GUITAR WORLD'S 100 GREATEST (MY ADJUSTMENTS) (part 2)

This is part 2 of my "adjustments" to Guitar World's list of 100 Greatest Classic Rock Guitar Songs. Part 1 is here.

26. The Stooges - "1969" I just inserted it here. The Stooges kick the shit out of most bands that "classic rock" radio plays.  I could have chosen lots of Stooges songs, but "1969," leading off their self-titled debut from that same year, was a roaring counterpoint to lots of the hippie Woodstock stuff going on at the time. More people need to check out The Stooges.  I'm glad they finally got into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  R.I.P guitarist Ron Asheton.

27. KISS - "Detroit Rock City (live)" I moved this up a few notches, GW had it at 33. And I replaced the studio version with the one from Alive II. "You wanted the best, you GOT the best! The hottest band in the world..."

28. Neil Young & Crazy Horse - "Cinnamon Girl" Neil and the late Danny Whitten were a great team. This song is really simple, but if it was easy, everyone would write songs like this. Incredible riff. GW had this at 31, I bumped it up.

29. Led Zeppelin - "Whole Lotta Love" which shows off Jimmy Page's godly power, not just as a guitarist but as a producer. Moved up from 35.

30. Yes - "Starship Trooper" Well, I may come off as a bit of a snob sometimes, but on the other hand I am a huge Yes fan. I'm glad GW choose this song instead of one of the more obvious ones. From their third LP, but their first with guitarist Steve Howe, The Yes Album. I never get tired of this song.

31. Derek & The Dominoes - "I Looked Away." Of course GW went with "Layla," but "classic rock" radio has kind of driven that one into the ground for me also. It's a great riff, a great anthem (and a great piano song as well as a great guitar song). To me, Derek is Eric Clapton's best period ever. Putting Eric and Duane Allman on the same record, it's still incredible to hear them together. I think "I Looked Away" is one of the most underrated songs in the Clapton cannon.

32. Bill Haley & The Comets - "(We're Gonna) Rock Around The Clock" It sounds quaint now, but in 1954, I'm sure it was pretty radical.  And the guitar is tasty as hell, props to Danny Cedrone who played guitar on the track.

33. Iron Maiden - "Iron Maiden" GW had "Run To The Hills" at #37, but I replaced it with this song, because I prefer the Paul Di'Anno era to the Bruce Dickinson era. Iron Maiden is creepy and evil sounding.  At the same time, "Run To The Hills" was the first Maiden song I'd ever heard, and really turned me on to them, so lets call it a tie, OK? I knew Maiden's imagery was very horror-film-like, and I was surprised to hear them do such a political song. Anyway, guitarist Dave Murray rocks on both songs.  On "Iron Maiden," he plays with co-guitarist Dennis Stratton, and on "Run..." with Adrian Smith.

34. The MC5 - "Kick Out The Jams" in the place of "Carry On Wayward Son." It's just a matter of opinion, but I think "classic rock" radio would actually rock more with more Stooges and MC5.

35. Cheap Trick - "Surrender" They always seem a bit underrated. GW had it at 39, I moved it up four spots.

36. Alice Cooper - "School's Out" Glen Buxton and Michael Bruce were a great guitar team, and Alice Cooper was a great BAND. This song is also a bit overdone, but it's timeless (at least as long as there are schools and summer break).

37.  Michael Jackson - "Beat It" I was glad to see GW include this song, even though no rock stations would ever play a Michael Jackson song.  The fact that he used Eddie Van Halen on this song was pretty radical at the time.  Michael often choose cool guitarists to work with, including Steve Stevens and Slash, but this was his best rock moment.  The fact that you couldn't hear this song on rock radio made rock radio, to me, seem old and out of touch (their very limited playlists didn't help either).

38. The New York Dolls - "Personality Crisis" I used this song to replace a Motley Crue song that was included by GW.  I don't like GW, but I respect that Nikki Sixx has always given a lot of credit to the Dolls for their influence, and even gave them the opening slot on their summer tour (which I think is still going on). But the Dolls are another great, underrated band. They deserve to be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and they deserve to be on the radio also. Sylvain Sylvain and the late Johnny Thunders: great guitar team.

39. Bob Dylan - "Subterranean Homesick Blues" I'm not sure who the guitar players were on this song, but it's got great playing. Also, it marks one of the most radical artistic departures from a major popular music artist.  Going from folk to rock (or funk) like this... these days, everyone plays electric and acoustic music, but it was a radical idea back then.

40. The Rolling Stones - "Jumpin' Jack Flash" I moved this up from #46. Yes, it's a bit overplayed, but what a classic.  Undeniable riff. Keith Richards and Brian Jones on guitars.

41. AC/DC - "Hells Bells" Obviously "You Shook Me All Night Long" and "Back In Black" are bigger songs from the Back In Black album, but I love how this song opens the album. It's their sendoff to Bon Scott, and the first time we hear his replacement, Brian Johnson. As always, Angus and Malcolm Young are devastating.

42. Dick Dale & The Del-Tones "Miserlou" I moved this up from 50.  It's truly an iconic piece of music, and bless Quentin Tarantino (one of the greatest soundtrack curators) for putting it in Pulp Fiction.

43. Crosby Stills Nash & Young "Carry On" I used this to replace CSN's "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes." I think this is better, and, plus, Neil Young is on it (I think: I know all four guys were on every song together on Deja Vu). When you see it live, it's cool to watch Stephen Stills and Neil go back and forth on lead guitars. David Crosby is a good rhythm guitarist, and Graham Nash is just a great musician. It's a great song to open a concert with.

44. The Grateful Dead - "Bertha (live)" I replaced "Truckin'" with this, I don't need to hear "Truckin'" anymore. This live version opens the "Skull Fuck" album, and they opened with this the first time I ever saw them. I'm not always into the hippie/jam band thing, but Jerry Garcia was a cool guitar player.

45. Link Wray & His Wray Men - "Rumble" Another badass instrumental used in Pulp Fiction, but not included on the soundtrack. I moved this up from 62.

46. The Beatles - "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" Another great George Harrison composition, and in this one, the Fab Four gets an assist from Eric Clapton. I moved this up from 63.

47. Heart - "Barracuda" Yes, also driven into the ground by radio, but what the hell, it's  great riff.  Nancy Wilson is an underrated guitarist, and in the interest of fairness, it's worth mentioning that Roger Fisher was the other guitarist in the band at this point. I moved this up from 64.

48. Pearl Jam - "Corduroy" GW choose "Evenflow," which is a great (and has a monster riff that I think Stone Gossard came up with), but "Corduroy" is probably my favorite Pearl Jam song. When they play it live, it just raises the entire arena. People don't talk about Mike McCready enough when they talk about the best lead guitarists around today, but he is one of the best.

49. Van Halen - "Hot For Teacher" You just can't deny how huge Van Halen were in their day, and how great they were. I used to sort of "blame"them for hair metal, but I realized that was ridiculous.  This song is one of Eddie Van Halen's coolest moments.

50. The Yardbirds - "Over Under Sideways Down" This is from the Jeff Beck era, which is my favorite.

YOU MAY HAVE MISSED: NEIL YOUNG TRIBUTE DVD

This was released a few weeks ago, without too much hype, but you need to know about it: A Musicares Tribute To Neil Young.

Shot January 29, 2010 at the NARAS 2010 Musicares Person Of The Year event, the show featured some pretty incredible artists paying tribute to Neil.  Some of the highlights included Norah Jones' "Tell Me Why," Ben Harper's "Ohio," Wilco's "Broken Arrow," James Taylor's "Heart Of Gold" (I think he actually sang backing vocals on the original version) and John Mellencamp's "Down By The River." Also a sort of supergroup: Elton John, Leon Russell, Sheryl Crow and Neko Case doing "Helpless." I think it was the first time Elton and Leon performed together.

Also on the bill: John Fogerty, Keith Urban, Lady Antebellum, Dave Matthews, Dierks Bentley, Booker T. Jones, Josh Groban (!), Jackson Browne, Elvis Costello, Crosby Stills & Nash. I think The Red Hot Chili Peppers performed for the first time with new guitarist Josh Klinghoffer ("A Man Needs A Maid") but it's not on the DVD.   Neil was there also, he just sort of gave a thank you speech (if you've seen his speeches at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremonies, you know what his speeches are like), he didn't perform at all.

The event, and the DVD, raises money for NARAS' MusiCares, which "offers a safety net of critical assistance for music people in times of need," including "financial medical and personal emergencies." Learn more about MusiCares here.  

NEIL YOUNG AND DAVE GROHL "COLLABORATE"

Without much fanfare, a new version of Neil Young's "Sign Of Love" from last year's Le Noise has been released as a single on iTunes. It's a slightly different take of song, with Dave Grohl on drums.  If you have the album or are familiar with it, you'll recall that there's no drums on the album - it is a true solo album, it's all Neil on vocals, guitar and keyboards, with producer Daniel Lanois and his guys adding some effects.  I liked the concept of the album (although I wish some of the songs were stronger), but Dave Grohl's drums add some muscle to the song.

This is the second re-imagining of a Le Noise track: right after the album came out, Pearl Jam covered "Walk With Me" at the Bridge School Benefit, with Neil joining them on guitar and vocals.  It sounded cool as a band song.   There are lots of bootleg videos you can see one here. It reminds me of how cool it is when Neil and Pearl Jam play together. I hope that one of these days, they do a U.S. tour together.

TOMORROW ON OUTQ: CLASSIC ROCK: OZZY, IGGY, NEIL, PAUL, LEVON

I don't know if your average classic rock programmer would consider all of these artists "classic rock," but it's my blog, and they are all classic rock to me!  I'm going to be talking about some great releases this week on SiriusXM OutQ's The Morning Jolt with Larry Flick.

First off is Roadkill Rising, a 4 CD box set of Iggy Pop bootlegs, which includes his entire solo career, as well as The Stooges' reunion shows.  The sound is a bit muddy in places (it is all bootlegs, although supposedly Iggy helped to choose what songs were used), but it is really cool.  The earliest performances on the box feature his great '70s band that included David Bowie on keyboards and backing vocals, Tony Sales on bass and Hunt Sales on drums.  Bowie and the Sales brothers went on to form Tin Machine many years later.  Anyway, each disc covers a different decade, I like the '70s and the '00s stuff the best.

Then, there are the reissues of the first two Ozzy Osbourne solo albums, 1980's Blizzard Of Ozz and 1981's Diary of a Madman. Both albums featured what was probably his best post-Sabbath band: the late Randy Rhoads on guitar, bassist Bob Daisley and drummer Lee Kerslake. There's an interesting story behind these reissues which you can read a bit about here. Diary comes with a bonus live disc - that band featured Ozzy, Randy, Rudy Sarzo on bass and Tommy Aldridge on drums and is pretty rocking.

Paul McCartney continues the reissuing of his catalog with 1970's McCartney and 1980's McCartney II. McCartney was his first release after the breakup of The Beatles (and in fact was released shortly before Let It Be) and definitely comes off like a reaction to it.  It doesn't have an epic sense of self-importance, it's just Paul enjoying himself in the studio. He plays all of the instruments - it's a true "solo" album - and the songs are simple, but lovely.  "Maybe I'm Amazed" and "Every Night" are on that album.  I don't like McCartney II: it was supposed to be a short break from Wings, but Wings never ended up getting back together.  I love "Coming Up," but I don't like the rest of the album.

I just wrote about Neil Young's A Treasure. It's a great document of his foray into hardcore country music from the '80s.  This isn't Eagles-like, soft-rocky country-rock, but actual country music. It's also a great tribute to Neil's longtime musical partner, steel guitarist Ben Keith, who passed away a few months ago. I really dig this album, and this side of Neil.

Finally, Levon Helm's new album, Ramble At The Ryman, where he takes his traveling version of his "Midnight Ramble" shows to Nashville's legendary venue.  As is often the case with his Rambles, he was joined by a few great artists: Sheryl Crow, John Hiatt and Buddy Miller. I think the album is a lot of fun, and reminds me that I have to go see Levon when he plays Central Park Summerstage later this summer. But I really want to go up to one of his Rambles at his place in Woodstock.

I hope you guys enjoy some of these.  By the way, if you aren't a SiriusXM subscriber, go here for a free online trial subscription.

NEIL YOUNG - A TREASURE (WELL TITLED!)

Neil Young just released A Treasure, release #9 from the Neil Young Archives Performance Series (but only the sixth to be released, go figure). This one features a bunch of performances from his mid-'80s era when he went country in a big way.  He used a bunch of great Nashville musicians, he called them The International Harvesters. His label at the time - Geffen Records - weren't into the idea of Neil going country. He wasn't doing country rock like The Eagles or Poco, but real country music.

In a way, you can't blame them. They didn't know he was going to do country music when they signed him, they didn't have a country music department, and oh yeah, the country audience probably wasn't too eager to embrace the guy who wrote "Southern Man" and "Ohio." On the other hand, he's Neil Young, he does what he wants.

The album serves as a great epitaph for Neil's late long-time collaborator, steel guitarist Ben Keith.  Ben  started working with Neil on the Harvest album, and played on most of his non-Crazy Horse albums (and some albums with the Horse) since then. He played lots of instruments, but he was most at home playing country steel guitar, and he really shines on this record.

Much of the album features songs that have never been released commercially, but there are a few familiar ones.  "Get Back To The Country" was from his studio album with the Harvesters, Old Ways, "Are You Ready For The Country?" was from Harvest, and "Flying On The Ground Is Wrong" is an old Buffalo Springfield classic. But unlike the Springfield's music, this isn't country-influenced rock, but  straight up country music. It's too bad that the country audience wasn't more receptive to Neil (despite the fact that both Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings guested on Old Ways - but even they were part of the "outlaw" movement anyway). But this album is a great reminder of yet another interesting part of Neil's career.

FIVE COOL THINGS ABOUT THE TOM WAITS/NEIL YOUNG JAM

I got this watermarked photo of Tom Waits and Neil Young from last night's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony from Getty Images, the photo was taken by Michael Loccisano, and I was led to the photo from the always-great Neil Young blog Thrasher's Wheat.

So you know that I'm a huge Neil Young fan. If pressed, I  might say he's my favorite artist ever. But I didn't think he would be the right guy to give a speech about Tom Waits last night. My one and only choice would have been Les Claypool of Primus. And it seems to have turned out pretty well, the excerpts of Neil's speech that I read seemed cool, and Neil and Tom jammed on "Get Behind The Mule."  Here's five cool things about that.

1. Tom's set included not just "Get Behind The Mule," but "House Where Nobody Lives" (both from my favorite Waits album, 1999's Mule Variations), "Make It Rain" (from his last full length, 2004's Real Gone) and the title track of 1985's Rain Dogs. It would have been easy as hell for Tom to do "Ol' 55" and "Jersey Girl," and everyone would have felt good about it (including Fuse, who will air an edited version of the show Sunday night). Instead, three of the four songs are from his last few albums on Epitaph.  These songs may not be what got him voted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but they are compelling reasons for why he was voted in.

2. Neil has already recorded a version of "Get Behind The Mule." Neil played lead guitar on Booker T. Jones' 2009 Potato Hole (also on Epitaph) album, which featured a cover of this song. The backing band on that album was The Drive-By Truckers, who had written a song about Young, "Ronnie and Neil" from their 2002 classic, Southern Rock Opera. That song was about Neil and the late Lynyrd Skynyrd singer Ronnie Van Zant. What did Neil think of the song? The Truckers never met him: Neil recorded his leads on his own.

3. Neil pretty much ripped off the song for "Get Behind The Wheel" for his 2009 album Fork In The Road.

4. Tom could have easily performed with Paul Schaffer's house band, but instead bought guitarist Mark Ribot and multi-instrumentalist David Hildago of Los Lobos with him. These guys (and Neil) capture the vibe of his songs way more than Schaffer's band would (with all due respect).

5. For Pete's sake, it's Neil Young and Tom Waits jamming together!

NEIL YOUNG TRIBUTE AT CARNEGIE HALL

So, tonight I went to the Neil Young tribute concert at Carnegie Hall. This is part of a series of annual tribute concerts organized by promoter Michael Dorf, they are fundraisers for a number of great organizations that you can read about here.

The show was pretty good, not great. Admittedly, it's tough to get momentum for a show when every artist plays just one song. The source material was great, obviously, and most of the artists selected songs that really worked well.  But it was a bit like live band karoke night.

Not to say there weren't highlights, the easy #1 being The Roots' performance of "Down By The River." Supposedly, they stole the show a few years ago when the concert paid tribute to Bob Dylan with "Masters Of War," and tonight was their amazing return. Black Thought wasn't with them, guitarist Captain Kirk Douglas sang lead, with the ladies from Dirty Projectors (who guested on The Roots' How I Got Over) singing backup vocals. They also went into "Hey Joe," (another song about "taking out" your woman).  Incredible.

The other highlights for me was the Cowboy Junkies' performance of "Don't Let It Bring You Down" and Bettye Lavette's "Heart Of Gold," which she actually recorded in the '70s. Other cool moments came courtesy of Joan Osborne ("Old Man"), Aaron Neville ("Helpless") and Pete Yorn (the acoustic "Rockin' In The Free World").

A lot of the performances were very polite and reverent, but didn't really stand out. Throughout the show I was thinking that it would be so much cooler to see Neil performing these songs. To be fair, most of the performers would probably agree with me on that one.

I wonder when I'll get to see Neil perform these songs.  But the good news is that Neil's next tour is rumored to be a Buffalo Springfield reunion. Neil, Stephen Stills and Richie Furay performed as the Springfield at the Bridge School Benefit concert a few months back, and now word is they're going to tour next fall, which is awesome news: they broke up before I was born!

TOMORROW ON OUTQ: NEW CDS BY NEIL, MAVIS, YORN

For those of you who are new to No Expiration, every Wednesday morning at about 9 am ET(ish), I go on the SIRIUS XM OutQ show The Morning Jolt with Larry Flick (co-hosted by comedian Keith Price) to talk about music. Sometimes I have a theme, and this week, I have a loose one: artists who hooked up with big names to produce their latest album.

Neil Young's Le Noise sees him moving outside his usual circle of collaborators to work with Daniel Lanois. It is Neil's weirdest album in well over twenty years.  It isn't one of my top ten albums by Neil, but I'm starting to dig it, and at least it is better than his last one, Fork In The Road.

Mavis Staples continues her streak of great albums (all on the very cool Anti- label) with You Are Not Alone, which was produced by Jeff Tweedy of Wilco. He wrote the tile track, which I have found to be very moving. I think the album is one of the best things he's ever done (and it holds up to her incredible body of work as well), and I think the title track is actually the best song he has ever written. It is my favorite of the three albums I'm discussing this week.

Pete Yorn hired Pixies frontman Frank Black to produce his new album, Pete Yorn. You can definitely hear the influence sonically, and it is a cool album.  When it comes to Pete Yorn, though, I feel kind of stuck on his first album, musicforthemorningafter. Still, this one definitely adds some more classic songs to his cannon, and he is certainly an artist who is going to be around for a long time. This is probably his best album since the debut.

NEIL YOUNG GETS WEIRD AGAIN

I am still digesting Neil Young's Le Noise. It's a solo album in the literal sense, most of the songs are just Neil and an electric guitar, no one else.  Sometimes there's keyboards, sometimes acoustic guitars, but everything is played by Neil, but producer Daniel Lanois messes with the "noise" as well. This is one that doesn't go down easily, it's his strangest album since 1987's Life.  Maybe 1986's Landing On Water. Or 1983's Trans, which is probably his weirdest album, and one of the weirdest of all time.

I am starting to really get into the songs on this album.  Some of the hype leading up to the album has been a bit over the top - he's been playing these songs on his solo (not acoustic) tour.  The songs are good, they are stronger than much of his other recent albums that I enjoyed, 2007's Chrone Dreams II, 2005's Prairie Wind and 2000's Silver and Gold. "Love And War" actually is a solo acoustic song, and is pretty powerful, and says more than his more recent reactionary stuff like "Let's Roll" and Greendale. "Sign Of Love" reminds me of some of the sentiments on Havest Moon - I love the line "when we both have silver hair, and a little less time, but there still are roses on the vine, you can take it as a sign of love." 

It's funny that Daniel Lanois produced this album, I've always kind of wanted to hear him produce a Neil album, and I think Neil needed an "outsider" this time around.  All of his latest have been proudced with longtime friends like Niko Bolas, the late L.A. Johnson and the late Ben Keith.  I guess I was hoping for a sort of revival, like what Lanois did with Bob Dylan (twice, on 1989's Oh Mercy and 1997's Time Out Of Mind).  In some ways it does do that, and in some ways it is as risky as U2's Achtung Baby (which Lanois also worked on). I'll admit that I don't think that it works quite as well as those albums, but I'm really developing a taste for it. Ask me again what I think at the end of the year, but I think I'm into this album.

BEN KEITH, 1937-2010

This picture of Ben Keith is from the great Neil Young fansite, Thrasher's Wheat. Keith just passed away the other day. Yo umay not know his name, but you probably know his contributions to Neil Young's music. 

Keith was a Nashville session musician, mainly a steel guitarist. He played with Pasty Cline on her classic song "I Fall To Pieces." But he first worked with Neil on his Harvest album from 1972, and that led to a decades-long relationship. He played with Neil on the follow-up album recorded live in concert, 1973's Time Fades Away (a great album which has been criminally out of print for decades). In 1974, he played on On The Beach, not just playing steel guitar, but dobro, slide guitar, electric piano, organ, "hand drums" and bass. 1975's Tonight's The Night (recorded in 1973) is one of the few Crazy Horse albums that Ben is on.1977's American Stars 'n' Bars was recorded over sessions from 1974-1977, many featuring Keith (including some more collabs with Crazy Horse).  Ben was also on 1977's Comes A Time, 1980's Hawks and Doves, 1982's Trans, 1983's Everybody's Rockin' (he played sax and lead guitar), 1983's Old Ways, 1988's This Note's For You (again on sax), 1989's Freedom (on steel guitar, sax and keyboards), 1992's Harvest Moon, 2000's Silver and Gold, 2005's Prairie Wind, 2007's Chrome Dreams II, and 2009's Fork In The Road. He wasn't on the Greendale album, but appeared in the accompanying film as "Grandpa."

Ben Keith was Neil's most constant collaborator through his career, and contributed to some of his greatest moments.  Hopefully he's having a great jam session in heaven now . Rest In Peace, Ben Keith.

NEIL YOUNG'S NEXT ALBUM

In the new issue of British magazine Uncut, Bert Jansch talks about the new Neil Young songs that Neil has been playing on his current solo (but not "acoustic") tour. Jansch, who Neil has said is his favorite acoustic guitarist, is the opening act on Neil's tour. His quote: "The songs that I'm hearing are literally unbelievable." Good to know!

NEIL YOUNG IS ON FACEBOOK! (REALLY!)

Here's the proof!  

NEIL YOUNG 101

Jimmy McDonough's Shakey, the at-first-authorized, and-then-not-authorized book on Neil Young is kind of the definitive Neil book, as much as there can be one.

But this new book, Long May You Run: The Illustrated History, co-authored by a former colleague of mine, Gary Graff, is also sort of a must-have.  The way it's laid out, it's almost like a history textbook, it just so happens that the subject is Neil.  

The book tells Neil's entire story (often citing from Shakey), from his earliest days playing music through his latest, Fork In The Road. But there are lots of fun sidebars, like "Cowgirls In The Sand" (about Neil's female collaborators), "Mirror Ball" (Neil Young and Pearl Jam) and "Train Of Love" (about Neil's involvement in the Lionel toy train company). It also has a discography, filmography, and features on all of Neil's sidemen.  Great read for the Neil fan young and old.

DON'T YOU KNOW "TIME FADES AWAY"

A recent issue of one of my favorite magazines, the UK's Uncut, had a cover feature on the 50 best out-of-print albums.  Their number 1 would have been my pick as well, Neil Young's 1973 classic Time Fades Away. It's never been available on mp3 or CD.   I don't even know that it was ever released on cassette or even 8 track! Vinyl or bust!

It was recorded live in concert, but it is all new songs.  It features mainly the same guys that Neil used on his prior album, Harvest, but what a difference a year makes. Where Harvest was his biggest hit ever, Time is totally different.  As I think Neil put it, "the middle of the road became boring, so I headed for the ditch."

But why has it been out of print for so long?  One reason, I think, is because they don't have a board feed of the audio, just what the cameras captured, so it is hard to remaster the audio.  More likely, it is that Neil has referred to it as his worst album, which is weird.  I think it is a great album. It really is a reaction to the mellow, post-hippie, west coast thing I think.  It's ragged and glorious, to borrow the term that Neil would later use for an album title.

So where do you find it?  At anywhere that sells used LPs.  Or google it.  But do check it out, it is worth your time and money. 

NEIL YOUNG TO TOUR WITH BERT JANSCH?

The great Neil Young fansite Thrasher's Wheat has posted that Neil is going on tour.  He has booked five southern dates so far, and Bert Jansch is opening. I remember years ago in an interview with a guitar mag, Neil said that Jimi Hendrix is his favorite electric guitarist, but Bert Jansch is his favorite acoustic guitarist. He talked about a song called "Needle Of Death," so I went out an picked up an album that had it.  Bert Jansch is probably what you would call an "acquired taste," but what a guitarist. Anyway, I always look forward to seeing Neil again.  It seems like this may be a solo acoustic tour, and those tours never disappoint.

MIKE MCCREADY COVERS NEIL YOUNG

Found this video on YouTube thanks to the great Neil Young fansite Thrasher's Wheat. Mike McCready of Pearl Jam covering Neil's great Freedom-era song "Too Far Gone" from the Seattle Hootenanny for Haiti last month. Mike, as well as the other Pearl Jam guys, did a brief stint as Neil's backing band on his brief tour to promote Mirror Ball. But check it out: Mike's the only Pearl Jam guy never to do lead vocals (although he does sing a little bit at the beginning of their cover of "Black Diamond" by KISS) but he's a pretty good singer!

WATCH: TRAILER FOR NEIL YOUNG'S "TRUNK SHOW"

Here's a trailer of Neil Young's Trunk Show live film directed by Jonathan Demme, that is hitting theaters this month. Go to the film's website to find out when it will be in your town. I am curious when it will be coming out on DVD and if there will be a live album. The last Neil/Demme film, Heart Of Gold, wasn't available in an audio only format.

BOOKER T. JONES WINS GRAMMY #2

Congratulations to Booker T. Jones of Booker T. & The MGs, who won a Grammy tonight. Booker T. released a cool instrumental solo album this year, Potato Hole.  The backing band on it was The Drive By Truckers and Neil Young played lead guitar on most of the album as well. He thanked them, and his wife, during his brief acceptance speech during the pre-telecast awards ceremony.

NEIL YOUNG WINS A GRAMMY... HIS FIRST?!?

Two nights after NARAS honored Neil Young at their annual MusiCares Person Of The Year event, Neil just won his first Grammy. Ever. He's never won one before. What? It's true. He won it for The Neil Young Archives Vol. 1 for Best Boxed or Limited Edtiion Package. Well, he and his team deserve it for sure.  The Archives is the first of the new wave of box sets.  The catch is, you have to have a lot of content, and fans who really, really, really want to hear it to put out a box set like this.

By the way, at the MusiCares event, Neil noted that he has written a few songs for his next album.  I'm not a huge fan of his last one, but the one before that, Chrome Dreams II, was really good. I never give up on Neil, you never know when he'll unleash another classic, and I think he's due for one.

WOW: NEIL YOUNG HONORED AT NARAS MUSICARES EVENT

Wow, I really wish I had been there. Every year, two nights before the Grammys, NARAS has its annual MusiCares Person of the Year tribute show. MusiCares "offers a safety net of critical assistance for music people in times of need," including "financial medical and personal emergencies." This year, Neil Young was honored.  I found a good account of the show at, where else?  The great Neil Young blog, Thrasher's Wheat.

I'd read that the show's highlight was Ben Harper's version of "Ohio." But reading over it, there were lots of performances I wish I'd seen: John Mellencamp's "Down By The River," Stephen Stills and Sheryl Crow's "Long May You Run," Norah Jones' "Tell Me Why," "Comes A Time" by Emmylou Harris, Lucinda Willians and Patty Griffin, Wilco's "Broken Arrow," "Rockin' In The Free World" by John Fogerty, Keith Urban and Booker T. Jones, Elvis Costello's "The Losing End," Dave Matthews' "The Needle And The Damage Done," Elton John, Sheryl Crow, Neko Case and Leon Russell's "Helpless" and the debut of the new version of The Red Hot Chili Peppers (with new guitarist Josh Klinghoffer) doing "A Man Needs A Maid." Neil himself was there, but didn't perform.  I know that these events are usually kept as an "industry" event, but I would love if there would be some way to buy or even stream some of these performances.