Classic Documentary: Neil Young Don’t Be Denied BBC

Don’t be Denied: Neil Young (BBC)

I have a lot(!) of Neil Young documentaries/films/concert footage lying around, and this is the best of them all (…no, it was not me who uploaded it on YouTube, thanks to the original uploader). Neil Young really opens up and the live footage is spectacular. Young is very much aware of his “difficult” personality, his quest for great art is his most important task in life. The film explores how Young’s unflinching dedication to the muse has created an impressive body of work and bruised a lot of people along the way. But he is also a warm and funny person. This docu was also shown in the American Masters series on PBS in the US.

The film ends with Neil Young playing an anti-Bush anthem to a Republican audience in the South, still refusing to be denied.

Neil Young – Don’t be denied (BBC):

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November 18: Danny Whitten died in 1972 – Rest in Peace

Danny Whitten died 18 November 1972, 43 years ago today

Daniel Ray Whitten (May 8, 1943 – November 18, 1972) was an American musician and songwriter best known for his work with Neil Young and Crazy Horse, and for the song “I Don’t Want To Talk About It“, a hit for Rita Coolidge, Rod Stewart and Everything but the Girl.

“I am not a preacher, but drugs killed a lot of great men.”
– Neil Young (liner notes Decade)

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November 12: Happy 71th birthday Neil Young

neil-young

“I have so many opinions about everything it just comes out during my music. It’s a battle for me. I try not to be preachy. That’s a real danger.”
-Neil Young

“It’s bettet to burn out than to fade away”
― Neil Young

“If you follow every dream, you might get lost.”
― Neil Young

Eddie Vedder inducts Neil Young into R’nR Hall of Fame:

Birth name Neil Percival Young
Also known as Bernard Shakey, Phil Perspective, Shakey Deal, Clyde Coil, Ol’ Neil, Joe Canuck, Joe Yankee, Marc Lynch, Pinecone Young
Born November 12, 1945 (age 71)
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Origin Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Genres Rock, folk rock, country rock,experimental rock, hard rock
Occupations Musician, songwriter, producer,director, screenwriter
Instruments Guitar, vocals, harmonica, piano,banjo, ukelele
Years active 1960–present
Labels Reprise, Motown, Atco, Atlantic,Geffen
Associated acts The Squires, The Mynah Birds,Buffalo Springfield, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Crazy Horse, The Stray Gators, The Stills-Young Band, The Ducks, Northern Lights,Pearl Jam, Booker T. Jones, Leon Russell, Elton John
Website neilyoung.com

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July 16: Neil Young released On The Beach in 1974

Neil Young - on-the-beach

“Good album. One side of it particularly—the side with ‘Ambulance Blues’, ‘Motion Pictures’ and ‘On the Beach’ — it’s out there. It’s a great take.”
~Neil Young

The second in Neil’s ditch trilogy, On the Beach was also disavowed by Young and unreleased on CD until 2003. It is weirder but sharper than Time Fades Away, with harrowing lows and amazing highs, including the off-the-cuff, eight-minute folk jam “Ambulance Blues.”
~rollingstone.com

Walk on:

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11 hidden gems from Neil Young

Playlist: 11 hidden gems from Neil Young

What is a “buried treasure”, “a hidden gem” or “an underrated gem” ? Well, to me, it’s a great song that seldom (or never) is on the “best-of” lists of the artist, and it could have/should have been.

I am talking about great songs that are often overlooked. We are talking about personal favorites that you wouldn’t rate among the artists top 20 (maybe), but deserve some more praise and recognition than they get.

Neil Young has a lot of those, here are my 11 chosen ones (the Spotify playlist is at the end of the post):

Words – Between the lines of age, Glastonbury 2009 (Harvest):

Bandit:

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November 12: Happy 70th birthday Neil Young

 

“I have so many opinions about everything it just comes out during my music. It’s a battle for me. I try not to be preachy. That’s a real danger.”
-Neil Young

“It’s bettet to burn out than to fade away”
― Neil Young

“If you follow every dream, you might get lost.”
― Neil Young

Eddie Vedder inducts Neil Young into R’nR Hall of Fame:

Continue reading “November 12: Happy 70th birthday Neil Young”