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Neil Young in my thoughts alot these last 2 months.


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Neil has been in my thoughts and prayers alot these last 2 months. it really rocked me when i heard of his brain aneurysm. i was much relieved to hear that his surgery went well and that full recovery is expected. upon being released from the hospital he returned to nashville and finished recording his new album. im a little sentimental when it comes to Neil Young. weve been getting older together for a long time. i look forward to seeing him a 24th time. indications are that he wont be going on the road this summer but noone really knows. i don't count him out for a minute. on 3/11/04 i saw his soybean powered convoy pull out of cleveland ohio in a sleet storm on black ice.

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Hey hey, my my.....Neil has got to be one of my favorites, no doubt.

Never had the oportunity to see him, but would go in a heart beat if I had the chance. His eccentric and reclusive nature has always intriuged me. He is a true genius.

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Seen him many, many times. First time in '74 with the whole gang, last time a couple years ago, again with the whole gang. He stole the show.

He plays solo quite often at Merriweather Post Pavillion in Columbia, MD, just a few minutes from my house and I see him every chance I get.

I hope he recovers fully and is back on the road in the near future. He's never dissappointed me in concert.

I want to live

I want to give

I've been a miner for a heart of gold

It's these expressions I never give

That keep me searching for a heart of gold

And I'm getting old.

I've been to Hollywood

I've been to Redwood

I've crossed the ocean for a heart of gold

I've been in my mind

It's such a fine line

That keeps me searching for a heart of gold

And I'm getting old.

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One of my older brothers is a die hard fan of Neil's. About 25 years ago through a cousin of a friend who knew soemone.....anyway, my brother, Paul, and his best friend, Steve, were invited to Neil's house to spend a week or so. They just had to get there themselves. Paul and Steve couldn't come up with the gas money to drive the old 68' Bisquane from Cincinnati to California and back, so they didn't go.

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In any discussion with a new acquaintance about musical tastes and preferences, Neil Young will eventually come up as an artist whom I consider to be the true King... his library of material is absolutely staggering.

I remember when Heart of Gold was released; it didn't blow everyone away like a lot of music of that era, it just had that certain sound... a terrific understated pop hit.

At the end of the decade, when Rust Never Sleeps came out, he let everyone know what he thought of the seventies, picked up crappy disco and threw it out to the dogs where it belonged, and came up with what I still consider his benchmark album and sound.

A lot of the playing around in the '80s had us raising our eyebrows (remember the Shocking Pinks?), but he always seems to bet back to that sound, whether it's an acoustic folksy ballad, or a guitar-thrashing ear-shredder... he's still the King to me.

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my grandmother let me tag along with my older brother to see the Buffalo Springfield. the next time i saw Neil was at the woodstock music festival. after the release of 4 way street i was a dyed in the wool Neil fan. i saw CSNY again in buffalo at Rich stadium in 1974 with Santana. from 1975 to 1999 he had alot of concerts in syracuse, rochester, buffalo, saratoga springs, toronto, cleveland, columbus and Boston. in 2000 my wife got us front row center seats for the silver and gold show in saratoga springs (the internet is a beautiful thing). since then there has been the CSNY 9/11 aftermath tour. front row seats again on 7/4/03 greendale in saratoga springs. front row seats greendale at the ohio state convocation center in cleveland on 3/11/04. i have met him twice. 1st time at the syracuse fairground where he signed my trans album. and again at the sound check before the silver and gold show in saratoga springs. that was probably the most memorable concert experiance to date. Chrisse hynde threw me her sweat band and i bellied up on the stage and got one of Neil's guitar pics. experiance of a life time.

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My favorite Neil Young thought is remembering how great it was watching him play live with Pearl Jam. That SOB can flat out R-O-C-K!!

Neil Young is also a well known advocate of analog recording and playback practices. He's been quoted many places making disparaging remarks about digital music playback. I'm paraphrasing (not to mention, probably fracturing and misquoting) a statement attributed to him I've seen on the web many times and in many places - analog sound is like standing under a cool mountain waterfall, digital sound is like getting ice poured over your head.

I'd have to say I pretty much agree. Maybe not in as strong an opinion, but almost every album I own on both vinyl and cd sound noticeably better when playing the vinyl record.

Thanks,

Chris

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I also saw Neil Young in Saratoga Springs back when he was touring with the Shocking Pinks. The main set was just him, a guitar and a harmonica. It still gives me goose bumps.

The Shocking Pinks came out for the encore and we promptly left!

What a great concert though! But what was that funny smell in the air?!?!?!?

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Merriweather is one of my favorite places to go! Haven't been there for quite a while though, since I moved a couple hours farther away.

NY is about as good as it gets. I still play his stuff to death 25 years after getting hooked on him.

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Neil has been in my thoughts too since hearing about his issue. It is interesting to read the group's collective recollections because I share so many of them. I, too, fell for him early - brother is 7 years older - and 4-way took me over the edge. I saw the same 74 tour GaryMD speaks of. August 1974, 4 hours and 20 minuts and Neil carried it in my mind as he did the MCI center 2 or 3 years ago with the other 3. I think his body of work is the most robust, diversified, and of the most consistently high standard over the last 35 years of anyone in R n R. There have been and are other quality songwriters, etc., but none have hit the mark in such longevity.

He is true to his convictions.

Neil is the best in my book. He can take me places no one else can.

Gerry

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