Neil Young Archives Continue

Neil Young continues to mine his vaults and release the fascinating Archives series. Archives (Volume 2), is a new album of live tracks recorded during a US tour in 1984-85.

The new release is entitled A Treasure and features 12 tracks performed by Young with his backing band, from that era, the International Harvesters. Five tracks are previously unreleased, while the International Harvesters’ impressive line-up included slide guitarist, the late Ben Keith, along with piano player Spooner Oldham. Young is quoted as saying of the new release, “I hadn’t heard these takes in 25 years, but when we unearthed them co-producer Ben Keith said, ‘This is a treasure.’”

Young currently has many irons in the fire including  a tour with a reunited Buffalo Springfield. He is also about to embark on a solo tour of the US over April and May.

A Treasure will be released in May and its tracklisting is:

01. Amber Jean (09/20/84) – Nashville Now TV Nashville, TN

02. Are You Ready For The Country? (09/21/84) -  Riverbend Music Center Cincinnati, OH

03. It Might Have Been (09/25/84) – Austin City Limits TV Austin, TX

04. Bound For Glory (09/29/84) - Gilleys’ Rodeo Arena Pasadena, TX

05. Let Your Fingers Do The Walking (10/22/84) - Universal City, CA 06. Flying On The Ground Is Wrong (10/26/84) – Greek Theater Berkeley, CA

07. Motor City (10/26/84) – Greek Theater Berkeley, CA

08. Soul Of A Woman (10/26/84) – Greek Theater Berkeley, CA

09. Get Back To The Country (10/26/84) – Greek Theater Berkeley, CA

10. Southern Pacific (9/1/85) – Minnesota State Fair St. Paul, MN

11. Nothing Is Perfect (9/1/85) -  Minnesota State Fair St. Paul, MN

12. Grey Riders (9/10/85) – Pier 84 New York City, NY

Eddie Vedder – The Palais

Eddie Vedder’s first Melbourne concert was both strangely beautiful and beautifully strange.

No-one knew exactly what to expect from the show – other than it was going to be solo, largely acoustic and, certainly, a lot different to a Pearl Jam concert. And while it was all of those things, it was also a lot more.

The very nature of Pearl Jam as a stadium rock act means that everything about their show needs to be big, bombastic and large scale. It was obvious that an Eddie Vedder solo show wasn’t going to be any of these things but he gives attention to the small details to ensure that the difference is striking. The stage set is akin to a quirky lounge room. He’s seated on a stool, on a round rug, and surrounded by a selection of guitars, ukuleles, mandolins and vintage amps. There’s a beer carton with a kick drum pedal attached that serves as percussion (although not frequently), along with a miked up wooden plank that does the same job more often. Yet, despite the relatively detailed production that this involves, he tries to give the impression that you’ve wandered in to a public bar in a pub at Ocean Grove on a winters night, and stumbled upon the local surfer/muso playing covers for beer money and a counter meal.

There’s a lot of thought gone into making it look and feel like there’s not a lot of thought gone into it.

What separated Vedder from an acoustic strummer in a coastal bar were two main things – the eclectic selection of material and that voice.

As you will note from the setlist below – found the next morning on www.setlist.fm (so I can’t vouch for its absolute accuracy) – Vedder manages to strike a balance between re-imagined Pearl Jam songs, songs that have a personal history attached to him and songs that he obviously just likes. It’s a far ranging and yet remarkably well balanced set that keeps the concert interesting, even to audience members that are not hardcore devotees of his band.

He plays for two hours and the time seems to fly, which is quite an achievement for a solo performer who doesn’t have a massive catalogue of solo albums to draw from.

His vocal delivery is just superb – to be honest, while I respect the achievements, longevity and depth of quality of Pearl Jam, I’ve never realized the extent of Vedder’s raw talent until I’d seen this show.  I mean, I knew he was a good singer but…

The other aspect of this artist that this show bought home was his real integrity as a performer. With stadium rock shows the level of planning and professionalism is such that things rarely go wrong. In the more intimate and stripped back environment that artist is more exposed and more vulnerable. Thus when the loop machine fails to function properly Vedder can do no more than offer an apology and soldier on. When he choses to do a song spontaneously and then can’t find the lyrics, leading him to fling the whole folder of lyrics down on stage in frustration, then you know this isn’t a well oiled machine going through the motions. The show is all the more appealing for it. You get the sense that he was sailing kinda close to the rocks, which is something you don’t get very often at a stadium rock concert.

Vedder is a very generous performer and he gave opening act Evil J (better known to some as Eliza Jane Barnes) plenty of stage time in the encore which was highlighted by their cover of the John Doe song Golden State. Later EJ, her partner St.Cecilia and EJ’s dad Jim, joined Vedder for a raucous rendition of Neil Young’s Rockin’ In The Free World, perhaps a slightly predicable choice, but a completely euphoric moment.

At times the concert took on an almost religious zeal. Clearly the hardcore Pearl Jam fans were near ecstatic to see their man up close and personal like this, and that excitement showed in their response, but his performance transcended his fame and the status of his band. He certainly impressed me far more than I had expected.

1.         Don’t Be Shy (Cat Stevens cover)

2.         Around the Bend (Pearl Jam)

3.         Hurt (Nine Inch Nails cover)

4.         Brain Damage (Pink Floyd cover)

5.         Sometimes (Pearl Jam)

6.         I Am Mine (Pearl Jam)

7.         Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town (Pearl Jam)

8.         Just Breathe (Pearl Jam)

9.         Sleeping By Myself

10.       Without You

11.       No Ceiling

12.       Society (Jerry Hannan cover)

13.       Far Behind

14.       Guaranteed

15.       Rise

16.       You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away  (The Beatles cover)

17.       Unthought Known (Pearl Jam)

18.       Porch (Pearl Jam)

19.       Tonight You Belong To Me (Steve Martin cover) (with EJ Barnes)

20.       You Can Close Your Eyes (James Taylor cover) (with EJ Barnes)

21.       The Golden State (John Doe cover) (with EJ Barnes)

22.       Better Man (Pearl Jam)

23.       Wishlist (Pearl Jam)

24.       Dead Man (Pearl Jam)

25.       The End (Pearl Jam)

26.       Arc  (Pearl Jam) (partial)

27.       Immortality

28.       Better Days

29.       Rockin’ In The Free World (Neil Young cover) (with EJ Barnes) (also feat.      Jimmy Barnes & Cecilia Herbert)

30.       Hard Sun  (Indio cover) (with EJ Barnes) (also feat. Cecilia Herbert)

The King Is Dead – The Decemberists (Capital)

The latest offering from The Decemberists is less conceptual, but no less satisfying, than previous releases. It’s a collection of songs that individually stand the test of independence and yet still constitute an album of integrity. The reference points are obvious and not even slightly disguised – early REM, Wilco, Neil Young (circa say After the Goldrush) and 10000 Maniacs.

What’s not to like?

It’s an album that rewards a variety of uses. It fits nicely into a comfortable armchair, with the lyric sheet being perused, but is just as useful in the car stereo on a trip down the coast.  I guess that implies that the lyrics, often regarded as somewhat scholarly, still reward close inspection, but if that isn’t your inclination you can use this music as a more instinctive type of companion.

Three songs feature Peter Buck and they are not hard to pick out – Calamity Song sounds like a close descendent of 7 Chinese Brothers while Down By The River borrows liberally from The One I Love.  He also appears on the albums opener Don’t Carry It All and while that doesn’t have such an obvious derivation, it’s just a strong way to open the album. It also features Gillian Welsh and Dave Rawlings, who both appear regularly throughout the album. On All Arise! The pairing of Decemberists’ Colin Meloy and Gillian Welsh almost enters into sublime Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood territory.

In some ways this is a ‘safe’ album in the sense that its doesn’t have a concept that has potential to alienate part of the audience, but that also could be interpreted as simply being an undeniably likeable set of songs. Again, I ask, what could possibly be wrong with that?

There’s a few songs here that are going to create yet more highlights in The Decemberists fantastic live set ( is going to be a live tour de force) and while the success of this album has projected The Decemberists into a higher commercial stratosphere it has done so with their integrity intact.  How many Billboard No. 1 albums can claim that?

It just shows what can be achieved when a band is given a series of albums to actually evolve. The King Is Dead is a satisfying step in that evolution and one that sees The Decemberists confirm their place as a band that matters enough for us to continue to care.

Buffalo Springfield Play Show

Buffalo Springfield was one of many bands in Neil Young’s history that have become the stuff of legend but for over 40 years that particular outfit had not played together. All that changed recently when the band reunited for the first time for the 24th annual Bridge School Benefit.

The two-night concert is one of music’s most enduring and highly regarded charitable events and is a benefit for the Bridge School, a Californian institution that helps those who have severe physical and speech impairments. The show is headed by Neil Young who, with and his wife Peggy, manage to create a special event every year.

The lineup for this year’s shows was no exception with T-Bone Burnett’s Speaking Clock Review (Elton John, Leon Russell, Elvis Costello), Pearl Jam, Merle Haggard & Kris Kristofferson, Lucinda Williams and many more, but the self engineered coup this year was the Buffalo Springfield reunion with Young, Stephen Stills and the lesser known former member Richie Furray.

They were joined by Young’s touring bassist Rick Rosas who sat in for Bruce Palmer and drummer Joe Vitale taking the place of the late Dewey Martin.

The set list has been reported to include: On the Way Home, Rock & Roll Woman, Child’s Claim, Do I Have to Come Right Out & Say It, Go and Say Goodbye, I Am a Child, Kind Woman, Burned, For What It’s Worth, Nowadays Clancy Can’t Even Sing, Bluebird and Mr. Soul

The Union – Elton John/Leon Russell (Mercury)

It comes as no surprise that Elton John is a long time fan of Leon Russell and that much of his really good early work – from the Tumbleweed Connection era was inspired by Russell both vocally and in the style of piano playing. It’s also no surprise that Elton felt the need to repay the favour by inviting Russell to make this album and re-generate his slightly ailing career and self-esteem. Beneath all the feathers and spandex you get the sense that Elton has never forgotten that he was a remains a musician first and foremost.

It is also not a great surprise that a number of great musical identities flocked to be a part of the project – from producer T Bone Burnett to core band members like Jim Keltner, Jay Bellerose (both drummers play on all songs!)  Dennis Crouch and Marc Ribot  and contributors like Neil Young, Doyle Bramhall, Booker T, Brian Wilson, Van Dyke Parks  and Don Was. That Bernie Taupin would be an integral part of the project was almost a given.

What is slightly surprising though is the class and dignity that the album possesses. These are really great songs done in a way that adds to the legacy that Russell will one day leave behind (hopefully not too soon!).

A song like Hey Ahab and Hearts Have Turned To Stone rollick along behind the trademark piano playing and Russell’s gruff vocals combine with some soaring gospel backing vocals in songs that deserve to sit alongside Tightrope. A Dream Come True is rootsier but in a similar vein. Gone To Shiloh, which sees Neil Young, Russell and Elton trading verses, is almost maudlin but poignant at the same time.

At times, on the more countrified songs, Russell actually sounds a bit like Willie Nelson and the musicians seems to sympathise with this approach giving the songs a stylised but never hokey country feel. In many ways Marc Ribot is the unsung hero of this album with his tasteful yet edgy guitar contributions.

There’s a raw an untamed feeling about this album that stops it from ever becoming and ‘all-star tribute’, something that it easily could have descended into. The piano playing of Russell and John is so right for the songs and never becomes a cheesy duelling pianos type deal that, again, was a potential threat.

I guess with Burnett at the helm none of these fears were ever going to be realised, but nevertheless the sound motivations and successful execution of this album is a credit to all involved.

Neil Young and Daniel Lanois Combine

Neil Young recently announced on his Facebook page that his new Daniel Lanois produced album will be out on September 28.

Said Young, “Le Noise” is complete. It is a solo record. Playbacks are happening now. Release date is September 28th. It will be available in Vinyl, CD and I tunes in the first edition, followed by Blu-Ray, and an APP for I-Phone and I-Pad a month or so later. The app will be free. It gives you an interactive album cover. Forgive my use of the word “album”. I am old school. When you buy the songs/movies from I- tunes they show up in your APP.”

David Crosby had spoken to Rolling Stone magazine about the album a couple of months ago. “Neil told me last week that he was having a great time talking music with him and just relating to him,” said Crosby of Young’s collaboration with Lanois.

“He does that [solo acoustic] thing probably better than anybody,” added Crosby in the Rolling Stone piece. “One of my most favorite concerts of his was him at the Wiltern in Los Angeles. He had a circle of his guitars around him and a chair, and he walked out there and sang. It was mesmerizing. He’s a fantastic musician, but also a great storyteller. I was standing there in the wings with Bob Dylan. He and I are huge Neil fans, and we didn’t move. We stood there the entire concert and just watched. We were as mesmerized as much as the audience was.”

Young and Lanois have crossed paths musically over the course of many years, including Lanois’ performances at Young’s Bridge School Benefit Concert and Young’s performance at Farm Aid when Lanois was Willie Nelson’s music director, but this is the first time the two have recorded together.

The album was recorded in Daniel Lanois’ home in the Silverlake area of Los Angeles and  features Young on acoustic and electric guitars with Lanois adding sonic textures as only he can do.

The Los Angeles Times have already previewed the album and wrote : “What’s striking about Le Noise is the way it both summarizes and distills Young’s singular approach to music, predominantly just Neil and a guitar: his big, white hollow-body Gretsch electric slashing and burning for most of the tracks, a couple built around picked and strummed acoustic instruments. Both are recorded and amplified — literally and metaphorically — by Lanois’ signature soundscapes that loop vocals, and enhance the guitars’ bass notes through distortion boxes, synthesizers and other electronics.”

Sounds promising to say the least.

The track-listing for Le Noise:

Walk With Me
Sign of Love
Rescue Me
Love And War
Angry World
Hitchhiker
Peaceful Valley Blvd.
Rumblin

John Cale and Graham Nash Get Queens Birthday Honours

In a turn of events that few would have predicted John Cale, he of the Velvet Underground has been awarded an  Order of the British Empire (O.B.E.). Who would have thought Queen Liz was a I’m Waiting For My Man, Sweet Jane or Pale Blue Eyes?

Cale wasn’t the only rocker to get a gong with Graham Nash also getting the same award in the Queens Birthday honours.

Cale’s statement indicated that he was as surprised as anyone:  “I’m stunned. It makes you think ‘well maybe I did something right’ ? and now I’ve got to figure out what that was. I thought I was too much of a tearaway,” he was quoted as saying.

Cale is 68-year old and he was born in Wales making him eligible for an OBE even though he is best known for his work with Lou Reed, primarily in New York.

Nash received the award for his services to music and his charitable activities. He was a founding member of The Hollies and later he re-located to the USA and formed Crosby Stills and Nash with David Crosby and Stephen Stills. The trio were joined by Neil Young for three very significant albums as  Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.

Neil Young Album On The Way

Neil Young recently played some great shows around Australia and in those shows played a couple of new songs that hit theb target. Now at least one of those songs (Just Singing A Song) appears on his new album Fork In The Road which is going to be released on April 6..

Youngs website has already previewed the title track and on March 23 a second song Johnny Magic will be available for streaming on www.neilyoung.com

The complete list of songs on the album is;

When Worlds Collide
Fuel Line
Just Singing A Song
Johnny Magic
Cough Up The Bucks
Get Behind The Wheel
Off The Road
Hit The Road
Light A Candle
Fork In The Road

There sure seems to be a few “road” songs there!

Neil Young Setlist Looks Promising

When Neil Young was announced as the headline act at the 2009 Big Day Out there was a little surprise and a fair amount of jubilation among veteran BDO goers. The next question that immediately occurred to most fans was – which Neil Young was going to show up?

Young has a reputation for delivering the unexpected and going off on musical tangents that, although always interesting, can prove bewildering to even the longest serving fans.

A recent press release from BDO publicists seems to suggest that we are going to be very happy with what we get on this tour.

Young will be playing a 90-minute set at BDO kicking off at 8.30pm and in the worlds of the publicists the sets “are guaranteed to be full of classics”. His electric band features long-time cohort and pedal steel guitarist Ben Keith, bassist Rick Rosas, drummer Chad Cromwell, guitarist Anthony Crawford and
singer/guitarist (and wife) Pegi Young.

They base their “guaranteed full of hits” prediction on an examination of the setlist  Young played at Denmark’s Roskilde festival earlier this year: Love and Only Love; Hey Hey, My My (good name for a website!) ; Powderfinger; Spirit Road; Cinnamon Girl; All Along the Watchtower; Oh, Lonesome Me; Mother Earth; The Needle and the Damage Done; Unknown Legend; Heart of Gold; Old Man; Get Back to the Country; Words; No Hidden Path; A Day in the Life.

I don’t think there will be too many complaints if a similar raft of songs were delivered at the BDO.

There are a few BDO tickets still available in some cities and all of Young’s sideshows are sold out so you need to get the credit card out soon if you are to avoid disappointment.