Steve Earle's 'The Revolution Starts...Now'

Steve Earle's new album 'The Revolution Starts...Now' will be out on August 24th comes word from chromewaves.net.

The album was produced by the twangtrust (Steve Earle and Ray Kennedy) and there are a couple of advance tracks available for listening on his site including:

"F The CC"
"Rich Man's War
"The Revolution Starts Now"

Steve is not a happy camper. He pulls no punches with patriotic lyrics like: "F*** the FCC /f*** the FBI / f*** the CIA / I'm living in the motherf***ing U.S.A." The spoken word track 'Warrior' is chilling.

No doubt a high volatile mixture of music and politics, Earle is fired up enough to take on even the National Security Advisor Condoleeza Rice in "Condi, Condi". Earle also duets with country legend Emmylou Harris on the beautiful "Comin' Around".

Steve will also be on the Tell Us The Truth Tour CD out in October.

Here's the track listing for 'The Revolution Starts...Now' :

1. The Revolution Starts...
2. Home To Houston
3. Rich Man's War
4. Warrior
5. The Gringo's Tale
6. Condi, Condi
7. F The CC
8. Comin' Around (featuring Emmylou Harris)
9. I Thought You Should Know
10. The Seeker
11. The Revolution Starts Now

Eric Ambel covers "Revolution Blues"

Eric 'Roscoe' Ambel, the guitarist from Steve Earle's Dukes, has a new release called 'Knucklehead' on Lakeside Lounge. The album has a bunch of covers of his favorite songs including Neil Young's "Revolution Blues". Also, a Tom Waits cover and others, plus a new Steve Earle tune.

Jay Farrar's Stone, Steel & Bright Lights Review

An interesting review on KINGBLIND of Jay Farrar's Stone, Steel & Bright Lights:

"There's a rigid sincerity to his work that refuses to allow him to drift too far from the statements of purpose he so carefully lays down in the studio. "

The album has a great cover of Neil Young's Hurricane and the DVD of the performance at Slims in San Francisco with backing band Canyon is incendiary.

More on Jay Farrar and Neil Young. Also, see Blogcritics review of Jay Farrar's "Stone, Steel & Bright Lights".

What's So Great About Wilco?

A provocative review of the new Wilco on Slate titled "How a spineless rock band became known for its nerve" by Stephen Metcalf. While much of the Wilco hype is due to the fact that there is so little new music emerging that is considered to be exciting and innovative, Metcalf raises a few good points to consider.

"Some consumers, of course, still need to feel as though the music they buy merits, if not exactly landmark status, some claim to cultural importance. Wilco is the band for such consumers; and to help them along, critics have provided the word 'deconstruction.' Deconstruction is now rock-press shorthand for the crumbling of the traditional Intro Verse Chorus Verse Chorus Bridge Solo Verse Chorus song structure. But its real significance has gone unnoticed. Deconstruction is currently doing for Wilco (and Radiohead before it) what it did for literary studies in the '70s and '80s: providing a sense of pomp and excitement during a period of near-total marginalization."

More on the "marginal" music of Wilco and their influences.

Neil Young Tribute in Prospect Park - June 26, 2004

From Glorious Noise on the Neil Young Project in Prospect Park
Celebrate Brooklyn, New York. A great rundown titled "My Head is the Event of the Season" by Kristy Eldredge (July 6, 2004):

"The Neil Young Tribute in Prospect Park last Saturday night was fittingly immense. Neil's career is like this behemoth by now, and listening to musicians cover his songs is both a revelation of how sprawling and eclectic his oeuvre has become, and a trip down about twelve different memory lanes, depending on the amount of gray in your hair. Only true Neil-o-philes could have known every song, so long stretches of time were spent wondering when Neil had penned this tune, in what mood, and who was up there singing it."

Highlights included:

- Jane Siberry's light, tender version of "Don't Let It Bring You Down" was lovely and swinging, an optimistic cousin of the original.

- Ron Sexsmith's waif-like croon did something magical to "Wrecking Ball," though his "Like a Hurricane" was a shade subdued.

- James Blood Ulmer tore into "Scenery" like the song possessed the power of the devil (and by the time he was finished with it, it did).

- Cat Power's Chan Marshall gave an exuberant rendition of "Mr. Soul."

- James Blood Ulmer's churning version of "Fuckin' Up" and Antony and Joan Wasser's duet of "Cinnamon Girl" both achieved this intensity.

Complete setlist below:

Act 1

1) A Dream That Can Last – ANTONY/TEDDY THOMPSON/JENNI MULDAUR/AMBROSIA PARSLEY
2) The Loner – STAN RIDGWAY
3) Don't Let It Bring You Down – JANE SIBERRY
4) Don't Cry No Tears – TEDDY THOMPSON
5) Horseshoe Man – RON SEXSMTIH
6) Cowgirl in The Sand – IRON & WINE
7) Comin' Apart At Every Nail – PETER STAMPHEL & JOHN KRUTH
8) A Man Needs A Maid – ANTONY
9) Harvest – JENI MULDAUR
10) Mr. Soul – CAT POWER
11) The Losing End – SHAWN AMOS/JANINE NICHOLS
12) Helpless – ERIC MINGUS
13) Scenery – JAMES BLOOD ULMER
14) Albuquerque – SUN KIL MOON
15) BIRDS – THE BE GOOD TANYAS
16) Transformer Man – ADAM DORN & KEMBRA PFAHLER
17) Safeway Cart – JANE SIBERRY
18) On The Beach – JOAN WASSER
19) The Needle and the Damage Done – CAT POWER/BONFIRE MADIGAN
20) Weight of The World – STAN RIDGWAY
21) Music Arcade – ED HARCOURT/AMBROSIA PARSLEY

Act 2

1) Music from "Dead Man" – ELLIOT SHARP/BONFIRE MADIGAN
2) What Happened Yesterday – BONFIRE MADIGAN/ELLIOT SHARP
3) Running Dry – IRON & WINE
4) Expecting To Fly – IRON & WINE
5) Wonderin' – FRED ARMISEN
6) Star of Bethleham – PETER STAMPHEL & JOHN KRUTH
7) Southern Man – SHAWN AMOS
8) Wrecking Ball – RON SEXSMITH
9) Through My Sails – ED HARCOURT
10) I Believe In You – TEDDY THOMPSON
11) For The Turnstiles – THE BE GOOD TANYAS
13) Powderfinger – SUN KIL MOON
14) Bandit – AMBROSIA PARSLEY
15) Cinnamon Girl – ANTONY/JOAN WASSER
16) Fuckin' Up – JAMES BLOOD ULMER
17) Like A Hurricane – SUN KIL MOON / RON SEXSMITH
18) Ohio – STAN RIDGWAY/EVERYONE

More on Bands Covering Neil Young songs.

Rock The Vote

Big concert news from the Los Angeles Times.

Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young, R.E.M., Pearl Jam, Steve Earle, the Dave Matthews Band, the Dixie Chicks, Bright Eyes, Ani DiFranco, Death Cab for Cutie and International Noise Conspiracy are going to do a series of concerts this fall to get out the vote.

One can only imagine the encore's now with Neil Young, Bruce Springsteen, Michael Stipe and Eddie Vedder singing Keep On Rockin' In The Free World!

"Hey, rockers, keep protests in your songs"

So here's a timely article in light of all the turmoil regarding the intersection of music and politics from San Jose Mercury News by Joe Rodriguez:

"Sure, rockers and other celebrities have the right to stick their free speech in our ears. And it's perfectly legal for concert managers to cancel shows for fear of violence, just as it is for corporate sponsors to end endorsement deals with superstar athletes who are charged with rape.
The Ronstadt incident in Vegas brings up a lost and honorable tradition: If musicians want to stop a war or start a revolution, they should do it with a song -- not a political speech.

``All we are saying, is give peace a chance!''

Does anyone remember the lectures John Lennon and Yoko Ono issued in bed against the Vietnam War? No, but thousands upon thousands could sing their nine-word chorus in tune and without missing a step in anti-war marches."

More on today's music and protest songs - or lack thereof.

Elliott Murphy, Gary Louris & Neal Casal Cover 'Rockin' In The Free World'

Over on the Elliott Murphy website, there's a cool cover of Neil Young's "Rockin' In The Free World" as a download MP3 comes the word from over on the RUST. Elliott Murphy, Gary Louris of Jayhawks, and Neal Casal covered the song before the 'Crossroads Night' show at the Olympia in Paris on a local radio show.

More on Neil Young's "Rockin' In The Free World".

Neil Covers on Live365 - Mansion On The Hill

An internet radio station on Live365 - Mansion On The Hill is playing Neil Young cover tunes. Cool stuff like kd lang's latest Neil cover of "Helpless".

Also, there's an interesting thread on Velvet Rope on Neil covers like:

sonic youth: 'computer age'
golden smog: 'on the beach'
pixies: 'i've been waiting for you'
mercury rev: 'motion pictures'
Natalie Merchant - After the Gold Rush
Dave Matthews - Cortez the Killer
Low & Dirty Three - Down By the River
Trip Shakespear - Helpless
Charthogs - Mr. Soul

For more on Neil covers, see Bands Covering Neil Young songs.

Paul Weller Covers "Birds"

From The Anchorage Press writer John M. James comes word on yet another Neil cover:

"Paul Weller, mod icon and founding member of The Jam and the Style Council, is prepping the September release of his new, all-covers collection, Studio 150, with an advance import-only EP this week. While the full-length album on V2 Records will feature selections like Neil Young's "Birds," Sister Sledge's "Thinking of You," and Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower," the CD EP features Gil Scott Heron's "The Bottle," Taj Mahal's "Corrina Corrina" and the Lovin' Spoonful's "Coconut Grove." "

Noble lineage of Neil Young & Sonic Youth Upheld by just one Group: Wilco

In a review of Wilco's performance in London's Astoria in the UK Telegraph, Andrew Perry writes:

"American rock is thriving, but only in certain specialised fields, such as horror-metal, retro garage-blues, and so-called 'emo' (emotional) punk.

Almost completely inconspicuous are the kind of acts, such as Neil Young or Sonic Youth, whose music is marked by a love of exploration within tradition, by the desire to re-route the classic forms of rock in experimental new directions. In fact, that noble lineage is currently upheld by just one group - Wilco.

Good-natured, grounded but electrically charged, Tweedy was the kind of rock star they don't seem to make any more. His moment has surely arrived."

Clear Channel Radio Stations Plan to Play more Music - Hah!

Word from Clear Channel of their original idea to play less commercials. Which we say "hah!" because hardly anyone these days who cares about music listens to corporate radio.

Eric Alterman lays part of the blame for the music industry woes at Clear Channel's doorstep and writes:

"Clearchannel didn't only hurt radio -- they drew first blood from the recording industry also. Music fans only buy what they hear; Less music on the radio meant decreasing purchases of CDs. I'm convinced that the ever shrinking national radio playlist caused by radio consolidation is one of the key factors in the declining CD sales nationwide."

Drive-By Truckers 'Putting People on the Moon' Download

Aside from grousing about corporate radio, from largehearted boy, a boy, a girl and his radio a timely download link to celebrate a man on the moon anniversary. Here's a MP3 link for the Drive-By Truckers on KEXP radio performing "Putting People on the Moon".

More on the Drive-By Truckers and the "Duality of the Southern Thing".

Ryan Adams Covers "Helpless"

Ryan Adams covered Neil Young's "Helpless" according to a report in Drowned in Sound:

"Ryan Adams last week made his first public appearance since mangling his wrist at a Liverpool gig early this year.

The cult singer/songwriter appeared during the encore of a Gillian Welch and David Rawlings concert in New York. He duetted with Welch on a version of his own "To Be Young (is to be sad is to be high)", and then followed it up with a cover of Neil Young's "Helpless".

He was also playing guitar, helping to allay fears that his injury would hinder him in the future. Adams is set to make his 'real' comeback at the Austin City Limits festival in September."

So another cover circulating along with The Cowboy Junkies cover of "Helpless" on their current tour.

Linda Ronstadt Ejected From Concert

Over on Blogcritics.org a report on Linda Ronstadt being ejected from her concert when she dedicated the Eagles hit 'Desperado' to Michael Moore.

The Dixie Chicks controversy did prove that this sort of thing is good for business. It remains to be seen what impact of the Fahrenheit 911 stances of Pete Townshend ("Won't Get Fooled Again"), R.E.M. ("Shiny Happy People"), and Neil Young ("Rockin' In The Free World") will have on their audiences and sales.

Gillian Welch covers "Wrecking Ball"

From The Hartford Courant concert review of Gillian Welch by ERIC R. DANTON:

"When you open your concert with a cover of 'Wrecking Ball' by Neil Young, you'd better have a darn strong second tune planned.

Gillian Welch did, of course, for her performance Friday night at the Webster Theatre. Welch and partner David Rawlings followed their shattering, spooky version of Young's tune with their own 'Elvis Presley Blues.' The duo's harmonies were so airtight on the spare, rootsy homage to Presley that their singing sounded like one voice split over two registers."

Also, Emmylou Harris did a great cover of Neil Young's Wrecking Ball awhile back in 1996.

Jeff Tweedy: "Like Neil Young learning Thurston Moore's solos"

A very thorough analysis of Wilco's "A Ghost is Born" on PopMatters review "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" by Zeth Lundy.

"The songs are steeped in clouds of little significant remembrances, with Tweedy at his most pensive and introspective. In 'Hummingbird', he sings of a man whose 'goal in life was to be an echo', and requests: 'Remember to remember me / Standing still in your past'. He even gets downright pastoral in the natural imagery of 'Muzzle of Bees', submissive and confessional in 'Handshake Drugs', and steadily defiant in 'Theologians'. Yankee songs like 'I'm the Man Who Loves You' and 'Reservations' merely hinted such significant internalizations, as most of that album mushroom clouded into the atmosphere of instable city imagery.

Tweedy has also found a new outlet for such wellsprings of charged emotion: the guitar solo. This may be the element of Ghost that comes off as the most surprising. Tweedy's like a hurricane? Yup. Actually, he's more like Neil Young learning Thurston Moore's solos (or vice versa). They all reek of a player who has recently discovered his instrument's voice, but are endlessly fascinating as they skirt around typical solo confines, refusing to follow a song's melody or chord structure, and often contribute to the overall dissonance of the piece. "

More on Wilco and Neil Young.

2Expensive 4Teens 2Hear

An article on the high cost of concert tickets in the Washington Post called "I Grew Up at Rock Concerts, But My Kid's Shut Out" by Martha Randolph Carr. It is a parent's lament on their child missing out on one of the great rites of passages - going to a concert with friends.

"Something's being lost here, and it's not just ticket revenues. It's the group experience. It's the chance for a generation to define itself on the ground level -- sharing a feeling of self-importance that's very useful in the early teens. That feeling helps give kids the courage to figure out who they are and begin becoming part of society at large.

As each crop of youngsters comes forward, music helps them feel a connection, and standing in a packed, loud, sweaty arena magnifies those feelings tenfold. There's nothing like looking around a sea of faces getting into the same song to convince you that maybe you do know a little about what you're doing after all. It's also an aspect of culture that has uncommon staying power. "

Cowboy Junkies Cover "Helpless"

photo by Thrasher

Last night at Wolf Trap Amphitheater, in the Virginia suburbs outside Washington, DC, The Cowboy Junkies and Shawn Colvin split the bill, allowing equal time for a mellow evening of acoustic folk and smokey, simmering, sultry jams.

And, The Cowboy Junkies covered Neil Young's "Helpless" to close out the show. Margo Timmins introduced the song by saying this is by a "great fellow Canadian songwriter". Delivered in the Junkies characteristically slow burn style, or as washingtonpost.com writer Geoffrey Himes says: "her deep, smoky alto can cap off a conversational phrase by holding out a note with enough vibrato and throaty yearning to cast a mesmerizing spell." "Helpless" also gave the band members including the Timmins brothers and Jaro Czerwinec's accordion and Jeff Bird's mandolin each a chance to solo & shine as they had all evening.

Oh, and the rest of the show? The Cowboy Junkies are out on the road this summer on the "Long Journey Home" tour supporting their new album One Soul Now, which they played several tunes from.

We even got a Grateful Dead cover, "To Lay Me Down." On the Cowboy Junkies Discussion Board Poartes posted a
setlist which included: Crescent Moon, Get It, Long Journey, The Stars of Our Stars, Notes, Hunted, Anniversary Song, Misguided Angel, Caution, A Horse in the Country, Slide, Trinity, Cause Cheap Is How I Feel, Oregon Hill, To Live Is To Fly, Pity.

I must admit that it is somewhat humorous Margo's stage patter about how her favorite songs are depressing, how she gets depressed, and so on. Yet, surrounded by flowers on stage, her brothers and adoring fans it seems hard to imagine her depression.

photo by Thrasher

The show opened with Shawn Colvin. Apparently, Colvin & CJ split the bill, each performing for about 90 minutes. Shawn performed a mix of newer and older material including "Sonny" and some tunes from Whole New You. Shawn gave us tuning demonstration about midway that probably went longer than most folks needed. But, all in all, a great double-bill concert at one of the finest outdoor sheds in the country.

An interesting footnote on the tour from the band's Tour Diary regarding the Philadelphia (July 9, 2004) concert:

"Tonight was about as perfect as it gets. Great audience, excellent sound and we all delivered. It was a fantastic night of music for both us and the audience. The Instant Live people were suppose to be here tonight to tape the show, but their van and all of their equipment was stolen this morning from the parking lot of their hotel. I think the heist was the start of a taper conspiracy to rid the concert scene of this growing trend. We might reschedule another Instant Live date.

The one negative note on the night was the fact that the concert wasn't sold out. We have never failed to sell out this venue and, more troubling, it seems that lower than hoped for attendance seems to be the trend. All four shows this week were under-attended despite the fact that three of the four shows had Sean Colvin as a co-bill headliner. We were warned by our booking agent at the start of the tour that the concert business was in shambles. It is still a little disconcerting to be staring at all those empty seats. Hopefully this is a passing trend. With the industry experiencing declining CD sales and now declining concert gates, things are looking a little uncertain for us old rockers. Oh well, all that we can do is make sure that we play the best shows that we are capable of and that those who do attend the concerts, leave feeling elevated, inspired and completely satisfied that it was a few hours well spent."

Hmmm, "a taper conspiracy to rid the concert scene of this growing trend." I don't think so. More like a desperate move by the record labels but definitely not a "taper conspiracy". As for the "concert business in shambles", maybe the high cost of tickets is catching up with the industry and fans are voting with their feet???

A final footnote to the Wolf Trap show was that the exit music played over the PA was Neil's "Unknown Legend".

See Blogcritics review for a less "Neil-centric" version.

Wilco on Studio 360

A terrific Wilco and studio performance this weekend on PRI's Studio 360. Jeff Tweedy discussed the meaning of "Muzzle of Bees" and then proceeded to give a nice rendition in the studio. Much more laid back than the album version, IMHO.

Also, I had a chance to finally check out the enhanced features of the new A Ghost is Born CD with an audio stream of The Vic Theater, Chicago, IL, June 6, 2004 concert. Terrific show and lots of great concert photos. I mean how cool is that? A CD that lets you listen to soundboards shortly after the show?! Totaly awesome.

Widespread Panic Covers "Walk On"

Widespread Panic's new album Über Cobra opens with a live unplugged
concert cover of Neil Young's "Walk On".

You can download the MP3 of "Walk On" on the Panic site.

AGIB - "Neil Young-like tone and frenzied fretboard manglings"

Wilco's A Ghost Is Born sounds like Neil Young chapter 47...

From BBC review by Chris Jones:

"While certain tracks on Yankee Foxtrot Hotel only revealed their glories in the quiet moments where small sounds shifted and unravelled in front of your ears, Ghost attempts to give you a more focussed audio verite. This could explain why, on the two tracks that extend beyond the five minute mark, they really stretch out, for nigh on quarter of an hour each. It's as though Tweedy and pals have shifted their faith from craftsmanship to the power of repetition. ''Spiders'' can't help but remind you of the motorik experimentation of Neu! crossed with the freeform guitar of Tom Verlaine.

In fact it's guitars that are the album's touchstone. Tweedy, describing his style herein as: 'inspired amateurism' is being typically modest. His Neil Young-like tone and frenzied fretboard manglings make the perfect subversive backdrop to the traditional song formats the band work within. One can only guess at how good this will sound when combined with new member Nels Cline's even further-out extemporisations.

The band never forget their Americana roots, however. A song like ''Muzzle Of Bees'' can still remind one of wide open spaces (but still undercut with brooding electric menace) and, when it comes to tracks like ''Hummingbird'' and ''Company In My Back'', there's no denying that Tweedy still has an almost Beatlesque eye for a tune."

Pete Townshend, Michael Moore & Neil Young

The Who's Pete Townshend has posted a comment on his website about the use of his song "Won't Get Fooled Again" in the film Fahrenheit 9/11. Pete provides some background on why he declined to let his song "Won't Get Fooled Again" be used in the Moore's film. Pete writes:

"I suggested ... that they might use something by Neil Young, who I knew had written several songs of a more precise political nature, and is as accessible as I am. Moore himself takes credit for this idea, and I have no idea whether my suggestion reached him, but it was the right thing to do."

Apparently the song "Won't Get Fooled Again" was intended for a sequence where President Bush in a speech says:

'There's an old saying in Tennessee. I know it's in Texas, probably Tennessee, that says 'Fool me once [pause], shame on, shame on you. [Long pause] Fool me. [Pause] You can't get fooled again.' "

Another rumor is that Moore contacted Elvis Costello about using "What's so Funny About Peace, Love & Understanding?".

More on the Fahrenheit 9/11 soundtrack.

Los Lobos covers "Cinnamon Girl" at Disneyland

Los Lobos, out touring their newest album "The Ride", covered "Cinnamon Girl" at Disneyland critic Greg Kot reports in the Chicago Tribune.

"Onstage at Disneyland, the quintet is abetted by drummer Cougar Estrada and percussionist Victor Bisetti, and the set is short and straightforward, shorn of the band's most adventurous fare and heavy on party rockers. But even in the midst of Valens' 'Come On, Let's Go,' Hidalgo throws in a cunning, quizzical guitar solo that owes more to John Coltrane than it does to garage rock. They wind up with a roaring encore of Neil Young's 'Cinnamon Girl,' and Perez bends the strings on his guitar until the melody succumbs to the squall.

Afterward, he chuckles. 'I'm a fan of dissonance, from Ornette Coleman to punk rock,' he says. 'I like things that don't travel very linear lines through musical space.' The same could be said of his band, a group of friends who have traveled the crooked path to better musicmaking."

Now can you imagine the kids at Disney land hearing that?!

Wilco's Ghost "Reminds one of On the Beach"

From Hartford Advocate a review of Wilco's "A Ghost is born" by John Adamian with the obligatory Neil reference:

"More than anything, A Ghost Is Born reminds one of On the Beach , Neil Young's 1974 misanthropic masterpiece. Like Young's famous Neanderthal guitar-noise minimalism, Tweedy's six-string skitterings provide an unusual counterpoint to the otherwise stark, somber, and pretty songs. The strictures of the three-minute song form are thoroughly disregarded on tracks like the 10-minute 'Spiders.' Twelve minutes of slow amp noise follow 'Less Than You Think,' which brings you to the disc's semi-hidden conclusion, 'The Late Greats' -- a funny tribute to the unrealized potential of all the bands that never get heard."

The reviewer adds that Wilco´s frontman Jeff Tweedy reveals himself as a "noisy guitar player". hmmm.

But not everyone is impressed by the latest Wilco effort. Over on MSNBC:

"But the real problem here may be the fact that Jay Bennett is no longer in the band. It was no coincidence that Wilco's music took a huge leap with Being There, when Bennett joined the band. He might have been an a*****e, and judging from the I Am Trying to Break Your Heart documentary, perhaps there was no way Tweedy could maintain his sanity while keeping Bennett in the band. But Bennett was a significant creative factor in Wilco, and Tweedy may have needed Bennett to stay focused creatively just as McCartney needed Lennon. Whether Bennett's sacking is indirectly or directly responsible for the downturn in song quality, his absence is palpable."

Tweedy sprays jagged shards of Neil-inspired electric guitar solos

A mediocre review of Wilco's "A Ghost is Born" in the Evansville CourierPress by Mark Wilson with the obligatory Neil reference:

" The results are both fascinating and frustrating. Stepping into the lead guitar role for most of the record, band leader Jeff Tweedy sprays jagged shards of Neil Young-inspired electric guitar solos across much of the record, especially on the endlessly jamming 'Spiders (Kidsmoke),' which starts monotonously and ends in loud guitar. With avant-rock musician Jim O'Rourke returning to produce after presiding over the band's 2001 studio masterpiece 'Yankee Hotel Foxtrot,' Wilco continue to experiment. "

Blogcritics picks up "Rockin' In The Free World" Lyrics Analysis

Blogcritics.org: posted an analysis of "Rockin' In The Free World" lyrics from over on Thrasher's Wheat. The song has suddenly become a hot topic with it being included on Michael Moore's soundtrack for the film "Fahrenheit 9/11". And now comes word that Neil Young's song will be re-released, along with a new video directed by Moore.

"OK job imitating Neil Young" on Wilco's 'Ghost'

photo by Danny Clinch

It just keeps getting funnier these Wilco reviews and Neil young analogies. From The Dallas Morning News By THOR CHRISTENSEN:

"The CD also finds Mr. Tweedy struggling to take over as lead instrumentalist after Jay Bennett left the band post-Foxtrot. While he fancies himself a free-form jazz guitarist, he's not quite there yet.
He does an OK job imitating Neil Young on 'At Least That's What You Said.' But his haphazard soloing undermines what could have been the CD's most potent song, 'Spiders (Kidsmoke),' a 10-minute collage of new wave, German rock and psychedelia.

He fares better when he concentrates on actual songs, not guitar-driven noise, like 'Hummingbird,' a Beatlesque ditty laced with viola and dulcimer, or the meditative ballads 'Wishful Thinking' and 'Hell Is Chrome.' Like most Wilco CDs after 1995's A.M., this one is heavy on slow songs with drowsy vocals and cryptic lyrics. Still, Mr. Tweedy definitely remembers how to rock: 'I'm a Wheel' is the best song T. Rex never wrote."

Marlon Brando, Pocahontas and me

Marlon Brando died today at the age of 80.

From the Neil Young song Pocahontas:

"And maybe Marlon Brando
Will be there by the fire
We'll sit and talk of Hollywood
And the good things there for hire
And the Astrodome and the first tepee
Marlon Brando, Pocahontas and me
Marlon Brando, Pocahontas and me
Pocahontas."

Oh the horror. Rest in Peace, Marlon. More on Marlon Brando, Pocahontas and me on the album Rust Never Sleeps.

Where are the young voices in political debate?

Music and politics again. From Charlotte Observer article on today's youth and where they are regarding political debate by MARK KEMP:

"When a twisted knot of grungy guitars erupts over the end credits of Michael Moore's patriotic agit-prop doc 'Fahrenheit 9/11,' the song -- Neil Young's 'Keep on Rockin' in the Free World' -- casts a deeply sad shadow over a country I dearly love: the United States of America.

'There's a lot of people saying we'd be better off dead,' Young sings in a quaver that always sounds as if he's on the verge of an anxiety attack. 'Don't feel like Satan but I am to them.'

Ain't that America?

That Moore had to use a Neil Young song rather than music from a younger act says a lot about the state of political rock and pop. This nation is involved in a war that's at least as polarizing as Vietnam, and yet relatively few popular young rock and rap artists are speaking out in song.

More rockers and rappers spoke out during comparatively peaceful times -- Public Enemy and U2 in the '80s, Rage Against the Machine in the '90s. That might be because 9-11 made left-leaning artists feel uneasy about speaking out against our country's foreign policy. When the generally non-political Dixie Chicks questioned the president's thinking on the Iraq war, the trio was roundly criticized. Even Pearl Jam, a more overtly political act, got slammed by some of its fans. On the other hand, country singer Toby Keith practically applauded the murder of women and children in Iraq, and many Americans seemed OK with it.

It's time we applaud political music-making from the left as well as the right. Speaking out in favor or against the policies of one's beloved country is among the most patriotic stands an artist can make. Maybe Moore and Young will be examples for younger patriots who love America enough to express whatever feelings they have about this war."

More on music and politics.

Wilco's Ghost: "reminiscent of old Neil Young records"

I realize this getting to be repetitive, but I'm wondering how many reviews there are that compare Wilco's "A Ghost is Born" to Neil Young and his musical style? The primary reason I started this blog was to capture Neil's influence on today's music and if there was ever a better example of it, it would have to be Wilco. -

Without a doubt, Wilco is one of the few bands today that are experimental, adventurous and unpredictable. By definition, Wilco is truly rock & roll.

So here's the latest Wilco and Neil Young comparison from The Daily Tar Heel by Michael Pucci:

"Far from being a sequel, Wilco's new release, A Ghost is Born, takes the experimentalism of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot a step further, with extended free-form breaks and audacious detours, but retains its predecessor's unexpectedness, even if the material isn't as consistently gripping.

The opener, "At Least That's What You Said," emerges suddenly from a spare account of a lovers' quarrel into a ragged but powerful instrumental, reminiscent of old Neil Young records, led by Tweedy's staccato guitar and Glenn Kotche's drumming assault."

More Neil Young's influence on other bands like Wilco, Uncle Tupelo and Son Volt.

Still Rockin' in the Free World

With all the news about Neil Young's "Rocking In the Free World" in the film Fahrenheit 9/11 and the reissue news, there has been a lot of interest in the song, it's origins and importance.

As time passes, it seems that the song's importance in Young's work continues to grow. More on "Rockin' in the Free World" lyrics and analysis of the the song.

Also see updates on Neil Young news .