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April 28, 2006

This Note's For Some Of You

Listen to Neil Young's new protest album Living With War, argue in the comments!

Posted at 10:09 AM




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22 Comments

one song in, and it sounds pretty classic -- angry neil is always the best neil.

Posted by: sonicdeath99 at 04/28/06 10:31 AM | Reply
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I've only got halfway, but I think it's pretty good on first listen. Except for the diarhhoea line. Was that totally necessary?

Posted by: Sean at 04/28/06 10:34 AM | Reply
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It's a fantastic album. Can't wait to get my hands on a real copy (or some mp3s even).

Posted by: Andrew at 04/28/06 10:35 AM | Reply
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I stayed up late last night, listened to the stream and wrote a song-by-song analysis (I kinda like Neil Young?). I think I need to hear it more to be sure of what I think. On reflection I'm just glad to hear a lively Neil Young getting angry and writing a protest album. I hope it adds some fuel to the fire of conversation, and at $3.30 a gallon, it's about time someone did.

Posted by: EJ at 04/28/06 10:59 AM | Reply
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i love neil young, hate the war and bush, but dont think this album is that good.

Posted by: andrew at 04/28/06 11:05 AM | Reply
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is the stream really choppy for anyone else?

Posted by: j at 04/28/06 11:12 AM | Reply
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there cant be but about a gojillion people connected to it, should be smooth as silk

Posted by: EJ at 04/28/06 11:17 AM | Reply
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Neil Young is the greatest American from Canada ever. I truly esteem him as a hero now after listening to that there stream. Bravo and huzzah.

Posted by: LL Cool F at 04/28/06 11:31 AM | Reply
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As a huge Neil Young fan (I own every album and tons of bootlegs) I imagined this album being as bad as Greendale, which I will say to my dying day is the worst piece of crap the guy has ever released. That album was recorded as a power trio (just like LWW) and was a "concept" disc (check again).

Thankfully, this is not Greendale. The choir is a bit loud at times, but overall, I think it's a really good album. "Let's Impeach the President" is much better than I thought it would be, and "In the Garden" flat out rocks like Ragged Glory.

Posted by: steve at 04/28/06 11:39 AM | Reply
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I don't know why... but listening to this makes me realise how much of a hack Morrissey is. I hope he's paying attention, because these are the kind of songs that truly inspire change... not like his, which come off as being quite ignornat and insulting. (And I say this as a Canadian!)

I really love this record. Greendale's a great record too... you just gotta be in the mood for it. But this is no Greendale. It's more along the lines of Mirrorball and Broken Arrow. And probably his best rocker since Ragged Glory!

Woo!

Posted by: Andrew at 04/28/06 11:49 AM | Reply
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Steve - I'm not a big fan of Greendale, but I would place the song "Bandit", from that disc, among Neil Young's best acoustic material.

Posted by: drewo at 04/28/06 12:07 PM | Reply
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Drewo,

I agree with you--"Bandit" is a great track. That song is the only reason Greendale is on my Ipod.

Well, that's not the whole truth--I have every Neil Young song that's been commercially released on my Ipod (even the crappy ones from American Dream.)

Back to LWW, I really love how he updates "Chimes of Freedom" on "Flags of Freedom." I'm sure Bob would approve.

Posted by: steve at 04/28/06 12:19 PM | Reply
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I'm waiting on getting MP3's myself .. but halfway in, this sounds like a pretty powerful thing. Channeling the yesteryear, angrier than God Neil.

I'm just tired of the stream cutting out.

Posted by: rusty at 04/28/06 12:36 PM | Reply
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I'm digging it; musically, the arrangements are rockin'/angry and lyrically...well, I agree with a fair portion of everything that he has written and spoken about since all the hype surrounding this thing has started. Well done.

Posted by: Fed Ex Pope at 04/28/06 1:31 PM | Reply
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When the world is running you down, you make the best of what's still around

Posted by: sting at 04/28/06 2:33 PM | Reply
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this is fucking awesome. wow.

Posted by: dandug at 04/28/06 2:46 PM | Reply
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good stuff. much of it sounds like an ameri-nadian version of a roger waters solo piece. neil knows how to express concern from his heart - the heart of a farmer and a rocker... a warrior poet... swinging a guitar-shaped broadsword. i will weep when this man passes.

Posted by: b at 04/28/06 3:21 PM | Reply
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mr. young should go back on the daily show and perform some of this stuff....


www.myspace.com/owensound

Posted by: RP at 04/28/06 4:20 PM | Reply
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I'm a big Neil fan. And I like it a lot.

But with the constant 100 person choir, am I the only one who sometimes gets a Kidz Bop vibe from it?

No disrespect. I'm just saying is all.

Posted by: Tim at 04/28/06 4:26 PM | Reply
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As a casual Neil fan, it does harken back to "Ragged Glory" for me. A pretty awesome achievement, for a 60-year-old man to make music this moving and vital and rockin'.

Posted by: David at 04/28/06 5:00 PM | Reply
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I just figured out what the choir reminds me of--the backing vocals on "Touch the Night" and "The Violent Side" from Landing on Water. That was a San Fran kids choir I believe.

I'm on my 4th listen of the day, and wow, this album is a grower.

Posted by: steve at 04/28/06 7:13 PM | Reply
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neil young is one of my favorites. i think that my favorite track so far is "restless consumer." i like a lot of them though. i've only listened to it a couple times, but the impeach the president one didn't strike me as being one of the better tracks.

also, i don't know why everyone seems to hate Greendale. i liked it, and i saw it live and it was great. give it a chance. it took me awhile to get into it, but i like the message and story a lot. i forget, is it cool to be really critical? it seems like things must be either loved or hated (and if they're loved too much by too many people, they seem to become hated)--it shouldn't be like that.

Posted by: zac at 04/29/06 6:39 PM | Reply
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