Hey folks,
I'll chip in with a list here - took a lot of thinking, though :)
1. Old Laughing Lady (Neil Young)
2. Cinnamon Girl (EKTIN)
3. When you Dance ... (Live Rust)
4. Out on the Weekend (Harvest)
5. The Bridge (Time Fades Away)
6. On the Beach (On the Beach)
7. New Mama (Tonight's the Night)
8. Look Out for my Love (Comes a Time)
9. My My Hey Hey (Rust Never Sleeps)
10. Shots (Re.ac.tor)
11. Like a Hurricane (Unplugged)
12. Train of Love (Sleeps with Angels)
I'd like, if I may, to add a few comments (masquerading as explanations, I
suppose!):
The eponymous album version of OLL is so ethereal it's amazing that there
are so few instruments actually on the record. The female vocals cut right
through me every time I hear it. The Unplugged version - actually, I'll
change that to the Country version, as I believe that Neil started playing
it this way well before '93 - is an excellent song and the first Neil song I
ever learnt to play, but the album version is far, far superior, IMHO.
Cinnamon Girl is a must, purely because it is the opening track on the
album. I don't think that it would have the same effect upon the listener
had it been placed further down the tracklist. The opening few chords just
blow you away every time, despite the fact that this song has reached the
clich level that Heart of Gold has, (again) IMHO.
When you Dance is an ecstatic song and the Live Rust version, possibly
because it is live, sees to have more passion and drive about it. Great
song.
OOTW is another song that has enormous impact upon the listener because it
is the first track. I always try to put myself in the position of a
contemporaneous listener - hearing the song for the first time in '72. It is
so relaxed and measured that it takes me to another place. The song sounds
sad but it really is uplifting - so much so that, when ever I feel down, I
put this song on and it makes me feel so much better. It's one of those
songs that you think was written especially for you.
The Bridge, inspired by the Hart Crane poem (has anybody read this all the
way through? It's fairly heavy going in part), is life encapsulated in 2 or
3 minutes. There is so much emotion in this short track that it's almost
tear-jerking. This is one of those songs where you wonder how anybody can
actually write something like that. A Neil-defining song, if ever there was
one.
On the Beach, as a song, is close to being the most perfect song I have ever
heard, musically. The whole pace of the song is exactly right and the
soloing sounds significantly more complicated than I'm convinced it is. The
slightly downer lyrics just wash over you as the music seeps into your whole
body - some sort of melodic osmosis. The Bottom Line solo version is magical
but the electric guitar from the album just lifts it even higher.
New Mama - short, great acoustic guitar, lovely harmonies, beautiful subject
- it makes you wonder how ever did it get onto this dark album? Spot on
everything.
The way that LOFML builds up reminds me of Led Zeppelin, simple acoustic
guitar and plaintive voice rounded out in later verses by subtle harmonies
and measured electric notes. The quiet, almost gentle, side of Crazy Horse.
MMHH is completely made by Neil's plaintive voice. Simple riff rings through
the speakers with a fantastic tone and the harmonica at the end has shivers
in my spine. Yet another sparkling opening track.
Shots is a special song made even more so by the fact that it is clearly the
most dynamic song on the album. Johnny Rogan intimated that re.ac.tor was
"saved" by this song. It has a drive about it that, conversely to my earlier
comments about opening tracks, makes you need to play the whole album again
just to hear it (well, on cassette, anyway). Hard rock and the topside of
Crazy Horse right in the groove with Neil.
My choice of LAH from the Unplugged album, I'm sure, will have some people
running for cover. I think that the pump organ (is this the same as an
harmonium?) is a difficult instrument to get right and, strangely, Neil
chose to couple with an harmonica but, for me, this really works. I talked
earlier about the emotion in songs and this is another one. The rather
rugged and ragged guitar on the ASnB version sounds too loose to me, but
this is tight, well executed and the harmonica solos really soar.
Outstanding transposition of an already great song.
Sleeps with Angels is not far away on the AOTW schedule, so I'll choke back
on too much detail on this one, however, I would put this song in the same
pigeon-hole as New Mama. Short, simple and a lovely way put a delicate
subject.
Thanks for your patience :)
Musicus Titanicus.
--
Howard Leamon
