Tag Archives: Neil Young

Losing Sleep

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I gave you the first part of my favourite albums of 2010 yesterday and today I present my top ten long players from the year gone by. Neil Young has released more albums than the rest of the acts on this list put together and he’s been doing it for five decades now. Fortunately, his talent shows no sign of abating and a lot of the younger whippersnappers below could learn a thing or two from his approach to making music. The title of Le Noise is a pun on the last name of its producer and Daniel Lanois has produced another excellent recording that shows Young’s voice at its best as well as some simple but effective riffing. My favourite tracks on the album are Love & War and The Hitchiker. These two songs stand out for me because they contain some of the most personal writing I’ve heard from a songwriter who’s at the top of his game. The next singer doesn’t write her own material, but is closest in years to Young. I Learned It the Hard Way by Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings actually sounds like it could have been released anytime during the heyday of soul music in the sixties and seventies. The Dap-Kings provide wonderful backing to Jones’ powerful voice on a dozen songs that primarily focus on romantic relationships and financial concerns

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Stop Calling Me Shirley!

An actor who has made me laugh more than most passed away on Sunday. Shirley Leslie Nielsen was born in Canada in 1926 and, after brief stints in the Canadian Air Force and as a radio DJ, he stumbled into acting in his early 20s. He got his first break doing television dramas and you may still catch him popping up on re-runs of Hawaii Five-O, Columbo or Murder She Wrote. He always played the straight guy in these shows and was just as likely to appear as either the villain or the good guy. He reprised these roles for cinema, though his only real successes up until the end of the seventies were in Forbidden Planet (1956) and The Poseidon Adventure (1972). I guess he was destined to be one of those guys you often recognise, but were unable to put a name to the face

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Long May You Run

One of my favourite singer/songwriters turned 65 yesterday and the man shows no sign of retiring. I’ve been fortunate enough to see him live on a couple of occasions and he was brilliant both times. Here are four fine versions of some of his best songs as well as his own take on a tune by Bob Dylan. A belated happy birthday, Neil

The Needle and The Damage Done (Neil Young cover) – Laura Marling

Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere (Neil Young cover) – Matthew Sweet & Susanna Hoffs

Cinnamon Girl (Neil Young cover) – Radiohead

Long May You Run (Neil Young cover) – Nils Lofgren

Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues (Bob Dylan cover) – Neil Young

Covering the Oscars

Tomorrow, the 82nd Academy Awards ceremony will take place in Hollywood. This annual shindig is a huge marketing tool for the film industry and is a chance for members of the Academy to tell each other how great they all are. In the US, the large number of independent and low-budget films that have been nominated for Best Picture over the last few years has also led to a drop in TV viewers (and advertising revenue). I would argue that a deterioration in the quality of films coming out of Hollywood over the last few years may be the actual reason for this decline in audience numbers. I was shocked that Crash and Slumdog Millionaire were recent Oscar winners for Best Picture because I felt that both of these films were turkies. In an effort to get more people watching, the organisers have doubled the number of Best Picture nominees from five to ten. In order to fit clips from these extra titles into the show, something had to give. This year, the major casualties arising from this change will be the nominees for Best Original Song. The usual live performance will be replaced clips from the film from over which the song will appear. This year, Randy Newman will attempt to add to his solitary Oscar from 2001 as he is nominated twice. Perhaps he’s glad that he won’t have to perform as well

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Comfortably Numb

A snow couple built by Mary & Dave

A couple of schoolteachers I know are feeling a little bit down at the moment. Firstly, they have to put up with the unusually cold weather that Ireland, like everywhere else, is experiencing at the moment. Secondly, they have to stay home from school until Thursday as all national and secondary schools in Ireland will be closed until then. Despite this, Mary and Dave have been putting a brave face on it and this weekend they decided to build a couple of snowpeople in their backyard. As you can see from the photo*, both of them seem to have big smiles on their faces, but there appears to be some tension between them as well. The fellow on the right seems to be a lot more content than his companion. The reason for his happiness may be due to the nice cold bottle of Bud he’s holding in his hand. His lady friend seems to be giving him the cold shoulder for now, but I’m sure he’ll melt her heart before the night is through (cold hands, warm heart and all that). Of course, it’s possible she may be stone cold sober, so let’s hope he’s got a few more bottles on ice or she may end up getting cold feet. Mind you, she looks like butter wouldn’t melt in her mouth, although I can’t help thinking she could think of something to say that might break the ice

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Running Up That Hill

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At the end of the month my sister will take part in the 2009 Cork City Women’s Mini-Marathon, a mini-marathon for women that will take place in Cork city this year. I believe this is her first mini-marathon, though she did complete a lenghty bike trip a few years ago. I don’t know where she finds all the time as she also has to take care of one big fellow and two small fellas every day. She’s also going to college and is, I think, doing a night course. It’s hard to keep up with her. Her are a few tunes for you, Úna, to help you get over the finishing line on the 27th. All the songs should help you on your journey and, in case you forget what you’re doing, many of them are also about running and being out on the road

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