Just now I was reading Power Line (it’s a daily read). There was a post up that linked to the famous SNL skit with Christopher Walken calling for more cowbell. Good humor.
I once went down to Neil Young’s ranch and he rowed me out into the middle of a lake - putting my life in his hands once again. He waved at someone invisible and music started to play in
the countryside. I realized Neil had his house wired as the left speaker and his barn wired as the right speaker.
And Elliot Mazer, his engineer said, ‘How is it?’
And Neil shouted back ‘More barn!”
I used to have the T-shirt documenting that event.
I am preparing to clear the iPod and re-load it with new stuff. Coming off are the following:
Legion of Mary
75-05-15: Great American Music Hall - San Francisco, CA
This show is missing Tore Up and How Sweet It Is. Nevertheless, the Wicked Messenger is totally hot. Jerry’s voice is not quite as powerful as the song requires, but the jamming is not to be missed. Unlike the Berkeley show a week later, Little Sunflower was not spectacular here.
75-06-04: Keystone - Berkeley, CA
This show is missing Talkin’ Bout You. Ltttle Sunflower scorches. It is absolutely on. Gotta love LoM!
Jerry Garcia Band
77-07-03: Keystone - Palo Alto, CA
This show was recommended, especially for Tangled Up in Blue. I am partial to that song, but thought it was just average on this show. The highlight for me was a very slow version of The Night They Tore Old Dixie Down.
Neil Young Trans Zoomabooma listened to this recently. That sparked an interest. I am a huge Neil Young fan. Neil got me through my teens. Of course, he began diverting when he signed with Geffen. That led to some great music, but in a non-traditional Neil style. Trans was 1982’s offering.
This was the height of computer-generated music. Neil had gotten into Devo, a band I never did. Neil’s son has cerebral palsy. Neil noted that when he used a vocoder, his son responded better. The vocoder is used on five of the nine songs. Those influences are heavy on this album.
I remember when this album came out. It certainly wasn’t my favorite. I haven’t listened to it in years (decades?). There is that 80’s sound prominent on this. It is also a good reminder of what albums used to be; this is a mere nine songs in length, although Mr. Soul is a re-worked version of a classic Young song.
It is a fun listen. The album begins with Little Thing Called Love, a rollicking little number. Computer Age, We R in Control, and Transformer Man are three of the heavy computer-driven songs. These are not typical Neil Young at all. Another, Sample and Hold is a well performed song and one I have listened to many times since the release. Like An Inca, while sounding unlike typical Neil, is a song I would love to hear Neil play today without all the computer gadgetry. The song is classic Neil.
