Neil Young - Songs For Judy

Neil Young - Songs For Judy - Album Review

Whilst Shakey's new output has been patchy to say the least over the last few years, the Neil Young Archives keep dispensing the goodness. After "Hitchhiker" last year we've already had "Roxy: Tonight's The Night Live" in 2018. Now we get a 23 track, 22 song single disc of solo live Neil with a difference.

A mono soundboard mix recorded on cassette and then transferred to reel-to reel for posterity from a 1976 U.S. tour by photographer/guitar tech Joel Bernstein. In conjunction with his friend Cameron Crowe, (yes, that Cameron Crowe) they compiled the best versions that comprise this release.

It is a real treat. The track listing is superb with plenty of lesser known gems alongside the staples. "White Line", which didn't finally appear on record until 1990's superb "Ragged Glory".

"Human Highway" which Neil introduces with a comment about the abortive attempts to get it recorded.

"Give Me Strength" which surfaced on an official recording for the first time last year on the aforementioned "Hitchhiker", is followed by an interesting version of "A Man Needs A Maid" which appears to feature the lead line from the "Like A Hurricane" during the intro.

"Journey Through The Past", "The Losing End" and "Here We Are In The Years" complete the lesser know songs that make this a highlights package. For the Neil fan getting these songs in at a better quality than the already available bootlegs is great, and the sleeve notes from Bernstein and Crowe really add to the overall package.

Alongside the aforementioned "Roxy" this makes a fine pair of archive releases from Neil this year. Here's hoping for more of the same in 2019.

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Eraserland by Strand Of Oaks - Album Review

A new album from Tim Showalter which, barring a final misstep, hits all the Americana, (and more), marks. This album is heartfelt, sleazy, uplifting, classic and referential all at the same time whilst still pointing forwards.

The beginning is inauspicious. "Weird Ways" starts out like a standard Ryan Adams ballad, but takes off halfway through in a way that reveals the pedigree of the other musicians on the album. After hearing this track I thought it sounded like the aforementioned Mr Adams playing with My Morning Jacket(MMJ). The reverb drenched sound kept rearing its head and a little research revealed that, minus main man Jim James, they were the backing musicians on the album . No wonder I kept hearing them! As a band who has produced much that I like this was a good thing.

After "Weird Ways" heads for the stars we stay there with "Hyperspace Blues" which is one for fans of Jason Pierce's Spiritualized, and sounds just as a song with that title s…

Songs To Die To - Part 3

Continuing a series about songs death and dying. These are not necessarily songs that talk about the process of dying, rather as the title suggests, songs that I could imagine listening to on my death bed, or taking as consolation during or after a funeral.

Morbid? I think not, as death is part of life. If we all talked about it a little more, maybe we'd cope with it better.

No 1: featuring "Land Of Hope & Dreams" by Bruce Springsteen here

No 2: featuring "Look On Down From The Bridge" by Mazzy Star here

With that said here's my next choice.

No 3: Gonna Be A Darkness - The Jayhawks

From their superb collection of songs that main man Gary Louris wrote with other artists, (full review here), comes this gem co-written with Jakob Dylan.

I love the extended musical introduction, starting with the mandolin, building with the bass and piano.It sets a lovely relaxed groove that hints at the sadness to come.
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The songs I talk about, along with a little cricket, NFL & rugby are:

"Run Away" by Lightning Dust
"In Good Faith" by Bonnie 'Prince' Billy
"Hard Times" by Whyte Horses featuring John Grant
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Shakey's live archive releases continue apace, coming after the excellent "Songs For Judy", (full review here) and the even better "Roxy: Tonight's The Night Live", (full review here).

This time Neil treats us to excerpts from an Alabama show, (hence the title), from the 1973 tour previously documented on "Time Fades Away". Whilst a commercial success, the tour was fraught due to Young's grief over the drug-induced death of Danny Whitten that led to his masterpieces "Tonight's The Night" and "On The Beach", and his discomfort in translating his sound to the big arenas his success now found him playing. Neil has previously stated that "Time Fades Away" is his worst album. Those of us who have endured "Everybody's Rockin'" or "Landing On Water" might beg to differ....

Anyway another snapshot of that tour emerges here, and an altogether more lighter mood prevails. The autobiographical &…

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My hope is that we are going to get Bruce's version of "Nashville Skyline", as the track has a laid back, country feel, with a rhythm that immediately evokes "Everybody's Talkin' ".

Another one of his early influences, the great Roy Orbison, also shines through, and as a defender of "Outlaw Pete" from "Magic", (more on that here), this can only be a good thing. His vocal has a country tinge and the pedal steel and strings complete the image.

Given his battles with depression, documented in his autobiography, the lines about "being too fond of the blues" and "loving the lonely place&q…

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However, sometimes it is okay to believe the hype..
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It is crammed with catchy melodies, expert playing and excellent, if sometimes just a little too cool for school, songwriting. Right from the very start with "Heads Gonna Roll" the sweetness of the melodies is leavened with a perfectly judged dose of underlying menace and bitterness.
Mention has to be given to the Hammond solo from Benmont Tench on this track. The tone is deliciously fat and filthy in the best possible way.
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Firstly, the songs are almost uniformly great, and whilst some might complain at only 9 tracks on an album, less is sometimes more. "Leave 'em wanting more" is a good policy. I find it hard to accept, for example, that The Beatles "White Album", to pick a famous example, wouldn't have been improved by being cut to a single disc. A topic for another day perhaps?

Back to matters in hand. The album starts out with what is my favourite track from the set, "Salton Sea". It sets out the album's pop stylings and production, gated snare and prominent synths, occasional vocoder flourishes, etc. that continue throughout the album. With a nice build at the end to some instrumental guitar, it is a great start.

The tunes keep coming, with the title track, "Businessman", and "Women And The Wind" form…

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