NEIL YOUNG Week - Track 3

I've always had a liking for long tracks that are given the scope to develope. Obviously there's a tendency to over do it and Neil Young is as guilty as anyone of this. But I wanted to include at least one of his longer tracks. There were many candidates in the running and finally on his 80th birthday I settled for 10 minutes of 'Natural Beauty' >

Off the 1992 'Harvest Moon' album - listen out for Neil on the harmonica - a beautiful song ! 

 

NEIL YOUNG Week - Day 2.

Electric phase with 'Powderfinger' from the 'Rust Never Sleeps' 1979 - 'Live' album. 

Recorded the previous year with his band Crazy Horse. The track was also on an expanded double LP released later the same year as 'Live Rust'.

The Crazy Horse line up at this time was Frank Sampedro - guitar, vocals; Billy Talbot - bass, vocals & Ralph Molina - drums, vocals.

'Powderfinger' was also reissued as part of another 'live' record in 1991 on the 'Weld' album >

Welcome to my NEIL YOUNG Week. Having been a big fan from the moment I first heard 'After the Gold Rush' in 1970, as explained in this 2020 blog (here). 

The many styles of music Neil Young has covered over the decades has only enhanced my love. From folk to country, rock, blues and grunge, even his electronic moments, it's been incredible. 

So everyday this week I've a favourite track, a selection across the years to illustrate his breath of output. In a chosen chronological order, until Friday when I return to 1989. 

Starting in the year 1978 from the 'Comes A Time' album I've picked 'Four Strong Winds'

Not composed by Neil Young 'Four Strong Winds" is a song written in 1962 by Ian Tyson and recorded by Canadian folk duo Ian and Sylvia on their 1963 album of the same name. Apparently the song is considered the unofficial anthem of Alberta.

Neil worked with many band members who showed up over the years in The Stray Gators and Crazy Horse to name a few. 

The 'Comes A Time' album line up was - Neil Young - guitar, banjo, vocal; Nicolette Larson - harmony vocal; Ben Keith - steel guitar; Karl T. Himmel - Drums; Tim Drummond - bass; Spooner Oldham - piano; Rufus Thibodeaux - fiddle.

Tomorrow is another day and another track >>> 

  

Final Part: A Majestic Music Tale

Saturday evening and we're back at the Majestic Cafe in Conway, New Hampshire. 

Sitting at our usual table having been greeted by Majestic volunteer Beverly, who had not only taken us under her wing and recommended tonight's duo Dennis O'Neil & Davey Armstrong, but immediately went to speak with Scotsman Davey to inform him that Margaret was also Scottish. This led to an interval meeting in which he came over for a chat. There followed a special moment, when their second set began he sang a song especially for Margaret - 'Caledonia'. If you know the song you'll get the moving message in the lyrics. 

The whole evening was special and the music very varied from traditional folk to recognisable contemporary songs. Dennis O'Neil played a Godin guitar (a stringed instrument or synth guitar) which was linked to a console beside him that, at the touch of buttons, sounded like a banjo, a piano, an organ, a violin or accordion and also made different electric and acoustic guitar sounds. Quite amazing ! (See more tech info here.)

Also Davey played an unusual pipe instrument that was a bagpipe minus the bag. I've found an old video of them playing at the Shannon Door pub in Jackson (a few miles north of Conway). It shows Davey's stage persona, bare feet hitting floor pedals, and Dennis's guitar becomes an accordion - it certainly captures their performance and how much fun it was. Here they're playing the Steve Earle song 'Galway Girl' > 

Encore >

Having enjoyed ourselves once again, it took little persuasion from Beverly for us to come along the following Wednesday for more entertainment in the shape of Kevin Nolan & Simon Crawford. English and Scottish musicians, full of jokes and a good ol' sing song to many well known tunes. Bar manager Joe had encouraged dancing and the invite was accepted (see video below - click ➤ twice) - to some 'Old time Rock and Roll'

That's THE END of our story, but not I suspect the last we'll hear of the Majestic Cafe, Conway. 

(click link here for more)

  

An alternative (and occasional) music posting highlighting something out of the ordinary.
Perhaps of limited appeal, unconventional, experimental or just far-out !Call it what you like
(or switch it off, if you don't like). 

Part 2 of: A Majestic Music Tale

Some 5 hours after 'Travelling the Blues Highway' with John Howell, we were back at the Majestic Cafe in Conway for the Friday Night Jazz.

The music was a tribute to American jazz legend, pianist and innovator Bud Powell, who I'd never heard of. The piano quartet playing were lead by Jed Wilson on piano with Mike Sakash (sax), Scott Kiefner (double bass) and the impressively cool Tim Gilmore on drums. 

We enjoyed many of the improvised pieces they played but the name of this tune really stuck with me. Titled 'In the Mood for a Classic' - and why not !

Sitting on other tables were some of the lady volunteers from earlier in the day, who'd said we shouldn't miss this evening, and we got to meet Joe the manager who ran the bar with a smile and had a good selection of local draft beers to tempt me. 

As we were leaving one of the ladies pulled up in her car and offered us a lift back to our Airbnb, saving us the 20 minute walk in the dark. Nice !

- 24 hours later we'd be back again for the Folk music. And another classic evening... 

Final verse - this Friday

  

A Story of Good ForTUNE

or A Majestic Music Tale (in three verses)

It would be fairly flash of me to suggest my recent trip to America was in part a field trip to gather material towards the FMS, but that's pretty much what happened. It went like this:

On the first day at our Airbnb in New Hampshire we decided to walk the 20 minutes into the modest town centre of Conway. The first small business we entered was the Sweet Maple Cafe where Margaret picked up a free newspaper 'The Conway Daily Sun' full of local 'What's On' in the area. It had an article 'Travel the Blues Highway' at First Friday at Majestic. A former Southern radio DJ John Howell was giving a talk at 1pm in the Majestic Theatre, just along the road. We thought we'd go.

On entering we were welcomed by a bevy of volunteers keen to show us the theatre building, its Music Center history and the Majestic Cafe. Their friendly enthusiasm saw us buy tickets for that evening's Jazz night (and before we left we signed up for the following night's folk music too), but I'm getting ahead of myself.

The fascinating lunchtime talk was advertised as Bob Dylan 'Highway 61 Revisited', with that part of the talk to be on a later date. Today John Howell spoke of the Delta blues artists - Muddy Walers, Charley Patton, Son House, Howlin' Wolf and Robert Johnson. He showed some great videos of the these artists along with John Lee Hooker performing 'Boom Boom'. This is the actual video he showed us.

As the video mentions at the start many artists have covered this song and coincidentally, later during our stay, while browsing the book shop minutes from our Airbnb, a store brilliantly named 'The Local BOOKie', the owner had the radio tuned to a local station, and on comes a version of 'Boom Boom' by Big Head Todd & the Monsters from 1997 that actually has John Lee Hooker guesting on the track. (tune in here).

Next Verse (Part of this Tale) - coming midweek. 

  

An alternative (and occasional) music posting highlighting something out of the ordinary.
Perhaps of limited appeal, unconventional, experimental or just far-out !Call it what you like
(or switch it off, if you don't like). 

As promised a couple of Rick Wakeman extras. This time not with a cast of hundreds, but solo !

1st: the famous Yes track 'And You And I' on piano. Titled by YouTube: 'The Other Side of Rick Wakeman'

2nd: from his latest piano based album, a track called 'Sea of Tranquility' - (this one is for Toni). 

  

Off this evening to see Mr Rick Wakeman CBE. Not a tribute act and billed as 'The Return of the Caped Crusader' himself. 

I have lots of previous notes and links to many tracks (mostly Yes) and more recently (the Strawbs), so what to choose was the question. Then I checked tonight's tickets, which says "Six Wives & King Arthur", so it had to be something from these records.  

I found a video from a 1975 production of Rick Wakeman in 'The Myths and Legends of King Arthur' - A Pageant on Ice - featuring his six-strong band the English Rock Ensemble (ERE), narrator Terry Taplin, conductor David Measham and the 46-strong New World Symphony Orchestra, chorusmaster Guy Protheroe and the English Chamber Choir, and the Nottingham Festival vocal group. And taking the performing personnel up to 130 or so, what the programme notes described as ‘a host of ice stars'. 
Mid-70s progressive rock had a reputation for pomposity, grandiosity and excess all areas. Rick who funded the three shows at Wembley Empire Pool, was quoted as saying "Everyone thinks I'm crackers"! Though all the shows were a sell out they ultimately lost money.

A review in music paper 'Sounds' revealed sound problems and they weren't to complimentary, feeling the ice skaters stole the show. "Guinevere looked appropriately ethereal as she gracefully navigated the arena, while ERE singers Ashley Holt and Gary Pickford Jones sang a particularly soppy ode in her honour; and nobody fell over."

The clip I found is of 'Guinevere' (Patricia Pauley skating) from King Arthur on Ice. 

Not expecting such an extravaganza this evening, but should be fun, knowing Rick.

 

FYI: I unearthed a copy of the 16 page Programme of the Show. (click to view)

As I had so many other videos I though some extras might work well this coming midweek ...

to follow

  

As this is birthday week, today's Star Track is for the birthday girl. One of Margaret's favourite tracks is 'At Last' by Etta James. 

It's a song written by Mack Gordon and Harry Warren for the 1941 musical 'Sun Valley Serenade'. Glenn Miller and his orchestra recorded the tune several times, with a 1942 version reaching No.2 on the US Billboard chart.

In 1960, R&B singer Etta James recorded an arrangement by Riley Hampton that improvised on Warren's original melody. It was the title track of her debut album and has become her signature song.

  

Cat Stevens - composer and singer: 'Oh Very Young'

❝ You're only dancin' on this earth for a short while

And the goodbye makes the journey harder still ❞