John Says:
A month or so ago I started really listening to Neil Young.
I was never real Neil fan. That’s not to say I don’t like Neil. I’ve had After the Goldrush and Harvest in my music collection for
years. I never really advanced further than those albums. I have no explanation
for this other than Neil Young kind of slipped off the radar for me when I was
younger and finding those guys like Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen. There was
enough of a back catalog between those two and, of course, limited financial
resources to purchase, thus shoving good ol’ Neil in the backseat of one of his
classic Cadillacs.
This fall as the leaves fell and every jackass in Brooklyn
reached for their spiced lattes and scarves, I reached for my
singer-songwriters. I went the rounds with Dylan for a bit. Then some early
Bruce, and even took long walks with Ryan Adams and his great new album. One
morning I threw on After the Goldrush by Neil Young, and something between he
and I clicked. I spent a good week toggling between that album and Harvest.
Then I went CD shopping.
One of the great things about you sheep becoming completely
consumed by the trappings of the digital world is that guys like me, left back
here in the dust, get to reap all of the benefits. While real music stores in
NYC seem to be converting their standard stock to specialty CDs and vinyl, most
places have been adding used sections. Those sections have been growing at
enormous rates with people selling off their stuff and continuing to rely more
on hard drive storage or corporate clouds to keep their vast and varied musical
collections (oh Christ how I pray for a solar flare). These used sections have
become filled with all of the classical rock albums that I had always been
unable to purchase at the full-rate.
I figure since this is the Christmas Season and this is
America, you all would appreciate hearing how much something cost over its aesthetic
value. What the increase in used music stores/sections means for me now is that
when I get on a music jag a basic trip to the music store can feel like Christmas
morning. Lately I’ve been able to go out and find a number of Neil Young albums
at prices hovering between $2-$8 depending on the album.
On the Beach and Tonight’s the Night have become quick
new favorites of mine. I love On the Beach’s slick viperish take on the
California rock scene and maybe the mid-70s in general. Its one of those 3 a.m.
albums. Tonight’s the Night with its
ragged, tuneless, junky ode has become a must-listen during those five mile
morning walks to the job. Most of the other albums I found on the cheap are: Freedom, Silver and Gold, Prairie Wind, Chrome
Dreams II, Fork in the Road, Le Noise, Comes a Time, Ragged Glory, Harvest
Moon, and Are You Passionate?
It’s been a mixed bag of classic Neil and later,
questionable Neil, something a novice listener, such as myself, has already
picked up on. But Neil Young has been a
great addition to some of those records that keep a guy together on lonely,
long walks when he’s already got too much on his mind. The voice in those
lyrics are able to reach out to me in ways that, as a forty year-old man, I
didn’t think possible with music any more. I’m glad that I didn’t find Neil
Young back when I was eighteen or twenty, and really struggling to make sense
of things…as if I got it all under control now, right? As you age it becomes
harder and harder to find those things that really impress themselves upon you.
Jobs are dull. Most people are dull. Time just kind of sits there. For me it’s
been great to get up and out in the morning with a new voice ringing in my head
as these leaves keep falling, and another three-hundred-and-sixty-five limp on
their way to calling it a game.
No comments:
Post a Comment