By the latter half of the 70s, Neil Young had put his ditch days behind him, had Zuma'd up and down the California coast with Crazy Horse, and seemed pretty damn content with recording a string of laid back, though pretty inoffensive country rock LPs. Young's short run with The Ducks in the late summer of 1977 was all at once strange anomaly, a high water mark and a signpost marking a change of course. Comprised of Young, Moby Grape vocalist Bob Mosely, "Hey Hey, My My" co-author Jeff Blackburn and sometime session man Johnny Craviotto, The Ducks were quite possibly the most popular townie bar band of all time, as Young's contractual obligations with Crazy Horse specified he could only tour with them, forcing The Ducks to play all of their 22 gigs within the Santa Cruz city limits. Loaded with songwriters, the band's setlists were comprised of original material, a few tunes from each member's back catalog and a handful of covers. The shows were tight, Young seemed to enjoy his supporting role, and, in the beginning, the crowds were enthusiastic if a little awed at their strange fortune. After a few weeks the hordes of out of towners hoping to hear some classic Neil Young tunes grew exponentially, and with its secret out, Young left the group less than two months after its first gig. And though a mobile recording rig was often spotted outside the club for most of the shows, this unofficial, surprisingly clear fan recording is the only aural evidence in circulation.
Showing posts with label Neil Young. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Neil Young. Show all posts
Sunday
Neil Young and the Ducks
Live at the Catalyst, August 22, 1977
By the latter half of the 70s, Neil Young had put his ditch days behind him, had Zuma'd up and down the California coast with Crazy Horse, and seemed pretty damn content with recording a string of laid back, though pretty inoffensive country rock LPs. Young's short run with The Ducks in the late summer of 1977 was all at once strange anomaly, a high water mark and a signpost marking a change of course. Comprised of Young, Moby Grape vocalist Bob Mosely, "Hey Hey, My My" co-author Jeff Blackburn and sometime session man Johnny Craviotto, The Ducks were quite possibly the most popular townie bar band of all time, as Young's contractual obligations with Crazy Horse specified he could only tour with them, forcing The Ducks to play all of their 22 gigs within the Santa Cruz city limits. Loaded with songwriters, the band's setlists were comprised of original material, a few tunes from each member's back catalog and a handful of covers. The shows were tight, Young seemed to enjoy his supporting role, and, in the beginning, the crowds were enthusiastic if a little awed at their strange fortune. After a few weeks the hordes of out of towners hoping to hear some classic Neil Young tunes grew exponentially, and with its secret out, Young left the group less than two months after its first gig. And though a mobile recording rig was often spotted outside the club for most of the shows, this unofficial, surprisingly clear fan recording is the only aural evidence in circulation.
By the latter half of the 70s, Neil Young had put his ditch days behind him, had Zuma'd up and down the California coast with Crazy Horse, and seemed pretty damn content with recording a string of laid back, though pretty inoffensive country rock LPs. Young's short run with The Ducks in the late summer of 1977 was all at once strange anomaly, a high water mark and a signpost marking a change of course. Comprised of Young, Moby Grape vocalist Bob Mosely, "Hey Hey, My My" co-author Jeff Blackburn and sometime session man Johnny Craviotto, The Ducks were quite possibly the most popular townie bar band of all time, as Young's contractual obligations with Crazy Horse specified he could only tour with them, forcing The Ducks to play all of their 22 gigs within the Santa Cruz city limits. Loaded with songwriters, the band's setlists were comprised of original material, a few tunes from each member's back catalog and a handful of covers. The shows were tight, Young seemed to enjoy his supporting role, and, in the beginning, the crowds were enthusiastic if a little awed at their strange fortune. After a few weeks the hordes of out of towners hoping to hear some classic Neil Young tunes grew exponentially, and with its secret out, Young left the group less than two months after its first gig. And though a mobile recording rig was often spotted outside the club for most of the shows, this unofficial, surprisingly clear fan recording is the only aural evidence in circulation.
Wednesday
Neil Young
Rarities Volume 1: 1967-1974
As the release the first volume of Neil Young's long-awaited Archives project draws near, speculation over its contents has reached a fever pitch. Will it include the unreleased Homegrown album? Will it include the rarely screened biopic Journey Through the Past? Will I even be able to afford this massive box set? One thing is certain...this 8-CD, 2-DVD set will be well worth the wait. Fans and bootleggers have poured and salivated over the vast amounts of unreleased material in the Neil Young vaults, while hissy, muddied fidelity collections of outtakes and acetates have exchanged hands for decades. Having tired of listening to a 4th generation copies of worn out vinyl boots, fan and collector Braden Strickler took the initiative to compile and painstakingly remaster the cream of the unreleased crop and circulate them as an incredible 5 volume set. The results are truly remarkable, and serve as a fine appetizer for the official set scheduled for release in the fall. (Ed Note 3/24/09: Ha!)
As the release the first volume of Neil Young's long-awaited Archives project draws near, speculation over its contents has reached a fever pitch. Will it include the unreleased Homegrown album? Will it include the rarely screened biopic Journey Through the Past? Will I even be able to afford this massive box set? One thing is certain...this 8-CD, 2-DVD set will be well worth the wait. Fans and bootleggers have poured and salivated over the vast amounts of unreleased material in the Neil Young vaults, while hissy, muddied fidelity collections of outtakes and acetates have exchanged hands for decades. Having tired of listening to a 4th generation copies of worn out vinyl boots, fan and collector Braden Strickler took the initiative to compile and painstakingly remaster the cream of the unreleased crop and circulate them as an incredible 5 volume set. The results are truly remarkable, and serve as a fine appetizer for the official set scheduled for release in the fall. (Ed Note 3/24/09: Ha!)Volume 1: 1967-1974
01. Mr. Soul (non-LP-version)
02. Down To The Wire (Buffalo Springfield outtake)
03. If I Could Have Her Tonight (original mix)
04. I've Been Waiting For You (original mix)
05. Here We Are In The Years (original mix)
06. What Did You Do To My Life (original mix - incomplete)
07. Mr. Soul (CSNY: woodstock rehearsal 1969)
08. Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere (alternate version)
09. Cinnamon Girl (edit version/different vocal)
10. Down By The River (edit - Australian greatest hits album)
11. Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere (KQED TV rehearsal 19-Feb-70)
12. Everybody's Alone (KQED TV rehearsal 19-Feb-70)
13. Dance Dance Dance (KQED TV rehearsal 19-Feb-70)
14. On The Way Home (KQED TV rehearsal 19-Feb-70)
15. Wonderin' (KQED TV rehearsal 19-Feb-70)
16. Sugar Mountain (KQED TV rehearsal 19-Feb-70)
17. Birds (non-LP-version)
18. I Believe In You (alternative studio track 1970)
19. Out On The Weekend (rehearsal)
20. War Song (single with Graham Nash)
21. Last Trip To Tulsa (live 18-Feb-73, single b-side)
22. Bad Fog Of Loneliness (Tonight's the Night acetate)
23. Traces (Tonight's the Night acetate)
24. Human Highway (CSNY outtake)
25. Pushed It Over The End (live 27-Aug-74, CSNY 12" Italian single)
26. Walk On (DJ mono mix)
Monday
The Rockets
The Rockets - 1968
It’s not difficult to understand what Neil Young saw in this motley crew when he hand picked Danny Whitten, Billy Talbot and Ralph Molina to be his go-to backing band throughout his entire career. With Young’s penchant for performance over perfection, the Rockets' (first dubbing themselves War Babies, but later christened Crazy Horse by Young himself) ragged brew of straightforward bar band rock n’ roll and undeniable country soul served as much of a template to Young’s 70s output as his time in Buffalo Springfield. Selling only about 5,000 copies in its day, this LP was far from a success, but there’s no denying the influence it would have on Young and in turn, the rest of rock music throughout the next decade.
It’s not difficult to understand what Neil Young saw in this motley crew when he hand picked Danny Whitten, Billy Talbot and Ralph Molina to be his go-to backing band throughout his entire career. With Young’s penchant for performance over perfection, the Rockets' (first dubbing themselves War Babies, but later christened Crazy Horse by Young himself) ragged brew of straightforward bar band rock n’ roll and undeniable country soul served as much of a template to Young’s 70s output as his time in Buffalo Springfield. Selling only about 5,000 copies in its day, this LP was far from a success, but there’s no denying the influence it would have on Young and in turn, the rest of rock music throughout the next decade.Wednesday
David Crosby
If I Could Only Remember My Name...- 1971
I always hated David Crosby ... until I heard this record. At the height of CSNY's popularity, Crosby gathered a list of guest musicians that reads like a who's who of the early 70s California scene (Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, the Grateful Dead) and, not surprisingly, recorded an LP sounds like a loose jam session of friends that have played together for ages. The real treat is that despite the hedonistic nature of the musicians, not a single note feels out of place and everything is incredibly tight from end to end. Truly astounding, when you consider how bloated and sloppy this album could have sounded. Jim O'Rourke once likened this album to Wilco's A Ghost Is Born, in the way there's not an unnecessary note on either one. Go on, give it a listen.
I always hated David Crosby ... until I heard this record. At the height of CSNY's popularity, Crosby gathered a list of guest musicians that reads like a who's who of the early 70s California scene (Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, the Grateful Dead) and, not surprisingly, recorded an LP sounds like a loose jam session of friends that have played together for ages. The real treat is that despite the hedonistic nature of the musicians, not a single note feels out of place and everything is incredibly tight from end to end. Truly astounding, when you consider how bloated and sloppy this album could have sounded. Jim O'Rourke once likened this album to Wilco's A Ghost Is Born, in the way there's not an unnecessary note on either one. Go on, give it a listen.Tuesday
Neil Young
Journey Through the Past - 1974
Along with Time Fades Away, Journey Through the Past is the other Neil Young album never to have been officially released on CD. Not to be confused with the well-known live acoustic bootleg of the same name, the album here is the soundtrack to Neil’s rare 1974 film experiment, and features a wildly eccentric collection of Harvest outtakes, CSNY live recordings, Buffalo Springfield TV performances, a gospel choir and organ music -- plus a Beach Boys number tossed in for good measure. More of a glimpse into the mind of Neil’s mad genius than an album proper, Journey Through the Past contains some really great material. Highlights include a 15 minute alternate take of "Words", a studio run-through of "Southern Man" and plenty of studio banter of Neil teaching the songs and vocal harmonies to his band. Awesome stuff from the man at the peak of his power.
Note: a good chunk of the material here has finally been officially released on Neil's Archives Volume 1. However, the soundtrack itself remains out of print.
Along with Time Fades Away, Journey Through the Past is the other Neil Young album never to have been officially released on CD. Not to be confused with the well-known live acoustic bootleg of the same name, the album here is the soundtrack to Neil’s rare 1974 film experiment, and features a wildly eccentric collection of Harvest outtakes, CSNY live recordings, Buffalo Springfield TV performances, a gospel choir and organ music -- plus a Beach Boys number tossed in for good measure. More of a glimpse into the mind of Neil’s mad genius than an album proper, Journey Through the Past contains some really great material. Highlights include a 15 minute alternate take of "Words", a studio run-through of "Southern Man" and plenty of studio banter of Neil teaching the songs and vocal harmonies to his band. Awesome stuff from the man at the peak of his power.Note: a good chunk of the material here has finally been officially released on Neil's Archives Volume 1. However, the soundtrack itself remains out of print.
Thursday
Neil Young
Time Fades Away - 1973
One of the two Neil Young albums that to this day, remain unreleased on CD, Time Fades Away is the first entry in what is considered Young's "In the Ditch" trilogy. In the liner notes for his 3-LP compilation Decade, Young writes:
"'Heart of Gold' put me in the middle of the road. Traveling there soon became a bore so I headed for the ditch."
While rehearsing for a grueling 90 city tour in support of Harvest, Young's guitarist Danny Whitten was in the midst of trying to kick heroin. In no shape for the road, Whitten was fired from the band and given fifty dollars and a plane ticket home. The next day, Whitten was dead, having used his severance pay to buy the drugs that killed him. The Time Fades Away album is a live recording of the handful of new songs Young and his band played on the subsequent tour, and despite the addition of David Crosby and Graham Nash on several tracks, the mood is expectedly dire. Hands down the most emotionally charged and erratic album in Young's vast catalog, and essential listening for fans of the two released albums in the trilogy, Tonight's the Night and On the Beach. Thrasher's Wheat has a great site dedicated to the "ditch trilogy", including quotes, reviews, history and cover art.
One of the two Neil Young albums that to this day, remain unreleased on CD, Time Fades Away is the first entry in what is considered Young's "In the Ditch" trilogy. In the liner notes for his 3-LP compilation Decade, Young writes:"'Heart of Gold' put me in the middle of the road. Traveling there soon became a bore so I headed for the ditch."
While rehearsing for a grueling 90 city tour in support of Harvest, Young's guitarist Danny Whitten was in the midst of trying to kick heroin. In no shape for the road, Whitten was fired from the band and given fifty dollars and a plane ticket home. The next day, Whitten was dead, having used his severance pay to buy the drugs that killed him. The Time Fades Away album is a live recording of the handful of new songs Young and his band played on the subsequent tour, and despite the addition of David Crosby and Graham Nash on several tracks, the mood is expectedly dire. Hands down the most emotionally charged and erratic album in Young's vast catalog, and essential listening for fans of the two released albums in the trilogy, Tonight's the Night and On the Beach. Thrasher's Wheat has a great site dedicated to the "ditch trilogy", including quotes, reviews, history and cover art.
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