connected and even an enhancement on the song’s main riff. This outbreak of notes played by Young in the coda is tumultuous and frenzied and then suddenly finishes as Young lets the sustained drone of the low D ring out. As the drone continues towards its vanishing point, Young hits natural harmonics on the guitar twice just before the song ends, providing a twisted high complement to the drone.
With that, the music fades out, ending the coda and “Cinnamon Girl.”
Full post @ The Last 20 Seconds of Neil Young's “Cinnamon Girl” | Recliner Notes.
More on Is This The Story of "Cinnamon Girl"? The Story Behind Neil Young's Iconic Song Revisited
Labels: analysis, cinnamon girl, neil young, song
UPDATE: Neil says "THANKS!" for the wishes.
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First off, Neil Young is 79 years young today, November 12. So Happy Birthday Neil!!!
As noted on Neil Young's 75th birthday, his outstanding moral character
can be demonstrated with his efforts for The Bridge School (USA) and Farm Aid (USA), as
just two examples.
In 2011, Neil Young was honored with the Allan Waters Humanitarian Award at Canada's Juno Awards.
The award honors a Canadian artist whose humanitarian contributions
have positively enhanced the social fabric of Canada and recognizes
Young's compassionate legacy behind events such as Farm Aid, Live 8,
and Bridge School Concerts.
As we have noted previously,
rarely -- if ever -- has a single artist supported so many causes, for
such a sustained period, raising considerable funds and awareness while
reaching out to millions and millions around the world. When reviewing a
listing of benefit concerts
that Neil Young has played over the years, one is struck by the sheer
diversity of causes he has supported over his 45+ year career.
One could contend that no other artist has made such an impact on causes
involving social justice -- or a better moral character. As we
documented in 2010, The Charitable Mr. Neil Young Keeps On Giving & Giving & Giving.
You get the idea. He's got a heart of gold.
So Happy Birthday Neil!
Long may you run. It's all just a magical ride. enjoy.
Also, check out Scotsman's 2023 posting on Neil's birthday @ Patreon.
Labels: birthday, neil young