On The Beach

Otis Westinghouse · Post by **Otis Westinghouse** » Sun Jun 29, 2003 2:53 am

Roll up, roll up, the long lost Neil Young classic OTB gets released for CD for the first time on July 14 (in the UK at least). Neil hates CDs, and says they 'fool the mind but leave the heart sad', which I think is possibly overstating it a tad, but I do have enough of an element of residual vinylhead to nod in semi-agreement (especially when said vinyl is cranking on my beautiful Linn Sondek).

I never realised how OTB is the holy grail for Neil fans. I assume a lot of people (Blue?) will either not have heard it, or have it on a copied tape. Neil Young was one of the few good things about my older brother, and as well as making me very familiar with Harvest and After The Gold Rush at an early age, he also just gave me vinyl copies of Zuma, Tonight's The Night and OTB when he'd 'grown out' of them.

For those who don't know it, OTB is indeed an absolute classic. There's a mellowness and an outthereness about it which are all its own. Not ramshackle like Tonight's The Night (great line up of musos, Levon Helm and Rick Danko, David Crosby and others), and very consistent in feel and approach. Apparently they were all into 'honey slides' (an interesting review and, for a change, informative review in this month's Q tells me): 'a muddy concoction of honey and griddled marijuana, deeper and weirder than a hash-cake high'. And they filled the studio with second-hand furniture for the right vibe. The opening Walk On is a real joy, and the following See The Sky About To Rain is wonderful. As are the remaining 6 tracks.

I never realised it was as hard to get hold of (even on vinyl, it seems) as it is. Was talking to some Youngheads last night, and they were salivating on my trousers when I said I had it on vinyl. What's more, the inside of the sleeve replicates the inside of the lining of the parasol, and the pattern on the chairs, on the front cover.

There's a site http://www.dergunerz.freeserve.co.uk/main.htm which has run a petition to get it released on CD. The less-cherished and unknown to me American Stars 'n' Bars and Hawks & Doves also get their first CD releases, as well as the thoroughly slated Re-Ac-Tor. For those in the UK, OTB can be picked up for a tasty £8.99 on CD WOW! http://www2.cd-wow.com/detail_results.p ... _code=6062
Oh, and that's with a special 'vinyl replica' sleeve, which probably means a card slip case replicating the vinyl sleeve at a sadly smaller size, I suppose, or you can get this and the other re-releases there for an unbelievable £6.99, and that's inc. postage!

Post by **BlueChair** » Sun Jun 29, 2003 10:19 am

I've heard most of On The Beach thanks to mp3's, but am looking forward to finally having it on CD.

martinfoyle · Post by **martinfoyle** » Sun Jun 29, 2003 6:14 pm

After reading the above I dug out my boot cdr and gave it a spin. Hard to believe Neil has kept this gem hid for so long. I can't wait to hear a nice clear digital version of it. The other re-issues are a bit scrappy. I love Reactor, I gave it a spin at work recently, the glorious cacophony of Tbone and Shots irked some cutomers. Result!

Otis Westinghouse · Post by **Otis Westinghouse** » Mon Jun 30, 2003 1:17 pm

The reissues are, needless to say, digitally remastered. So should be good.

Anyone know/rate the other two mentioned above (AS&Bs, H&Ds)? I can remember the former being in Boots shop in Jersey in the 70s, but have never heard it.

Interesting to hear you rate Re-Act-Or. It has such a bad reputation. Maybe for £6.99 it's worht a shot. Actually there are so many other CDs out there, I'm going to have to make a list.

I don't even know Comes A Time, for God's sake. Nor have I got as far as Veedon Fleece...

I was playing Tired Eyes from Decade yesterday. I guess that's on Tonight's The Night, which I really must claim back from neighbour Bob (who appeared as Mr Proek, dad of Laura Empress of Shag, in the ridiculous and very uneven 'Fortysomething' on ITV last night) and play for the first time in years. A fabulous song.

The other thing about Walk On, from the Decade notes, which are a scream, is that Winterlong was recorded on the same day as it. how incredible is that? Neil had a good day on the ranch...

Mike Boom · Post by **Mike Boom** » Tue Jul 15, 2003 4:24 am

Im glad hes finally releasing On the Beach on CD - its one of my favourite albums of all time .

American Stars and Bars is also a fantastic album - it has the awesome Will to Love, Like a Hurricane and Bite the Bullet - all Young classics in my book.

martinfoyle · Post by **martinfoyle** » Tue Jul 15, 2003 9:58 am

The cd of OTB is well worth the wait, real blanket-off-the-speakers situation. I cant stop playing it.

Otis Westinghouse · Post by **Otis Westinghouse** » Tue Jul 15, 2003 6:19 pm

And Greendale is out in Aug. Could be interesting. Hope it's not embarrassing.

Post by **BlueChair** » Tue Jul 15, 2003 6:21 pm

Apparently there is also a film Greendale which will debut at the Toronto International Film Festival in September. I think I'll check it out.

martinfoyle · Post by **martinfoyle** » Tue Jul 15, 2003 6:51 pm

This is from
http://www.musictap.net/Archives/Posts/ ... l0612.html

-Here's a little info on the upcoming Neil Young CD/DVD and DVD, Greendale:

The CD/DVD will feature the expected batch of new music from Neil Young and Crazy Horse with the bonus DVD including Live at Vicar Street from the solo acoustic concert of Greendale. The DVD will include the full length Greendale movie, directed by Neil Young. The CD/DVD is slated for August 19 with those other four and the DVD is loosely announced for September something. Yeah!!

PlaythingOrPet · Post by **PlaythingOrPet** » Tue Jul 15, 2003 8:09 pm

Maybe I'm just not that much of a fan, but I can't say I'm really feeling much anticipation for the reissues and this Greendale palaver. This review didn't help either...

"And thus we enter Greendale, Young's very own Lake Wobegone (or is it Twin Peaks?), the small California coastal town that provides the settings for his quasi-allegorical drama of the contemporary American conscience. If you're reading this, you're probably already familiar with the Green family: Earl the painter, Sun the eco-warrior daughter, Jed the druggie son, Captain John the seafarer. You also probably know there's this pimp-like chahracter who floats around Greendale called "The Devil".

Maybe you give a shit. I did before I sat through these two turgid hours of slowpoke homilies and sixth-form cliches.

Blah, blah, blah...

"So you probably shouldn't listen to me, just as you probably shouldn't take my word for it when I say I think Nee-yal's best work really is behind him."

Doo, doo, doo...

"...the Greendale songs are lyrically clunky, musically insipid and conceptually crass."

Bits of Barney Hoskyns' review of Nee-yal at the Hammersmith Apollo. In this months Uncut.

Post by **BlueChair** » Tue Jul 15, 2003 8:18 pm

Listen to After The Goldrush and report back to us immediately.

Jackson Doofster · Post by **Jackson Doofster** » Wed Jul 16, 2003 1:32 am

I've never liked Chris Rea............sorry.

Otis Westinghouse · Post by **Otis Westinghouse** » Wed Jul 16, 2003 1:43 am

Oh dear, I've always liked Barney Hoskyns (since he was on the NME in my teens). I'll bear the Observer German gig review in mind: "While the songs are new, they sound timeless"; "The finest of the new songs is a spellbinder that begins in a hoarsely whispered litany of desperation, with Young thumping a loose bottom string to provide a droning background rhythm, and ends with the hopeful refrain: 'Some day, you'll find everything you're looking for.'"; "Whatever form the Greendale project finally takes, nothing will take the shine off this invincible performance."

We shall see.

selfmademug · Post by **selfmademug** » Wed Jul 16, 2003 8:32 am

*scribbling notes furiously*

...oh I have so much work to do....

Otis Westinghouse · Post by **Otis Westinghouse** » Wed Jul 16, 2003 3:53 pm

On The Beach will make a good first assignment!

Nice avatar, Doof! Is that you as an 11-year old labour candidate, or was that freom your days as an LFC lover?

Jackson Doofster · Post by **Jackson Doofster** » Thu Jul 17, 2003 5:07 pm

Well done Otis....you got the age right!

Alas, my political roots went no further than voting for more treacle pudding with school dinners. The rosette is for my confirmation....very strange thing Catholicism.

What about the haircut????

What was my mother thinking ???

Otis Westinghouse · Post by **Otis Westinghouse** » Thu Jul 17, 2003 5:13 pm

Pudding?

Very fetching.