Second preview from "Americana".

Jaw droppingly awesome IMHO

http://www.noise11.com/news/video-neil-young-shell-be-coming-around-the-...

The Sage Gateshead have this brilliant festival every year, the Summer Tyne Festival. It celebrates, with Tynesides top promoters The Jumpin' and Hot Club, all the fantastic music that comes under the musical umbrella of Americana.
I've been asked if I fancy running a classic album spot in one of the halls there (takes moment to count ones blessings, I bit their hand off). What to choose though? Do I go for some Dylan, Bon Iver, Neil Young, Byrds, Emmy Lou Harris, Drive By Truckers, what??? What album says 'Americana' and 'Classic Album' to you?

Hearing chart music blaring from the speakers in a cafe t'other day, I said to myself, y'know what, I'm getting really fed up with this digital, MP3, compressed, sound that most music has nowadays. It's horrible.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2094590/Steve-Jobs-listened-viny...

The grizzly old goat has only gone and stuck 37 mins and 25 secs of him and Crazy Horse getting down and dirty in the studio. The extended jam session is all you'll get if you tune in to the official Neil Young website. Mind you, it does accompany a one-take film-footage video of the camera snaking in and out of the sound decks, ornaments, guitars, messy surfaces, teasing little post-it notes and hand-written song lyrics, among other things.

Cortez kicks in at about the 19 minute mark.

It's all bloody brilliant, and disarmingly intimate.

Title - Waging Heavy Peace

We've got a while to wait (it's apparently due in Autumn 2012) but I'm quite excited at the prospect. Jimmy McDonough's Shakey was a great read but, from NY's ultimate resistance to that book coming out, I was not expecting he would eventually write one himself.

Thinking about it, there have been a few of these recently but the only rock biog I recall reading is Cash by Johnny Cash. How do they generally compare the biographies written by others? I'd imagine them more as a companion piece than a replacement.

I'll probably get Morrissey's if that ever comes out too.

Listening to the always good, usually excellent, Sound Opinions podcast, which was 'dissecting' Rust Never Sleeps, it was mentioned that it was influenced by Devo (which I think is quite well known).

He found out about Devo because Toni Basil had a tape that she gave to her boyfriend of the time, who happened to be Dean Stockwell. Dean Stockwell then gave it to Neil Young.

I know Toni Basil had a more varied career than the massive hit Mickey may suggest, but I think the Toni Basil-Dean Stockwell-Neil Young chain may be my favourite fact of the year.

Are there any other examples of unlikely third party recommendations? Did Max Bygravers buy up all of Zappa's catalogue after hearing about them from Des O'Conner's first wife, Princess Margaret? Did Ben Affleck read One Day after Matt Damon saw Uri Geller read it on a plane?

I must admit that a casual YouTube search for another thread yesterday surprised me immensely. Neil Young, Stephen Stills and Richie Furay have just finished touring the US as I type:-how on earth did I miss this?! Here's some footage of the Bridge School Benefit last year, worth it for the smile on Richie Furay's face just near the song's conclusion.

Tonight I finished 6 months of really hard work. In the last few weeks I have worked pretty much non-stop. I arrived home from work tonight and my beautiful wife provided me with pumpkin soup and a glass of shiraz. And in that setting, Neil Young's Silver and Gold sounded like the greatest album ever made. I really heard it tonight. And I have owned it for 10 years. Music is such a strange thing.

Tom Waits is to be inducted(induced?)into the rock 'n' roll hall of fame. Neil Young gets to do the honours. On the night, I wonder who'll be in awe of who?

I'm a big fan of both but apart from the Bridge School Benefit gigs, I can't think of any time they've collaborated/crossed paths.

Have either of them played the others songs ....in concert maybe?

Bob Dylan sings in Highlands. Any other great songs by someone you like where someone else you like get their name checked?

Do you have a favourite song you would like to share?

Here's mine

Listening to On The Beach´s Vampire Blues it strikes me that the second guitar solo in this song could be the laziest/most minimalistic solo ever committed to tape by Neil - and thus possibly the laziest ever, being that he´s never been a man of playing more notes than necessary. It starts at 3:17 and should definitely loom larger in his legend.

Neil is apparently preparing the release of the second set of archives which on past form means it should be out around 2020.
This set is going to include 4 previously unreleased albums. The studio sets of Homegrown; Chrome Dreams; Oceanside-Countryside and a live album titled Odeon Budokan.
Apparently they will first be released on vinyl, as this was the form they were meant to be released in, which is a nice concession to those of us who haven't invested in Blu-Ray, but still have a turntable. On the other hand what price will they retail at? £20 or more?

http://neilyoung.com/news/index.html

I've heard of the first two albums (I even have the Rust Edition bootleg of Chrome Dreams), but I've never heard of Oceanside-Countryside before. It doesn't get a mention in Jimmy McDonough's Shakey biography. Does anyone have any information on that one?

I've just read that Ben Keith (best known for playing slide on many Neil Young albums and tours) has died. Very sad news, extrememly talented guy who formed a large part of many of my favourite records.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2010/jul/28/ben-keith-obituary