I just saw the Heart of Gold film yesterday, 2 or 3 years after it came out I might add, and wondered what any of you thought of it.
I liked much of it for the music but thought it was a little weird, like he was wrapping up his life and saying goodbye. I think all the songs had a nostalgic flavor, all based in looking back at the past and being grateful.
The weird thing was that it started to feel like a tribute movie--to himself. I don't know how much of that was the director Jonathan Demme's influence (he of "silence of the lambs" fame) but the feeling of it turning into some kind of Lifetime Achievement Award put me off.
Any other impressions?
Well, it came at a reflective time in his life, shortly after his father died and (if memory serves) just after his own serious brain surgery. So it's not surprising that he would be in a quiet mood and thinking about mortality. That mood is all over the album too (in songs like "This Old Guitar"), most of which was recorded just before his surgery.
And just a few months after that, he was back with Living With War. That's Neil -- always careening between extremes.
On another board, a friend of mine posted a quote from Neil just after Prairie Wind that his next project was going to be loud and rocking, to which my friend replied: "Color me shocked."
I look forward to hearing "living with war." In heart of gold I felt we were sitting in a retirement home waiting for the grandkids to show up.
Quote from: Tycho on June 27, 2008, 07:27:48 AM
Well, it came at a reflective time in his life, shortly after his father died and (if memory serves) just after his own serious brain surgery. So it's not surprising that he would be in a quiet mood and thinking about mortality. That mood is all over the album too (in songs like "This Old Guitar"), most of which was recorded just before his surgery.
Actually, I believe 'Heart Of Gold' was recorded just
before 'his own serious brain surgery'. So, I think he may
definitely have been in a sombre, reflective mood.
Whatever the reason, Neil's 'Heart Of Gold' DVD is definitely one of my favourite acoustic music recordings. :thumbsup
Neil looks old and so does everyone else. There are awkward and uncomfortable parts, and some of it is just plain boring. But the genuine regard that the interviewees express for Neil is undeniable. And the "Old Man" story, the performance of "The Old Laughing Lady" as the video closes, and the segment with Larry Cragg showing Neil's guitars are worth the price of admission themselves.
Quote from: bransonb on July 02, 2008, 04:17:39 PM
Neil looks old and so does everyone else. There are awkward and uncomfortable parts, and some of it is just plain boring. But the genuine regard that the interviewees express for Neil is undeniable. And the "Old Man" story, the performance of "The Old Laughing Lady" as the video closes, and the segment with Larry Cragg showing Neil's guitars are worth the price of admission themselves.
Yeah I really liked him doing "laughing lady" as well. That was a gem, as staged as it was with the empty theatre, putting the guitar back in the case and walking this way then that.
I too thought it was done before his surgery. I that that is a key point here.
I also think that it was brilliant. JMHO
I think this was more of Neil wanting to pay tribute to the people he loved and the people he surrounded himself with throughout his life. Maybe it all adds up to a tribute to his music, but his music was the vehicle that brought all those different influences and personalities together.
I wonder how we would view this all had the surgery not been successful and we lost one of our most brilliant song writers.
According to Wikipedia:
QuoteThe recording of the album and the filming of the concert occurred just before and after Young's surgery to correct a cerebral aneurysm, and just a few months after the death of Young's father Scott Young.
So assuming that's correct, the album was recorded before the surgery and the film was made after.
Prairie Wind is an amazing collection of music in my opinion. Well crafted songs and well delivered with lots of heart. What I suggest watching is the DVD of the recording of the CD that was the second disc when it came out. Emmy Lou Harris and Neil sound great together. I saw Neil twice last November at Massey Hall. He still has it big time. The show started with him solo on a variety of acoustic guitars, piano and organ. Then the band joined him and he rocked like only Neil can. Greendale and Prairie Wind are as good as anything he has recorded.
Although I have struggled with much of Mr. Young's latest output, I was blown away by Heart of Gold. Better than the Prairie Wind sessions, imo.
" For what its worth " - this is a quote from the wikipedia article on Neil Young
On March 31, 2005, Young was admitted to a hospital in New York for treatment for a brain aneurysm. He was treated successfully by a minimally invasive neuroradiological procedure. Prior to undergoing the procedure, he wrote the first eight songs of a new album, Prairie Wind, in Nashville, with session musicians that included regular Young sideman Ben Keith on lap and pedal steel guitars. The last two songs on the album were written after his aneurysm procedure. Many of the songs, such as "Fallin' Off the Face of the Earth," seem to be inspired by Young's brush with mortality, the recent death of his father (who suffered senile dementia), as well as a connection with his Manitoba roots. Two days after the procedure, Young was forced to cancel a scheduled appearance on the Juno Awards telecast in Winnipeg when the area where the surgeons did his procedure (via the femoral artery) suddenly began to bleed. Young finally was able to return to Winnipeg in 2006 with Crosby, Stills and Nash.
He next performed on July 2, 2005, at the close of the Live 8 concert in Barrie, Ontario. He presented a new song, a soft hymn called "When God Made Me," and ended with "Rockin' in the Free World". He began his set with a cover of the Canadian folk classic "Four Strong Winds" by Ian & Sylvia Tyson. (He had recorded this song on his Comes a Time album)
On September 28, 2005, Prairie Wind was released as a regular CD, a special limited-edition CD and DVD package, and on vinyl. In an interview given to Time magazine, Young revealed that he had planned to keep the news of his aneurysm private until he had the bleeding scare, after which he decided to make news of his condition public.
In 2006, Neil Young: Heart of Gold, a film made by Jonathan Demme, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. Filmed over two nights at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee during the premiere of Prairie Wind, it includes both new and old songs as well as behind-the scenes-commentary by Young, his wife Pegi and others.
- Larry
I have not seen this yet, but I saw an interview with Neil on "The Charlie Rose Show" He talked a lot about "thinking big" in energy saving ideas, which he is involved with. (Vehicles).
But at the end he spoke about the tumor and the bleeding later. And as he spoke of being in the hospital with a dear elderly woman next to him speaking about God not taking him yet, tears began to trickle down his face and he spoke of having "Faith". It was interesting to hear him and see his emotional depth of feeling.
I would expect he's not through yet. Maybe another "Sugar Mountain" is going to come out. Danny
I'm just gonna blame Jonathan Demme for why I was disappointed in that film.
Quote from: bearsville0 on July 21, 2008, 06:39:21 PM
I'm just gonna blame Jonathan Demme for why I was disappointed in that film.
Bearsville I think your observances of Neil Young are not off target. Danny
Quote from: dependan on July 21, 2008, 07:02:07 PM
Bearsville I think your observances of Neil Young are not off target. Danny
Thanks Danny but don't get me wrong, I'm a big Young fan. When I first heard "After the Gold Rush" at the age of 13, my life was changed. It connected me up to some kind of Larger-Than-Life sentiment. It may in fact have been the first Rock album I ever heard. There was no going back after that.
Sugar Mountain and then Buffalo Springfield caught my attention. I used to own a Gibson that came from the Band that was left when Neil and Steven left Buffalo Springfield, Which was POCO. I sold it in 1975. I like Neil, he like us all get's a little full of the man in the mirror sometimes. Danny
Quote from: bearsville0 on July 21, 2008, 07:37:00 PM
Thanks Danny but don't get me wrong, I'm a big Young fan. When I first heard "After the Gold Rush" at the age of 13, my life was changed. It connected me up to some kind of Larger-Than-Life sentiment. It may in fact have been the first Rock album I ever heard. There was no going back after that.
I hope you've picked up the
Live at Massey Hall CD that came out last year. It's from a 1971 concert, and it will take you right back to what you heard the first time you ever heard
After the Gold Rush or
Harvest. It's really good.
Quote from: Tycho on July 22, 2008, 10:59:46 PM
I hope you've picked up the Live at Massey Hall CD that came out last year. It's from a 1971 concert, and it will take you right back to what you heard the first time you ever heard After the Gold Rush or Harvest. It's really good.
I intend to but just haven't gotten there yet. Thanks for the prompt.
I have to second bearsville on the Massey Hall CD.
Neil just shines like gold on this.
Indeed which just makes the execrable Living With War that much harder to take.
Quote from: omozom on July 23, 2008, 09:35:52 AM
I have to second bearsville on the Massey Hall CD.
Neil just shines like gold on this.
I just put the DVD Live at Massey Hall at the top of my Netflix queue. Can't wait.
Quote from: ducktrapper on July 23, 2008, 09:42:26 AM
Indeed which just makes the execrable Living With War that much harder to take.
I'm balking at getting that album with such obvious political content, (regardless of whether he's right or wrong in his opinions). I tend to think that you severely compromise the musical quality when the priority is about making a political point.
Unless you are the Sex Pistols of course. :thumb
Quote from: bearsville0 on July 23, 2008, 09:47:16 AM
I just put the DVD Live at Massey Hall at the top of my Netflix queue. Can't wait.
I'm balking at getting that album with such obvious political content, (regardless of whether he's right or wrong in his opinions). I tend to think that you severely compromise the musical quality when the priority is about making a political point
ditto :guitar
Quote from: bearsville0 on July 23, 2008, 09:47:16 AM
I just put the DVD Live at Massey Hall at the top of my Netflix queue. Can't wait.
I'm balking at getting that album with such obvious political content, (regardless of whether he's right or wrong in his opinions). I tend to think that you severely compromise the musical quality when the priority is about making a political point.
Unless you are the Sex Pistols of course. :thumb
That's precisely the problem. Whether you agree or not with the actual position, there's nothing cutting edge or particularly interesting about criticizing the government these days. It's become doctrinaire and quite frankly, boring. Besides the songs on LWW are among his all time weakest. I'd rather listen to Tron.
Living With War illustrated the problem with feeling like you have something to say and also feeling like it's so important that you have to get it out there as soon as you've recorded it, without giving yourself some time to decide if it really is any good. Sometimes it works brilliantly ("Ohio", released in, I think, June 1970 about three weeks after Kent State), more often it doesn't.
Quote from: Tycho on July 23, 2008, 08:16:16 PM
Living With War illustrated the problem with feeling like you have something to say and also feeling like it's so important that you have to get it out there as soon as you've recorded it, without giving yourself some time to decide if it really is any good. Sometimes it works brilliantly ("Ohio", released in, I think, June 1970 about three weeks after Kent State), more often it doesn't.
Yea, just the mention of Ohio and I get chills..."Tin soldiers and Nixon's coming, we're finally on our own.."
The driving guitar licks fit perfect as well.
Quote from: Tycho on July 23, 2008, 08:16:16 PM
Living With War illustrated the problem with feeling like you have something to say and also feeling like it's so important that you have to get it out there as soon as you've recorded it, without giving yourself some time to decide if it really is any good. Sometimes it works brilliantly ("Ohio", released in, I think, June 1970 about three weeks after Kent State), more often it doesn't.
Quote from: dependan on July 23, 2008, 09:08:28 PM
Yea, just the mention of Ohio and I get chills..."Tin soldiers and Nixon's coming, we're finally on our own.."
The driving guitar licks fit perfect as well.
Quote from: ducktrapper on July 23, 2008, 10:49:16 AM
That's precisely the problem. Whether you agree or not with the actual position, there's nothing cutting edge or particularly interesting about criticizing the government these days. It's become doctrinaire and quite frankly, boring. Besides the songs on LWW are among his all time weakest. I'd rather listen to Tron.
I think the politics of "Southern Man" is spine tingling too. "Ohio" and "Southern Man" have a spontaneous quality to them (as do "God Save The Queen" and "Anarchy in the U.K." by the Sex Pistols) but in general I am disinclined to get woody about political music or social commentary. It's too easy for it to turn into propaganda, that is, calculated and uninspiring.
I saw Bruce Cockburn do a Q&A today at the Humber Songwriting Workshop and he discussed some of the issues in doing political material. Basically his position seemed to boil down to: I got political when I felt the need to, and if some people found it offensive, too bad. I had something I wanted to say so I said it.
He added though, that for years he had stayed away from political stuff because he thought it was unseemly to mix politics and art. What changed his mind was just having a sense of urgency about what he wanted to say.
I wanted to ask him whether he then found it difficult to move back to personal introspective stuff because he had developed a whole new audience that expected him to be political every time...but instead I chickened out and asked him how he writes instrumentals.
Bringing things back to Neil, Cockburn told a story about his manager Bernie Finkelstein finding himself on a flight beside Elliot Roberts, Neil's manager. They were discussing the fact that the two of them had been managing their respective artists longer than almost anyone else in the business. Roberts said he attributed that to the fact that Neil calls him every day. Bernie replied: "That's funny. I attribute it to the fact that Bruce never calls me at all."
Politics and the arts will always be intwined. Some of our best art through the ages has been politically inspired.
Thank God for people who feel it is their social duty to speak out about the important issues.
Well .... let's see what was this thread about? :whistling:
Quote from: Tycho on July 25, 2008, 06:12:21 PM
He added though, that for years he had stayed away from political stuff because he thought it was unseemly to mix politics and art. What changed his mind was just having a sense of urgency about what he wanted to say.
"Urgency" to me is the key word there. Perhaps ducktrapper would agree with me, I don't think there is any urgency in trashing Bush these days. He's already toast.
Quote from: omozom on July 25, 2008, 08:07:18 PM
Politics and the arts will always be intwined. Some of our best art through the ages has been politically inspired.
Thank God for people who feel it is their social duty to speak out about the important issues.
I would rather people did their social duty through an op-ed column or a public demonstration or by just recycling after themselves.
Call me selfish but I want my art to be more about being emotionally moved to either dance or to cry. Speaking out through music about important social issues sounds great but I would guess it rarely makes any difference. Look at that "We are the world" event in the 80s to help Africa. The best thing that came out of that was that they had a good rehearsal for when they had to do it again 20 years later. Sorry to be so cynical but I'm just too jaded about art having any real political wallop.
Quote from: dependan on July 25, 2008, 10:10:08 PM
Well .... let's see what was this thread about? :whistling:
I think it's okay to take a little diversion.
Plus I think I could make a case (in keeping with the original topic) about how tough it must be to be Neil Young and other big stars when you know you just can't please everyone. They must hate us sometimes.
Neil almost said as much, He doesn't do autographs or talk to many fans etc. Yea your right a little diversions fine.
So what do ya think about those ping tuners, eh? :tongue:
Quote from: dependan on July 25, 2008, 10:34:13 PM
Neil almost said as much, He doesn't do autographs or talk to many fans etc. Yea your right a little diversions fine.
So what do ya think about those ping tuners, eh? :tongue:
I wouldn't have anything else on
my guitar!!!! But then, WTF do
I know about tuners? :laughin: Just tell me what Neil Young uses on Hank Williams' old Martin and I'll go buy a set of those.
I've seen this film and really enjoyed it. Oddly enough I thought it was a bit long. I really liked the old Martin that he was playing. Really cool that it used to be Hank's.
Quote from: bearsville0 on July 23, 2008, 09:47:16 AM
I just put the DVD Live at Massey Hall at the top of my Netflix queue. Can't wait.
Saw the Massey Hall DVD.
What a voice eh? That's some gift. He looks like a Neanderthal, but that voice! :donut :donut :donut
Quote from: omozom on July 25, 2008, 08:07:18 PM
Politics and the arts will always be intwined. Some of our best art through the ages has been politically inspired.
Thank God for people who feel it is their social duty to speak out about the important issues.
IMO, it's one thing to have breaking news, a new, or at least, a not totally echo chambered opinion and another to just parrot the party line. The politics of piling on are not that interesting. Ohio worked because it was fresh and it was factual. Living With War's and other's attempts to force the square peg of Iraq into the round hole of Viet Nam is neither fresh nor particularly honest.
Yea, I was not thinking politics as much as bone chilling reality. Like a cold rain soaking you and making you alert and in a little pain.
"Ohio worked because it was fresh and it was factual." ducktrapper
[
"Ohio worked because it was fresh and it was factual." ducktrapper
[/quote]
If only our leaders would have set the same criteria for the so called intelligence information used to lead our nation into war.
Unlike the Viet Nam war, where the Viet Namese never were a direct danger to the USA (except perhaps existentially, ha ha), you just can't quite say that this time around, can you? It seems to me, as well, that the thing about peace is, that it takes two. War, on the other hand, only takes one. Now ... who started what and when? :arrow
Quote from: ducktrapper on July 30, 2008, 06:23:21 PM
Unlike the Viet Nam war, where the Viet Namese never were a direct danger to the USA (except perhaps existentially, ha ha), you just can't quite say that this time around, can you? It seems to me, as well, that the thing about peace is, that it takes two. War, on the other hand, only takes one. Now ... who started what and when? :arrow
Uh-Oh! Don't go there folks. Don't you think we've done that dance and tripped up enough?
Ditto on the UH, OH!
So how are those Ping tuners working out? :whistling:
Quote from: bearsville0 on July 25, 2008, 10:12:48 PM
"Urgency" to me is the key word there. Perhaps ducktrapper would agree with me, I don't think there is any urgency in trashing Bush these days. He's already toast.
I would rather people did their social duty through an op-ed column or a public demonstration or by just recycling after themselves.
Call me selfish but I want my art to be more about being emotionally moved to either dance or to cry. Speaking out through music about important social issues sounds great but I would guess it rarely makes any difference. Look at that "We are the world" event in the 80s to help Africa. The best thing that came out of that was that they had a good rehearsal for when they had to do it again 20 years later. Sorry to be so cynical but I'm just too jaded about art having any real political wallop.
Why write, record or share music?
Entertainment..... sure. Sing jump and shout. Go Elvis!!! Go Britney!!! Go go go.
Communication....absoulutly and war is something to cry about. Way to go Neil.
Is Living With War his best work? Up to everyone to decide for themselves. Will it influence some? Will it bore others? Will it bring about mass change? I read a quote from Neil who says no but he will do it anyway.
I do prefer Praire Wind to sit and listen to. Though.
Ohio, LIFE,YOUTH, DEATH
That is why it chills me still to this moment. Not politics or art.
I just watched Heart of Gold the other night. I loved it. Also just got Massey Hall which I honestly think should be put in a time capsule! I was born in 64 so I didn't live through the classic Neil years as a teen or college student, but MAN, that guy just knew how to capture the times. I can't think of any other artist that can go to the extremes and excel the way he can. I love both. The super fuzzed (e.g. Ragged Glory, Live Rust, etc.) and the somber (Prairie Wind, Harvest Moon) and then the whole seventies thing. But, I too couldn't get into "Living with War".
Along the lines of Massey, I bought the other archives release, Crazy Horse at Fillmore. For me, it doesn't work. It's right in the middle, not fuzzed enough. What do you think of that one, is it just me?