'the world is turning. i hope it don't turn away.'
the title of this post reminds me of a phrase that i learned during my brief stint as a management consultant. well i never actually started, but i suppose i was on the beach for a while - about 200 days. it was good getting paid; in some ways those were the happy times. then the money was not so good - in the end the economy kindly deconstructed my occasion to work as an entry level consultant. praise christ, i did the best i could.
a more important connection to the title: neil young album from 1974. the best i have heard from him. i consider myself a fan, but had not heard this work - nor of it - until recently. if you follow neil young with any interest, it is necessary to consume this work.
apparently the album was not popular at time of release. rolling stone [stephen holden] has a great review here:
from the review:
"""
Ironically, Young achieved superstar status with his most compromised album, Harvest, a sweetened rehash of ideas from After the Gold Rush.
"""
on the beach is a dark album indeed and a stark contrast to the two referenced albums that likely earned him recognition. it is superior to his other work in terms of technical depth and lyrical content. again, his best album.
but what do i know. the album was released in 1974, and i just heard it last month - umm 2009. apparently the non vinyl sound media were not sufficient to carry the content in the estimation of dear artist. and the vinyl is difficult to find. due to the bitterness, it did not sell many copies. along with some other young albums from surrounding period, it was only recently made available at broad scale. the catalyst: the advent of hdcd in 2003, whatever that is:
anyway i now have it and love it. you might too. i was still trying to track down the vinyl and currently listening to audio cd format ~5x/week. in sf, i have checked the usual record stores but no luck. so i went to amazon.com and took less than two minutes to order. yay technology, praise christ.
i realize this album has been out since 1974, and again since 2003. but i keep meeting people in the same position as i was recently - appreciate neil young but do not know the album. if this describes you, i envy your pleasure when the album touches you for the very first time, dark though it is. like a time capsule, like a rolling stone. dig it.
one last point: the r-s review is a great read, but i do not agree with the overall assessment. particularly this:
"""
"On The Beach," the seven-minute title cut, is the album's most questionable inclusion, a lethargic, whining meditation on the reasons not to remain psychically isolated in Los Angeles. It shows Young immersed in self-pity — one of the taboos of rock that Young has long sought to redeem.
"""
in my view, there is nothing questionable about the song's inclusion, and this is lethargic, reductionist and useless commentary by the reviewer. though i cant tell him how to feel. but i sympathize with neil on this track more than any other.
Posts
I gave sugbear this album personally, and all I got was this lousy T-shirt about getting enlightened on my death bed.
ReplyDeleteThat's apropos, however, because this album proposes to its students that bitterness is not only a flavor, but a compelling approach to life’s dissimilative and seemingly pointless structure.
Neil is at his most nihilistic here; this is most apparent in his apocalyptic 'Revolution Blues,' a litany of aggressive posturing which is both novel and compelling. More details of the rejectionist approach are revealed in the album;s multiple hymns to the futility of success, acclaim, friendship, et alia.
To me, it is essential that the bleak rejectionist statement made by OtB comes from a man with the credibility to make it. Young, as noted above, was at the apex of his career, financially and critically when he recorded OtB. He takes care to show that, had he been inclined, OtB had all the musical workings to be another Harvest.
For instance, ‘Walk On’ might easily have been a popular radio hit, had it been recorded exactly as-is, but with a nostalgic approach to the Buffalo Springfield/CSNY era. Instead, of course, Young opted for cynicism and indifference towards the musical past that his fans revered. He cycles back to take out the hydrant with ‘Ambulance Blues.’ Starting with:
“Back in the old folky days / The air was magic when we played”
Progressing to:
“It’s easy to get buried in the past / When you try to make a good thing last”
Climaxing with:
“Nothing like a friend / who can tell you you’re pissing in the wind / You’re all just pissing in the wind”
Indeed, one could really learn a lot that way.
p.s.
You are too kind to Holden, IMO. It is doubtful to me that he understood the album at all. But what can you say of someone who thinks a review of this album is strengthened by the assertion, (unsupported, for fuck sake), that, “…Bob Dylan's music formed the aesthetic spearhead of generational rage and moral fervor?” Really???
hat: "think i'll pack it in, buy a pickup"
ReplyDeletei cannot listen to harvest without thinking of senior year in college.
p.s. hi josh. i still remember when you gave me the CDs of ani difranco and told me i reminded you of her, and i still kinda like that
@josha: i owe incalculable thanks and praise for the introduction; however, you did burn this from the morris county library isnt it? and we did get this blog post, didnt we? you see that man there is your brother...and we have got it right there. so you damn well better remember that. see my future blog post about collaborative blogging; it is a mind bending exploration of time, space and humanism.
ReplyDeletenow to nit:
. neil is far from nihilistic on this album; in fact he is deeply occupied with the meaningless world that he treats so bitterly. why else keep twenty-five rifles?
. i am personally on the fence as to whether this work contains a compelling framework to address [or tolerate] the profound disappointment of modern existence and society. his analysis of the deficiencies are uniquely articulate and sincere. like pink floyd animals, the problems are dark, fundamental and precise; but with little effort nor effectiveness connected with remedy. at least pigs on the wing feigns to consider the issue, though not at a depth appropriate for the work. that album should be three tracks not five; perhaps mr. holden would join me in saying so. not to imply that otb and animals are in the same league or even the same sport.
. regarding mr. holden, i accept your point. he clearly does not get this album and i question:
a) how many rotations did he give it?
b) does he like/know neil young?
c) what mind bending drugs he using at the time? [seriously guys]
why the f could r-s not put together a decent review of an important and innovative rock album? a future blog post will pick out old r-s reviews and criticize them unfairly. but his writing is superior to mine, despite the words' departure from logic and sensibility. but im not like him. ultimately the review is valuable, mostly because it is a time capsule just like this album. overlooked and only exists in the museum of our memories.
. on neil's meta message to everyone who slept: could not agree more with you here. this album is a broadside f you at almost everyone, even us who adore [gasp]. pretty cool. i have been describing it as the 'in utero' of neil young. radio friendly unit shifters are hard to discern here. though i might have understated the initial popularity - according to amzn:
"""
This dark yet triumphant album, with guests Graham Nash, David Crosby & The Band's Rick Danko & Levon Helm, initially peaked at #16 & achieved gold status.
"""
whatever that means. i still cant find the vinyl sans internet.
@casey: harvest is missing the point though it brings great memories of course, especially of the good old days. still in heavy rotation for me, especially during autumn months. but do yourself a favor and get this album:
http://www.amazon.com/Beach-Neil-Young/dp/B00009P1O0/
sorry, any meaningful commentary on my part was derailed by nostalgia. i'll collaboratively blog with you though.
ReplyDeleteoh never mind my bitterness. let us just collaborate and remember the good old days. email me your address - i will send you the album.
ReplyDeletei added the photo for some color and as a modest attempt to capture the self reflection, disorientation and feeling of separation from the outside world present in the work.
ReplyDeletepoking around the internet, i found this photo-otb pairing with a similar concept. her photo is much better than mine of course. it was cool and reassuring in a way to find a similar concept though - i love the internet.
“Knowing from Nihilism” or “I'm a Barrel of Laughs Right this Minute, Actually”
ReplyDelete_________
"Why the rifles?" You need not have asked me, as Neil informs us in his next breath that their purpose is "just to keep the population down." To me, this is cartoon nihilism, along the lines of Nelson's advice that nuking whales makes good sense, since "You gotta' nuke something."
In philosophy (or the Big Lebow), nihilism is a fairly clean term of certain meaning that DOES essentially exclude concern for the world or self, as your remark implies. In less academic terms, however, Random House suggests:
1. total rejection of established laws and institutions.
2. anarchy, terrorism, or other revolutionary activity.
I will allow you to decide if dem cap fit.
On to the little matter of la biblitheque, then (and indirectly the matter of what’s wrong with Bart’s generation). It is a fact that I obtained this recording through the Morris County library system, praise Christ. Nevertheless, the parallel you have drawn (JDA : Sugbear as Library : JDA) is not as apt as it may appear.
I shall forgo any detailed of the differences, and suffice it to say that my key role in your exploration of OtB was that of a critic, not a supplier (supply was incidental, as you could just as easily have bought this if I emailed you the title).
Though MCL supplied a recording of this work, the library did not give me any indication that I would enjoy this album any more than the other 45,000 recordings they own. Indeed, they seem to have forgotten to even inform me that this album had been re-released. For that, they will pay.
Hello Casey. I hope this day finds you well. I just can't wait to be all healthy and collaborative and strong again. Between quinoa and C-blogging, I'd say its Five to One sugbear manages to get the whole fucking thing together this time.
ReplyDeleteI must request a clarification of your comment. Is it 'Living in Clip' that you enjoy, or the fact that Ani reminded me of you?
It is funny you bring this up now b/c I was just thinking of how they told my blogging would reach millions, but oddly, no one paid for lunch. 32 waivers and then some, I guess.