Neil Young - "Storytone" (2014)

darn, i meant ukulele!!

i love the sound, and the song!!

 

Nope listened 5 times and nothing has ever been a "grower" longer than 3 listens.

 

disagree that Neil has completely lost his lyrical abilities. That said, I don't like this album either.

 

OK, thought I'd ask. I've had plenty of albums over the decades that didn't reveal themselves to me in fewer than 10 listens -- and I've had plenty of albums that I shelved after a few listens and went back to years later, and couldn't believe what I had missed the first time around. I just thought it was odd that an "automatic buy" artist -- someone you obviously respect enough to buy his albums completely unheard -- wouldn't get at least a couple of weeks for his latest to sink in. Some of my favorite albums would be complete strangers to me if I only listened to them five times. But that's me, obviously.

 

Ha! See? A perfect example. I know of no other artist that is as polarizing as Neil Young to his fans. I'm not talking about the peeps who just own Decade. I'm talking about those who have listened to everything he's ever done, and one will say, Landing on Water is the best thing he's ever done, while the next person will argue Time Fades Away, and then the next will scream Harvest Moon, and so on...

To be honest, his fans (including me) are as neurotic about his music as he is!

 

He's been pretty openly working on alternative energy/fuel sources (ex Lincvolt) and says he feels guilt and a conflict between his love of cars and the environment. Which is why he altered his touring vehicles to be friendlier to the environment as well.

 

Agreed. And we have to completely respect that. But Time Fades Away is clearly his best album no discussion!!!

 

Gun to my head, I say On the Beach, but I almost can't disagree with anything from the 70's.

 

You know, I'm pretty close to agreeing, if it were not for Old Ways, Comes A Time, American Stars and Bars and Time Fades Away. Oh wait...you said that one already!

 

"Pushed It Over the End" should have been on that one.

 

****, can you imagine? Especially a solo version like on that Bottom Line boot.

 

The lyrics are all literal, about his life, no metaphors, nothing open to interpretation. Maybe one has to be interested in Neil's personal life to like this; I am certainly not. A song like 'I Believe In You' is also personal, but it has universal appeal. Another time, another place and likely another guy.

 

"Today I paint my masterpiece/ Tonight I trace my tears"

No room for interpretation?

 

Chrome Dreams is the best Neil Young record, I just wish he would release it!

Actually, it is Tonight's the Night

Actually it's On The Beach

Actually it is Sleeps with Angels

actually it's....

 

this should be a thread in itself

 

I'm not very happy with Storytone and I mean the orchestral side of it. Too soft and mellow.

 

He's referencing a classic Bob Dylan song.
However, the world or even his fanbase doesn't have to embrace everything he puts out or be convinced that it's genius at work.
Tastes diverge, and perhaps some fans can really relate to Neil's real life situation and enjoy his new album as much as they enjoy After The Goldrush. Great.

 

I've listened to Storytone quite a lot since the premiere streams... Initial reaction to orchestra album was big disappointment (even w/ low standards). "When I Watch You Sleeping" is gorgeous - I could very easily see this on a "Greatest Hits" CD for any artist.

The orchestration itself is a little too Disney / Michael Buble for my liking, but it works well for "When I Watch You Sleeping," and I think it's not bad on "I'm Glad I Found You" and "Plastic Flowers."

Solo acoustic version though... very nice. It flows well and doesn't really reach too many low points. I could listen to it over and over, whereas the orchestra stuff gets too cheesy for repeat listening.

"I Wanna Drive My Car" disappointed me a little after being used to the live, upbeat version. However, I do like the solo version - very groovy.

Really didn't like "Tumbleweed" orchestrated, but quite enjoy the solo.

Listening to the solo version has actually made me like the orchestra version a little more. I came around to really like "All Those Dreams."

Interesting how similar some of these songs are to other Neil Songs. Tumbleweed = Shine A Light. All Those Dreams = Already One. Glimmer = Journey Through the Past. Drive My Car = Any Jimmy Reed song.

 

I'm not sure why you went that direction in response to my comment. I never said the fanbase has to embrace everything or be convinced of it's genius. You stated there was nothing open to interpretation, I suggested there was.

 

I'll disagree with this. There is plenty open to interpretation. I'm just not interested at this time. Neil has made plenty of excellent recordings the last 10 or 15 years.

 

A few lines here and there are non-literal, but basically the lyrics are strictly about Neil's life. It's been the norm for 10+ years.

 

You're right and I came to accept that and can enjoy his music. This last effort I feel is a quirky but beautiful highpoint.

 

On the more successful songs on the album, there is a lot of figurative and allusive language -- plastic flowers, glimmering lights, Chicago (as a metaphorical trigger for nostalgic memories), tumbleweed, "the stomach of the dawn", the old clock, the melting snowman, white elks grazing and honkers coming -- concrete images evoking some larger emotional point being made. That kind of simple, blunt imagery has always been NY's lyrical stock in trade. To be sure, as is often the case with singer-songwriters, it's a first person album based on his own experiences; is "I'm Glad I Found You" so different from "I Believe In You" in this respect? I do think one problem -- at least a problem I'm having -- is we feel as though we know a little bit too much about his recent personal issues to derive something unadulteratedly universal from the lyrics; yes, it bothers me some that these songs are about Daryl Hannah and not Pegi Young.

 

Neil's always written about himself, the people around him, or the things he's interested in at the time.
Parts of After The Goldrush were written around the divorce from his first wife, and some of that certainly made the record.

I don't know why folks are looking for some grand statement from Neil on the meaning of life and the universe.
Its seems pretty obvious to me, that each one of his albums are literally audio snapshots of where he was at a particular time of his life. And lo and behold, here's an album split between environmental activism and a new found relationship, two things that are front and center in his life right now. I think that makes him more honest than most in his art.
Your mileage may vary......

 

Damn good posts, both of you! I was just thinking today how "Don't Be Denied" is such a literal song - not a metaphor in the lot. I agree that perhaps his recent lyrics are shadowed by his current love life - and to some that might taint the imagery a bit. It's all good. I mean, the dude will be 69 next month. It's not like he's hasn't ran over a few pedestrians before in his "car."

What can you say? It's not my life. I just wish there was a Pono player you could try out in a store!