NEIL YOUNG Part 3 – Blues, Death And Hurricanes

After the huge success of his Harvest LP and the “Heart Of Gold” single, both of which reached #1 on the US Pop charts, Neil Young should have been basking in the glow of superstardom. Instead, recoiling from the notoriety and frustrated by the drug addictions that claimed the lives of his Crazy Horse bandmate Danny Whitten and one of his roadies, he worked through these various emotions on a series of albums that would later earn the nickname “The Ditch Trilogy.” This referred to a comment he made in the liner notes for his 1977 Decade compilation about being in the middle of the road after Harvest, and how “traveling there soon became a bore so I headed for the ditch.” The first release in this so-called trilogy was Time Fades Away, a live album that’s never been officially released on CD. Since I never found a copy of the vinyl LP, it’s one of only a few Neil Young albums I won’t be able to revisit in this series. Hopefully I’ll stumble on a copy one day.

The next “ditch” album, On The Beach (1974), was actually recorded after its follow-up but released first. Over the years it’s earned a reputation as a dark, moody masterpiece, and after playing it a number of times this past week I have to agree with that appraisal. Musically it’s a very enjoyable listen, but with the word “blues” included in three out of eight song titles and lyrics that bemoan the end of ‘60s idealism, the subject matter probably scared off a lot of his fair weather fans. Album opener “Walk On” has a raw, almost unmastered sound that compliments the jazzy rhythm and raucous guitar riff. I love the great walking groove and the way the guitar weaves in & out of the other instruments, as well as the slowdown during the pre-chorus (“Ooh baby that’s hard to change”). “See The Sky About To Rain” is a lovely, tender ballad with vibrato-laden organ and a melancholy country feel. The Band’s Levon Helm adds his inimitable drumming style, notably at “Signals curling on an open plain, rollin’ down the track again…” The lyrics may be downcast, but musically & vocally he’s attempting to release the negativity. “Revolution Blues” once again features Helm on drums with his Band-mate Rick Danko on bass. It’s a driving tune that’s equal parts swampy & funky, with an ominous undertone. Who is he railing against with lyrics like, “I hope you get the connection, ‘cause I can’t take the rejection, I won’t deceive you, I just don’t believe you”? This song also includes a stellar yet understated guitar solo.

[Neil Young - "Revolution Blues"]

“For The Turnstiles” is a musical duet between Neil on dobro and Ben Keith on banjo (who also adds nice tight harmonies). Neil’s vocals are a bit ragged, but most likely that was intentional to convey lyrics like, “You can really learn a lot that way, it will change you in the middle of the day. Though your confidence may be shattered, it doesn’t matter.” “Vampire Blues” is a true blues tune, both musically as well as structurally (where a line is repeated twice at the start of each verse). It’s clearly a commentary on the oil industry (“Well I’m a vampire, babe, sell you twenty barrels worth”) with stinging & emotive guitar playing. It also includes great lines like, “Good times are comin’ but they sure are comin’ slow.”

“On The Beach” is a moody, super slow song with a dark intensity. Over the course of 7 minutes, he’s working through depression with harrowing lines like, “Though my problems are meaningless, that don’t make them go away.” It’s bleak, emotive & powerful, and his single-note-at-a-time guitar solo sounds like BB King on downers. “Motion Pictures (For Carrie)” is the most minor song here, dedicated to his then-girlfriend, actress Carrie Snodgress. It’s a very pretty acoustic guitar song, but it gets lost among the towering tracks that bookend it. Album closer “Ambulance Blues” is the longest song at 9 minutes. It’s acoustic folk with great finger-plucked guitar, and the moody fiddle might have influenced Bob Dylan on his Desire album in 1976. Dylan’s influence on Neil can be heard as well, most notably in his harmonica playing. It features great lines like, “An ambulance can only go so fast, it’s easy to get buried in the past when you try to make a good thing last,” and I think the final verse (“I never knew a man could tell so many lies”) was aimed at then-President Richard Nixon. There may be no radio staples to be found on this album, but it delivers the goods and improves with each successive listen. There’s a reason why every song was worth a mention, while most albums have at least some forgettable filler. This is one of those records that I expect to continue climbing up my list of favorite Neil Young albums over the years.

The final “ditch” album, Tonight’s The Night (1975), was actually recorded two years before its release but was held back, probably due to the mostly uncommercial music and subject matter. Like its predecessor, this album has a great reputation among fans & critics, and has continued to grow in stature as the years pass. It’s not as dark and dreary as its reputation might have you believe, but it’s also not always easy listening. “Tonight’s The Night,” which appears in two versions at the start & end of the album, is a haunting meditation on drug addiction and the pain it causes to the addicts and everyone around them. I prefer the first version, which is stark and haunting, with a memorable descending bass line and high harmonies (provided by Ben Keith and Ralph Molina). Dedicated to Danny Whitten and Bruce Berry (the aforementioned roadie who gets name-checked in the song), Neil sounds heartbroken when he sings, “People let me tell you it sent a chill up and down my spine, when I picked up the telephone and heard that he’s died…out on the mainline.” Things pick up a bit on “Speakin’ Out,” a midtempo blues with Neil on piano and Nils Lofgren providing some biting lead guitar (including a solo where Neil rightfully shouts out his name). The lyrics are seemingly simple, but I couldn’t wrap my head around “You’re holding my baby and I’m holding you” or “I’ll be watching my TV and it’ll be watching you.” “Roll Another Number (For The Road)” is a weepy country ballad that conveys the feeling of being at a bar for last call after a long night of drinking. Keith delivers a straight-up country steel guitar solo while Lofgren plays some nice barrelhouse piano. Neil seems to be putting his superstar CSNY days behind him (“I’m not going back to Woodstock for a while”).

“Albuquerque” has a slow, loping rhythm with a lighter touch than the typical Crazy Horse performance (the two surviving band members play throughout the album along with other musicians, so it’s not strictly a Crazy Horse record). I like the balance between the aggressive electric and high-pitched steel guitars. Neil obviously is trying to get away from it all (“I’ll find somewhere where they don’t care who I am”). At just over 2 minutes, “New Mama” is the shortest song, but this simple & upbeat tune with Neil on guitar & vibes and Lofgren on piano (with some tight CSNY-worthy harmonies) gives the feeling of clouds lifting after a bad storm. The a capella chorus at the end is simply gorgeous. “Tired Eyes” is another harrowing song that’s also somehow uplifting. I love how Neil goes from speaking to singing the line “Please take my advice” followed by “Open up the tired eyes.” I think The Rolling Stones had this song on their record player when they were writing “Far Away Eyes” a couple of years later.

The songs I’ve already mentioned were the highlights for me, but there’s really not a bad song on the album, and a couple of others deserve a brief mention. “World On A String” has a bit of a bounce to it, as he lets us know that stardom isn’t all it’s cracked up to be (“No, the world on a string doesn’t mean a thing, it’s only real in the way that I feel from day to day”). A similar theme pops up in “Borrowed Tune,” with only Neil on piano and harmonica, singing lines like “I’m climbin’ this ladder, my head in the clouds. I hope that it matters, I’m havin’ my doubts.” “Come One Baby Let’s Go Down” was recorded live with Danny Whitten (who co-wrote it with Neil) on vocals. There’s nothing groundbreaking about it; it’s a bouncy rocker with a swinging groove, but featuring such a strong performance from Whitten here was an important statement of what was lost when he died. This record definitely isn’t for everyone, and you really need to be in a particular mood to fully enjoy it, but when that mood strikes it feels like the best thing he’s ever recorded.

With Zuma (1975), Neil seemed to be emerging from his world-weary shell, although the theme of post-breakup blues permeates a number of the songs as his relationship with Carrie Snodgress had recently ended. This is the first album to feature the revamped lineup of Crazy Horse, which now included rhythm guitarist Frank Sampedro. “Don’t Cry No Tears” is a great album opener: a bouncy, Faces-esque melodic country-rock song that introduces the breakup theme as he imagines her with another man (“There’s nothing I can say to make him go away”). Although I had probably heard Neil’s original first, this song initially made an impression on me via a cover version by Scottish band Del Amitri (one of my favorite artists of the last 20 years) on one of their b-sides in the ‘90s. It’s a faithful rendition that’s worth checking out. “Danger Bird” is slow as molasses, and his voice in the chorus sounds like it’s nearly beyond his range. I love the lead guitar figure after the verse (“There you are and here I am”) that moves into the first of two killer guitar solos, as well as the alternating vocals between Neil and the Crazy Horse guys. “Pardon My Heart” features some nice guitar work, alternating between strumming, fingerpicking & an atmospheric lead. There are cool vocals by Ralph Molina & Billy Talbot (“You brought it all on”) as Neil continues to get over the breakup (“It’s a sad communication with little reason to believe, when one isn’t giving and one pretends to receive”).

The centerpiece of the album, and one of the cornerstones of his entire recorded output, is “Cortez The Killer,” a historical song about a 16^th century Spanish conquistador who conquered Mexico, which also references Mexican emperor Montezuma (presumably an inspiration for the album title). This is a true epic with perfect dynamics that moves along at a glacial pace, and features incredible guitar solos from Neil. The restraint shown by Crazy Horse is incredible, as the space between notes is just as valuable as the notes themselves. Every musician should play this song at least once to learn the meaning of the phrase “less is more.”

The remainder of the album contains some very enjoyable songs. “Lookin’ For A Love” is a peppy country-ish tune with hints of The Eagles, especially in the chorus (“Lookin’ for a love that’s right for me, I don’t know how long it’s going to be”). “Barstool Blues” has a chiming, Byrds-like sound with fuzzy guitar and deep bass added to the mix. I love his super-straining vocals at “Burn off all the fog and let the sun through to the snow.” The album ends with “Through My Sails,” a simple moody & acoustic Crosby Stills Nash & Young song that features typically great harmonies. Sequenced immediately after “Cortez…” it’s like a peaceful Sunday morning following a crazy Saturday night. Had Zuma merely consisted of “Cortez…” and a bunch of forgettable numbers it would still be an essential purchase, but there are enough excellent songs to make this a great addition to his catalog, even if it doesn’t have the cohesiveness & consistency of the previous two albums.

His next album, American Stars ‘N Bars (1977), is a schizophrenic hodgepodge that includes songs recorded by several different lineups at four sessions between 1974 & 1977. The members of Crazy Horse feature prominently, often augmented by other musicians & singers, most notably Linda Ronstadt and 25-year-old newcomer Nicolette Larson (who would have a huge hit with Neil’s “Lotta Love” a year later). “The Old Country Waltz” is exactly as the title suggests. No surprises there, but it’s still an enjoyably sad song (“Well I loved and I lost and I cried, the day that the two of us died”). “Saddle Up The Palomino” combines country & celtic together in a blend that recalls Fairport Convention, especially the guitar riff during the instrumental breaks. “Hey Babe” is a nice upbeat country tune that finds him actually sounding optimistic (“Let’s try to make this last”). There’s a great subtle hook at “Oh, oh, can you see my love shining for you” with those wonderful female vocals. Ronstadt & Larson are also featured in “Hold Back The Tears” with a big memorable chorus (“Hold back the tears that you’ve been cryin’, push off the fears when they come around…just around the corner may be waiting your true love”). “Bite The Bullet” is more ramshackle than the previous songs, which sets it apart. I love those female vocals as they shout out the title after each line of the verse, as well as the silly but fun lyrics (“Carolina queen, she’s like a walking love machine”). It’s nice to hear him loosening up and having a blast.

[Neil Young - "Bite The Bullet"]

“Star Of Bethlehem” is noteworthy as a duet with Emmylou Harris. It wasn’t my favorite song here, but I like the muted production and Neil’s harmonica solo. “Will To Love” is a wonderful new discovery for me. Neil plays and sings everything, so it comes across more as a home demo than a fully-produced track, but that works to its advantage.  His tight multi-tracked vocals, which are tender & soft, create a haunting atmosphere. There are interesting textures throughout, between what sounds like leg smacking, an organ that replicates a vibraphone and the gently picked & tapped acoustic guitar. The lyrics are enigmatic (“I can be like a fire in the night, always warm and giving off light, but there comes a time when I shine too bright”), and various underwater references which equate him with a fish swimming in a sea of love. At over 7 minutes it might be too long for some listeners, but I got hooked (no pun intended). The most famous track from this album is “Like A Hurricane,” a classic Crazy Horse blaring rock song that reminds me of Jimi Hendrix’s version of Bob Dylan’s “All Along The Watchtower” (it must be those soaring guitars). The album ends with a simple, fun ditty: “Homegrown.” At first it comes across as a throwaway song, but the catchy vocals, biting guitars and the stomping blues feel in the last line of each verse won me over. I would consider American Stars ‘N Bars to be at the same level as Zuma, each with one all-time great epic and several other excellent songs.

The most impressive thing about this batch of albums is that there’s really no filler to be found. Even the lesser tracks are all worth hearing and there’s nothing I would skip when revisiting them in the future. It also proved to me that, even though Crazy Horse has a reputation for being this monolithic, sludgy behemoth (which is certainly one side of their personality), they’re also capable of delivering subtle accompaniment to Neil’s most intimate & heartbreaking songs. Throughout this past week I’ve found myself humming more than a dozen of these songs hours after I had played the CDs. It’s always a good sign when songs stick with you and you’re not eager to get them out of your head. I hope I’ll be that lucky with the next set of albums, which I’ll start listening to tomorrow.

NEIL YOUNG Part 2 – Between The Lines Of Age

Neil Young was only 23 when he released his eponymously titled debut album, Neil Young (1968). Although he had already written and recorded a number of great songs with Buffalo Springfield, he was still finding his voice (lyrically, musically and vocally) on this record. After the lovely instrumental country shuffle of “The Emperor Of Wyoming” opens the album, “The Loner” appears and takes things in another direction. With a heavy organ sound (think Vanilla Fudge or The Band) and a driving beat, it’s one of only two other highlights on an otherwise unremarkable record. The fuzzy guitar sound points to his upcoming work with Crazy Horse, and I love the uplifting chorus: “Know when you see him, nothing can free him. Step aside, open wide…it’s the loner.” I wonder if this is how he saw himself. The other standout track is “The Old Laughing Lady,” which features a sparse arrangement and hushed vocals. This song slowly builds throughout, adding nice jazzy organ, subtle strings and soulful female voices, as well as a funkier groove in the middle section. I’m not sure who this old lady is that he’s singing about, but the theme of aging is something he would return to in the future.

[Neil Young - "The Loner"]

The rest of the album is far from terrible, but like fellow Canadian Joni Mitchell (whose catalog I covered here), Neil’s recording career didn’t get off to an auspicious start, although they would both deliver much stronger sophomore records. “If I Could Have Her Tonight” has slightly hypnotic verses and instrumental sections that I really like, but the chorus is a little too wordy even though the “country” feel is a nice change of pace. I like the light jazzy touch of “I’ve Been Waiting For You” beneath the distorted guitars. It’s not super catchy but it includes an excellent wailing guitar solo. “What Did You Do To My Life?” is a mellow post-breakup song (“It isn’t fair that I should wake up at dawn and not find you there”); it’s a relatively minor tune but I enjoy the vibrato effect on his voice during the chorus. “I’ve Loved Her So Long” could’ve been a demo for a late-‘60s pop singer looking for a slightly jazzy song with soulful female vocals. “The Last Trip To Tulsa” clocks in at over 9 minutes and feels even longer. British folk singer Roy Harper often did this kind of rambling song to perfection, but Neil wasn’t in the same league yet. At least it was buried at the end of the album. Most artists have a couple of clunkers in their catalog and Neil’s no exception, but the two key songs mentioned in the first paragraph would stand proudly among his best work.

For his next record, Neil recruited members of the Los Angeles-based band The Rockets (guitarist Danny Whitten, bassist Billy Talbot and drummer Ralph Molina) and re-christened them Crazy Horse. It was a brilliant decision that paid immediate (and long-lasting) dividends. Their first album together, Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere (1969), created a template that he would often return to, and it established him as a bonafide rock performer. This album may only include 7 songs, but three of them have stood the test of time as Neil Young classics. “Cinnamon Girl” is a great stomping rocker that features killer musicianship from everyone, and I’m pretty sure it’s an ode to groupies (“The drummer relaxes and waits between shows for his cinnamon girl”). Also, how great is that guitar outro? “Down By The River” is 9 minutes of musical bliss. I love the intro with chugging guitar offset by the subtle lead (not sure who’s playing what), as well as those “ooh la la la la” vocals at “Yeah, she could drag me over the rainbow” in the pre-chorus. It features a hypnotic groove and a simple, stabbing guitar solo. I could listen to the solo section for hours. “Cowgirl In The Sand” is the longest song, at 10:30, but it seems to go by in the blink of an eye. The groove is light & bouncy, with an awesome bass line and exquisite guitar playing. The lyrics are abstract (is it about one woman, or does each verse represent a different woman?), but they’re almost irrelevant once you’re listening to the one-of-a-kind guitar solos after each chorus. These three songs form the cornerstone of the album, but there’s still more to like.

“Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere” is an insanely catchy country-ish song with a killer guitar figure & tight-but-loose harmonies, and lyrics that find him longing for the comfort (and quiet) of home. “Round And Round (It Won’t Be Long)” put me in a state of slumber (in a good way) with two acoustic guitars swirling around one another and a nice (uncredited female?) harmony voice. Throughout the nearly 6 minute running time it moves along at a languid pace but is never boring. “The Losing End (When You’re On)” is decent but probably my least favorite song here. It’s a country shuffle that finds him playing the unlucky-in-love sad sack (“It’s so hard to make love pay when you’re on the losing end…and I feel that way again”). “Running Dry (Requiem For The Rockets)” feels like a British folk/murder ballad, with its slow pace and mournful, high-pitched violin that sounds like a Theremin at times. Even though there are a couple of slightly lesser songs here, the inclusion of 4 stone cold classics makes this the first essential Neil Young album.

He followed up a great record with an album that might be even better: After The Gold Rush (1970), this time featuring members of Crazy Horse along with several other musicians, including a young Nils Lofgren on piano. Of the 11 tracks offered here, at least 8 of them are noteworthy, including several of his best-known songs. “Tell Me Why” starts things off; a simple country/folk tune, with great acoustic guitar, that sets a different tone from the previous album. There are great vocal harmonies when they sing the title as well as “Is it hard to make arrangements with yourself?” “After The Gold Rush” is one of those radio standards that most people probably don’t know by name, since the main hook is the repeated “Look at Mother Nature on the run in the 1970s” refrain. It’s a great piano ballad with his now trademark falsetto vocals. What sounds like a French horn solo after the second verse is a nice touch. “Only Love Can Break Your Heart” is a slow waltz shuffle with great harmony vocals in the chorus. I especially love the Todd Rundgren-esque swinging pop feel in the pre-chorus (“I was always thinking of games that I was playing”). He shifts gears for “Southern Man,” one of his most oft-played songs. It’s a scathing attack on Confederate culture and a call for reparations years after slavery ended. This is one of the songs that caused Lynyrd Skynyrd to respond with “Sweet Home Alabama,” although apparently there was mutual respect between them.

“Don’t Let It Bring You Down” is a subtly catchy piano-based tune that immediately grabbed me at “Old man sitting by the side of the road…” I love the way it subtly shifts into the chorus (“Don’t let it bring you down…it’s only castles burning”) while maintaining the same feel throughout. “When You Dance I Can Really Love” is one of those sort-of well known Neil Young songs that should be even more highly regarded. It swings & stomps in equal measure, and is most likely performed by Crazy Horse. My only complaint…and it’s a minor one…is that perhaps it should’ve been shorter.

[Neil Young - "When You Dance I Can Really Love"]

“I Believe In You” is a pretty little song that finds him trying to keep a relationship going (“How can I place you above me? Am I lying to you when I say…that I believe in you?”). In just over a minute & a half, album closer “Cripple Creek Ferry” burrowed its way into my brain. It may be essentially a song fragment, but it’s super catchy and sounds like they had a blast recording it. The other three songs that I didn’t mention are good but don’t add much to my enjoyment of another essential album.

Next came his most popular album, Harvest (1972), which went to number 1 and made him a superstar during the era of sensitive singer-songwriters. Seven of the ten songs were recorded with a new group called The Stray Gators, whose most notable member is steel guitar player Ben Keith. Although Harvest has a reputation as a mellow country/folk/pop album, it has a few surprises up its sleeve as well as more all-time classics. “Harvest” is great in its simplicity, and I love the slowly descending melody in each line of the verse (i.e. “Did I see you walking with the boys, though it was not hand in hand?”). The song title is deceiving, as the chorus is “Dream up, dream up. Let me fill your cup, with the promise of a man.” “Heart Of Gold” was a massive hit and it’s not hard to imagine why. It’s perfectly recorded, sung & played, with emotive harmonica and simple, sing-along lyrics. That’s James Taylor & Linda Ronstadt on vocals at the end, and they appear again on “Old Man,” one of those ubiquitous Neil Young songs that people probably take for granted now, or consider it “overplayed” (the same assumption applies to “Heart Of Gold”). The way the banjo & steel guitar enter at around the same time makes for a formidable combination.

“There’s A World” has a big orchestral intro by the London Symphony Orchestra. The verses have a peaceful, pastoral vibe, which offsets nicely against the more bombastic sections. I wouldn’t necessarily want to hear a whole album of Neil’s songs with this type of arrangement, but I found myself enjoying it more with each listen. The same orchestra appears on the controversial “A Man Needs A Maid.” Often accused of being sexist because of the title, it’s actually a tender love song (dedicated to actress Carrie Snodgress, with whom he fell in love at the time) that’s undone by the overbearing arrangement. The three songs that end the album form a powerful little cluster. “Alabama,” which features David Crosby & Stephen Stills on vocals, could be a Crazy Horse song with that crunchy, fuzzy guitar and heavy arrangement. This was another song that Lynyrd Skynyrd wasn’t happy about, as it doesn’t paint a positive picture of that state (“Alabama, you got the weight on your shoulders, that’s breaking your back. Your Cadillac has got a wheel in the ditch and a wheel on the track”).  “The Needle And The Damage Done” is a stark solo acoustic performance, recorded live at UCLA, that points a weary yet accusing finger at the drug culture that claimed the life of Crazy Horse member Danny Whitten. I love the way the crowd noise at the end cuts off abruptly as album closer “Words (Between The Lines Of Age)” begins. Over the course of its meandering 6-1/2 minutes they lay down a fantastic midtempo groove and Neil delivers some stinging guitar. The band displays a great sense of dynamics, Stephen Stills & Graham Nash add excellent harmonies, and Neil’s heartfelt, angular guitar solo near the end reminds me of Richard Thompson at his most aggressive. This may not be everyone’s idea of a great Neil Young song, but with each listen it continued to blow me away.

There are a couple of songs I haven’t mentioned, but neither made much of an impression. They’re solid country-rock but there’s nothing particularly noteworthy about them. Harvest is certainly worthy of being considered among his best work; any album with 6-7 classics among its 10 songs needs to be heard.

For the soundtrack album to the film Journey Through The Past (1972), Neil collected rare recordings from Buffalo Springfield and Crosby Stills Nash & Young as well as alternate versions of solo material and other goodies. As far as I know, it’s never been released on CD, so I’m glad I found a copy of the 2-LP set about 10 years ago. Although there’s nothing earth-shattering here, I enjoyed a lot of what he included. It starts off with a couple of Buffalo Springfield tracks: A medley of “For What It’s Worth” and “Mr. Soul” performed on a TV show and “Rock & Roll Woman” recorded on The Ed Sullivan show, all in 1967. The latter was an interesting choice as it was written by Stephen Stills. The medley was lip synched for their performance, but the version of “Mr. Soul” is an alternate recording that includes some cool guitar effects. Next are three CSNY songs from the Fillmore East in 1970: “Find The Cost Of Freedom” (another Stills song, featuring nice acoustic guitar interplay and strong harmonies, especially in the a capella section at the end), “Ohio” (a solid rocking version with searing guitars and typically great harmonies) and “Southern Man” (with Neil really belting out the vocals on this more raw and urgent take on an already killer song).

Several other tracks are outtakes from the Harvest sessions. “Are You Ready For The Country?” is not a polished recording, reminding me more of a Paul McCartney demo, only with added twang. “Alabama” sounds like a live-in-the-studio take of this excellent song. It’s a bit of a work-in-progress as studio chatter is included, and occasionally the production shifts to sound like it’s recorded in a tunnel. One whole LP side is taken up by the 16-1/2 minute version of “Words (Between The Lines Of Age).” If you don’t like this song you would definitely skip this version, but since it’s one of my new favorites I was thrilled to hear them jamming on this great groove for so long, and Neil’s guitar playing is particularly stunning. Side 4 doesn’t offer much more than movie dialogue, two tracks by an orchestra & chorus and a Beach Boys instrumental, although it’s nice to have the full version of “Soldier” which appeared in edited form on Decade. I wouldn’t consider Journey Through The Past an essential purchase, but considering its relative rarity I’m really glad I found a copy when I did.

Not a bad way to start off an artist’s catalog, with 3 out of 5 albums being instant classics. It’s great to see that he was already offering up a diverse array of styles in such a short period of time. I already knew a number of songs from this batch of releases, and there were plenty of newly discovered gems as well. I’m looking forward to revisiting the next phase of his career, which includes some critically acclaimed albums that I’ll start listening to tomorrow. Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you come back soon.

NEIL YOUNG Part 1 – Thoughts On An Artist / Three Compilations

I don’t remember hearing Neil Young’s music much when I was growing up, although I was probably aware of some of his most popular songs like “Southern Man” and “Heart of Gold.” It wasn’t until I was 12 or 13 and began listening to rock radio stations (as opposed to Top 40) that I started hearing his music more frequently. In 1979 you couldn’t go 30 minutes without hearing one of his new twin acoustic & electric songs, “My My, Hey Hey (Out Of The Blue)” or “Hey Hey, My My (Into The Black).” Even though I enjoyed them, it would be years until I owned any of his albums, remaining content to hear his songs occasionally on the radio. For some reason he’s never come close to being one of my favorite artists, yet I’ve liked him enough to accumulate 45 of his albums. Unfortunately, I only know a handful of them well, while the rest have been sitting on the shelf for years waiting to be played again. Whether he’s performing a quiet song accompanied only by his own acoustic guitar & harmonica, rocking out on extended freak-outs with Crazy Horse, delivering heartfelt country/rock songs with The Stray Gators or International Harvesters, blasting off into space-age synth-heavy experiments, or in any of his numerous other guises, he never fails to deliver something completely unique. And for that reason alone I’m looking forward to delving deep into his discography and getting to know the hundreds of songs that I’ve heard once or twice and subsequently forgotten, while also getting reacquainted with the dozens of Young songs I already love.

Like many people, my first purchase was the 2-CD compilation called Decade (1977), which was originally a 3-LP set. It combined most of the best-loved songs from his solo albums, his earlier work with Buffalo Springfield, and his collaborations with Crosby, Stills & Nash, all chosen by Neil himself with informative (if hard-to-read) handwritten liner notes for each song. Of the 35 songs on this collection, I’m already pretty familiar with about 24 of them, but after spending much of the week with this album (and the two other compilations I’ll discuss below) it was nice to learn some of those lesser-known tracks, many of which are exclusive to Decade.  “Down To The Wire” is a cool 1967 psychedelic nugget featuring Stephen Stills & Dr. John that was originally intended for the unreleased Buffalo Springfield album, Stampede. It reminds me a bit of Texas psychedelic legends 13^th Floor Elevators. “Sugar Mountain” is a well-known song recorded live in 1968 that made its first album appearance here (it was originally a b-side), but was later included on a live album of the entire concert. According to Neil’s liner notes, he wrote this on his 19^th birthday, and when Joni Mitchell heard it she wrote her own early classic, “The Circle Game” (which I talked about here). “Soldier” is the edited version of a stark piano ballad that was included on his Journey Through The Past soundtrack.

“Winterlong” was originally intended for, but eventually left off, Tonight’s The Night. It’s a very catchy midtempo country rocker with Neil self-harmonizing, and features a weeping steel guitar. “Deep Forbidden Lake” starts off as a stark tune with just voice & guitar before developing into a simple, sparse country song. According to his liner notes, this song “hopefully signified the end of a long dark period…” “Like A Hurricane” is another well-known classic, but this version features a different lead vocal than the album version. It’s not strikingly different, but it remains a killer song. “Love Is A Rose,” later a hit country song by Linda Ronstadt, was recorded in 1974 during Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young tour rehearsals. It has a great melody that grabbed me immediately, and I love the back porch country vibe. “Campaigner” is a rare political song with a sense of humor, as he sings “Even Richard Nixon has got soul” without a hint of irony, anger or bitterness in his voice. I’ve always loved the song “Long May You Run” from the Stills-Young Band album of the same name. The version included here also features David Crosby and Graham Nash, and as much as I love their voices (individually and collectively), there’s something about their harmonies here that makes the song a little too sugary for me. It’s still catchy, but I much prefer the album version. The rest of Decade includes Neil Young standards like “Cinnamon Girl,” “Down By The River,” “Cowgirl In The Sand,” “After The Gold Rush,” “Old Man,” “Harvest,” “The Needle And The Damage Done” and “Cortez The Killer.” I’ll be discussing all of them as I get to each of their respective albums, so I only included the titles here to show what an impressive collection this is. It’s hard to believe this only covers the first 10 years of his recording career, and yet it’s still so thorough.

Between 1982 and 1987 he released several albums on Geffen Records after parting ways with Reprise. None of those are considered landmark releases, but they showed him experimenting with various sounds and styles, and cemented his reputation as an artist who always does things his own way. It’ll be a while before I get to that portion of his catalog, but I did spend some time this week with a compilation from his Geffen years called Lucky Thirteen (1993). Subtitled “Excursions Into Alien Territory,” it’s another quirky collection (selected by Neil) that’s stylistically all over the map, and includes 6 unreleased songs or alternate versions among its 13 tracks. As with Decade above, I’ll briefly discuss those 6 songs and get to the others when I revisit the individual albums. “Sample And Hold” sounds like it’s from the future (at least it did all those years ago), with vocoder-treated vocals and a synth-pop sheen on top of a typically plodding Crazy Horse rhythm. Although this song originally appeared on Trans, the version included here is longer and possibly even a different take (I’ll know more when I get to that album). Lyrically, it’s right out of a sci-fi story, as he’s attempting to order some kind of automaton (or possibly a realistic sex doll). It features dialogue between the customer and the supplier, and is certainly an interesting choice to lead off a compilation.

“Depression Blues” is from sessions for 1985’s Old Ways album. It’s a lovely, slow country shuffle with downbeat lyrics that touch on similar themes to his later CSNY song, “This Old House.” “Get Gone” was recorded live with The Shocking Pinks, the rockabilly group he formed for 1983’s Everybody’s Rockin’. It’s a fun song with a Bo Diddley beat that doesn’t really amount to much, and at over 5 minutes it definitely overstays its welcome. “Don’t Take Your Love Away From Me,” also with The Shocking Pinks, is much better: a cool, dramatic blues tune with a great horn section. In 1988 I was a big fan of his This Note’s For You album (credited to Neil Young & The Bluenotes), which featured a fantastic horn section (even better than The Shocking Pinks) and some great funky & bluesy grooves. This compilation closes out with two songs recorded live for the “Blue Note Café” sessions. “Ain’t It The Truth” doesn’t appear on that album but it would’ve fit in nicely. It’s mostly a stomping, Nuggets-type song (similar to the ‘60s tune “Bread And Butter”) embellished as an uptown blues number. “This Note’s For You” was a pretty big hit, and this live version is equally as strong as its studio counterpart. Knowing how Neil likes to defy conventions, I’m surprised he closed out this disc with such a catchy, upbeat song, but looking back on Decade (which ended with the instantly hummable “Long May You Run”), perhaps he has a soft spot for leaving fans on a positive note. I think most people would need to hear the majority of his classic ‘70s material before venturing into this era, but when they’re ready to dip their toes in the water, this compilation is a decent place to start.

It wasn’t until the release of Greatest Hits (2004) that a single-disc compilation of his most popular, radio-friendly songs was made available. At 16 songs and over 76 minutes, it’s certainly a generous collection, but as someone who owns just about every official release in his discography it’s a bit redundant. What makes it worth owning for me is the bonus DVD, which includes high-resolution audio files of all the tracks. Of the first 12 songs, 11 of them appeared on Decade (most in the same album versions), with “Only Love Can Break Your Heart” being the sole track from that era to make its initial compilation appearance here. Only 4 songs from the post-Decade period are included: “Comes A Time,” “Hey Hey, My My (Into The Black),” “Rockin’ In The Free World” and “Harvest Moon.” All of these are incredible songs and deserve to be here, but it’s hard not to think that even casual fans would’ve been better served by a slightly more thorough 2-disc collection that covered his whole career up to that point. I shouldn’t complain about what’s not here, though, since the goal of Greatest Hits was to include songs “based on original record sales, airplay, and known download history” (according to the CD packaging), and they seem to have achieved their goal.

The Neil Young catalog is quite intimidating. It’s the largest discography I’ll be revisiting & writing about so far, which means I’ll spend the next several months immersing myself in the twists-and-turns & ups-and-downs of his voluminous output. Right now I own every studio album except one (Living With The War), and I’m missing a couple of live albums as well as his massive Archives box set. If I get my hands on any of them during this process I will include them here, but something tells me that I’ll have a pretty complete picture of Neil Young after spending quality time with the 45 albums I already own. I hope you’ll join me for this long ride. Please ask your Neil Young-loving friends to stop by and share their opinions and insights so you can all help me to best appreciate his music. Thanks. Now I’m off to spend some time with his first few albums. See you soon.

PJ HARVEY Part 4 – Grow Grow Grow / In Conclusion

The first few times I listened to PJ Harvey’s Uh Huh Her (2004) this past week, I didn’t get much out of it. I liked some of the songs, but the overall sound was a little too raw for my tastes, like listening to the sound of an open wound. Then I noticed that she wrote, produced and performed everything on the album, with the exception of drums (by longtime collaborator Rob Ellis), and I was able to appreciate the immediacy and intensity of the performances. Only about half of the 14 songs made a big impact on me, and those are the ones I want to focus on here. Album opener “The Life And Death Of Mr. Badmouth” sets the tone for the bulk of the album, as Harvey plays the angry, wronged lover (“Your bad mouth has killed off everything we had”). It’s chugging and crunchy, with grungy guitars and a big stomping beat, although it’s also slow & lumbering (but in a good way), and features a great hook at “Wash it out, wash it out, wash it out.” “The Letter” has a cool, slightly funky groove with an excellent staggered guitar riff. It’s probably the most radio-friendly song on the album, but since it sounds a bit like the band Hole it’s more of a ‘90s throwback. “Cat On The Wall” has a dense, dark intro followed by fuzzy guitars, and I love the ascending melody in nearly every line of the verses (“I heard our song on the radio”; “It wasn’t long before I think of you”). “Turn up the radio” is another memorable hook. “You Come Through” is the highlight of the album for me. I love the African style percussion, and the quiet, muted production is a breath of fresh air amidst the raw sounds on the bulk of the record. The chorus is a killer: “You come through for me, you come true for me.”

[PJ Harvey - "You Come Through"]

“It’s You” is slow & sparse with a lovely piano melody that’s slightly buried in the mix below the fuzzy bass. I latched onto the “All I want to do, and all I want to grow up to be” section almost immediately. The album closes with “The Darker Days Of Me & Him,” a powerful tune with hushed vocals, sparse guitar & percussion. There’s a great lilting melody in the verses, and the song slowly builds in volume and intensity as she recalls a bad relationship (“I’ll pick up the pieces, I’ll carry on somehow”). I love her high falsetto during the repeated “Limp this love around” refrain. Although the songs discussed so far are the ones I enjoyed the most, there are a couple of others that are worth noting. “Shame” is a fast moving tune featuring accordion and bitter lyrics that are still very catchy (“shame is the shadow of love”). She’s angry & defiant on “Who The F**k?,” which has a cool modern rock guitar pattern and distorted vocals, spewing lines like, “I’m not like the other girls, you can’t straighten my curls.” “Pocket Knife” is sparse blues with a tambourine driving the beat. There’s a great vocal melody in the last two lines of each verse (i.e. “How the world slips by so fast; how does anybody last?”). The rest of the album didn’t break any new ground, but that’s hardly a complaint. While Uh Huh Her isn’t in my top 3 or 4 PJ Harvey albums, it includes a lot of great songs that I would consider essential to her catalog.

The Peel Sessions 1991–2004 (2006) collects 12 performances from five sessions Harvey did for legendary British DJ John Peel. The first six songs feature the original trio, with four songs from Dry sounding similar to their album counterparts, as well as two others I hadn’t heard before. The first is “Naked Cousin,” a song originally included on a soundtrack album. It’s brash & loud with a great rhythm track, and could’ve easily fit on Rid Of Me. The other “new” song is a version of blues great Willie Dixon’s “Wang Dang Doodle.” It’s not a traditional blues performance, but the rawness of the band’s interpretation is equal to the best of that genre. The next three songs feature just Harvey and John Parish, including an excellent version of my favorite song from Dance Hall At Louse Point, “That Was My Veil.” The other two are solid but not terribly noteworthy, although “Losing Ground” is new to me because it only previously appeared on a single b-side. Of the two songs recorded during the Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea era, “This Wicked Tongue” is another new-to-me track that was a bonus on some overseas versions of the CD. I like the steady beat with a drone-like feel. “Beautiful Feeling” originally featured Radiohead’s Thom Yorke, and although this version has a nice subtle arrangement, his vocals are missed here. This collection closes with my favorite song from Uh Huh Her, “You Come Through.” It was recorded at a tribute concert for Peel, who had passed away a couple of months before this performance. Lyrically, it was a perfect choice for this occasion, and she delivers some passionate vocals along with sensitive guitar work from Josh Klinghoffer. This may not be an essential album to casual PJ Harvey fans, and even more seasoned fans (like I’ve become these past few weeks) may not need it in their collections, but the inclusion of four non-album tracks and all-around solid musicianship make it a worthwhile addition, even if I may not play it as frequently as her studio albums.

Her next studio album, White Chalk (2007), seemed like a huge change of pace at the time, as most of the songs highlight piano and various keyboards (instead of guitars) along with high-pitched gothic (but not “goth”) vocals. Now that I know her previous work a lot better, I don’t consider this such a drastic departure. The songs may be dressed up differently, but the musical & lyrical intensity we’ve come to expect from her are still there in abundance. “The Devil” is peppy and creepy in equal measure, with a chilling melody floating above a steady beat. The lyrics are haunting, about a woman mourning her departed lover (“I go out…insanely expecting you to come there”; “All of my being is now in pining”). “Grow Grow Grow” is a circular tune with an eerie piano melody. Harvey delivers an excellent echo-y falsetto, and I love the fantastic piano runs during the simple 3-word chorus. “When Under Ether” was a strange choice for a single release, and it’s no surprise that it wasn’t a big commercial success even though it’s a great song. Perhaps the lyrics, seemingly about abortion, scared people off (“Something’s inside me, unborn and unblessed, disappears in the ether, this world to the next”). Musically it’s not far removed from Tori Amos’ strongest work, with a muted pulsating groove and a lovely piano melody. “To Talk To You” is immediately captivating, with the line “Oh grandmother how I miss you” drawing me in. She’s talking at a graveside, asking for advice (“If I lay on the earth, could you hear?”), all set to a powerful vocal performance. “The Piano” is deceptively simple, with lots of subtle tempo & rhythmic shifts, and a gently driving beat during the repeated “Oh God I miss you” refrain.

[PJ Harvey - "Grow Grow Grow"]

Album closer “The Mountain” features some monumental falsetto vocals over a slightly playful piano melody. Lyrically, it seems to be an anti-war statement, as the mountain itself equates fallen soldiers with fallen trees. The other half of the album doesn’t reach the highs of the five songs I’ve already mentioned, but once you get into the overall mood there are still a number of notable high points. “Dear Darkness” may not be super catchy, but it’s stark & haunting with dark lyrics from someone who’s lived a life of sadness (“So now it’s your time, time to pay, with all the things you took from us”). “White Chalk” is at times slightly formless, with just breathy vocals and strummed acoustic guitar, but with minor additions throughout (percussion, banjo, harmonica) the arrangement won me over. The other songs I haven’t mentioned are carried by her one-of-a-kind vocals, and the album as a whole is defined by a singular mood. It certainly packs an emotional punch over its brief 33 minute running time.

Her most recent album to date, Let England Shake (2011), started out as a great record the first time I played it, and has only improved with each subsequent listen. It certainly lives up to its award-winning reputation, and nearly all of its 12 songs are worthy of discussion. I love the quirky feel of “Let England Shake,” especially the xylophone. It reminds me a bit of Tom Waits circa The Black Rider.  There’s also a unique quality to her voice (breathy yet high-pitched, tinged with sweetness), which applies to most of the songs, as though she’s singing in character. “The Last Living Rose” has a stomping yet sparse Britpop quality, and features some stark imagery of her native land (“damp filthiness of ages”; “stinking alleys”; “music of drunken beatings”). “The Glorious Land” is a particular favorite, with a hint of mid-‘80s Peter Gabriel, especially in the percussion. There’s a lot of interesting things going on here, from the sample of a bugle call to the male harmonies at “Oh, Eng-a-land” as well as the lyrical imagery of “Our land is ploughed by tanks and feet marching.”

Another brilliant tune is “The Words That Maketh Murder,” which is sung from the perspective of a battle-hardened soldier: “I have seen and done things I want to forget.” The male vocals add a great counterpoint, and I love the reference to Eddie Cochran’s “Summertime Blues” at “What if I take my problem to the United Nations?” “All And Everyone” is a harrowing depiction of wartime (“Death was all and everyone”). It’s certainly not easy listening, but I doubt that was her intention. “On Battleship Hill,” which I believe recalls a World War I battle, shifts between an upbeat, almost folky instrumental section with strummed guitars & light, jazzy drumming and the vocal section with her high, crystal clear falsetto on a bed of acoustic strumming. “England,” which begins with dissonant, Middle Eastern-influenced vocalization, would not be the first choice for England’s board of tourism (“England, you leave a taste, a bitter one…”). She’s still tied to her native country, since even though it “leaves sadness,” it’s “all to which I cling.” “In The Dark Places” might be the most commercial sounding track on the album, with a late-‘70s CBGB’s new wave vibe and a melody that recalls Patti Smith’s “Dancing Barefoot.”

I love the change in her vocal approach every few lines in “Bitter Branches,” as well as the hook at “Wave goodbye” repeated numerous times at the end. “Hanging In The Wire” features a tight harmony with Mick Harvey. It’s yet another tale of war in the guise of a tender near-ballad, about a man crossing a field after a battle where there are “unburied ghosts hanging in the wire.” “Written On The Forehead” is a moody U2/Peter Gabriel-type song that builds slowly and includes some interesting, possibly sampled background vocals. It’s a slow grower with an interesting arrangement, and has great melodies at “Date palms, orange and tangerine trees and eyes are crying for everything” and “burn, burn, let it burn.” Album closer “The Colour Of The Earth” is mostly sung by a man (Mick Harvey, I believe), with PJ Harvey delivering a harmony lead vocal. It reminds me a lot of the English band Elbow. The wartime lyrical theme surfaces again, with a story about a fellow soldier lost in battle and remembered 20 years later (“He’s still up on that hill…nothing more than a pile of bones but I think of him still”). If this isn’t the best album of her career so far, it’s certainly in her top 3. The political overtones and war-scarred imagery may not be for everyone, but it’s as memorable a collection of songs as she’s ever put together. I look forward to hearing what she comes up with next.

That completes a very enjoyable trip through PJ Harvey’s back catalog. I went into this with a cursory knowledge of her music, and after spending much of the last month revisiting this diverse yet cohesive discography, I have an even deeper appreciation of her talents. I may not always be in the mood to listen to her, but in the future when I pull any of her CDs off the shelf, I’ll have a much better knowledge of the songs as well as the environment in which they were created. Whether you’re already a Harvey fan or new to her music, I hope you’ve enjoyed this series. Please share your thoughts on any/all of these albums in the Comments section below, and pass along these posts to anyone you know who might be interested. Thanks, and stay tuned soon for my next artist.

PJ HARVEY Part 3 – The John Parish Collaborations

In the late-‘80s, prior to forming the band (and later going solo as) PJ Harvey, Polly Jean Harvey was a member of the group Automatic Dlamini, whose founder & musical mastermind was John Parish. I’ve never heard anything from that group, and apparently the only recordings that feature Harvey remain unreleased, but Parish has gone on to contribute various instruments and production duties to several of Harvey’s albums. They have also released two albums as a duo, with Parish providing the music and Harvey contributing lyrics and lead vocals. Until two weeks ago I had never heard either of these albums. I’m not sure why I hadn’t checked them out, since I’m enough of a PJ Harvey fan to own all of her officially released albums, but something always kept me from buying them. Fortunately, a friend recently copied them for me, and after playing each album several times between Christmas & New Year’s, I knew I had to discuss them here. These are not the experimental, avant-garde recordings I had expected. Instead, they fit neatly into her catalog even though Parish wrote all the music. This makes sense since she tends to change her musical style with each album anyway, so it would be hard to discern who contributed the music and lyrics without looking at the album credits. Note that I’m skipping the chronology of her catalog with this post, since I felt these two records should be discussed separately.

Their first album together, Dance Hall At Louse Point (1996), was credited to John Parish & Polly Jean Harvey. Released a year after her critical & commercial breakthrough, To Bring You My Love, that billing gives me the sense that she wanted to be more incognito here, but once you hear her voice there’s no doubt that she’s in complete command. “Girl” is a 90-second haunting guitar instrumental, with Harvey’s angelic voice floating in and mirroring the guitar line. “Rope Bridge Crossing” is a super slow acoustic shuffle with Parish delivering some off-kilter (but lovely) Marc Ribot-esque lead guitar. Harvey doesn’t come in until about 1:45, and she alternates between hushed, semi-spoken and high-pitched vocals. There’s a surprisingly lilting melody at “I’ll be a lady, wait through it all. Be there to catch you after the fall.” “City Of No Sun” has a chugging rhythm with strumming & chiming guitars split between the left & right channels. She delivers a striking vocal performance, with call-and-response between muted low-end and screeched high-end. “That Was My Veil” is one of my two favorite songs here. It has a simple arrangement that sounds like the two of them in an intimate acoustic guitar and vocal performance (with the exception of the organ solo). I especially like the catchy chorus: “That was my veil, that was my time, once held secret but now lies.”

“Civil War Correspondent” is bass/organ heavy, and reminds me of those moody end-of-album tracks U2 used to include on their ‘80s albums. It slowly builds but always retains its brooding quality. This song didn’t immediately strike me but I liked it more each time I heard it, and I love the heartbeat feel during the “gun-fire, gun-fire” ending. “Heela” has a great slow, dark, bluesy, bass-heavy groove, while her vocals give off a grunge-y vibe. Parish alternates vocals in the middle section, a nice counterpoint to Harvey’s voice. My only complaint about this song is that it doesn’t really go anywhere, but it still has a cool feel that I enjoyed. My other favorite song is their version of the Peggy Lee ‘60s hit, “Is That All There Is?” (written by legendary songwriters Jerry Lieber & Mike Stoller). I honestly never paid attention to the lyrics before, even though I was familiar with the original hit recording, so the first couple of times I played this version I assumed the lyrics had been modified to darken it up and modernize it, but those are the original lyrics. It’s a combination of maudlin and uplifting, with the singer referring to a house fire when she was a child, a disappointing trip to the circus as a 12-year-old and her first love, always asking the question, “Is that all there is?” before deciding, “Let’s break out the booze and have a ball if that’s all there is.” It’s a stirring performance made even more chilling when you focus on the subject matter.

Album closer “Lost Fun Zone” is a brief song with bright rock ‘n’ roll electric guitar, and Harvey singing “I believe…I am here to stay” and “Take me one more time” in a high voice. The rest of the album is good but doesn’t reach the highs of the songs I’ve already discussed. With two new classics and 4-5 other memorable tracks, I’m really glad I gave this album a chance.

Thirteen years later, they released A Woman A Man Walked By (2009), this time credited to PJ Harvey & John Parish. The approach is basically the same, but the instrumentation, most notably Parish’s use of banjo and ukulele, sets it apart from its predecessor. Album opener “Black Hearted Love” is the only full band song, featuring a guest guitarist, bassist and drummer. Although it’s a bit too long at 4:40, I love the stop-start rhythm in the verses and the cool guitar figure in the choruses. “Sixteen, Fifteen, Fourteen” is a stomping acoustic country blues, a direct descendant of Led Zeppelin’s third album. It features subtle use of banjo and has a great hook at “Erica…Erica.” One of my favorites has to be “Leaving California,” with Harvey lamenting her time in that state and longing to return to her native England. There’s great tinkling piano and her super-high falsetto (“Cal-i-for-nee-ya”). I really love the haunting guitar & organ textures. It’s not listed in the credits, but what sounds like a Mellotron adds a prog-rock element to this tune, and my friends & readers will know what a selling point that is for me.

“The Chair” has an excellent drum pattern, with various tempo, rhythm and mood shifts. There’s nothing super catchy about it, but the song is all about “feel,” as well as harrowing lyrics about a mother who mourns her drowned son (“Pieces of my life are gone, washed away in the water that took my son”). “April” has a memorable organ melody and slightly fractured vocals (“April won’t you answer me? These days just seem to crush me”). “A Woman A Man Walked By/The Crow Knows Where The Children Go” begins as an angry, Nick Cave-esque song with Harvey turning the tables on a man who wronged her (“I want his f**kin’ ass, I want your f**kin’ ass”), followed by a 2-1/2 minute instrumental that moves along like a chugging train. “The Soldier” is a sparse lullaby with high, breathy vocals & dark lyrics, featuring ukulele as well as plinking piano in the chorus (“Send me home restless, send me home damaged and wanting”). Another of my favorites is “Pig Will Not,” all loud guitars and yelled/distorted vocals (“I…I will…I will not!”). I love the tom-tom heavy verses with Harvey barking “woof woof.” I’m not sure what this one’s about, but I like the anger & defiance in her voice, most notably at the repeated “I will not” refrain. This is a solid collection of songs, with at least four that I really love, and even the least memorable songs have elements that I enjoy.

[PJ Harvey & John Parish - "Pig Will Not"]

I’m pleased that I was able to spend some time with these records, and I will definitely get my own copies to add to my collection. Hopefully this post will help expose them to other PJ Harvey fans who also dismissed them, as they shouldn’t be overlooked. I’ve already begun listening to her three most recent albums, as well as a collection of her BBC sessions, all of which I’ll discuss in my next post when I wrap up the PJ Harvey discography. I look forward to discussing them with you soon.

KamerTunesBlog Year In Review 2012

It’s that time of year again, to look back on all the music I heard over the past 12 months and figure out which were my favorites. In addition to the 130+ albums I revisited and wrote about here at KamerTunesBlog (each of which I listened to numerous times before sharing my thoughts on them), I also got hundreds of other CDs and LPs that I played throughout the year. I’m not sure where I found the time to absorb all of this music, but like the old saying goes, “where there’s a will there’s a way.”

Following is a list of my favorite discoveries and re-discoveries from this blog (with links to the related posts, in case you missed them the first time), plus two lists of other records I most enjoyed this year (broken down by new/recent releases and compilations/box sets/newly-discovered artists). Note that albums with hyperlinks will take you to a sample song on YouTube. Thanks to everyone who has visited, shared their thoughts, and who might have been inspired to check out some great music that they never knew or had forgotten about. I hope you and your loved ones have a happy New Year, and I look forward to sharing more discoveries with you in 2013.

Albums I Revisited & Wrote About That Pleasantly Surprised Me Or Cemented Their Greatness
DAVID BOWIE: Low, Heroes, Lodger, Scary Monsters, Outside
NICK DRAKE: Five Leaves Left, Bryter Layter
BLACK SABBATH: Black Sabbath, Paranoid, Master Of Reality, Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, Sabotage, Technical Ecstasy, Seventh Star, Headless Cross
BIG STAR: #1 Record, Radio City
TOM WAITS: The Early Years (Vols. 1 & 2), Closing Time, The Heart Of Saturday Night, Blue Valentine, Rain Dogs, Mule Variations, Orphans: Brawlers, Bad As Me
THE BEACH BOYS: Surfer Girl, Beach Boys’ Christmas Album, Today!, Pet Sounds, Friends, Sunflower, Surf’s Up, That’s Why God Made The Radio
FOO FIGHTERS: Foo Fighters, The Colour And The Shape, Wasting Light
UNCLE TUPELO: No Depression, Still Feel Gone, March 16-20 1992, Anodyne
PJ HARVEY: Dry, To Bring You My Love, Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea

Recent Releases That I Love (in alphabetical order)
…And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead – Lost Songs
Anathema – Weather Systems
Ian Anderson – Thick As A Brick 2
The Black Keys – El Camino
Kate Bush – 50 Words For Snow
Leonard Cohen – Old Ideas
Don Dixon – Sings The Jeffords Brothers
Bob Dylan – Tempest
Donald Fagen – Sunken Condos
Field Music – Plumb
Gotye – Making Mirrors
John Grant – Queen Of Denmark
Gavin Harrison & 05Ric – The Man Who Sold Himself
Mayer Hawthorne – How Do You Do
Led Zeppelin – Celebration Day (2 CD + 2 DVD)
Aimee Mann – Charmer
Paul McCartney – Kisses On The Bottom
David Mead – Dudes
Neal Morse – Momentum
Producers – Made In Basing Street
Rodrigo y Gabriela & C.U.B.A. – Area 52
Rumer – Boys Don’t Cry
Rush – Clockwork Angels
Bruce Springsteen – Wrecking Ball
Storm Corrosion – Storm Corrosion
Tin Spirits – Wired To Earth
Van Halen – A Different Kind Of Truth

Newly Acquired Reissues, Compilations & Box Sets I Love, And A Few Artists I Finally Checked Out, In 2012 (in alphabetical order)
Be Bop Deluxe – Futurist Manifesto 1974-1978 (5 CDs)
Booker T. & The MG’s – The Definitive Soul Collection (2 CDs)
Dave Brubeck – The Columbia Studio Albums Collection 1955-1966 (19 CDs)
Glen Campbell – The Capitol Years 65/77 (2 CDs)
Bo Diddley – Gold (2 CDs)
Earth, Wind & Fire – The Columbia Masters (16 CDs)
Emerson, Lake & Palmer – Emerson, Lake & Palmer (Deluxe Edition) (2 CD + 1 DVD)
Emerson, Lake & Palmer – Tarkus (Deluxe Edition) (2 CD + 1 DVD)
Giraffe – The Power Of Suggestion
Giraffe – The View From Here
Ernie Graham – Ernie Graham
The Hollies – The Complete Hollies: Clarke, Hicks & Nash Years (5 CDs)
The Knack – Rock & Roll Is Good To You: The Fieger/Averre Demos
Kool & The Gang – Gold (2 CDs)
Roger Miller – The Best Of Roger Miller
The Monkees – Original Album Series (5 CDs)
Bill Nelson’s Red Noise – Sound-On-Sound
Michael Nesmith – Magnetic South/Loose Salute (2 LPs on 1 CD)
Michael Nesmith – And The Hits Just Keep On Coming/Pretty Much Your Standard Ranch Stash (2 LPs on 1 CD)
Ocean Colour Scene – Anthology (2 CDs)
Roxy Music – The Complete Studio Recordings (10 CDs)
Rush – Sector 1, 2 & 3 (5 CD + 1 DVD each)
Skids – The Singles Collection 1978-1981 (2 CDs)
Stiff Little Fingers – All The Best (2 CDs)
Muddy Waters – The Anthology (2 CDs)
Tony Joe White – The Best Of Tony Joe White
Howlin’ Wolf – Smokestack Lightnin’: The Best Of Howlin’ Wolf (2 CDs)

PJ HARVEY Part 2 – Love, Desire And Other Stories

Prior to this week, I had probably only played each of these PJ Harvey albums twice, and I never listened to them in the context of the rest of her catalog. My recollection was that they were much more modern and slickly produced than her earlier recordings, but after playing them a number of times I now know that wasn’t the case. Her first album as a solo artist, after the dissolution of her trio, was To Bring You My Love (1995), which might be more mid-‘90s radio friendly in spots, but it’s not a huge departure from her previous work. Replacing her earlier trio is a collection of new musicians, notably guitarist/multi-instrumentalist John Parish (with whom she played in an earlier band) and bassist Mick Harvey (no relation, and best known for his work with Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds). The opening track, “To Bring You My Love,” is also the longest song, and starts things off slow, brooding & bluesy, with more than a hint of the aforementioned Nick Cave (whose discography I will revisit here at some point). It’s a bit ominous, with a simple repeated guitar figure and splashes of organ that give it a church-y feel, as well as some stark imagery (“I’ve laid with the devil, cursed God above, forsaken heaven to bring you my love”). “Meet Ze Monsta” is a stomping combination of blues & glam with an obvious Tom Waits influence. It has a great hook at “Big…black…mon…soon, take…me…with…you.” She sounds absolutely pained & haunted on “Teclo,” with hints of Patti Smith (whose work I don’t know that well, so I’m basing that on my limited exposure to her music). I love her dramatic, over-enunciated singing (“Long goes the night, longer the day, Teclo your death will send me to my grave”). My favorite song on the album, “Down By The Water,” has a simple driving groove and a great guitar tone (or is that organ?). It’s a murder song, about killing her child, with ominous strings. I really like her high-pitched “response” harmonies and her whispered vocals at “Little fish big fish swimming in the water…”

The Patti Smith influence continues on “Send His Love To Me,” a brighter sounding song than the rest of the album with Spanish style guitar and sweeping strings. She delivers a passionate vocal performance with religious imagery (“How long must I suffer? Dear God I’ve served my time, this love becomes my torture, this love my only crime”). Closing track “The Dancer” is metronomic and atmospheric, with great swirling organ & a confident vocal. It sounds unlike anything else on the album, and I love the muted guitar strumming by Parish. The four songs I haven’t mentioned are also pretty strong, but didn’t have the same impact as the six already discussed. “C’mon Billy” is notable for its dark tone that I would describe as gothic Americana, as well as a fabulous string arrangement. Her vocals on “I Think I’m A Mother” sound almost masculine. Although songs like these don’t always make a big impression on me, I’m constantly impressed by her desire to get different sounds from her musicians as well as her own voice. To Bring You My Love is an excellent album that’s up there with her first two studio albums, and continues the winning streak that began with her debut.

That winning streak came to a halt for me with her fourth album, Is This Desire? (1998). It’s far from a bad album, but after listening to it numerous times only a handful of tracks made any kind of lasting impression. I really enjoyed the hushed production and soft vocals on “Catherine,” which offset biting lyrics about her jealousy of the woman in the title (“’Til the light shines on me, I damn to hell every second you breathe”). It’s one of the quietest songs on the album, but also among the most powerful in its simplicity. “The Garden” has an excellent, slightly syncopated programmed beat that’s similar to Fiona Apple (another artist I don’t know that well, but I feel confident about the comparison based on the songs I’ve heard). The poetic lyrics have a biblical, Adam-and-Eve feel, even if the specific meaning is hard to decipher (“He was thinking of his sins…he was looking for his wings”). “The River” is a piano-based song with a slow & steady groove and squalling feedback way in the background. After several listens it grew on me and became my favorite song on this album. The chorus is what won me over (“Throw your pain in the river…to be washed away slow”).

[PJ Harvey - "The River"]

Album closer “Is This Desire?” is a slow, sparse blues tune that starts off nearly a capella before the addition of a tasteful guitar part. It’s closest in feel to her first couple of albums, but with more maturity befitting a woman approaching 30. I like the conversation between the two protagonists, Joseph and Dawn, as they try to decide, “Is this desire…enough…to lift us higher?” The rest of the album has a claustrophobic quality that kept me from fully embracing it. Apparently in the 2-1/2 years between albums, she lived a quiet life at home, which probably led to the overall mood of feeling trapped inside (Her house? Her thoughts?). I’m not sure if there’s any significance to this, but 5 of the 12 song titles here feature female names. “Angelene” has her waiting for her man who’s far away (“2,000 miles away he walks upon the coast…it lays open like a road”). “My Beautiful Leah” is eerie & frightening, with distorted music & vocals that are cut from the same cloth as U2’s “Numb.” “A Perfect Day Elise” has vague lyrics (with vocals buried in the mix) about a woman killing a man, set to a midtempo programmed beat. “Joy” has crazy sound effects and wild, almost unhinged vocals, and it’s as unmelodic and unwelcoming as anything she’s ever done: “No hope for Joy, no hope for faith.” Ouch! I’m sure there are fans who embraced this album more than any of her others, but I feel like I gave it enough of a chance and only found a handful of songs that I would include on a PJ Harvey compilation. Maybe in the future it’ll speak to me, but for now I consider it a slight disappointment.

Looking at the album cover for Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea (2000), with a fashionable Polly Jean Harvey in sunglasses crossing a city street, you just know the music within is going to be different than anything we’ve heard from her before. Although most of the songs were performed by a trio consisting of her former drummer, Rob Ellis, and returning bassist Mick Harvey, the overall sound is much fuller, lusher and more modern. It’s also her most accessible collection to date, starting with “Big Exit,” all bright guitars and Britpop production. The chorus immediately grabs you with her high-pitched voice singing, “Baby baby, ain’t it true? I’m immortal when I’m with you.” “Good Fortune” recalls Blondie in their late-70s punk-pop prime crossed with early Pretenders, and I especially love the way she sings the last word of each verse, i.e. “you-u-u-u” and “lo-o-o-o-ve.” Radiohead lead singer Thom Yorke shows up on a few songs, two of which are among the best tracks here. “Beautiful Feeling” features Harvey & Yorke singing with only Harvey’s guitar for accompaniment. It’s moody & haunting, with Yorke providing various harmonies and alternate melodies, and the lyrics are pleasantly upbeat (“And when I watch you move I can’t think straight…it’s the best thing”). “This Mess We’re In” sounds more like a Thom Yorke song, since Harvey only sings the line “The city sun sets over me” and adds spoken word responses in the final verse. Yorke is known for his soaring falsetto, and he gives a great performance here, which at times had me thinking of Rufus Wainwright.

“The Whores Hustle And The Hustlers Whore” has a great attitude and production to match that awesome title. It’s slightly bluesy alternative rock with an insistent 6/8 groove, and a memorable hook at “Speak to me-e-e-e.” The 6/8 time signature returns, this time with more of a waltz feel, on “You Said Something.” It’s an ode to New York City, with loving references to “rooftop in Brooklyn,” “five bridges” and “Empire State Building.” Lyrically, she vividly recalls the locations of her conversations with someone more than the content of those talks. “This Is Love” is a crunchy, fuzzy, stomping good time with a singular beat throughout and a radio-ready chorus (“This is love, this is love, that I’m feeling”). The final two songs are the longest, at nearly 6 minutes each, and it took a few listens for their charms to take hold. “Horses In My Dreams” is super sparse with vocals on the edge of being raw. It opens up a bit at “I have pulled myself clear,” but overall it keeps the listener in a woozy dream state. This is a great song for late night listening, and is perfectly placed as the penultimate track on the album. “We Float” closes proceedings with a programmed, Portishead-esque trip-hop beat, and the chorus (“We-e-e-e float, take life as it comes”) brings her into Sarah McLachlan territory. The spacey sound of the ebow adds a cool element between the chorus and verse. It might go on a little too long for its own good, and I can imagine a lot of longtime fans disliking the Lilith Fair pop production, but I thought it was an interesting change of pace for her and an excellent way to end the album. So that’s 9 out of 12 songs that were worth discussing, and the other 3 are good but not quite as noteworthy, which makes for an album that’s as good as anything she had done to that point. I imagine there was some backlash from older fans about the album’s more commercial sound at the time, but it didn’t affect my enjoyment at all. In fact, it was nice to hear her sounding happy and extroverted after the previous record’s insular sound.

That takes us past the middle of her catalog. In my next post, which will be relatively brief, I’ll discuss the two collaborative albums between Harvey & Parish. I had never heard either of them before, but I just borrowed both from a friend and after two listens I decided I wanted to spend more time with them and discuss them here. After that, I’ll return to her most recent releases as I wrap up her discography. But that’s still a couple of weeks away, so until then please let me know what you think about the three albums I revisited for this post. Thanks.