Neil Young - Re-ac-tor (or is it 'Reactor'?) - Any Love for this album?

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Doctor Jimmy, Mar 2, 2018.

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  1. sherrill50

    sherrill50 Well-adapted Melomaniac

    Location:
    Mukilteo, WA
    Reactor is actually styled Re·ac·tor. Those in-between dots are called interpuncts; probably a typographical nightmare. Same deal as WALL·E.

    Just in case you're OCD, like me!
     
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  2. Wild Frank

    Wild Frank Forum Resident

    Location:
    Shrewsbury, UK
    I'd love to hear that. Any chance of it appearing on a future Performance Series Release?
     
  3. Smokin Chains

    Smokin Chains Forum Resident

    Location:
    Nashua, NH
    Just listened to it for the first time in years.

    This album probably features some of the best Crazy Horse guitar interplay.

    There are some great songs here (Opera Star, Surfer Joe, Southern Pacific, Shots).

    T-Bone is kind of humorous and jams out, I don't mind it at all. Rapid Transit is kind of the same thing, repetitive, mindless, with some cool guitar parts.

    Get Back On It & Motor City are terrible songs.

    Neil was going through intense therapy with his kid at the time and could only record from 3-5 in the afternoon or something like that.
     
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  4. Vinyl Socks

    Vinyl Socks The Buzz Driver

    Location:
    DuBois, PA
    Great Crazy Horse album,interesting lyrics.
    You need a lotta garfong for this one.
     
  5. AZRunner

    AZRunner Forum Resident

    Location:
    SW FL
    Great album. I own the DVD-Audio. I always thought it was a huge missed opportunity to not release 5.1 mixes of this, On the Beach and Hawks and Doves since they were all stereo only DVD-As. Neil had released other DVD-As with 5.1 mixes. Anyone have any idea why these three titles were stereo only?
     
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  6. Vangro

    Vangro Forum Resident

    Location:
    London
    Neil has put out a lot of weird albums in his time but I think this is actually the weirdest. OK, so "Opera Star" and "Surfer Joe" are attempts at a strange robotic sort of hard rock, "T-Bone" is all about saying that if rock and roll is essentially moronic and minimalist then let's see how far you can push that before it completely collapses but I've got no idea what he's trying to do on the rest of the album. "Shots" is a great song.
     
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  7. kwadguy

    kwadguy Senior Member

    Location:
    Cambridge, MA
    I think it would be cool if Neil would re-record Re-Ac-Tor in a phone booth. With Trevor Horn on vocals.
     
  8. Olompali

    Olompali Forum Resident

    not electric...

     
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  9. Black Elk

    Black Elk Music Lover

    Location:
    Bay Area, U.S.A.
    No!

    Sugar Mountain
     
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  10. Chemguy

    Chemguy Forum Resident

    Location:
    Western Canada
    Yes indeed, but not lately. When Neil toured with the International Harvester’s back in the mid-80s, this one was a staple of the live show. And boy was it ever well done, with Rufus playing some great fiddle as always.
     
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  11. cwitt1980

    cwitt1980 Senior Member

    Location:
    Carbondale, IL USA
    It's great. I need to give it a good listen again. "Shots" and "Southern Pacific" were always my go-tos before.
     
  12. onlyacanvasky

    onlyacanvasky Your guess is as good as mine.

    Just an idle thought, I wonder if Re•ac•tor’s reputation suffered through unavailability? It seems like On The Beach and Time Fades Away had their legends built through unavailability, while Hawks & Doves and Re•ac•tor went the opposite way.
     
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  13. Mike Dow

    Mike Dow I kind of like the music

    Location:
    Bangor, Maine
    "Re-ac-tor" was an important record for me in my senior year of high school. I've always felt it was under-appreciated.

    I listened to it again last week for the first time in several years and it took me back to the days when I would play it nearly every day. "Southern Pacific" will always be a top-tier Neil Young track for me.

    I need to dig "Shakey" out and re-read the section for this record. Was this album a reaction to the lukewarm reception of "Hawks and Doves?"
     
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  14. Scott S.

    Scott S. lead singer for the best indie band on earth

    Location:
    Walmartville PA
     
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  15. uzn007

    uzn007 Watcher of the Skis

    Location:
    Raleigh, N.C.
    [​IMG]
     
  16. uzn007

    uzn007 Watcher of the Skis

    Location:
    Raleigh, N.C.
    Listened to this again yesterday and it's a great album start to finish, including "T-Bone" and including "Get Down On It". I never even listened to it that much when I first bought it on LP but it's really grown on me over the years.
     
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  17. PhilBorder

    PhilBorder Senior Member

    Location:
    Sheboygan, WI
    half great, half crap. IIRC Neil was going through a particularly difficult time with his son, and the album probably reflects that in/directly.
     
  18. telepicker97

    telepicker97 Got Any Gum?

    Location:
    Midwest
    I was born to rock; I will never be an Opera Star...
     
  19. uzn007

    uzn007 Watcher of the Skis

    Location:
    Raleigh, N.C.
    I know right?
     
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  20. telepicker97

    telepicker97 Got Any Gum?

    Location:
    Midwest
    ;)
     
  21. JoeRockhead

    JoeRockhead Forum Resident

    Location:
    New Jersey
    it's pretty obvious on T-Bone and Opera Star.
     
  22. JoeRockhead

    JoeRockhead Forum Resident

    Location:
    New Jersey
    first? if you weren't at the Boarding House, this album was the first time anyone was hearing Shots
     
  23. JoeRockhead

    JoeRockhead Forum Resident

    Location:
    New Jersey
    pretty obvious in the percussion on T-Bone.
     
  24. JoeRockhead

    JoeRockhead Forum Resident

    Location:
    New Jersey
    Not Shots. You are thinking of Southern Pacific
     
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  25. JoeRockhead

    JoeRockhead Forum Resident

    Location:
    New Jersey
    Lukewarm is putting it kindly. Both Hawks and Reactor were ignored upon release and then for decades by most people.
     
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