Neil Young - "Live in Chicago 1992" CD Review (Immortal)

After enjoying Neil Young's acoustic set on the recently released Live on Air / The Lost Tapes CD (see review), I've been more attentive to some of Neil's one-off releases that have been coming out on little European labels. I recently picked up this 2CD set, Live in Chicago 1992, from Amazon.co.uk for ~$15 (inclusive of shipping.

This 20-song / 110 minute set captures a tight solo performance by Neil which was recorded on Nov. 17, 1992 for broadcast on PBS' "Centerstage". As Neil's previously released live disc from his Harvest Moon tour, Dreamin' Man Live '92, contained only by-the-books live recordings of the 10-tracks from Harvest Moon, it is nice to hear these songs sequenced into the context of the full setlist. Live in Chicago 1992 contains nine of Harvest Moon's ten tracks along with a mix of tracks from Neil's career that include "Long May You Run", "Pocahontas" and a delectable version of "After the Goldrush".



While Live in Chicago 1992 is a great performance, Neil doesn't take any chances this night so the loose arrangement of "Old King" and the two unreleased numbers "Homefires" and "Love Art Blues", which were played on other nights on the tour, aren't included in this night's setlist. All-in-all though, this set is a major leap forward from Dreamin' Man Live '92.

Neil Young - "Live in Chicago 1992" Track List
1. Long May You Run
2. From Hank To Hendrix
3. Unknown Legend
4. Love Is A Rose
5. Pocahontas
6. Like A Hurricane
7. War Of Man
8. The Needle And The Damage Done
9. Tonight's The Night
10. One Of These Days
11. Such A Woman
12. Harvest Moon
13. Dreamin' Man
14. Natural Beauty
15. Don't Let It Bring You Down
16. Mr. Soul
17. Powderfinger
18. Sugar Mountain
19. You And Me
20. After The Goldrush

Links:
Neil Young

Neil Young - "Live on Air / The Lost Tapes Vol. 2" CD Review (XXL Media)

This second volume of Live on Air / The Lost Tapes captures an electric performance by Neil Young and Crazy Horse at Rock in Rio III. The show took place on January 20, 2001 and was simulcast in digital stereo so the sound on this disc is near perfect.

This 65 minute / six track disc captures the second half of Neil's 11 song performance and, as this was Neil's first performance in Brazil, the crowd responds enthusiastically as Neil plays extended versions of some of his better known songs. Below is the track list for the CD along with some videos from the show. One of the highlights of the disc is the false ending on "Like A Hurricane" and the feedback drenched, broken guitar string, bloody wrist jam that Neil goes into during the last few minutes of the song.

Live on Air / The Lost Tapes Vol. 2 Track List
- "Cortez the Killer" (12:23)
- "Like A Hurricane" (14:43)
- "Rockin' In The Free World" (9:58)
- "Powderfinger" (7:20)
- "Down By The River" (12:29)
- "Welfare Mothers" (8:14)





This is a solid release with my only complaint being that this disc, like all of the Live on Air discs I've heard thus far, was recorded track-at-once. This isn't a big deal though as a spare 5 minutes and a wave editor will quickly solve this problem. All that is really needed is for the first half of this show to come out on Vol. 3.

Links:
Neil Young

Neil Young - "Live on Air / The Lost Tapes" CD Review (XXL Media)

Neil Young's Live on Air / The Lost Tapes CD is listed on Amazon as containing six songs, recorded live in 1991 in the UK for a local radio station. Not to take issue with the disc’s liner notes but this 40+ minute set features Neil playing solo acoustic which implies that this recording is either from his 1992 or 1999 solo tours. With tracks like “Ambulance Blues” only played during Neil’s 1999 tour, I strongly suspect that this recording is from Neil’s June 2, 1999 show in Houston, TX as this is the only night of his 1999 tour where all six tracks on this disc were played.

Track List:
Last Trip To Tulsa
Long May You Run (on pump organ)
Harvest Moon
After the Goldrush (starts on upright piano and finishes on pump organ)
Ambulance Blues
Heart of Gold

This recording sounds like it was captured from the audience but it is a solid “you were there” recording. Neil’s vocals and instrumentation are clear and he sounds in great form. As to be expected with an audience tape, there is audience chatter after the songs and some clapping during the opening and closing bars of each song. As this recording is a compilation of tracks from different portions of the show (assuming my hypothesis is correct), there are fade-outs between each of the tracks.

This is a great companion piece to Neil’s 1992 live disc Dreamin' Man Live '92 which documented Neil's 1992 solo tour.

Links:
Neil Young

Legends of the Canyon: The Music and Magic of 1960s Laurel Canyon DVD Review

Legends of the Canyon: The Music and Magic of 1960s Laurel Canyon uses musician/photographer Henry Diltz's candid photos as backdrop to tell the story of the genesis of the Laurel Canyon/West Coast rock scene.

The filmmakers' premise is that the aftermath of JFK's assassination drove the youth culture to embrace The Beatles and that The Beatles energized the West Coast folk scene to go electric. Henry Diltz narrates the story which starts with the formation of The Byrds and Buffalo Springfield and ends with the Manson Family killings. Intermixed in narrative are photos and live footage of the Laurel Canyon bands and interview clips with the majority of musicians who sprung out of that scene. The film predominately focuses on Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young - the bands that they were in prior to CSN(&Y) and the recording of the first two albums - and The Mamas & The Papas.

Interviews include extensive footage with David Crosby, Stephen Stills, Graham Nash and original CSN(Y) drummer Dallas Taylor and it is fascinating to hear some of the different viewpoints and versions of what was beneath some of the legendary tensions within the group. The other key interviewee is Michelle Philips who tells the story behind The Mamas & the Papas, her relationship with Gene Clark and more. Both Philips and all of the interviewees discussed their love and admiration for Mama Cass Elliot who was influential in both the Laurel Canyon music scene and in getting Crosby, Stills and Nash together. The other non-appearing musician who got a lot of positive accolades was Joni Mitchell; Crosby, Stills and Nash all seemed to be in awe of her.

Other interviewees include record industry executives David Geffen, Ahmet Ertegun and Lenny Waronker and musician Van Dyke Parks (who, in the bonus footage, claims that he named Buffalo Springfield).

The bonus footage is a treat for CSN fans or fans of this era as it includes uncut interviews with David Crosby, Stephen Stills and Graham Nash (footage from which was included in the main feature) along with Diltz's silent 8MM films of both The Byrds and CSN in concert and fan filmed footage of Stephen Stills on one of his early solo tours. Of lesser importance, there are interviews with Ron Stone (long-time CSN manager) and Van Dyke Parks and Gerry Beckley (from the band America). Lastly, the bonus footage includes the somewhat silly "Henry's Acid Trip" - the vignette's title gives all the explanation needed.

Ashton Nyte: Live Footage & Interview from "The Valley" CD Release Show at Fontana's, NYC 6-29-10

Ashton Nyte is considered to have pioneered alternative music in South Africa and he made his NYC debut at Fontana's with a CD release show for his latest disc The Valley (Intervention Arts Records). I had a chance to talk with Ashton before the show and this video also includes the first song from the set.



Here are Ashton's upcoming tour dates (which include a return trip to NYC on July 23rd):

Thursday, July 8 8:30PM (acoustic)
Mars Cafe: 2318 University Avenue, Des Moines, IA 50311-4316

Saturday, July 10 8:00PM (acoustic)
Kick Butt Coffee: 5775 Airport Boulevard, Austin, TX 78752

Sunday, July 11 10:00PM (full band)
Headhunters: 720 Red River Street, Austin, TX 78701

Monday, July 12 8:00PM (full band)
Avant Garden: 411 Westheimer, Houston, TX 77006

Tuesday, July 13 5:30PM (acoustic in-store appearance)
Cactus Music: 2110 Portsmouth Street, Houston, TX 77098
Refreshments provided by St. Arnold Brewing Company

Thursday, July 15 9:00PM (acoustic)
Checkpoint Charlie's: 501 Esplanade Ave, New Orleans, LA 70116

Saturday, July 17 10:00PM (full band)
The Highlands Taproom: 1279 Bardstown Road, Louisville, KY 40204

Friday, July 23 8:00PM – 9:00PM (full band)
The Gallery Bar: 120 Orchard St, New York, NY 10002-3177

Saturday, July 24 10:00PM (full band)
Spellbound @ Recessions: 1823 L Street NW, Washington, DC 20036

Links:
Ashton Nyte

Graham Nash Visits The 4Fives of PS 58 in Brooklyn (June 19, 09)

On Friday, June 19, guitarist, singer and songwriter extraordinaire, Graham Nash visited a very special class at PS 58 in Brooklyn. Mr. Nash, his lovely and thoughtful wife, Susan, his fascinating friend Billy and his 2 sons, Jackson and Will, took time out of their busy schedules to visit the 4Fives, Brooklyn's first positivity blogging team. Positivity blogging is a new internet trend, where every post, every word, every idea on ones site is positive. With an emphasis on manners and generosity, positivity blogging makes it easy for students to connect with other student bloggers, and the more people happily sharing the things they love and linking together, the greater the strength and flexibility of the network. I could talk forever about the 4Fives and their amazing teacher, Bee Ladd, but for the best information, check out their blog (http://the4five.wordpress.com). For an insightful description of the class, start with this post (http://the4five.wordpress.com/2009/04/).



Mr. Nash and family came to the school to talk with the students, celebrate what they have accomplished and, to the great fortunte of all present, sing 2 songs. The visit was arranged by son Jackson of SuperForest fame. Check out Jackson's amazing blog (http://www.superforest.org/) for more information on Jackson's work.

The Nash family is so incredibly unassuming and generous - they set the bar high for positiveness that other famous people hopefully aspire to. They arrived around noon and mingled with the students from the 4Fives class and the handful of very lucky school personnel in attendance. The students ate their lunch and just enjoyed the casual conversation. Once everyone was full, the students moved to the rug and spent quite awhile asking the very thoughtful questions they had prepared for this occassion. (A few of the questions and answers are included in the video.) Mr. Nash then brought out his guitar and performed Teach Your Children (check out the video for this amazing performance, including the sound of the passing truck). Jackson harmonized on this song with his dad (check out www.superforest.org for Jackson's comments on singing with his dad) to create a beautiful sound.

Co-founded by NYC educator Bee Ladd and Enviro-blogger Jackson Nash, the 4Fives blogging experiment is a pilot program for their education initiative, the SuperForest Seedlings. SuperForest Seedlings is a teaching curriculum for the post-racial, class-blind, internet age. It is a training course in flexible thinking, focused curiousity, and hands-on technology exploration, with a focus on having fun.

Posted by Guest Blogger - MM

Crosby, Stills and Nash - Demos CD Review (1968-1971)

Crosby, Stills & Nash's latest release Demos is a collection of twelve previously unreleased demos that were recorded between 1968 - 1971. The material is split between songs from the first two Crosby, Stills & Nash LPs and the individual band members' solo projects.

Where it gets really interesting is that nine of these demos are solo performances that are likely the 'working demos' that were brought to either CSN or solo band's recording session. These stripped-down demos highlight gems like David Crosby's clear tenor vocals on "Almost Cut My Hair" and "Deja Vu", where Crosby ends the song with some free-form scat vocals. Graham Nash has three songs on this collection from his first solo CD, Songs for Beginners, and these demos give songs like "Sleep Song", "Be Yourself" and "Chicago" an earnest and wistful charm.

At the other end of the spectrum, there are three songs which feature all three members of CSN or various combinations thereof. An acoustic demo of "Marrakesh Express" (where this demo was recorded a few months prior to the first CSN album) is particularly enjoyable, "Music Is Love" is a Crosby/Nash performance that adds Neil Young on guitar and vocals and "Long Time Gone" features David Crosby and Stephen Stills.

While Demos isn't a starting point for new CSN fans, it is pretty much a "must have" for long-time fans.

Crosby, Stills & Nash are out on tour this summer and they are playing a couple shows in the NYC area:

8.7.2009 Borgata Spa & Resort Atlantic City, NJ
8.8.2009 Nikon at Jones Beach Theater, Wantagh, NY
8.11.2009 PNC Bank Arts Center Holmdel, NJ

Links:
Crosby, Stills & Nash's Website

Graham Nash - "Reflections" CD Boxset Review (Rhino Entertainment)

STREAM: Graham Nash - Selected Tracks from Reflections

With the 'death' of the LP, most record companies seem to have forgotten the importance of the album cover art, lyrics that can be read without a magnifying glass and innovative packaging. Rhino obviously hasn't forgotten this as the packaging alone on Graham Nash's 3-CD retrospective is impressive. Reflections is designed to look like a weathered and well-loved book and this book folds open to reveal the three CDs nestled in full color art. The discs are accompanied by a 150-page book of photos and Graham's notes about each track.

The sixty-four tracks on this set follows Graham's career chronologically from The Hollies to Crosby, Stills and Nash (and C,S,N&Y) to Graham's solo recordings and his work with David Crosby. This is an impressive collection and die-hard Graham Nash fan who already own Graham's prior releases will likely want to pick up this box set as thirty-two of the sixty-four tracks are previously unreleased. In an interview with Rolling Stone, Graham said “I went through 44 versions of the set before I settled on this one...It was painful for me because I’m not for introspection or resting on my laurels. A lot of the musical soundtrack to my life is on this box set.”

While most of the unreleased tracks are alternate mixes or unreleased versions of familiar songs, one of the highlights of this box set is six previously unreleased songs. One of these songs includes an unreleased Crosby, Stills & Nash song from 1984 called "Lonely Man". Some of the other highlights include a new mix of "Cathedral" (originally on the 1977 "CSN" LP) and a solo version of the little heard "Right Between the Eyes" (originally on the 1971 live LP "4 Way Street").

This isn't just a greatest hits collection as all of Graham's work is given equal attention. Disc One serves as a "greatest hits" collection with songs from the original CSN(&Y) lineup and Graham's first two solo discs. Disc Two takes the listener through the Crosby/Nash partnership, various CSN reunions (and "almost" reunions - check out the track notes for "Mutiny") and tracks from Graham's two solo discs from the 80's, Earth & Sky and Innocent Eyes. The third disc brings the listener to the present and covers the more recent CSN work along with Graham's 2004 outing with with David Crosby. There are a number of unreleased Nash tunes on this last disc and the disc closes with the poignant "In Your Name". For this last song, Graham writes in the track notes "[t]he killing of human beings by other human beings in the name of their respective "God" has always seemed most unholy to me...this song is a small prayer."

Links:
Graham Nash