Dreamin'

Finally got a chance to watch the Massey Hall DVD today. Even though I've played those songs to death over the years, something about that audience (hearing the "new" songs for the first time) helped me listen with fresh ears. I was surprised that "A Man Needs A Maid" and "There's A World" (which I usually skip on Harvest) were actually some of my favourites.

I agree. It's a very Neil Young kind of corny.

I love to hear the audience react to songs they've never heard before. One of my favourite NY boots is the "Citizen Kane Jr. Blues" (Bottom Line, NYC) show from 1974 where he plays "new" songs from OTB and TTN. Neil is really chatty (I think the recipe for "honey slides" is on that one) and it's fun to hear people laugh at some of the lines in "Long May You Run" and "Ambulance Blues" etc.

Sometimes I wonder if the NY Archives could ever live up to my expectations, but after hearing Massey Hall, I think those box sets might just exceed them. Hard to believe that something this amazing gathered dust for 36 years. ! It's easily one of the greatest live albums of all time.

Just when I thought I couldn't be more green with envy.

I heard the Massey Hall show playing at Starbucks (!) today. I wish this hadn't been my first exposure to it, but I gotta admit, it sounded great. I think Briggs was right.

Maybe it has been hard for Neil to finally let go and release the Archives because this might seem like a tombstone to him. (I imagine there must be some existential angst lurking there somewhere.) For someone like Neil, it's probably much easier to keep making new albums than to look back and acknowledge that you've reached the twilight of your career (life). As a fan, even I'm not ready to face that yet.

Let it die and get out of my mind We don't see eye to eye Or hear ear to ear

And will Neil freak out at the last minute and find some reason to delay it again?

Don't forget, Robbie Robertson is an Aboriginal, Jewish Canadian, so he might know a thing or two about the pain of displaced people. (Maybe that's why "Acadian Driftwood" is written with so much genuine empathy, as well.)

It is really annoying. The Archives rumours have been such a cruel tease for so many years, but I can't help getting excited when I see that trailer. Oh. My. God.

I've never known Sloan to be anything but rockin' live, no matter what album they are promoting. The Metro should be a good venue for them. (I think Sam has seen them there before?)

I guess it was a festival so Wilco must have played before the Rheostatics. I can actually see this happening (in Canada), but ten years later, it does seem hard to imagine. Did anyone actually see that (1997) tour? I'm really curious about it.

Wilco opened for them back in the day. (Another Roadside Attraction, I think.)

We do! Louie, you always remind me that growing older has its perks - more time on this earth to discover great music (both new and old). I hope you're able to get tickets to see the Arcade Fire in Chicago, because I'd love to read your review.

Mr. Perm!

I think I spoiled my appetite for dinner by baking banana muffins and eating too many!

I agree. I keep thinking of that Coco Chanel quote: "Elegance is refusal." This is very much the Wilco that I know and love. BUT if I wanted them to make the same album every time, I probably wouldn't be a Wilco fan to begin with (or a Neil Young fan, for that matter).

Johnny, I always knew you were talented, but... WOW! I can tell that a lot of love went into that poster.

I've only listened to it once, and wasn't really feeling it at first (probably because I was a bit distracted), but then "On & On & On" hit me like a ton of bricks. And Nels... wow!

Enjoyed your blog review, too, U!

For some people it's definitely the thrill of the chase... and perhaps the idea that they're doing something illicit. Being spoon fed new tracks or buying the finished album on the day it's released just isn't as much fun for them. Leaked songs/albums are probably a great way to market to a certain kind of music fan.

It is... So. Very. Good.

I just finished watching Twitch City (the complete series) on DVD. Soooo funny! I had forgotten all the great little details and in-jokes - like when Nathan gives his cellmate a book of Leonard Cohen poems. (Also love the Sloan cameo.)