Neil Young

I debated which to get. Hope I chose correctly.

 

Seen Neil twice, once with Crazy Horse, once with the International Harvesters. Good shows, both times. I can't imagine there are too many males of a certain vintage who grew up in Ontario who didn't devour Scott Young's hockey books, Scrubs on Skates and A Boy at the Leafs' Camp.

Have no interest in seeing Dylan, not really a huge fan and all the horror stories you hear and read about his shows are enough to turn me off. Mark Knopfler, opening for Dylan in Toronto, would be good to see.

 

Go, and stay for Dylan.

I'll bet you'll be pleasantly surprised.

He's never going to chit chat a lot from the stage, but you can tell he's having fun. His set list isn't obscure, and he's not mumbling.

His band is really good. And, while he was strictly playing keyboards on a couple of tours, the recent reviews I've read have him playing guitar again.

 

I would say Oh Susannah, Clementine and She'll Be Coming Around the Mountain have all essentially been turned into skipping songs. I was probably being a little inaccurate to call them nursery rhymes though.

 

I think "Tempest" is great, too. Although I did a double take when the album started and I wondered if I'd bought a Louis Armstrong album by mistake with the "Duquesne Whistle" opening. That's as grating as his voice has ever sounded.

 

I think his Christmas album is as raspy or better. But I love "Duquesne Whistle".

 

Neil follows his muse. We all should

 

We should. Of course, "following the muse" is a lot easier when you have money and no problem "losing interest" in things. Most people can't walk away from their responsibilities whenever they feel like it.

When people report that side of Young, it would help to have a little context.

 

Hypothesis:

Every power ballad ever recorded is just an attempt to recreate "Like A Hurricane."

 

"You are like a hurricane, there's a calm in your eye" is one of the greatest lyrics ever written.

 

Me, too. If you can track down the Jason Isbell cover, it's worth a listen. Consonants ought to be able to help you out.