Neil Young 2000 onwards

[jazzboCR]

Bro C-H--If you have to pick 1 horse to ride your whole life, you sure picked a good one in Neil Young. In the Top 5 creators in our lifetime.

[CRAZY-HORSE]

Yes indeed! Crazy mate has a genuine love for Neil...great reviews! I probably asked this before but I'll ask it again...Crazy mate,have you seen Neil live?

I've seen him twice...

Solo,just him and his guitar and
With Crazy Horse...

I believe he is heading out on a world tour next year with a band doing career spanning shows....
But knowing what he's like with changing his mind at the drop of a hat,who knows???

[CRAZY-HORSE]

NEIL YOUNG & CRAZY HORSE "psychadelic pill" 2012. #8 US, #28 AU, #14 UK, #7 CAN

Neil's thirty-second solo album(not counting soundtracks,CSNY,Buffalo Springfield,Stills-Young Band,live and compilations)....
its also his fourth album in just three years,his second of 2012 with Crazy Horse....
"americana"(the previous covers album) was just the warm up for this one...
theres nine tracks on this double cd, three of which pass the sixteen minute mark, the opener "driftin' back" lasts a staggering twenty-seven minutes...
that one starts off nice and acoustic, then builds into an extended jam with Young muttering stupid lines in an attempt to self promote his then autobiography and his digital music system 'pono'....the track is bad really, it just goes on for about twenty minutes too long...
"walk like a giant", another sixteen minutes long is a lament into how his peace-loving/hippie generation failed to 'change the world' it actually sounds like he is refering to buffalo Springfield and CSNY inparticular....
the other lengthy track "ramada inn" recalls his younger years in love,whether he is talking about his wife Peggi or someone else isnt clear, but it doesnt matter...
all of the above tracks are okay, they are just way too lengthy overall....
then theres the title track...its as it is, very psychadelic with plenty of swirling loops and vocal distortions on the first version(theres two versions on the album), the second version is pretty much a standard straight foreward CH song, i prefer this one.
other tracks on this one appear to self promote his autobiography "waging heavy peace" also...
i guess writing your life story at the same time brings back memories and the obvious subject matter for songs so we cant really knock him for that...
melodies and tunes on here are pretty run of the mill stuff, nothing really exciting, and nothing that would stand up alongside his great albums.

I DO NOT LIKE THIS ALBUM

worst track: driftin' back
bes track: born in ontario

tracks:

1. driftin' back *
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmHljOmSw6I video
2. psychadelic pill *
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yq76PDY0ymg video
3. ramada inn *
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bi64Y55LEU video
4. born in ontario ***
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1woTG_DaTuw video
5. twisted road ***
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCbEOT4PTDc video
6. she's always dancing *
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BytPl-AGZYw video
7. for the love of man **
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLbNv_ftboY video
8. walk like a giant *
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ub1qw2MmVOM video
9. psychadelic pill(alternate version) **
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFSPu2oyYW8 audio

3s=2
2s=2
1s=5

rating: 1.6

[CRAZY-HORSE]

NEIL YOUNG "a letter home" cd, 2014.....#12 US...#17 CAN...#17 UK...#46 AU

Neil's thirty-third solo album(not counting soundtracks,CSNY,Buffalo Springfield,Stills-Young Band,live and compilations)....
and incidently, his fifth studio set in five years....
and too be honest the music world could have done with not having the last three plus this one....
ok,
so Neil was down in Nashville and he popped into Jack White's Third Man Records recording studio and White had one of those
old personal recording booths which he refurbished and set up in the front room of the studio....
while Neil was in there a kid was in the booth recording a cover o one of Neil's songs, either "heart of gold" or "old man" from memory...
when the kid was finished Neil stuck his head in the booth and told him it was cool, the kid dint recognise him....LOL,
so Young came up with the idea to literally record a whole album in the booth, the songs would be old country and folky tunes that he loved
through various stages of his career...
the problem with these booths from the 1940s/50s is that the sound quality was not great and the sound would and in or out often for no reason...
but Young being Young got it in his head to do it and so he did.....
the result is a terrible sounding album of fade ins/fade outs, poor quality sound with tinny little bass, thus no depth at all....
I believe that had the songs have been recorded in a proper studio with a little bit of production and polish this may have been an okay sounding album,
as it is we have what is arguably one of the worst sounding albums of the digital age, that said though, I can sort of see where Young was coming from.
it was his way of saying a big 'f##k you' to the compressed sounds you get from iTunes and ipod downloads, it was also his way of taking music back to the basics
and stripped down, but like I said, there are better ways to do it, but I guess, when you do it on a whim (which is really what it was) then you cant expect results!
theres not many clips available for this one...and I really don't wonder why...LOL

I DO NOT LIKE THIS ALBUM

worst track: girl from the north country
best track: crazy

tracks:

1...a letter home - intro *
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAiSN4uh...1NTg92CEd2 audio
2...changes *
3...girl from the north country *
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9f5uwwcO...HLfXofKO8P video
4...needle to death *
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6H47jI6xanA video
5...early morning rain **
6...crazy **
7...reason to believe *
8...on the road again *
9...I you could read my mind **
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8ya7YrSz1c audio
10.since I met you baby *
11.my hometown *
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gS5SMdn3...HLfXofKO8P video
12.i wonder if I care as much *

3s=0
2s=3
1s=9

rating: 1.2

[CRAZY-HORSE]

NEIL YOUNG "storytone" 2014: #13 US...#46 AU...#20 UK

lots of songs of lost love and new love on this one plus a couple of environmental type songs...
lost love being the divorce from his 35+ year marriage to wife Peggi
and new love dedicated to his newly found girlfriend actress Darryl Hannah...
three versions of the album exist,
the original single disc which contains orchestrations, band and big band/jazz versions of the songs...
the deluxe version which includes a second disc made up of primarily Neil's solo versions of the same tracks (guitar/harmonica and piano versions)...
the third version of the album was title "mixed pages of storytone" which has a combination of tracks from the deluxe version...
I haven't heard the mixed pages version but its probably the best versions of each disc, which is how I find the deluxe version,
ie: some are better as solo songs, others sound better with the orchestrations/band to me...
its also interesting to note that with each version of the album Neil re-recorded his vocals on each occasion instead of just adding a prerecorded
vocal track...
all tracks were recorded live in one take (obviously there were rehearsals)...
theres nothing great on this album, but there is also nothing really bad that I do not like it,
its a consistant album from start to finish and probably his best in quite a while...
the links im posting are for the original album versions of the songs...

I LIKE THIS ALBUM

worst track: I want to drive my car
best track: im glad I found you

tracks:

1...plastic flowers (orchestral) **
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2cb6h9d...2cb6h9d-8U
2...who's gonna stand up? (orchestral) **
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZyL-FZ4lOU
3...I want to drive my car (band) *
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDNRUnF_rA4
4...glimmer (orchestral) **
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28BT1Xi6gN0
5...say hello to Chicago (big band) **
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiUBhWGBQe0
6...tumbleweed (orchestral) **
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5p7DhPCl1vA
7...like you used to do (band) **
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmV-fHcguOc
8...im glad I found you (orchestral) **
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_6eLZ6RiiU
9...when I watch you sleeping (orchestral) **
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3oyY8qqohQ
10.all those dreams (orchestral) **
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbvBeDVC...8U&index=2

3s=0
2s=9
1s=1

rating: 1.9

[Ruby]

Here you go CH.

[CRAZY-HORSE]

yay
you've now put a smile on my face also...been a good 24hrs for me
and I have the weekend off work, Dani is 'house/dog sitting" for one of her daughters so im free to work on my beginners guides...

[CRAZY-HORSE]

NEIL YOUNG & PROMISE OF THE REAL "the Monsanto years" 2015: #21 US, #24 UK, #23 UK

Neil's thirty-fifth studio album.
Promise Of The Real, Americana band fronted by Willie Nelson's son Lukas.
conceptual album with Uncle Neil spitting his venom at big corporations like Chevron, Starbucks, Walmart
and of course Monsanto.
his main issue on this album seems to be Monsanto and their GMO grains and the complicity of the other
companies named in their forcing farmers to use these GMO's.
I can see where Neil is coming from being that no one knows the effects these altered grains will have on us
in the future and the fact that Monsanto was the inventor and supplier of known carcinogenic herbicides over 
the last fifty years, including one known as Agent Orange.
anyway, the album is quite grungy for the most part but it fits with the album's themes.
Monsanto were so worried about the support Neil could possibly whip up against them with his popularity that they
admit to hiring private investigators to follow and discredit him, no mention of what they found so I guess they didn't find
anything worthwhile.
anyway, a passable album by his recent standards.

I LIKE THIS ALBUM

worst track:  if I don't know
best track:  a rock star bucks a coffee shop

tracks:

1....a new day for love **
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXHj3tadX8c
2....wolf moon **
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjEee3sjdBE
3....people want to hear about love **
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCCbZkSf2bk
4....big box **
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3q86pBl4E0
5....a rock star bucks a coffee shop **
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UC2DpGaykaI
6....workin' man **
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNSmukCl1oc
7....rules of change *
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqzS9zZbjwk
8....Monsanto years *
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fXbhoJNmLQ
9....if i dont know *
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbYBYd6wl7A

3s - 0
2s - 6
1s - 3

rating: 1.7

[CRAZY-HORSE]

NEIL YOUNG  "peace trail" 2016.  #76 US, #57 UK, #52 AU, #72 CAN.

pretty well a back to basics album musically.
guitar, drums, bass is it.
Neil on his soapbox again...
this time the injustices against American Indians by white man is the theme of most of the tracks.
one track called "indian giver", would be considered racist if aimed at Indians but not when Neil aims it at "white man", pretty hypocrital
 concept IMO as it should work both ways but the "left" is fine using it apparently!
"terrorist suicide hang-gliders", a stupid title IMO, lyrics are cringeworthy IMO, a rant at those who dont like Muslims.
another track about the environment (John Oaks) which is a spoken word track over music ala Greendale style.
final track is about as avant-garde as Neil has got, "my new robot", as the title suggests its pretty bad, vocorder usage, wouldnt be out of place on Trans, i'd consider that one comical if Neil wasnt so serious in his singing.
back to the album overall,
its a move back int he right direction musically, i mean who doesnt love folky Neil.
nice melodies on most tracks.
most tracks seem underdone to me, some good ideas but not developed or finished properly.
like most Neil Young albums since 2000 a couple of genuinely very good tracks on here, the others are either passable or below par.

I LIKE THIS ALBUM

best track:  glass accident
worst track: my new robot

tracks:

1....peace trail ***
Neil Young - Peace Trail (Official Video) - YouTube  video
2....cant stop working *
Can't Stop Workin' - YouTube  audio
3....Indian giver *
Neil Young - Indian Givers (Official Lyric Video) - YouTube  audio/lyrics
4....show me **
Show Me | Neil Young - Peace Trail - YouTube  audio
5....Texas Rangers *
Texas Rangers - YouTube  audio
6....terrorist suicide hang-gliders *
Terrorist Suicide Hang Gliders - YouTube  audio
7....John Oaks **
John Oaks | Neil Young - Peace Trail - YouTube  audio
8....my pledge **
Neil Young - My Pledge (Official Lyric Video) - YouTube  audio
9....glass accident ***
Glass Accident - YouTube  audio
10. my new robot * 
My New Robot - YouTube  audio

3s = 2
2s = 5
1s = 3

rating:  1.7

[CRAZY-HORSE]

NEIL YOUNG & PROMISE OF THE REAL  "the visitor"  2017  #167 US, #43 CAN, #85 AU, #65 UK

his thirty-eighth solo studio album, second with Promise....
Neil is off on his soapbox yet again, the subject this time, Donald Trump.
half of the album is direct and forthright with his hatred of him,
the remainder are also aimed at Trump but are more songs of hope.
the songs were written during the election campaign and on the first couple of days after the election.
the dude hasnt even given Trump the chance to perform but hes already there with a 'call to arms' in the streets.
sorry, but you cant criticise any leader until they fail to perform or dont deliver what they promise....
some of the songs are uptempo, other more subdued, i prefer the slower songs.
a couple of standout tracks for me, the almost anthemic "children of destiny" and the strange almost avant-garde/Beatle-esque "carnival". elsewhere theres a lovely 10 minute acoustic track at the end of the album. 
as usual with latter day albums by Young, there is filler but when you record at the drop of the hat thats what you get.
I DO NOT LIKE THIS ALBUM

worst track:  fly by night deal
best track: carnival

tracks:

1....already great *
Neil Young + Promise of The Real - Already Great (Official Music Video) - YouTube  video
2....fly by night deal *
Fly By Night Deal - YouTube  audio
3....almost always **
Neil Young + Promise Of The Real - Almost Always (Official Music Video) - YouTube  video
4....stand tall *
Stand Tall - YouTube  audio
5....change of heart **
Change of Heart - YouTube  audio
6....carnival **
Carnival - YouTube  audio
7....diggin' a hole *
Diggin' a Hole - YouTube  audio
8....children of destiny **
Neil Young + Promise of the Real - Children of Destiny (Official Music Video) - YouTube  video
9....when God got bad **
When Bad Got Good - YouTube  audio
10..forever **
Forever - YouTube  audio

3s = 0
2s = 6
1s = 4

rating:  1.6