Wednesday 3 April 2019

"I've been in love and I've seen a lot of war"


Neil Young was one of the last turns I went to see before we left Nottingham in 2010. I think I covered it for the paper, but I can't remember now. It would've been around the time he released his 30th. studio album Le Noise. As with a lot of latter day Young, it pretty much flew under the radar - if the critics can't see a Southern Man on there or a Hey Hey, My My they tend to dismiss it. Their loss.

One day I would love to gather my thoughts on Neil Young and try and put into words what I think  makes him a true one of a kind; a maverick. But first I need to finish his autobiography which, along with about another dozen or so paperbacks, is currently weighing down my bedside table.

In the meantime, and because I heard it on RTÉ tonight while I was in the bath, here's a beautiful song from that album which harks back to a more stripped back, acoustic Neil Young and one that certainly pushes all my buttons.

Neil Young - Love and War (2010)


FYI this is post No. 1,000 to appear on my blog. Are We There Yet? (formerly Even Monkeys Fall Out Of Trees) became a thing on February 15th. 2010. And yes, I know there's a picture of Manchester City's Neil Young at the top of the page.

13 comments:

  1. After eagerly consuming practically every note he played up until that point, Neil all but drifted off my radar quite suddenly after the brilliant 'Mirror Ball' in 1995, very briefly coming front and centre once more in 2014, with the touching 'A Letter Home'. I can't put my finger on why. Judging by the quality of the song you've featured here, it is indeed my loss.

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    1. ....and many congrats on hitting 1000. You don't look a day over 999.

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    2. He's so prolific, it's hard to keep up. I've been meaning to drop Carmichael into a Monday Long Song for a while now. Maybe next week...

      Thank you. You must have clocked 1,000 yonks ago?

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    3. Just checked. Currently sitting on 970.

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  2. Big congrats on hitting 1000 posts. There's always something to catch my eye or ear. Here's to the next thousand!

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    1. Thank you C- couldn't do it without people like you around.

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  3. Congratulations and celebrations Brother J. BTW have you checked out Bevis Frond newbie - We're YoYou' Friends Man. Very Youngian in parts..

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    1. Cheers Mondo! As I've said on numerous occasions - this is all your fault!

      No, but I shall.

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  4. Apols for autotext meltdown in the last post .

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  5. Well done on the 1000 posts - Quite a landmark. I've only caught the last 3 years worth but always something of interest or quirky around here. Being pretty much the same age, there is much common ground in terms of our memories of popular culture - We've been lucky to have grown old(er) at such a time (but I'm still 21 in my head).

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    1. A - Unlike, say, a Breaking Bad or a Sopranos, where you have to start at the beginning and work your way through it, I'm more like The Archers - you can dip in and out at anytime and pick up where you left off; less Tony Soprano, more David Archer, if that makes sense? No, of course it doesn't.

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    2. Yes, it makes total sense - "Sometimes you wanna go..

      Where everybody knows your name
      And they're always glad you came."

      If that makes sense.

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