Neil Young song draft

[Mithrandir]

1.06 - hey, hey, my, my (into the black)

bad-ass!

Friend of mine back in the late 70's felt this was the "hardest rocking" song in music history. This buddy of mine will be in at least one more Neil Young story.

[Mithrandir]

Funny story (at least it was when it happened) from about 1979. I was in the 8th grade and was hanging out with two of my friends. The one friend was into Neil Young so he asked the other friend "Do you like Neil Young?". The friend answered "I don't know, does he like me?". He thought Neil Young was a new student that he hadn't met yet. It was hilarious to me and my friend at the time.

[Erik]

I much prefer the solo piano versions of Maid to the orchestrated version on Harvest, which I find to be over the top. Such stark vulnerability when he does it by himself, esp. on the 1971 solo tour.

It is probably the most misinterpreted song in his catalog. It's about being so helpless that you need someone else to help you get your act together.

Harvest takes the early lead for first album to be completed -- but will anyone dare take There's a World?

[ManCalledFoot]

1.07 A Man Needs A Maid (Harvest, 1972)

Not just my favorite from Neil, but from just about anyone. Stripping it down to just the piano part, it could make Beethoven cry:



Although nothing compares to orchestrated original. And a man really does need a maid. You should have seen some of my apartments back in the day.

[Cobain's Ghost]

1.06 - hey, hey, my, my (into the black)

bad-ass!

[Erik]

Cortez...my favorite Neil Young song, and yet another from the superb 3.14.91 show.

If this is the show you're looking for, not only do I not have it, it looks like a recording of it doesn't exist, as there is no setlist for it on sugarmtn.org, the only show from that tour for which that is the case.

[Erik]

It's rare for songs to put you so in the moment that you actually feel a bit anxious.

Heck, Neil's got one that frightens the hell out of me. Maybe I'll be able to get it later on.

[Erik]

One of my personal favorite compilations is called "Cortez the Killer". It's three full discs. Three discs of "Cortez the Killer", featuring three decades of live versions. I love it. I'll fire it up on Saturday mornings. My wife hates it.

Cortez the Killer has been played live 482 times. Tell your wife she's lucky that you're only exposing her to less than 1% of those!

http://www.sugarmtn.org/song.php?song=112

[Erik]

My Neil shows, from the setlist archive at sugarmtn.org:

1991-02-05, Civic Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
w/ Crazy Horse
Hey Hey, My My (Into The Black) / Crime In The City / Blowin' In The Wind / Love To Burn / Cinnamon Girl / Days That Used To Be / F*!#in' Up / Cortez The Killer / Powderfinger / Love And Only Love / Rockin' In The Free World // Welfare Mothers / Like A Hurricane

1996-08-16, Sony Music Entertainment Center, Camden, New Jersey, USA
w/ Crazy Horse
Hey Hey, My My (Into The Black) / Sedan Delivery / Big Time / Slip Away / The Needle And The Damage Done / Heart Of Gold / Sugar Mountain / Cinnamon Girl / F*!#in' Up / Cortez The Killer / Music Arcade / Like A Hurricane // This Town / Welfare Mothers / Rockin' In The Free World // Roll Another Number

1999-04-22, Theatre at Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, USA
Solo
Tell Me Why / Looking Forward / War Of Man / Out Of Control / Dreamin' Man / Razor Love / Pocahontas / Philadelphia / Homegrown / Daddy Went Walkin' // Distant Camera / Ambulance Blues / Old King / Long May You Run / Harvest Moon / The Needle And The Damage Done / Slowpoke / After The Gold Rush // Good To See You / Heart Of Gold // Down By The River / I Am A Child

1999-04-24, Tower Theatre, Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, USA
Solo
Tell Me Why / Looking Forward / War Of Man / Out Of Control / Albuquerque / World On A String / Don't Let It Bring You Down / Philadelphia / Love Is A Rose / Daddy Went Walkin' // Distant Camera / The Last Trip To Tulsa / Southern Pacific / Old Man / Long May You Run / Harvest Moon / Slowpoke / The Needle And The Damage Done / After The Gold Rush // Good To See You / Red Sun / Sugar Mountain // Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere

^^^ This one is known in Neil fanatic circles as the "Shut Up A$$#ole" show, after Neil's response to an obnoxious guy in the crowd.

2000-03-20, First Union Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
w/ Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young
Carry On / Southern Man / Stand And Be Counted / Pre-Road Downs / Heartland / 49 Bye-Byes / Slowpoke / Marrakesh Express / Faith In Me / Almost Cut My Hair / Cinnamon Girl // Helplessly Hoping / Our House / Old Man / Dream For Him / Someday Soon / Looking Forward / After The Gold Rush / Guinnevere / Out Of Control / Seen Enough / Teach Your Children // Woodstock / Long Time Gone / Ohio / Love The One You're With / Down By The River // For What It's Worth / Rockin' In The Free World

2000-08-09, Sony Music Entertainment Center, Camden, New Jersey, USA
w/ The Friends And Relatives
Motorcycle Mama / Powderfinger / Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere / I Believe In You / Unknown Legend / Dance Dance Dance / Buffalo Springfield Again / Razor Love / Lotta Love / Daddy Went Walkin' / Peace Of Mind / Walk On / Bad Fog Of Loneliness / Winterlong / Words / Harvest Moon / World On A String / Tonight's The Night // Like A Hurricane // Mellow My Mind

2002-03-05, First Union Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
w/ Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young
Carry On>Questions / Military Madness / Goin' Home / Wooden Ships / Feed The People / You're My Girl / I Used To Be A King / Southern Man / Southern Cross / Almost Cut My Hair / Cinnamon Girl // Helplessly Hoping / Our House / Old Man / Carry Me / Guinnevere / Harvest Moon / Ole Man Trouble / Half Your Angels / Suite: Judy Blue Eyes // Let's Roll / Long Time Gone / Two Old Friends / Woodstock / Rockin' In The Free World // Eight Miles High / Long May You Run

2003-07-02, Tweeter Center at The Waterfront, Camden, New Jersey, USA
w/ Crazy Horse
Falling From Above / Double E / Devil's Sidewalk / Leave The Driving / Carmichael / Bandit / Grandpa's Interview / Bringin' Down Dinner / Sun Green / Be The Rain // Hey Hey, My My (Into The Black) / Sedan Delivery / Prisoners Of Rock 'n' Roll / Powderfinger // Cinnamon Girl / F*!#in' Up

2006-08-12, Nissan Pavilion, Bristow, Virginia, USA
w/ Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young
Flags Of Freedom / Carry On / Wooden Ships / Long Time Gone / Military Madness / After The Garden / Living With War / The Restless Consumer / Shock And Awe / Wounded World / Almost Cut My Hair / Immigration Man / Families / Déjà Vu // Helplessly Hoping / Our House / Only Love Can Break Your Heart / Guinnevere / Milky Way Tonight / Treetop Flyer / Roger And Out / Southbound Train / Ole Man Trouble / Carry Me / Teach Your Children / Southern Cross / Find The Cost Of Freedom // Let's Impeach The President / For What It's Worth / Chicago / Ohio / What Are Their Names / Rockin' In The Free World // Woodstock

2007-12-09, Tower Theatre, Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, USA
w/ Ben Keith, Rick Rosas, Ralph Molina, Anthony Crawford and Pegi Young
From Hank To Hendrix / Ambulance Blues / Sad Movies / A Man Needs A Maid / Mexico / No One Seems To Know / Harvest / Journey Through The Past / After The Gold Rush / Mellow My Mind / Love Art Blues / Campaigner / Cowgirl In The Sand // The Loner / Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere / Dirty Old Man / Spirit Road / Bad Fog Of Loneliness / Winterlong / Oh, Lonesome Me / The Believer / No Hidden Path // Cinnamon Girl / Like A Hurricane

2008-12-16, Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, USA
Neil Young & His Electric Band
Love And Only Love / Hey Hey, My My (Into The Black) / Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere / Powderfinger / Spirit Road / Cortez The Killer / Cinnamon Girl / Oh, Lonesome Me / Mother Earth / The Needle And The Damage Done / Light A Candle / Cough Up The Bucks / Fuel Line / Hit The Road / Get Around / Unknown Legend / Heart Of Gold / Old Man / Get Back To The Country / Off The Road / When Worlds Collide / Just Singing A Song / Cowgirl In The Sand / Rockin' In The Free World // Get Behind The Wheel / A Day In The Life

[Erik]

I remember that, from the 'Rust Never Sleeps' movie. It was mocked up like a bird, an eagle or something.

It was still being used that way on the 1991 tour. I think on the 2007 tour too.

[Erik]

Guitar epic factoid:

Though Cortez the Killer appeared on album more than a year before Like a Hurricane did, Hurricane's live debut (12-20-75) predated Cortez' (3-3-76).

Neil's approach to making albums in the '70s was quite haphazard. He'd record some stuff when he felt like it, then he'd record some more stuff later, then some more later, then he'd cobble bits and pieces from all of those into an album. When something was recorded, no one knew at the time when or if it would be released.

[ManCalledFoot]

Yeah, it's great live, though. When I saw Crazy Horse do it live, the keyboard was hanging over the stage from two chains that went all the way up and out of sight into the rafters..

I remember that, from the 'Rust Never Sleeps' movie. It was mocked up like a bird, an eagle or something. I saw that movie at my local theater, in 1980... those were the days, when you'd go see a Neil Young movie at your local theater.

Neil at his most prog, with the mellotron-like synth pervading everything. It's a monster classic all right, but I always thought it was a little plodding and overlong. In fact, Neil is the all-time champ at overlong. He had more 10 minute songs than Yes, for crissakes.

Yeah, it's great live, though. When I saw Crazy Horse do it live, the keyboard was hanging over the stage from two chains that went all the way up and out of sight into the rafters. Massive verb, great dynamics, Old Black screaming through that vintage Fender Deluxe...I think I'll go listen to some version of it right now.

[ManCalledFoot]

1.05 - "Like a Hurricane" (American Stars 'n Bars, 1977)

Another sprawling electric epic with crazy/noisy guitar solos, this was the first song that came to mind for my first pick. It's not off one of his better known albums, but it's still a staple nonetheless. You can sense the utter frustration in his voice (and guitar playing) that he's found this perfect girl but just knows it can't work out. The line "I am just a dreamer / but you are just a dream" is so simple yet so beautiful and brilliant. The ominous synth in the background just adds to the intensity.

Neil at his most prog, with the mellotron-like synth pervading everything. It's a monster classic all right, but I always thought it was a little plodding and overlong. In fact, Neil is the all-time champ at overlong. He had more 10 minute songs than Yes, for crissakes.

[ManCalledFoot]

I saw Neil twice in the 1980's. One was the Shocking Pinks tour but I'll be damned if I can remember the other tour I saw him on. I gotta look up a tour schedule archives to see if anything rings a bell.

Ha, that was gonna be my story. The one and only time I saw Neil Young was the damn Shocking Pinks tour, at Brendan Byrne Arena in NJ. IIRC, the first half of the show was the doo-wop stuff, with a more 'greatest hits' 2nd half to keep the crowd from mutinying. It sucked, as I remember, and I actually liked the Shocking Pinks LP. I've got my eye on one tune from that.