RADIO HANNIBAL

The Neil Young discography - Shakey II, part 10

This discography analysis is written by JT of Perth, Australia (follow him at @thesonofnoone on Twitter).

Stills-Young Band
Long May You Run (1976) http://open.spotify.com/album/52nULTP8ROvDHx6BxOan7j

TRACKS:

1) 'Long May You Run' - Sure, it's a good song and all, but it's just a bit... normal. Its structure is too normal to be considered a quintessential Neil Young song. But, it still has its fair share of charms. It doesn't miss Crosby and Nash's vocals and Stills' (for once) understated backing vocals are just right. But as I said - it's just a bit normal for me to love it. 7.5

2) 'Make Love to You' - Stills song. N/R

3) 'Midnight on the Bay' - It's as if Neil teamed up with Steely Dan to go Yacht Rocking for a week. Not saying it's a bad song, but compared to Zuma, this is Neil Diamond territory. 6.0

4) 'Black Coral' - Stills song. N/R

5) 'Ocean Girl' - Again with the Yacht Rock! This one sounds like Neil's doing everything he can to make sure he doesn't really sound like Neil Young. The song itself isn't bad - not in the slightest. But I'm trying to guess what the point to all this is? 6.0

6) 'Let it Shine' - Hey, this isn't half bad. I was probably expecting something a bit different considering what had come before, but this is harmless trash. Still, there's nothing here that makes body parts move. Nothing at all. 7.0

7) '12/8 Blues' - Stills song. N/R

8) 'Fonatinebleau' - Nothing to make body parts move? Well, yeah... that was the case until now. Holy shit is this a great fuckin' song or what? Again, no idea what the hell it's about, but that doesn't bother me. A great melody, a chugging - almost driving beat, great vocals and guitar that just slices through you. Where has this song been? Why do we get rendition after rendition of 'Cinnamon Girl' or 'Fuckin Up' when Neil could be playing this with the Horse, or with anyone. Hearing this makes you almost want to re-think the bad thoughts that you have about the whole album. Almost. 9.0

9) 'Guardian Angel' - Stills song. N/R

ALBUM RATING (For Neil Young's songs only): 6.5

VERDICT: Discounting Stills' songs (which I've done here, I've no interest in them for the purpose of the thread), this has its peaks, there's no doubt about that. It's just simply a baffling move to split an album with Stephen Stills, who by this point in time was already a spent force - whereas Neil Young was just coming to the end of one of the greatest 4 album runs in history. Oh well, we all know what they say about friends and enemies. Eat a peach!

NEXT: Weather forecast says it's getting windy in here.

Brent Kirby named best musician in Cleveland

The annual Scene Magazine "Best of Cleveland" issue came out yesterday (though I couldn't find a copy as I drove down Lorain Rd. from Great Northern to Kamm's Corners)naming Brent Kirby as Cleveland's musician of the year.  I'm fortunate to call him a friend and have done my best in trying to promote his talents. 

Let's take a look at all of his musical endeavors.  A toast to Brent.

 

 

 

Brent's also a fine drummer.  He hits the skins with Chris Allen And The Guilty Hearts and The Ohio City Singers.

 

Where are the live venues for original music in downtown Cleveland?

My wife met a musician who has been commuting from Los Angeles to Cleveland for his 9 to 5 job, heading back to the west coast for live gigs with his band on the weekends.  He doesn't know much about Cleveland.  I know this because he went downtown to look for some local live music. 

Aside from the great venue Mike Miller runs at Wilbert's behind Progressive Field there's not much in the way of live local music downtown.  The House Of Blues caters to national acts and tribute bands in the large hall and once in awhile you'll find an original local band in their Cambridge Room. 

The Naughty Mermaid over in the Warehouse district has been adding nights of local music and smartly starting the shows early in the evening.  And AJ Rocco's, in front of the same building that houses Wilbert's, is known to host a live local band on occasion. 

There's a few other venues but I'm hard pressed to think of any that offer their venue to original musicians.  And even those that do host original local music don't do it on a regular basis. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

I offered to take this LA rocker/Cleveland businessman on a tour of the clubs that do play original local music, but he got me to wondering why downtown doesn't have a bar or two catering to original local music.  

I just read in today's Plain Dealer that Local Heroes (originally known as Cooperstown), the restaurant on E. 9th across from Progressive Field, is reopening as both a restaurant/bar and live music venue.  They haven't settled on a name yet and the music side of the space won't be ready until summer it looks like.  Immediately I thought of Wrigleyville, the neighborhood surrounding Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs.  It's an area full of live music joints that make going to a Cubs game even more of an event than simply enjoying the charm of the historic ballpark. 

The synergy of this new space along with Wilbert's and AJ Rocco's could create something exciting.  The question is what type of acts will this new venture be booking.  I'm already imagining the first ad in Scene Magazine trumpeting the grand opening with a Journey tribute band, and it's making me throw up a little bit in my mouth. 

 

A go to source for new albums on Spotify

Have you Spotify users noticed that the "what's new" section has not only gotten smaller but highlights albums that are weeks old?  It used to be a place where you could see what came out on any given Tuesday (the US day for new releases).  Now it's just a place to market.

I've come up with a solution for you all.  You'll notice on my Spotify profile that I create numerous playlists.  I also subscribe to others I've found and enjoy.  Searching for good playlists is a great way to explore music.  Feel free to subsrcibe to any of mine. 

I've created a playlist, Radio Hannibal's Albums of 2012, to gather all the new albums I find worthy of a listen.  Obviously it'll be an everchanging list, growing with the addition of new albums and the deletion of ones that just don't make the cut. 

 

Cleveland has the elements of a music hotbed

Last Tuesday when The Black Keys came home to play a show at the Q here in Cleveland I asked what it would take for our town to become known as a center for original rock music.  I want to add Cleveland to the list of cities like Seattle, Portand, Austin and Athens, and I asked how we move toward that goal. 

It turns out Plain Dealer writer John Petkovic, a rock musician himself, was thinking the same thoughts and wrote a great story about Cleveland and the local music scene in Sunday's edition of the paper, Cleveland's music scene a fertile ground for rock 'n' roll.  In the story Petkovic interviews musicians and club owners alike who insist that Cleveland has all the neccessary elements to make the city a presence on the music map. 

In the old days we'd be trying to get the attention of A&R folks at the major record labels, pointing them to a scene rife with artists to sign to deals.  It's a new ballgame now and that works to our benefit. 

I entered a short discussion about Spotify yesterday on Facebook. A local musician said that the internet has ruined the music.  I am of the polar opposite opinion. Perhaps this guy is thinking of the days when a band could get signed to a major label, nurtured by that label, and be poised to make millions of dollars.  Those days are gone and the record labels are to blame more so than the internet. 

The internet has empowered musicians to become famous on their own.  The real challenge, aside from having truly good material, is getting noticed amid the tens of thousands of other artists who've also been empowered.

Being from a city known as a hotbed for good, original music would go a long way in helping lift these artists above the fray.  It would also be an excellent economic and civic strategy for the city of Cleveland. 

Brent Kirby and friends at the Beachland Ballroom Saturday night. 

The Neil Young discography - Shakey II, part 9

This discography analysis is written by JT of Perth, Australia (follow him at @thesonofnoone on Twitter).

Neil Young
Tonight's the Night (1975)  Spotify

TRACKS:

1) 'Tonight's the Night' - Is it sacrilege to say this isn't my favourite song? Who gives a shit if it is or not - this isn't my favourite song. Or maybe it's just this version I don't like. I prefer the live Crazy Horse renditions that pummel you into submission. Having said all that, you can't deny the song's power and you can't help that if time weren't a consideration... this thing would've gone on for half an hour before anyone thought that they should probably move onto something else. Needless to say, this album couldn't start (or end) with any other song.8.0

2) 'Speakin' Out' - Hell yeah, this is the shit. It's like the intro to a bar room brawl from a great Mel Brooks film, one where people come running down the stairs to get involved in... except the one dude, sitting lonely at the bar - ignoring the fuss around him and nursing his beer, wondering where the fuck he went wrong. And look! Someone other than Neil Young gets a guitar solo - take it Nils! 8.0

3) 'World on a String' - Lightening the mood a little - this isn't my fave song on the album, but that's not to say it's bad. Great backing vocals, by the way. whoever (Ralph, Billy, Ben Keith) that's offering them up is just tops in my book. 7.0

4) 'Borrowed Tune' - Damn, this is a hard song to listen to. Doesn't mean it isn't fantastic - but you just can't help but feel pain when listening to it. "I'm climbing this ladder, my head in the clouds." Couldn't possibly be on any other album. Anywhere else and it wouldn't have half the impact it has here. Second best song on the album. 9.0

5) 'C'mon Baby, Let's Go Downtown' - I understand the reasoning behind this song's inclusion on the album, but I don't think it's a very good fit. Not saying it shouldn't be here, but I don't know... something about it being on the album, something about such a joyous-sounding song about scoring your next fix, sung by the guy who died of a heroin overdose seems a bit wrong maybe? I don't know - or maybe it's the one song on the album that must be here. Either way, a great performance and a goodbye to a great talent. 7.0

6) 'Mellow My Mind' - Brilliant. Obviously, I should probably talk a bit about the cracked vocals, out of key singing and all that and say that despite all this, the song shines. Fuck that - the song is the cracked and out of key vocals. They're at the heart of this gem and make it what it is. 8.5

7) 'Roll Another Number' (For the Road)' - Goofy fun. Which is what the album could use by this point. Interesting that of all the songs on the album, this has been played live more than any other except the title track. As with songs of this ilk, there are just times where you could take it or leave it, but it's still a bit of fun nonetheless. 7.0

8) 'Albuquerque' - Masterpiece #12. Almost too good to be on this album. Almost. This track just kills me every time I hear it. It starts out straight away too, with the "well they say that Santa Fe..." intro telling you right from the get-go that this song is one of the very best. Isn't it funny how some songs are like that? You're hardly into it at all yet you know that you're listening to something special. 10.0

9) 'New Mama' - Another great song. Actually listening to this as I write all this down is making me appreciate the album a little bit more. Why this hasn't been played more often than it has is beyond me. I can just picture the Crazy Horse guys coming out for an acoustic set, be huddled around the one microphone while cranking this one out. Instead, they do version #3,786 of 'Only Love Can Break Your Heart' (fine song that it is). C'mon Neil, remember how good this is?? 8.5

10) 'Lookout Joe' - Oops. Decent-ish song - does not belong on this album. Would've fitted much better on Time Fades Away, which was the time it was recorded. Sticks out like a sore thumb here. As much as this album and Time Fades Away are brothers, they're the kind of brothers that Woody Harrelson and Wesley Snipes were in 'Money Train'. Doesn't fit here at all and screeches the album to a halt. 6.5

11) 'Tired Eyes' - Another great song. Unlike some of the others though, this song's greatness is tied directly into the greatness of the other songs around it. I've tried to listen to this song separately and it just doesn't work (unlike, say, 'Albuquerque'). But maybe that's the beauty of it. It's like the soundcheck for the whole album, but that's not a bad thing. Again, it's the piano which soars, although Ben Keith kills it on the pedal steel. 9.0

12) 'Tonight's the Night' - Haven't we heard this somewhere before?? My feelings haven't changed, although you hear the song differently the second time you hear it, having heard everything else in between. Still an 8.0

ALBUM RATING: 9.0

VERDICT: [Plagiarising myself here] This album's not a masterpiece. Not to me anyway, not yet. We all know that Tonight’s the Night is not a fun listen. It is the sound of a man doing only what he knows how to do, simply because it’s the only thing he’s able to do in order to stay sane. Tonight’s the Night is to be listened to and appreciated, not enjoyed. I’ve never really been able to fully indulge myself in this album, simply because I’ve never been so down that I’ve felt the need to wallow with this on the stereo. But I do know that if ever that day arrives, I’ve got this album to keep me company.

Neil Young & Crazy Horse  Spotify
Zuma (1975)

TRACKS:

1) 'Don't Cry No Tears' - There's that sound we've been missing. Brilliant isn't it? Not just ragged glory, but something more. Primal joy, simplistic brilliance. It's a relief to hear Neil in a different headspace.. and I guess that the hiring of Poncho to the Crazy Horse ranks helps that greatly. A re-write of one of Neil's oldest songs ('I Wonder') turns into a welcoming party for a new age, one that continues to this day. It's such a knack that he's got - choosing the perfect song to open his albums. The songs aren't necessarily the best songs on the album, but there's nothing else that can be in the #1 spot. It's as if the album would die without them there. 8.5

2) 'Danger Bird' - Masterpiece #13. You see, this is a different kind of gloom. This is forboding... like 'Words (Between the Lines of Age)' only with whatever promise and potential it had finally being fulfilled. There's also only a handful of songs which are 'Crazy Horse-only' specials. Sure, Neil's played this solo at the piano (and everyone already knows my feelings on how awesome that combo is), but even then - this needs Crazy Horse. "I can fly... fly away". Sure you can... but only if you promise to be right back. 10.0

3) 'Pardon My Heart' - Would've fit right into the On the Beach playlist, but I won't begrudge its place here. It fits, and is a great song. One of those songs that you listen to and can't help but feel that it's a first take. Almost as if playing it more than once and trying to 'perfect' it would ultimately render the song sterile. Great playing, great vocals. Nothing wrong with it all.8.5

4) 'Lookin' For a Love' - On a personal level, I'll defend this song until the day I die. Yes, I know it's slight - but that doesn't diminish its impact. Sometimes the slight and simple are exactly what's needed, and the main message of "lookin' for a love that's right for me... I don't know how long it's going to be" is a message that most people can relate to (not that NY songs are about relating to some message!). Obviously not a masterpiece, but it's no dud either, not by a long stretch. 8.0

5) 'Barstool Blues' - This is medieval Crazy Horse. This is the beginning of the current Crazy Horse, the one that would never have been able to record 'Cowgirl in the Sand', but the Crazy Horse that could run rings around the Danny Whitten-era CH when it comes to the garage rockers. "...And I might live 1000 years before I know what that means" is the perfect line. Who says that songs need to say something? Do they even need to say anything at all? The best songs are the ones where you take from it what you will, not what the artist wants you to know, or feel. Underrated song. 8.0

6) 'Stupid Girl' - Fuckin' fantastic. Where did these backing vocals come from? Neil? Ralphie? Poncho? Whoever they came from, they knocked them out of the park. Not often that you can say the backing vocals help make the song, but this is definitely the case. 9.0

7) 'Drive Back' - Not as fantastic. As a straight ahead rocker - it's fine enough, but then again - Neil was never at his most intriguing or impressive when he was straight ahead. He likes the curves, the twists and the intriguing. 'Drive Back' has no twists, no curves and definitely no intrigue. But does that make it a bad song? Fuck no - there are no bad songs on the albums, just some that are less interesting than others. What worked well for 'Barstool Blues', doesn't work as well here. 7.0

8) 'Cortez the Killer' - Masterpiece #14 (as if it wasn't obvious). Probably too much has been written, or said about this song for anything I write here to seem interesting or profound. So I'll just say that I've never been motioned to stop what I was doing the first time I heard a song. Except for 'Cortez the Killer'. I don't think there's any way that this song can be considered less than perfect - unless of course you were to say that it was better on Weld, and then I might agree with you. But until then... 10.0

9) 'Through My Sails' - Completely unexpected (to say the least). Neil reigns in the three-headed beast that is CSN and gets from them what he never got when he was in the band with them. Beautiful song, beautiful harmonies, simplistic playing (which fits the album like a glove) and a great way to end the album, which at the end of all things - turns out to be one of his very best. 8.5

ALBUM RATING: 9.0

VERDICT: Zuma is the album Neil Young needed to make, and he needed to make it with Crazy Horse. Even though he'd recorded with Ralph and Billy numerous times since Danny Whitten's death, they were never Crazy Horse. The added element of Frank Sampedro gives the album its humour, a beating heart, and the ramshackle-ness that it requires. Not saying he doesn't know how to play, just that he knows how to not overplay something, knows how to wind his way through a track to help make it great. Home to some of my favourite Neil songs, this album will always be one of my favourites.

NEXT: The valleys below (with the mountains on the horizon).

Cool Photos Of The Day

Alan Freed on the air at WJW, Cleveland

The Clevelnd arena, home of the first ever rock concert

Another shot of the Cleveland arena

Alan Freed on stage at the first rock concert

The crowd inside Cleveland arena and the first rock concert

First rock concert took place 60 years ago today in Cleveland

It's the main reason Cleveland landed the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum.  Sure, there was the enthusiastic, grass roots support spearheaded by WMMS (I always feel the need to stipulate that the present day WMMS does not deserve the credit).  But the focal point of the argument to bring the Rock Hall here was the fact that local DJ, Alan Freed, was playing what was known as "race records" back then.  He wasn't the only DJ spinning this jump blues music, but he, along with record store owner Leo Mintz, came up with a name for the music, Rock and Roll.  Words that had been used in some of the songs to describe, shall we say, making love. 

Then on a Friday night, 60 years ago today, Freed and WJW radio promoted what would come to be known as the first rock concert in history.  It's the stuff of legend and the BBC marks the occasion with a good story, How the world's first rock concert ended in chaos.

This historic day is considered the kick off to Cleveland's hosting of this year's Rock Hall induction ceremony.  There's numerous events planned over the next few weeks as we Clevelanders embrace what is most certainly part of our DNA.  Indeed, Cleveland rocks. 

Welcome home Black Keys

So the Black Keys are back home in Cleveland tonight.  Well, technically they're from Akron but can't we all just get along?  Ok, let's call it northeast Ohio.  Anyway, Dan Auerbach and Pat Carney are at the Q tonight playing to friends and the hometown fans. 

It is a day we should feel some sort of civic pride.  A couple of our own done good.  John Soeder wrote a nice piece on the Black Keys in Sunday's Plain Dealer, The Black Keys are bigger than ever as they return to Northeast Ohio to play The Q.

I only wish they hadn't moved away, taking their talents to Nashville as it were.  I don't begrudge the move on their part.  I know it was a good career move.  At least they didn't move to Brooklyn. 

The fact is a number of local musicians now call Nashville home.  Off the top of my head there's Anne E. DeChant, Rob Muzik, Chris Hanna, Paul Lewis and Jason White.  I like to think that they've helped create a musical pipeline connecting Cleveland and Nashville. 

In my ideal Cleveland musicians wouldn't have to leave and, in fact, would be welcoming musicians from other cities who've decided to relocate to northeast Ohio.  Cleveland would be the new hotbed of music like Portland, Seattle, Brooklyn, Austin and Nashville. 

It's not far-fetched is it?  We've got everything needed to make it happen. There's reasonable housing costs, talented musicians, plenty of recording studios, geography and architecture that can inspire.  We have the Rock Hall that should serve as a beacon to musicians. 

So how can we make it happen?  What's the missing element that would energize such a movement?  I think about this quite a bit.  Any suggestions?

Springsteen's keynote speech at SXSW

The SXSW Music Conference wrapped up yesterday and everyone's heading back home. Most stopping in towns along the way to play more gigs.  After all, that's the life of a musician. 

I had a number of friends in Austin for the event and was able to get a taste of it through emails, Facebook updates and tweets.  Some posted or sent photos.  There were stage shots, backstage shots, posing with musician shots, all very cool.

I'm sure if you ask any of those that attended what the takeaway from the conference was they'd say that it galvanized their love of music even more.  You want that feeling as well you say?  Watch Bruce Springsteen's 50 minute keynote speech.

Springsteen was very much out of his element at the podium.  The talk started off hesitantly but as he got more comfortable, telling his own tale of the power of music, the words came more naturally to him.  His honesty was refreshing, funny and inspiring. 

The full Springsteen keynote, SXSW 2012