If you get enjoyment out of the Visitor, Peace Trail and the Monsanto Years then that’s great. I just don’t find a whole lot of need to revisit those often. As long as you don’t yank me off the street and throw me in your limo, we can get along fine. I’d hate to spill my bourbon. (Way too many White Russians in a past life...)
My deep wish is to get one more great album from Neil. "Psychedelic Pill" and "Le Noise" I just loved start to finish (not to mention Hitchhiker) An album of that caliber from him now would be a dream come true.
It is IMPOSSIBLE to have a Neil Young thread here that doesn't degenerate into "his new stuff sucks/His new stuff is great" babbling. Why don't you all wait until you've heard the new NY/CH album before you make a judgment?
All judgement and opinion, and aware Neil himself strongly disagrees--at least he SAYS he does, you will note he doesn't actually run around looking for long-range excuses to work with his guitar brother pal--but Stills is for the most part, especially in the post-springfield years but to my ears even then, not really anywhere near neil's level as a songwriter, singer, musical mind. I'll bow down to other great guitarist who think he's a great guitarist, but i get no special pleasure (beyond a handful of songs, nearly every longtime rock pro has a handful of very good to great songs) out of hearing him write, sing, or play and his high reputation is one of the most confusing things in rock. THAT SAID...neil is keeping himself busy doing a lot of things, and i would at least out of morbid curiosity and respect for Croz's latelife renaissance be interested in hearing what a CSNY record made now would sound like. But i'd expect not much better than "perhaps amusing curiosity" because the last two CSNY studio lps are big nothings.
It's amazing when you consider how great overall CSNY were and yet they released "American Dream" and "Looking Forward" which are two of the more disappointing albums that I ever remember hearing at the time of their original release. We all just sat around with a drink saying "What the hell...?" We were crushed at hearing those albums when they came out.
'american dream' is vastly under-rated, there are a lot of very good songs on there, in fact, other than 'drivin school' and some 80's production it is a damn fine album. 'looking forward is good until the last 4 songs, then it is a very quick downhill slide with sing 12 (sanibel) not even being written by any of them. it does, however, contain neil young's 'slowpoke' which, for lack of a better word, is brilliant.
I loved side two of that album & played it to death. Side one not so much. Rapid Transit remains one of my favorite Neil songs.
Well, when Neil pulled Opera Star out of nowhere in Rotterdam in 2001 it was quite something: Sugar Mountain He hadn't played it for 14 years, and it would be another dozen before it showed up again Down Under. A definite WTF concert moment for me. Totally unexpected!
That's cool! For the most part I try to avoid setlist information for any shows that I go to in order to get that surprise buzz when a song comes up I'm not expecting.
The live Horse versions of Opera Star and Surfer Joe make the album versions sound tame in comparison. We will probably get Opera Star once Rusted Garage sees the light of day. The 1990 live version of Surfer Joe from the Catalyst has some smokin hot lead guitar. I mean, Neil at the top of his game electric guitar playing.
I want this album to be great, but the new songs I’ve heard Neil play lately don’t provide much hope. Rainbow of Colors brings back memories of Children of Destiny.
I think the 1994 CSN album After The Storm is better than either. Slowpoke always sounded like a Heart of Gold rewrite to me.
i remember a very blazing opera star from my dec 86 rusted garage show.....it's a fine, fine blazing quick CH "pop single" style thing, that is, a sharp catchy riff, in and out, not epic, but not a bludgeoning meader either....dig it a lot.
Neither is garbage, agreed. Just very uneven. All the Crosby and Nash songs on American Dream are fairly terrible, and Stills' That Girl too. It would be a good Stills-Young Band album
i could always hear chicago covering 'that girl'. the true gem on 'american dream' is 'night song'.....the single most over-looked song in the entire CSNY catalog (IMHO).
