Neil Young Set

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/neil-young-hop-farm-festival-kent-862884.html

I empathised with the following quote,

Only "No Hidden Path" sees him really stretch out on the guitar, in an unevolving way that proves he's no Hendrix, until a coda of deep, slow feedback.

[quote="Kim Yelach"]Surely there are people out there who thought it the most outrageous self indulgence that Neil Young took approx half an hour to complete his penultimate offering, "No Hidden Path"?

My personal opinion is different, being a devoted Neil fan (after having listened to many bands/musicians, I've finally found the man who I can say is by far the most worthy of being my personal musical idol, heck, it's the other way round really, I'm not worthy, I'm not worthy...). I love No Hidden Path (didn't like it so much on the album, but experiencing all 20 mins + of it each time at the Apollo has totally opened up my mind to this brilliant song that allows Neil to get possessed and jam on).

One of the reasons why Neil's fans love his long 'messy' jamming sessions is for just that reason, they're long, and they're 'messy'. These epic songs take us on a journey, through tempo changes, speeding up and down, dynamic changes, getting louder and softer, mellow sections, raging sections, feedback sections, and throughout all the sections, the band members are always in touch with each other and with Neil, following him, supporting him as he leads them through the changes. A very good lesson on musicianship, improvisation, and the Dionyscean (how do you spell it) style of music. It's not meant to be perfect, it's gorgeous because of its imperfection and most importantly, it all comes from the heart.

For me, the magical moment in No Hidden Path is when after all the tension during the long sections of dischordant noise and mess during the soloing, then comes the resolving chorus, that lovely chord change to the major key, like the 'Path has been lit', and he sings 'And with you, I feel no Hidden Path'. For this amount of tension and resolve, it's best appreciated in the form of a long song.

The man himself puts it best when he says, quote:

Neil Said...

On the long songs from RAGGED GLORY...

I purposely wanted to play long instrumentals because I don't hear any jamming
on any other records. There's nothing spontaneous going on on records these
days, except in blues and funkier music. Rock and roll used to have all that.
People aren't reaching out in the instrumental passages and spontaneously
letting them last as long as they can. I love to do that, but I can only really
do it with one band. I tried it a little on FREEDOM . But that style of music
is better for me with Crazy Horse." 1990


I hope that some of you younger fans or those on the verge of being newly converted can appreciate this point, as it opens up a whole new dimension of rock music appreciation

loper wrote:http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/neil-young-hop-farm-festival-kent-862884.html

I empathised with the following quote,

Only "No Hidden Path" sees him really stretch out on the guitar, in an unevolving way that proves he's no Hendrix, until a coda of deep, slow feedback.

Quite, he is no Hendrix. Neil Young is far more talented than Hendrix would ever have been. Fact.

loper wrote:http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/neil-young-hop-farm-festival-kent-862884.html

I empathised with the following quote,

Only "No Hidden Path" sees him really stretch out on the guitar, in an unevolving way that proves he's no Hendrix, until a coda of deep, slow feedback.

I empathised with this quote:

"But nothing really matters except Neil."

In response to Kim Y, I see why some people like yourself may have been a bit disappointed, but I for one only went becuase Neil Young was there, anything else was a bonus.

Rimini, Sorry you missed out, that really sucks.

TRAFFORD CAT WROTE: "Quite, he is no Hendrix. Neil Young is far more talented than Hendrix would ever have been. Fact."

This is a step too far; I cannot let that be said. Everything else posted re my thoughts on Neil Young I can accept with a listening and learning mind, but to claim Young is better than Hendrix is silly.

Songwriting POSSIBLY, in my opinion, JUST possibly though.
Guitar playing definitely and positively NO!! NO!! NO!! Technically, emotionally or as thrillingly.

Jimi Hendrix was THE genius of Rock Guitar, and ALL other modern guitarists followed.

Don't take my word for it, check out the opinions of a MULTITUDE of famous musicians. Jeff Beck wanted to give up playing the guitar when he heard him, Clapton said "you said he was good, but not that f****** good", Pete Townsend was in awe of him, Slash idolises him...

You just cannot argue against these icons of rock, unless you are deluded, which brings me back to my original point; maybe Neil Young AND his fans are marooned on a remote metaphorical desert island of the mind, unwilling to be rescued from their idyllic paradise. Maybe critical analysis has withered with the passing of time, and the Emperor's Clothes visible only to the select few?

Kim, I didn't mean at playing the guitar, although i would argue that Hendrix was not the best at that!
I meant on a purely musical basis - guitar, organ, harmonica, vocals and mainly
of course, lyrically.
Needle and the damage done vs Foxy Lady..................I rest my case!





P.s. Rory Gallagher was better on the guitar than Hendrix!

Kim, Just gonna have to agree to disagree on this one!
Needle- far,far, better lyrically than Angel, as is No hidden path over Foxy Lady.

I feel that Hendrix passing at 27 actually made him the legend he is today. (see James Dean as an example of this)
Yes, he was groundbreaking and innovative, but certainly not the most technically gifted there has ever been.

Not even in the top 50 best songwriters imho! - Neil Young would certainly be in my top 10.

'Ang on a minute.....my Dad's bigger than your Dad, etc......

Jimi has no contenders for best rock guitarist as far as i'm concerned. No sir. Star Spangled Banner at Woodstock is enough to tesify to that for me.

However....Neil's live playing astounded me. He's never claimed to be the greatest guitarist. For me, it's the sheer intensity, anger, passion, that he creates that blew me away. Doesn't matter how technically proficient you are..if you don't have the feeling coming through those fingertips..forget it.

Jimi had it, so did Peter Green..and Neil. They mean it. All in different ways. Their personalities come through their playing. Townshend too. You could never call him a great guitar player either, but try taking your eyes off him when he's beating the hell out of his SG.

........................Is that not the purpose of a Forum? Opinion?

You are wrong about Hendrix
But I agree that for most of the time, it is the 'soul and emotion' that can sometimes make a 'great' guitarist stand out from a technically superior player.

My point here though is that, as an all round musician and chiefly a songwriter, not purely guitar playing, Neil Young is more talented than Hendrix was/would be.



...................of course, that is only MY opinion.

I know that, Trafford...i'm in full agreement. Although we'll never know about Jimi. He had yet to reach his full potential, maybe. I'm just putting a different slant on it.

I don't look at it as who is better than who. I either like it or I don't. Hendrix is a hero of mine, so is Neil. Simple as.

oldraver wrote:I know that, Trafford...i'm in full agreement. I'm just putting a different slant on it.

I don't look at it as who is better than who. I either like it or I don't. Hendrix is a hero of mine, so is Neil. Simple as.

I agree, otherwise we would all like the same thing! God forbid.
I like Hendrix stuff, don't get me wrong, just personally think he is overrated tis all.
One of my musical heroes is Phil Lynott, and a lot of people don't rate him as a songwriter.
He would be in my top 4. - although, I don't really like 'the boys are back in town'

Anyway, we seem to all agree that Neils performance was superb!

Well, I'm now worn out, it's not like football, where someone always wins the league/trophy, more like gymnastics, where it's all about personal opinion maybe?

I disagree Jimi's passing made him the legend he is today, it was his TALENT - no question. He was being talked about as THE best by his actual peers, you cannot get higher recommendation than that. THEY are the ones to listen to, all our humble opinions maybe come below theirs?

I like oldraver's take on this subject, and I agree that the combination of feel and skill is essential for a guitarist to be called "great". They were had in abundance by Jimi, and for me that's good enough to put him on top of the pile.

He was also very under-rated as a song writer, but maybe that proves the point about his guitar playing; it was SO good that it eclipsed his other talents.

But - like oldraver, I love them both, and going back to my original point, it was the overlong rendition of the "No Hidden Path" song I didn't like, not Neil Young. I still feel it was not necessary.

Traffordcat, I also think Phil Lynot was a great songwriter, so we do have something we can totally agree on!

Good to discuss.

Traffordcat, I also think Phil Lynot was a great songwriter, so we do have something we can totally agree on! -Yeah!

Good to discuss.[/quote]
I totally agree. I really enjoyed the day, despite some 'inconveniences'!
Hope it carries on next year!

I'm partial to a bit of Phil as well...!! He looked the part too, didn't he..?

Last saw Lizzy at Lewisham Odeon in '78.

We're lucky really. Today's kids only have The Kooks.!!