NEIL YOUNG AU GRAND REX A PARIS
C'était le 15 février dernier. Mon ami Frankie Nereau y était. Voici (in english) l'article qu'il a écrit sur le sujet, et qui devrait être publié ce mois-ci dans "Broken Arrow", le magazine des fans de Neil YOUNG. Il écrit rudement bien, Frankie!
NEIL YOUNG, LE GRAND REX, Feb. 15th 2008.
As I was stuck in a traffic jam on the outskirts of the city of Paris, I began thinking back on that latest week. My wife and I, along with my two little boys (6 years and 18 months) had just spent a great week in the mountains of Auvergne in the center of France, following the passing of one of my aunts. Her burial happened on a bright sunny day, sad but full of light, and the whole week was spent humming Gabriel Fauré’s “Sicilienne”, thinking of her, as she had been a professional cellist in an orchestra throughout the 50s and 60s. Her mind had escaped her body some 10 years ago, and it seemed that finally her body had decided to follow. A woman full of life, of love, who had played a great role in the way the whole generation of my cousin, sister and brother had been immersed in music from the earlier age.
I had just dropped my wife and children at one of her aunt’s home near Paris, as we were planning to visit her uncle who was in hospital. He had been suffering from Alzheimer’s disease for years, and was now rapidly declining. We had planned to go and see him the day after the concert, Feb . 16th.
Needless to say I had already been to a Neil Young concert with higher spirits. But I kept the dear face of my aunt in the centre of my mind and felt like I owed her a dedication, as music had been an important part of her life, and an important part of my life too, Neil being one of the ultimate reference in my pantheon.
When I finally arrived near Le Grand Rex, I was stunned by the outside architecture of the building. It’s definitely an Art Deco building, with a touch of oriental influence, as two towers looking like minarets stand high over the front wall. People were gathering around the entrance, and you could see from the eyes of the ticket-holders that expectations were high. I entered the hall, still very Art Deco style (but less heavily furnished than the Olympia or the Casino), stopped at the boutique, then proceeded to my place, which was a folding seat at the end of a row of seats on the “parterre”. A folding seat at 135 euros had seemed exaggerated when I had bought the ticket, but I was truly surprised by how comfortable it was. The regular seats must have been cosy as armchairs. Somehow, they looked like those old hair-dresser’s leather seats, remember ? Only, with more style !
The concert hall is just gorgeous. It’s again an Art Deco folly, with back-lighted windows carved in the walls, a built-in-the-wall decor of medina near the balcony, and a dark-painted ceiling with small white lights which shine like stars when the other lights are turned out.
The stage was set with what first appeared to be a mess of instruments, big theatre letters, the usual Indian totem, and paintings all around. The whole thing made more sense as the evening went along, but you could not help but wonder first what all this really meant !
A painting was set on the side of the stage, sporting a capital P in its middle, and Pegi Young came on stage, with Anthony Crawford, Ben Keith and Rick Rosas. She began with two numbers that made me fear her whole set would leave me with the same impression as her CD, which desperately lacks great songs, and a real sense of catching the attention of the listener. It’s not a bad record, but one that plays from beginning to end without catching your ear. Anyway, Pegi managed to lively up the set from the 3rd song on, and finally left the stage with a great ovation from the crowd. Throughout, Anthony Crawford had been a fantastic support on guitar and back vocals, Ben Keith, a delight on pedal steel guitar and Rick Rosas, well, a precise and a world-champion-in-standing-still bass player.
Then came the intermission, during which the stage was re-arranged for Neil’s solo acoustic set. 6 guitars and a banjo were set in the middle-front of the stage, in round, with a seat. We were again asked both in English and French not to request songs, to switch off the phones, and not to make photographs or recordings of the concert. Anew painting was set on the side of the stage, this time with an “N” in the middle. Time was up for the Loner...
When Neil walked on stage, he wore a flanel suit. As usual, he did not greet the audience but went slowly to his seat, stopping on his way and musing with the instruments. He appeared to be hesitating on which song to begin with, but then launched into “From Hank To Hendrix”. I have seen since then that he has played it as an opener on many dates, and it seems right as it sets the tone for the evening. If it’s not the greatest song in his canon, it gives us a hint right from the start to what we are going to hear, as the whole concert concentrates on the years 1963 to 1973 (this could be called “The Chrome Archives Tour”) apart from the songs form “Chrome Dreams II”. If Hank (Williams) died in 1953, his influence is big on Neil... and Hank could also be Hank Marvin, from the Shadows... who was also a big influence as the second encore showed... but let’s not hurry too much ! And in 1973, Jimi Hendrix was still very much present on the rock scene, through his music and his heirs, among which Neil would be emerging during the 1976 tour with the “Like A Hurricane” tour de force ! So “From Hank to Hendrix” set the tone for the whole night.
Neil the picked another guitar, which seemed stringed a whole tone under the usual tuning. I thought of “Don’t Let It Bring You Down” (which, I learned afterwards, had been played the previous night) but the opening chords just floored me into my seat..... “Ambulance Blues” ! Talking about a surprise ! One of my favourites, and I think this must be shared by many a Neil Young fan. The singing was absolutely fabulous, the guitar playing was faultless, very close to the original, but not a soulless copy. Neil was very into it, singing each word with great commitment. You could have heard a pin drop during that song, as the whole crowd was ecstatic, gasping silently to keep the moment lasting. I thing Neil could have played each verse three times in a row, we wouldn’t have protested !
The next song was “Sad Movies”, which I didn’t know and discovered with pleasure, holding my breath to another unissued song performed live (and I have heard some from the Trans tour until now). The link with “A Man Needs A Maid” was obvious, as the songs share a theme around cinema. But for me, “A Man Needs A Maid” was one of the musical low points of the evening. Neil performed it beautifully on the grand piano, but played the orchestral parts and the bridge (“To live a love...”) on a synthetiser. And my God, the sound of that synthetiser was just horrific. They sounded like that in 1972, alright ! But for Chrissake, we’re in 2008, and even if it’s trendy to play old synthetisers, Daft Punk, Air or Sebastien Tellier who lead that trend don’t sound so poor ! Anyway, the piano part were just terrific and made me wonder why he did not play the whole song on acoustic piano.
Then came “No One Seems To Know” and “Try”. I had never heard these two songs and was delighted to hear “No One Seems To Know” at last ! It’s a great song and Neil sang it with all his heart. I was less impressed by “Try”, the melody of which seemed to be influenced by the American composers of the 20s like George Gershwin, Cole Porter et al, but lacking a true hook.
Back to his guitars, Neil followed with “Harvest”, a great surprise as it’s one of the best songs on “Harvest” (not my favourite album, you’ll have guessed), and rather seldom played. It was again a heartfelt rendition, with beautiful guitar playing, and it made me long for “Out On The Weekend”. Neil then went to the upright piano (yeah, the half dislocated one he seems to carry all around the world with him each time... I keep wondering how it still holds together) for “After the Gold Rush”. Definitely not one of my favourite songs, so my attention got caught by the stage set. And at the end of the song, I realised I had not heard the cheering from the audience which generally burst when Neil sings “... and I felt like getting high”. So I was left wondering if he had sung that verse... or if the audience, like me, had for once, left its mind wander during the song !
A great surprise came next : Neil seized the banjo and played “Mellow My Mind”. And the result was great, leaving me to wonder how many songs could be unearthed and rearranged like this, giving them new life when they seemed to have been forgotten by everyone. “Love Art Blues” followed, a great version of that unreleased song that I guess every NYAS member already knows. That song really stands out in Neil’s canon as the one which deserves the most a record release (and don’t talk to me about Archives.... I want it on a regular album).
The end of the acoustic set was downward from that point on. “The Needle And The Damage Done” was not very well performed (it must be the 6th time I hear him play it in concert, and each time he screws it somewhere) but a first salute to Danny Whitten (there would be more in the electric set) and “Heart Of Gold” was met by much roaring from the crowd (but not me, I’m not too keen on that song).
Neil did not talk during this acoustic set (I heard since then that he told stories on the first night in Paris about his mother and grandmother), but was very concentrated on the songs. At several moments, he seemed to hesitate on the choice of an instrument or a song, and the differences between the two Paris set lists prove that was the case. I really felt great after that first set, especially because of the unreleased songs I had heard, the great versions of “Ambulance Blues”, “Harvest” and “Mellow My Mind”. Of course, I was thinking a some additions I would have made to make the set list more perfect to my ear... but you can’t always get what you want as Mick says ! But “Round and Round”, “The Losing End” or “Runnin’ Dry” would have made my day !
Another intermission allowed the roadies to settle the stage for the electric set. Larry Cragg was greeted with much cheering each time he appeared, as always. The announcement for the phones, photos and requests was made again, then....
Neil appeared, holding Ol’Black and burst into “Mr Soul”. The song was powerful, not too fast, not too slow, just the right speed. The rhythm section of Rick Rosas and Ralph Molina was perfect, deep and mighty and the song is definitely one of my favourites, in all its incarnations as I love the Buffalo Springfield version, the Trans version (it was better live, still), the acoustic version, the Booker T. And the MG’s version (live 1993 at the Zenith, Paris). Neil sis not launch into extended solos but just kept to the tight original version, only with a kind of “Zuma” feel. Which led to “Don’t Cry No Tears”, a song that he had used to start off his 2001 show in Paris Bercy with Crazy Horse (I wore the black T-Shirt from that tour in Le Grand Rex and several people turned around and said “Nice shirt ! Thanks, guys). If it sounded powerful in 2001, here it did not really work, sounding a bit slow and uneasy after “Mr Soul”. It was a short version and that was OK, because I felt the energy going down on stage and in the audience.
The next song was “Dirty Old Man” which is definitely not one of my favourites on “Chrome Dreams II” (a kind of “Piece of Crap” but without the fun). I was starting to wonder where Neil was going with the choices of the electric set, as I thought at that moment that “Ordinary People” would have been a great song to enter a kind of “electric long tunnel of emotions” at that point in the concert. And “Dirty Old Man” certainly did not play that role ! Still, it was better than on record, but it remains a poor song. Maybe Crazy Horse could make it better (that garage feel), who knows...
“Spirit Road” was much better. That song does not stand out as much as it should in “Chrome Dreams II”, it could have been treated better, but here, live it felt just right. [...]
Neil then made us a big surprise : he took his Gretsch White Falcon and launched into “Bad Fog Of Loneliness”. WHHHHHOOOOOAAAAA ! It felt incredible to see him sport that guitar. I have seen so many pictures of him with it but never saw him play any other electric guitar than Ol’ Black. He had already changed for a Gibson Gold Top and a Gibson The Paul (as I seem to remember) at the beginning of the electric set, which was a big surprise, but to see him with this “great white monument” was awesome. I think the way he changed guitars throughout the evening also explains the variety of emotions and styles he was able to create. And I think that’s what lacked in his previous albums and tours, that necessary change in mood at some time to give people a break instead of hammering the same music over and over. And it’s certainly a consequence of going through the Archives 1963-1972 : there was a great deal of different styles, arrangements, combinations of musicians, studio productions for Neil at the time, and he must have been influenced by this variety of styles and sound he had to go through while assembling the Archives Volume 1. Anyway, the version of “Bad Fog of Loneliness” was great, with chiming guitar. He then said the following song would be performed in homage to a dear friend of his, Danny Whitten, to much applause and played a very soulful “Winterlong”, again with the Gretsch White Falcon. It reminded me he had already performed the song on acoustic 12-string in Paris on the Greendale Tour, as the last encore, following a request. Hearing it again, this time on electric, was a great treat. His voice was just perfect, as it was during the whole concert, never missing a note, even the higher ones. He sometimes struggled, he sometimes had modified the melody not to have to go too far in the high notes, but his singing was strong, mastered.
Another great surprise followed with Don Gibson’s “Oh, Lonesome Me”. The “After the Goldrush Track” was totally rearranged with the full band totally committed to a song that bordered country, soul and gospel just like the best songs from the early albums of The Band. Pegi was on vibes, Anthony Crawford on back vocals and guitar, plus Ben Keith on keyboards and Rick and Ralph playing a very subtle slow shuffle. The song just flowed easily but profoundly, a very heartfelt rendition that made you wish Rick Danko and Richard Manuel were still there to hear that magic occur. “The Believer” came next and was not up to the challenge after such emotion. “The Painter” (from Prairie Wind) would have been more appropriate, not only because a painter was standing at the back of the stage, painting a canvas during each song, but because it’s a great overlooked gem from Neil’s recent oeuvre, and it’s another view of the loneliness of man, different from that on “Oh, Lonesome Me”, and complementary to it thanks to the experience acquired by a man 35 years after. But as it was not in the time frame Neil seemed to have chosen for those concerts....
Next song was “No Hidden Path”, the second best rocker on “Chrome Dreams II” after “Ordinary People”. Neil made it the kind of long sonic experience he usually applies to “Like A Hurricane”, the song clocking at some 30 minute. Raging solos after raging solos, it seemed the song would never end, taking more strength as Neil stooped and grinned and his hand made their way all along the neck and his feet stomped the ground or the pedals. Ben keith was a strange figure during that song, lacking stage presence with his Telecaster firmly in hand, playing power chords gently but efficiently. (Someone should show him “The Kids Are Alright”, no ?.....). The band left the stage after a last assault of feedback at the end of the song and a collective salute under raging applause from the crowd which was now all up on its feet.
It was just a few moments before they came back and threw in “Cinnamon Girl”, a great version , very close to the original with great backing vocals from most of the band. Neil then said something like : “It’s good to be here in Paris. You French have a curious way of standing your ground in this world, sometimes hard to understand, but it’s OK, we need that challenge”. I can’t remember the words exactly, but that was the meaning of the message. He then launched into “Rockin’ In The Free World” . The version was again totally abrasive, with Neil yelling the lyrics, launching into crazy solos, stomping, crouching over his guitar and waving to Ralph Molina several times at the end to play longer. After some 10 minutes (maybe more, I was ecstatic, having made my way up to the front row, stage left), the song came to a halt, the band quickly waved and ran from the stage.
I thought it was all over, totally transfixed by the 3 hours I had just spent here, when suddenly, an oriental figure walked on stage, all green silk shirt and red silk turban, arms crossed, holding a gong hammer. A gong was set beside him, and as he kept his hieratic posture, the band reconvened on stage, Neil wearing oval sunglasses. I looked at the scene, bewildered, and did not understand (although retrospectively, it was obvious) what was going on, until the oriental figure hit the gong shouting “The Sultan”. I nearly fell down under the shock of the surprise ! The Squires instrumental was being played here in Paris, 45 years after its recording in a radio station studio somewhere in the plains of Canada. I had to shake myself to enjoy the moment instead of thinking about the historic moment we were all living. The band played very tight, a kind of 21st century Shadows, big sound, powerful chords, a great melody line on guitar. Since then I have kept hoping Neil will rerecord the tune as that band really played it the best it could be played. When “The Sultan” came to an end after several breaks during which our oriental figure delivered more ear-crashing gong and frightening bass – barytone “the sultan !”, the whole crowd was amazed, with eyes sparkling as if the concert had surpassed everything they wished for. And indeed, it had for me.
The next day, at my wife’s aunt house, we woke up to the sound of the telephone ringing. My wife’s uncle had died during the night. We decided to stay by her side for several days until the burial, to help her settle everything. There was much crying, much hugging as our children were upset by everybody’s sadness. But throughout these days of sorrow, I was hopefully able to help. Having witnessed the rebirth of Neil through his survey of his Archives, I knew everybody would be able to go through this ordeal by getting together and remembering the past and sharing it with those who weren’t there when all this happened.
THE FOALS
C'était hier soir (5 avril 2008) dans le Live de Canal+. J'ai retrouvé chez ces kids, réunis dans l'énergie et la sautillance: Marquis de Sade, U2, The Cure, Madness, et...The Foals!
Mention spéciale au drummer fou, dansant et sexy. Let's go!
AARON
J'ai vu cette vidéo chez mon épicière qui est une sorte de princesse africaine.J'ai dit: "P'tain, quelle voix!". Et elle a ajouté: "Ouais, ça passe en boucle!". C'est AARON. J'avais un peu l'air d'une truffe...
OH! est désormais producer de dixes! C'est un peu n'importe quoi et c'est rigolo!
THE WOMBATS
Un peu de rock de kids qui tue de sa race pour arroser 2008! Be Happy, qu'ils chantent, les cheurs des Wombats à la fin! Moi, j' dis que ça finit bien!
The Wombats "Let's dance to Joy Division" video
envoyé par naiverecords
BAT FOR LASHES
C'était dans l'émission télé de DAHO un soir sur France 4. Si vous avez aimé Joni Mitchell, Kate Bush, Siouxsie, Patti Smith, Elizabeth Frazer et toutes ces filles du feu, alors tombez sous le charme de Bat for Lashes!
LA JOIE EXISTE! ET ELLE S'APPELLE THE GOSSIP!
HOMMAGE A BARBARA sur EUROPE 1
C'était samedi soir (24 novembre) dans les studios d'EUROPE 1, dans l'émission de Thierry Lecamp "On Connaît la Musique". Pour rendre hommage à Barbara (qui nous a quitté le 24 novembre 97), l'animateur a invité Jeanne Cherhal, Calogero, William Sheller, Jean-Louis Aubert, Olivia Ruiz (...)
Vous pouvez voir une vidéo des coulisses de cette spéciale à cette adresse http://www.europe1.fr/podcast/podcast-video.jsp ...mais aussi écouter l'émission et la télécharger à cette adresse http://www.europe1.fr/references/1948/thierry-lecamp-generations-europe-1.html
J'avoue qu' en tant que garçon, "La Jeanne" me fait toujours comme un effet...ses petits cheveux, sa petite jupe! Dingue!
THE WOMBATS Coup de coeur total pour ces kids! Let's dance to Joy Division...
TARATATA Les Vidéos
Nagui est vachement généreux avec les internautes et dévoile ses archives en images depuis 1993: 2000 vidéos sont disponibles...sur le site, d'Arctic Monkeys à Alan Stivell en passant par Birkin, Dyonisos, Joe Cocker, Sting, Zazie...c'est à cette adresse Video Taratata, avec un moteur de recherche pour voir les artistes qu'on aime, en vrai live vivant sur scène on air absolu (comme dit l'autre!). Il suffit de créer son Taratacompte et hop!
MURAT/CHARLES ET LEO (La Mémoire et la Mer)
Le tâcheron auvergnat, taciturne, provoc et follement romnatique est passionné de poésie depuis toujours, et l'a déjà prouvé dans ses albums. Là, il s'attaque à du "lourd", des poèmes de Baudelaire, et des musiques de Ferré. Mathieu Ferré, qui maîtrise avec passion et intelligence l'oeuvre de papa, s'était vu remettre par son chanteur-compositeur de père une cassette de démos, enregistrées piano-voix: il s'agissait de musiques écrites après ses albums de 1957 et 1967 sur une vingtaine de poèmes des "Fleurs du Mal". Le résultat est ce cd-dvd sur le label (de Mathieu) "La Mémoire et la Mer". Pour le fils (authentique) de Léo, Murat est "l'héritier spirutel" de son père.
Tous les détails sur le site officiel de Murat ou sur celui (très beau aussi) de La Mémoire et la Mer.
JLM vous fait cadeau tout de suite et gracieusement de cette vidéo, qui a toute sa place ici, oh oui!
Je vous invite aussi à écouter l'émission de France Culture "A plus d'un Titre" du 26 septembre dernier, dont MURAT est l'invité. C'est Direct là !
MAN: Une recontre dans l'eSpace!
Ai reçu il y a quelques jours une "invitation sensible" du duo MAN sur mon Myspace à moi. Je suis donc allé les voir, et ai plongé avec bonheur dans leur espace musical, aérien et effectivement très sensible. Ils sont à Nantes, s'appellent Rasim Biyikli (piano, divers claviers, jouets, objets comme machines à café, perceuses, machines à écrire!) et Charles-Eric Charrier (basse, guitares et jouets). A leur actif: quatre albums depuis 99, et des musiques de film, à écouter en révassant sur leur Myspace à eux. On les a vus aux côtés de Dominique A, Emilie Simon, The Tindersticks. Leurs amis s'appellent Fransoiz Breut, Laurent Garnier, Katerine, les Little Rabbitts, Rodolphe Burger ou Denis Podalydès. Leurs fréquentations cinématographiques sont aussi un peu les nôtres. Man et nous, on vous offre ici, cette vidéo là, musique de Man sur des images de Buster Keaton. Etonnifiant
BENJAMIN BIOLAY/Trash Yéyé
Le nouvel album de BIOLAY, "Trash Yéyé" est dans les bacs, et déjà téléchargé à Oh La Radio! (légalement bien sûr). Après "Rose Kennedy" (2002, avec le chouette single "Les Cerfs-volants"), le double "Négatif" (2003, l'album de "Billy Bob a raison", "La Pénombre des Pays-bas", "Chaise à Tokyo"), "Home", "Clara et Moi", "A l'Origine" (2005, avec "Même si Tu pars", "Dans mon Dos", "Cours!" et le formidable "A l'Origine"), voici une nouvelle belle preuve des talents de song-writer, de compositeur et de mélodiste du Benjamin. Le garçon, qui fait actuellement sa promo, n'a pas l'air en très bonne santé. C'est clair, il fume trop (oh, j 'peux parler, je suis aussi bête) et ne jogge pas autant que Niko. Mais ça valait la peine qu'il se fatigue un peu en studio. Voici le clip de "Laisse Aboyer les Chiens".
Benjamin Biolay - Laisse Aboyer les Chiens
Ajouter à mon profil | Plus de Vidéos
Sur le site MySpace de Benjamin BIOLAY, vous avez les dates de sa tournée actuelle, et des vidéos en podcast avec interview (top décontract' Benj') et sécances de studio! Yo!
SANDRINE KIBERLAIN/Coupés bien net et bien carré
Cette fille-là, moi, j' vais t 'dire, elle est terrible. Belle, talentueuse (je trouve qu'il y a des tâches de rousseur aussi dans sa jolie voix), et dotée d'humour, en plus. Elle n'est pas formidable, Sandrine. Elle est formidouble! Ca manquait de filles ici. C'est réparé et de quelle manière! Clip de "La Chanteuse"...
Son Official Site.
ivre...
RADIO BARCELONA
Les pages Radio de Télérama (Anne-Marie Gustave) nous font passer l'info Webradio de la semaine (du 6 au 12 Octobre): Radiochango est une radio dont le credo est "la Fête, l'Espoir" et "la révolte non violente et la lutte pour un monde plus juste" (Hola!). D'ailleurs, c'est écrit dessus: "Musica y Revolucion"! Caramba!
C'est à Barcelona, donde viven Manu Chao y todos sus amigos, que "Onda Rebelde" (c'est l'apellacion amicale de la radio) crée ses programmes: flux latino, concerts enregistrés dans le monde entier, et interviews de chanteurs en cinq langues (français, espagnol, catalan, anglais, italien). Radiochango affiche par ailleurs clairement ses positions sur les sans-papiers ou la mondialisation. Accueil avec choix de la langue, nickel! Toca, toca la guitarrrrra, Manuel!
A escuchar sin moderacion: RADIOCHANGO!
Arriba! Arriba!
SAN SEVERINO/BRATSCH
Pourquoi faire pénible et compliqué quand on peut faire simple, humain, sympa, décontracté, franc du collier, swing, manouche, valab' ? C'est BRATSCH invitant SAN SEVERINO ou SAN SEV' pour quelques minutes de plaisir, au feeling! On regarde et on écoute...extrait de Tavès Bartalo et interview!
REMEMBER LES SEVENTIES
Genesis, Camel, Focus, le Floyd, Procol Harum, Uriah Heep, Gentle Giant, Renaissance, Asia, Jethro Tull, Yes, Emmerson Lake and Palmer, Lindisfarne, Alan Parsons! Ils sont revenus, ils sont tous là! Ressortez les Pattes d'eph' si ce n'était déjà fait, car les heroes du Progressive Rock sont en vidéo sur ce site, dans une jolie télé!
Allez-y! Je n'ai pas tout testé, mais y a du bono et c'est là.
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