How Do You Compare Your Work?
I am a huge fan of Neil Young. I have all of his CD’s and albums going back to the first solo CD. I even recorded a version of “the Loner” on my new cd, The Eternal Contradiction. The reason that I own a herring bone Martin D-28 is because of the inside picture of Neil on the “After the Gold Rush” album. So it was with great enthusiasm that I ordered the Ryman Concert DVD that Jonathan Demme did on Neil with Emmylou Harris and even Neil’s wife Pegi backing him up. 
The film started out with the songs from his Prairie Wind CD, one which I do not own. I was utterly prepared to hear an artist thrilling me. It didn’t happen. This is probably going to sound egotistical or at least enrage a lot of people that I care about, but…
The songs for the first hour were so uninspired, I could hardly believe that he wrote them. I thought that perhaps I was simply turning into a curmudgeon or that he was too old to do his songs justice, but wten he did “I Am A Child”. What a fantastic song. Original, melodic and poetic; a song that would have worked if it came out today. It was simply great. A great song done in his own inimitable style.
He then did several of his older songs and even Harvest Moon, a song which was pleasant enough when it came out, but sounded truly wonderful that night. I liked it so much better than I knew I did. And I realized that the older songs weren’t better because they were familiar, they were better because they were better written.
It got me to thinking about songwriting in general and his work in particular. The Prairie Wind songs had lazy lyric choices, false rhymes and just not a lot of the artistry of so much of his previous work. I have always looked to him and a few other artists as inspiration for me. The chances they take, the growth they continue to display as musicians and composers,…and poets.
The upside is that Neil still takes all kinds of chances with his writing, performing, arranging, etc and that is truly inspirational and, for me, thrilling. Where I become confused is the part where one must put your new songs up there next to your old songs. How do they sound? How do they resonate? Would the new songs have broken you as an artist? I know that I don’t succeed everytime, but that’s what I’m thinking and trying to do every time I write a new song. You can’t continually top yourself, but you MUST try.
Perhaps when you are as deservedly successful as he is, you have no one to point out to you that it’s possible that this new song sucks. The audience can become so psychofantic that you cannot depend upon them to give you a true reading of what you are doing. They can get so that they just seem to love everything that you give them, when it is your incredible success and your fame that is now driving the train.
All I know is that there were no songs that I heard of the Prairie Wind selections that thrilled me, not the playing, not the writing, not the poetry.
It’s easy to just say whatever you want, whether it actually meters or rhymes, but for me, the true art comes when you manage to do all that and you do it in the framework that you created. To disregard that cannot be freeing and thrilling if what you say is a powerful truth or poetic art, but to disregard it and just put whatever comes out on the page, seems like something that we should not expect or accept from the people we regard as masters of the craft.
That being said, I’m still a huge Neil Young fan, just disappointed …this time.
What I am trying to convey is that we, none of us…not you, not me, not Neil, should get lazy in the creation of our art. We may not make it to the winner’s circle, but we’ve always got to try our best. Everytime you write a song, do a show, make a recording, do it like this might be the last thing that you ever do on earth. You will be rewarded for that effort, I promise you.
james lee stanley
in Recording, Performing, Songwriting, Arranging
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6 Comments
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Reader Comments (6)
I'll just say it-
I HATE NEIL YOUNG
or rather...
NEIL YOUNG...the icon and the legend...the voice the hair the half stooped over...well you get the picture
I do however have a hell of alot of respect and admiration for him as a poet and an artiste...I was 11 when 'Keep On Rockin' In the Free World" was playing on the radio and on the video channels...
I thought it was a great song...and the guy singing it in the videos was kinda goofy with all the tvs and the garbage bag poncho...
I didnt know till years later that there was any political message in it...
A friend of mine became taken with Neil about eight years ago...he told me to listen to what were his greatest albums...I did so begrudgingly...i found that there was actually greatness there...
I just assumed that all the songs on Eternal Contradiction except for "It's All In The Game" were JLS compositions...So I thought the Loner was fantastic...I had read all the notes on JLS.com...but for some reason I didnt retain the info that this particular song was a Neil Young tune...so when i did get that the Loner was Neil Young's composition...i was even more impressed...both with Mr Stanley and Mr. Young...
Somewhere in all of that is a point about being taken and impressed despite myself...which is kinda the other end of the spectrum from already being a big fan and then being disappointed...
James— No question, the Praire Wind tunes are not as refined as much as Neil’s earlier work. “I am a Child “ is jewel, but there’s certainly no “Expecting to Fly” or “After the Gold Rush” in the set. However, one must remember that he had a life threatening aneurysm and claims to have written many of those tunes in 10 to 15 minutes. Perhaps he was seeking simplicity. No doubt, the infliction of such a disease would wreak havoc on most peoples psyche. His main goal was to play with his friends and play Hank’s old HD28, and he accomplished that. Being a background vocal junkie, I thought the harmonies were very tight and rich.
By the way I love your version of “The Loner”, and John’s silky backing vocal adds a nice touch.
Take care,
Max
max and bobby, thanks for your posts and your incites. i had forgotten the context of neil writing those songs. for me, that still doesn't excuse the songs, but at least now i comprehend the nascency of the project. and yes, they did do well on the harmonies. in a sense, we are all here on a death sentence and should keep that in mind when we're doing anything. is this the last thing we want to be doing on earth? is this the best we can do?
by the way, max, we were going to get to gether and play a little weren't we? i get back the 3rd of may. email me a the jls addy and we'll make it happen.
james
James—No question about it, we’re only here for moment in time and we owe to ourselves to do the best we can in all aspects of life. I believe an artist owes it to himself and his fan base to provide his or her best effort and raise the bar on each performance or song. It’s not an easy feat, but well worth the spoils in the long run.
I’ll drop you line on your addy page when you get back and we’ll touch bases and get together. I look forward to it.
Take care,
Max
Hi James~
Arden at KPIG turned me on to your musician tips of the trade!! I have admired you for well over 20 years. It's a treat to hear you on KPIG when you come to town. I remember hearing you singing with a woman at the Crow's Nest many years ago. I sure love your songwriting and appreciate the good stuff you are sharing here. It's really quite something....WONDERFUL!
Thanks! I have a house concert venue you might be interested in...email me
Hi James~
Arden at KPIG turned me on to your musician tips of the trade!! I have admired you for well over 20 years. It's a treat to hear you on KPIG when you come to town. I remember hearing you singing with a woman at the Crow's Nest many years ago. I sure love your songwriting and appreciate the good stuff you are sharing here. It's really quite something....WONDERFUL!
Thanks!
I have a house concert venue you might be interested in...email me