The Official Neil Young Thread

[liebzz]

aren’t CD players themselves becoming obsolete ? At least in cars and computers ?

You have a line on a sweet dashboard turntable?

The argument here was why stream because artists music disappear and to solely rely on cd. Is vinyl guys are not placing our bets on vinyl only

Err, in direct response to Kevin Davis post.

In a lot of ways this. I rely on Spotify in the car and on public transportation, where probably 95% of my consumption is done. The other 5%, weekends when I can sit for a little while with a cup of coffee and a record cover until the family pulls me away for other things, is always physical media and never streaming (it could sometimes be a CD or a concert video). So mostly I am whining about this because it eliminates Neil Young as an option for me unless I am in the 5% window.

[Strat]

aren’t CD players themselves becoming obsolete ? At least in cars and computers ?

You have a line on a sweet dashboard turntable?

The argument here was why stream because artists music disappear and to solely rely on cd. Is vinyl guys are not placing our bets on vinyl only

Err, in direct response to Kevin Davis post.

In a lot of ways this. I rely on Spotify in the car and on public transportation, where probably 95% of my consumption is done. The other 5%, weekends when I can sit for a little while with a cup of coffee and a record cover until the family pulls me away for other things, is always physical media and never streaming (it could sometimes be a CD or a concert video). So mostly I am whining about this because it eliminates Neil Young as an option for me unless I am in the 5% window.

Unless you move to Apple....

[Kevin Davis]

aren’t CD players themselves becoming obsolete ? At least in cars and computers ?

You have a line on a sweet dashboard turntable?

The argument here was why stream because artists music disappear and to solely rely on cd. Is vinyl guys are not placing our bets on vinyl only

Err, in direct response to Kevin Davis post.

I didn't say to rely solely on CD, did I? I said that I wouldn't want to rely solely on a streaming service to ensure I had access to the music I love, and CD happens to be my personal preferred format, but I certainly wasn't meaning to disparage people who collect vinyl, keep a collection of FLAC's, whatever. I'm not even meaning to disparage exclusive streamers; I'm just relating my own experience and preferences.

But, to answer your question as to why I prefer CD to vinyl: It's mostly the expense, lack of portability, and what seems like a lack of reliability in the physical product -- bad pressings, manufacturing delays, etc. It seems like there is a lot of fretting over that stuff among vinyl lovers and that's not something I really care to invest my energy in. CD's have their own issues for sure, but most of the time they're ones that are within my control to prevent.

If I go to eBay and type "neil young cd" into the search and sort by price, I can find almost all of his proper catalog albums for under $5 from highly rated sellers. Vinyl would likely be far pricier, with a great deal of potential variation in product. With CD's, unless I get shipped a scratched disc (which has happened to me maybe twice in 20 years), I can be reasonably sure of what I'm getting.

CD players are absolutely becoming obsolete, but at the same time, not particularly difficult to find. I just replaced mine last year, literally just drove to Best Buy and bought it. There aren't 100 options like there were 20 years ago, but I have never had difficulty replacing them when I've needed to, which at my level of system has proven to be about once every 7-8 years. I certainly can't imagine it's any harder than assembling a good vinyl setup. My car, a 2016 Honda, has a nice CD system; I expect next time I'm in the market for a vehicle, I won't be so lucky. In this case I'll be fine with using a streaming service to plug the gap.

All just my preference. Ultimately I think every format has pros and cons, and every listener values different things that cause those pros and cons to weigh out differently.

[liebzz]

aren’t CD players themselves becoming obsolete ? At least in cars and computers ?

You have a line on a sweet dashboard turntable?

The argument here was why stream because artists music disappear and to solely rely on cd. Is vinyl guys are not placing our bets on vinyl only

Err, in direct response to Kevin Davis post.

In a lot of ways this. I rely on Spotify in the car and on public transportation, where probably 95% of my consumption is done. The other 5%, weekends when I can sit for a little while with a cup of coffee and a record cover until the family pulls me away for other things, is always physical media and never streaming (it could sometimes be a CD or a concert video). So mostly I am whining about this because it eliminates Neil Young as an option for me unless I am in the 5% window.

Unless you move to Apple....

Realistically it's just not gonna happen. Damn anti-vaxxers win again.

[liebzz]

aren’t CD players themselves becoming obsolete ? At least in cars and computers ?

You have a line on a sweet dashboard turntable?

The argument here was why stream because artists music disappear and to solely rely on cd. Is vinyl guys are not placing our bets on vinyl only

Err, in direct response to Kevin Davis post.

I didn't say to rely solely on CD, did I? I said that I wouldn't want to rely solely on a streaming service to ensure access to the music I love, and CD happens to be my personal preferred format, but I certainly wasn't meaning to disparage people who collect vinyl, keep a collection of FLAC's, whatever. I'm not even meaning to disparage exclusive streamers; I'm just relating my own experience and preferences.

But, to answer your question as to why I prefer CD to vinyl: It's mostly the expense, lack of portability, and what seems like a lack of reliability in the physical product -- bad pressings, manufacturing delays, etc. It seems like there is a lot of fretting over that stuff among vinyl lovers and that's not something I really care to invest my energy in. CD's have their own issues for sure, but most of the time they're ones that are within my control to prevent.

If I go to eBay and type "neil young cd" into the search and sort by price, I can find almost all of his proper catalog albums for under $5 from highly rated sellers. Vinyl would likely be far pricier, with a great deal of potential variation in product. With CD's, unless I get shipped a scratched disc (which has happened to me maybe twice in 20 years), I can be reasonably sure of what I'm getting.

CD players are absolutely becoming obsolete, but at the same time, not particularly difficult to find. I just replaced mine last year, literally just drove to Best Buy and bought it. There aren't 100 options like there were 20 years ago, but I have never had difficulty replacing them when I've needed to, which at my level of system has proven to be about once every 7-8 years. I certainly can't imagine it's any harder than assembling a good vinyl setup.

All just my preference. Ultimately I think every format has pros and cons, and every listener values different things that cause those pros and cons to weigh out differently.

Well put. I have converted closer to vinyl but still have many hundreds of CDs. I converted because it seems like records are the dominant format, because I enjoy weirdly forcing myself to listen to full albums than skipping around, and the warmth of the sound particularly on older releases. I do though appreciate and utilize CDs.

[Kevin Davis]

Up early this morning and enjoying a low-volume spin of Songs For Judy while I have my coffee. Man, just hearing him roll through one of these amazing songs after another, with nothing but guitar and voice -- I love, love, love Neil Young, but sometimes I forget just how much.

[Birds in Hell]

Even for a band whose brand is sloppy anarchy, Americana is a hot mess of blown tempos and bizarre arrangements that only seem logical if you’re listening while staring through the bottom of a tequila bottle. Sometimes, the lunacy is so extreme that it whips around back to palatable. No interest in a cover of “Oh Susannah”? What if it sounds like “Louie Louie” as performed by a bar band that’s been paid for the night in quaaludes? Does the idea of covering “Get A Job” seem corny? What if Neil is the only one who remembers Crazy Horse’s doo wop roots and yearns for a return to them? Americana is about setting up a ridiculous scenario and then somehow making it even more preposterous.

I like that record a lot, but this was funny.

[Wendy Carlos's Twin]

CD players are absolutely becoming obsolete, but at the same time, not particularly difficult to find. I just replaced mine last year, literally just drove to Best Buy and bought it. There aren't 100 options like there were 20 years ago, but I have never had difficulty replacing them when I've needed to, which at my level of system has proven to be about once every 7-8 years. I certainly can't imagine it's any harder than assembling a good vinyl setup. My car, a 2016 Honda, has a nice CD system; I expect next time I'm in the market for a vehicle, I won't be so lucky. In this case I'll be fine with using a streaming service to plug the gap.

There is no logical reason that vinyl and cassettes should be experiecing a big comeback while CD's are becoming obsolete, other than it suits the industry monetarily at the moment because of popular trend. Eventually the opposite will happen and it will be 1986 all over again. Sony will suddenly start manufacturing CD players again with funky designs on them, they will be telling young people to forget about those dumb scratchy LP's and hissy cassettes, and hipsters everywhere will be raiding yard sales for long forgotten compact discs. And so it goes.

[liebzz]

CD players are absolutely becoming obsolete, but at the same time, not particularly difficult to find. I just replaced mine last year, literally just drove to Best Buy and bought it. There aren't 100 options like there were 20 years ago, but I have never had difficulty replacing them when I've needed to, which at my level of system has proven to be about once every 7-8 years. I certainly can't imagine it's any harder than assembling a good vinyl setup. My car, a 2016 Honda, has a nice CD system; I expect next time I'm in the market for a vehicle, I won't be so lucky. In this case I'll be fine with using a streaming service to plug the gap.

There is no logical reason that vinyl and cassettes should be experiecing a big comeback while CD's are becoming obsolete, other than it suits the industry monetarily at the moment because of popular trend. Eventually the opposite will happen and it will be 1986 all over again. Sony will suddenly start manufacturing CD players again with funky designs on them, they will be telling young people to forget about those dumb scratchy LP's and hissy cassettes, and hipsters everywhere will be raiding yard sales for long forgotten compact discs. And so it goes.

I hope they come to my yard sale. I have a lot of CDs.

[Kevin Davis]

Even for a band whose brand is sloppy anarchy, Americana is a hot mess of blown tempos and bizarre arrangements that only seem logical if you’re listening while staring through the bottom of a tequila bottle. Sometimes, the lunacy is so extreme that it whips around back to palatable. No interest in a cover of “Oh Susannah”? What if it sounds like “Louie Louie” as performed by a bar band that’s been paid for the night in quaaludes? Does the idea of covering “Get A Job” seem corny? What if Neil is the only one who remembers Crazy Horse’s doo wop roots and yearns for a return to them? Americana is about setting up a ridiculous scenario and then somehow making it even more preposterous.

I like that record a lot, but this was funny.

I love that album, precisely because it is kinda how Hyden describes.

[Birds in Hell]

Even for a band whose brand is sloppy anarchy, Americana is a hot mess of blown tempos and bizarre arrangements that only seem logical if you’re listening while staring through the bottom of a tequila bottle. Sometimes, the lunacy is so extreme that it whips around back to palatable. No interest in a cover of “Oh Susannah”? What if it sounds like “Louie Louie” as performed by a bar band that’s been paid for the night in quaaludes? Does the idea of covering “Get A Job” seem corny? What if Neil is the only one who remembers Crazy Horse’s doo wop roots and yearns for a return to them? Americana is about setting up a ridiculous scenario and then somehow making it even more preposterous.

I like that record a lot, but this was funny.

I love that album, precisely because it is kinda how Hyden describes.

Me too!

The article prompted me to listen to Life yesterday. I forgot how much I like Mideast Vacation.

[coptheriotact]

Life came out on the exact day I was born which is pretty cool, I like the album more each time I hear it but it’s still a bit of a jarring listen. It’s crazy how the album sounds compared to the rusted out garage tour video. I’m ok with the production though (landing on water is one of my favorites)

[Teeeeeekay]

The Beastie Boys New Style sample in Ice Cube’s Check Yo Self is great.

Right?

[rick malone]

I agree that there is a certain vibe I get from Mideast Vacation that makes it pretty memorable.

Glad that Hyden ranked Time Fades Away so high.

[coptheriotact]

I think i've listened to enough Neil that i could probably rank all the albums up until psychedelic pill.

actually.. i haven't listened to silver and gold,are you passionate and a few others enough to fairly rank them..

[rick malone]

Silver and Gold is a pleasant listen. Not sure if I'll ever listen to it again but its got a few okay songs(for Neil, music critics might go nuts over them if they were by some other less prolific guy).

[tragabigzanda]

[rick malone]

Silver and Gold is kind of dull, I much prefer Comes A Time(I'm a 70's Neil guy, not a huge fan of Ragged Glory or Sleeps With angels). Going Home is probably the only decent song on are You Passionate.

There is only one Neil though.

[tragabigzanda]

[Kevin Davis]

Godawful take, guys. S&G is his best album since Sleeps With Angels.

Silver and Gold is one of my favorite NY albums, in the top 3 of my favorite post-70's albums along with Ragged Glory and Sleeps With Angels.