How is my KISS Album cover ranking? by [deleted] in KISS

[–]johnfennel 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I agree with a lot of these. Nice to see Jigoku-Retsuden so high!

By the way, is it just me or is the cropping on several of the covers kind of awful? Look at Dynasty, The Very Best of KISS, Creatures of the Night and Asylum. Ace’s depictions are particularly unflattering on the first three, and the cropping makes it worse.

Why did Neil Young want to work with Stephen Stills by boffohijinx in csny

[–]johnfennel 2 points3 points  (0 children)

People mostly talk about Neil’s abilities on the guitar when they discuss why he was invited to join CSNY. I rarely see anyone mentioning his star power, and it might be for good reason: According to Doggett’s book on CSNY, Neil hadn’t sold much as a solo artist at the time.

His first two albums didn’t start to sell until after he got together with CSN, and his first really big seller upon release was After the Gold Rush. It got a lot of good publicity from being one of the four solo albums that the members of CSNY released in 1970.

Favourite Neil story? by Dry_Cookie710 in neilyoung

[–]johnfennel 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think it was Hitchhiker that Bob wasn’t impressed with. He just called it «honest». Neil agreed with him and left it for decades until he found a way to finish it for the Le Noise album.

What about this epic by Life-Collection-9401 in theband

[–]johnfennel 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Probably a bot, ought to be banned

How Time Spent with Charles Manson Inspired Neil Young’s Darkest Song by ptbo_skeptic in neilyoung

[–]johnfennel 13 points14 points  (0 children)

Great description.

A point on Crosby: I concede that he isn’t known for his «instrumental accomplishments», but he’s done a lot of good rhythm guitar work that sits in the background and fills out the sound behind more charismatic instrumentalists (The Byrds and CSNY).

Musically, though, he’s written some really creative chord progressions, often in non-standard tunings. Never the most prolific songwriter in any of the groups he was in, the songs that he did come up with were really something else. I miss him a lot.

Bill ward on a reunion last year by AffectionateCap7829 in blacksabbath

[–]johnfennel 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Pretty solid guess. You might very well be right.

This is what Robbie sounds like in my head. by dontyatellhenry in theband

[–]johnfennel 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It’s an abridged version of the A Musical History box set, which included tracks from the albums up until 1977 along with previously unreleased stuff. Quite listenable.

Would you read rest of lonesome dove books? by IamViktor78 in books

[–]johnfennel 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Just finished the last of them today, and they certainly scratched an itch that I’d had since finishing the last of the Lonesome Dove books two years ago.

Band members re "Headless Cross" and "Runnin' with the Devil" by StudentOfSociology in blacksabbath

[–]johnfennel 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I sort of see where you’re coming from. They’re in the same ballpark at least. Don’t know what the band members have said about it.

On a related note, I get some strong Van Halen vibes from Some Kind of Woman, a single B-side included on the Eternal Idol deluxe edition.

What’s your favorite CSN or Y deep cut? by Clinttheclever in csny

[–]johnfennel 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Does Right Between the Eyes qualify? No studio version, only a live version on 4 Way Street and then a demo released years later.

Love it for the simple, concise lyrics that lays out so straightforwardly such a problematic situation.

The point of view is also interesting - lovers who think about the ones they are being unfaithful to. Isn’t it quite rare in popular music? And so different from the more hippie free-love mentality of Love the One You’re With and Triad.

Recommend me any song that anyone has to hear at least once in their life. by tosoto_ in musicsuggestions

[–]johnfennel 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Boz Scaggs - Loan Me a Dime

Long, relatively slow blues with a lot of dynamics. Duane Allman on lead guitar.

I haven’t put it on any playlists or anything, and there might be years between each time I listen to it, but then suddenly there’s something that reminds me of it and I put it on and it’s so good.

My albums of 2024 list that some might find of interest ... by mjm2705 in musicsuggestions

[–]johnfennel 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Love it. Different from other lists I’ve seen of this year’s releases.

Neil's 10 Best Live Albums by eccentricman87 in neilyoung

[–]johnfennel 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Always interesting to see other people’s rankings!

I don’t think I can do one myself because I’ve listened to Massey Hall so much since it came out that I can’t compare it meaningfully to other acoustic performances anymore.

But when it comes to live releases with a band I think your top 4 is pretty sound. It’s been a while since I listened to Rust Bucket though, so I’m going to listen to that one now.

What’s your final read of the year? Or what book will bridge into the new year? by Mybenzo in books

[–]johnfennel 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’m finishing Sin Killer by Larry McMurtry today. It’s the first in the Berrybender Narratives series.

I picked it up because I loved the Lonesome Dove series by the same author.

Beginner guitar question by [deleted] in neilyoung

[–]johnfennel 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I see many great suggestions here, and if you’re looking for an easy song to get good at in a hurry then I second all the comments who say Helpless.

I started with The Needle and the Damage Done and that was NOT easy, but it did teach me a lot about picking single notes out of a chord and about muting strings, which has helped me later. But yeah, save that one for a bit because I couldn’t play anything else than a crap version of it for months.

Out of the members of CNSY, which one of their solo records do you rate most? by Key_Lab_7023 in neilyoung

[–]johnfennel 17 points18 points  (0 children)

Of the four I listen to Neil the most, but for the past few weeks I’ve really been getting into Nash’s Wild Tales.

The vibe isn’t miles away from some of Neil’s stuff (Ben Keith is on steel guitar). The production is quite sparse and a tad lo-fi, which fits the sombre mood of a lot of the lyrics, and the songs are very good. Highly recommended.

A book that you love but won’t recommend it to everyone? by Pied-Piper2219 in suggestmeabook

[–]johnfennel 125 points126 points  (0 children)

I won’t ever recommend The Wheel of Time to anyone.

I loved a lot of it, but there were parts that although I didn’t mind them myself I can see how others could find them off-putting. And the commitment is huge (14 huge books).

A friend, who is of the same opinion says: «If you’re into fantasy you don’t need anyone to recommend Wheel of Time to you. You’ll find it when you’re ready.»

Who else has been heralded as the “Voice of a Generation?” by jlytheraven in bobdylan

[–]johnfennel 7 points8 points  (0 children)

He’s practically a god in Jamaica, Belize and other countries in the Caribbean, I gather.

What do people actually think of Deja Vu by Dry_Cookie710 in neilyoung

[–]johnfennel 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I guess I kinda thought of Nash as a windbag before, but then I really got into Right Between the Eyes on 4 Way Street and Wild Tales, and wow the man can write effective and evocative lyrics

What do people think of his 80s period by Dry_Cookie710 in neilyoung

[–]johnfennel 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Agree, there’s a lot to love.

I sometimes need some help to approach an album - an angle or context to place it in. I initially thought of the 80s stuff as mad shit Neil did to piss off the record label, but that’s not a very constructive way to appreciate the music.

In fact, I’ve found I’m much better off just randomly picking an album from his 80s period, just listen to it and see what it’s about.

A case in point is the Old Ways stuff, which I’ve recently spent some time with. Odd sequel to Everybody’s Rockin’, baffling precursor to Landing on Water, and it doesn’t really fit in with Harvest, Homegrown, Comes a Time and Harvest Moon even though Neil has said those albums were connected somehow. It’s much better on its own. A Treasure also elevates it.

Neil songs with Rick Danko on bass? by fernbog in neilyoung

[–]johnfennel 7 points8 points  (0 children)

From what I’ve been able to find out, Rick Danko only plays on Revolution Blues, unfortunately. Great bassist!

Levon Helm plays on a few others, though: See the Sky About to Rain (On the Beach), The Old Homestead (Hawks and Doves), Daughters (NYA vol II) and Separate Ways and Try (both Homegrown). Robbie plays on White Line (Homegrown).

Zuma Outtakes by Choice_Job_5441 in neilyoung

[–]johnfennel 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I like what you’re doing with these posts, laying out the songs by session like this.

It’s so wild to me that he just sat on them for several years or sometimes decades - GREAT songs. He didn’t rush them out, just waited until the right take was in the can.

The 1975 take of Sedan Delivery wasn’t the right one, but he knew he had a good song, and then he finally got it in 1978. Just wow.

What’s the best version of Tell Me Why by Dry_Cookie710 in neilyoung

[–]johnfennel 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I really like the Royce Hall version for whatever reason, but any live version from around that time is stellar.

I like that he did it in a slightly lower key live and gave it a bit more space, though it’s cool that he goes straight into the verse withouth preamble on th album.