New Neil Young Archives release: Roxy 1973

Tonight's the Night is pretty perfect as it is. So a couple of songs come from other sessions. That is true of almost every 70s Neil Young album. Even the live Time Fades Away has songs from his acoustic tour. If someone told you Albuquerque came form the Harvest sessions would you then declare that it doesn't fit? Neil made those decisions to get the album he wanted over and over again.

And it isn't like Borrowed Tune and Lookout Joe are outtakes from Buffalo Springfield Again. They are Neil's songs from his sessions within a couple of years.

As for Downtown, it is crucial to the album. This is album about losing his friends to drugs, Neil said back in the day it is about "the ups and downs of the drug culture." Downtown gives us the voice of the lost we are lamenting, it gives us an upbeat rocker, a touch of the "ups" that would otherwise be missing, it gives us Danny and Neil singing together, the sense of camaraderie and friendship the energy they created onstage together. It lets us know what Neil lost, what we all lost (the Horse was never the same).

I like Roxy a lot, I've given it a few spins. Its nice, its not better. I still prefer the original. It is just as live feeling and there is just something to those performances. They matter. And, well, all the stripper rap crap gets old for me after one listen. Maybe even before. I'm glad he isn't rambling all through the studio album like he did on the early version. The music says it all and I never have to push on the fast forward button to get to it.

 

Firstly, I’d never use the word “perfect” in relation to this album. It is gloriously imperfect. Downright messy at times. That’s what is appealing about it.

Now I’m not sure what Albuquerque has to do with my opinion. If it came from a different session, it would sound different as do Borrowed Tune and Lookout Joe. It doesn’t come from a different session though. It is very obvious that those two tracks were recorded at different times. They are sonically very different, especially Lookout Joe. That makes them fit less comfortably for me. Same with Through My Sails on Zuma or the two Crazy Horse tracks on Comes A Time.

As for Neil making these decisions again and again, that doesn’t have anything to do with me liking them or not. In this case, I would prefer the album if he hadn’t made the decision. It’s not heresy.

I’m also not disputing Downtown being crucial to some people’s interpretation of the album. However I have actually always found it a trifle awkward that in the title song he sings about Bruce but then it’s Danny’s ghost that appears.

 

But it's Danny's conspicuous absence the one that's highlighted on the inner artwork:

 

Yep and it's a real pity this wasn't in the CD version that was around for years. Perhaps the recent reissue has it.

 

It's my favorite song on the album .

 

That dear old 80's CD had it.:


And, of course, the latest one has it too:

 

Not sure if this is the place to ask, but I'm guessing a single question isn't worth starting a new thread.
How come when I go to Neil's archive page all I see is a black screen with no text or anything? Is there a top secret code or am I missing the obvious?

 

So far NYA only works on a computer.

 

That's what I'm using.

 

It could depend on which browser you're using. Chrome and Safari work for me, Explorer does not.

 

I'm using Explorer. I will try to use another browser. Thanks for the tip!

 

Yes, Internet Explorer is clearly excluded for whatever reason. I switched to Chrome from day one and it works fine...
NYF

 

Also on Firefox fine.

 

Thanks for the replies/help.

 

Microsoft's newest browser is Edge. You should not be using Explorer at this time.

 

I think I have Edge on my computer already, I will have to double check. I am not the smartest guy when it comes to computers and tend to stick with what works for me and is familiar. I guess it's time to learn some more. Thanks again for the suggestions.

 

They've had some crazy incompatibility issues and there's a comment option at the side of the page once you get it open so I would write the guy and tell them about it because they'll want to know about it.

 

yeah i FINALLY got it working after giving up a while ago ..... i'm running an older mac os .... and the version of safari i had did not allow any music to actually be HEARD lol. i could hear the sound effects for the website itself tho. ANYway .... i just found an old version of chrome that goes w my OS ..... and now have got it working ..... and just in time too .... as paid subscription begins JUNE 1st!

 

here's what I think about the Roxy album: I wish I'd been there, at that time. It sounds to me like the main thing is that it takes the more austere approach he used toward composition on On The Beach and applies it to vocal harmonies in the aftermath of Crosby Stills and Nash. So New Mama is really kind of crucial. I think that New Mama, Tonight's The Night, Tired Eyes and World on a String make up the emotional core of the album and especially the vocal harmonies on the first three of those. They have a new and different vibe that is really subtle and if you'd been there you would have seen an artist taking a brave and wonderful new direction in an amazing setting. I do miss Borrowed Tune (although I understand that it's not a solo piano sort of venue) and Lookout Joe just because I love that song. But the record is a perfect window into a time and place when Young was making one of the masterworks of the 20th century and it stands on its own as a live album as well.

 

First take after one listen - really like it and much better than Tonights the Night for me. I know the material is about grief but TTN is just too slow and maudlin for my tastes. The Roxy live album with similar content has a spark that is missing from the studio album. Both Tonights the Night songs are outstanding followed by World on a String, Mellow my Mind, Walk On and Roll Another Number. More archives like this please!

 

Love the round robin part on World On A Strung from this show!

 

Well, have always enjoyed when Gillian Welch covers Neil Young like this version of "Albuquerque" ...



BTW, this is me asking for Neil Young's "Pocahontas" about a minute and twenty-four seconds into this at the Cat's Cradle in Chapel Hill, North Carolina...

"Pocahontas" Performed by Gilli@n Welch & D@vid R@wlings, written by Neil Young

 

Mellow My Mind and Walk On are wonderful improvements over the studio versions.

The rest just makes me want to put on TTN again.

 

Why did this not get used for the cover?

 

because it was fan made.