100 LBS OF WOMAN

The third and final LP by Ruby on the Capitol label.This album once again gives us a great mix of rock, pop, soul and Southern rock and roll.Again recorded in Memphis at Ardent studios. There are some cover songs on the LP with Ruby doing a Buckingham Nicks,Jackie DeShannon and a remake of the Beau Brummels "Just A Little". Unlike the previous 2 LPs there are no songs penned by keyboardist Marius Penzcer even though he does appear on the album. His work with Ruby on the first LP's was top notch Latter tracks finally turn Ruby loose with 100 lbs of Woman setting the style

Smokey Places 1977

1. Time To Hide
2. Don't Let me Down Again
3. Just A Little
4. Don't Kill My Love
5. 100 LB's Of Woman
6. When You Walk In The Room
7. Love's Made A Fool Of You
8. Do I still Figure In Your Life
9. On Top
10. Let Your Feet Down Easy

Ruby Starr Lead Vocals
David Mayo Bass, Vocals
Marius Penczner Keyboards
Pat Taylor Vocals
Joel Williams Drums
Eddie Harrison Vocals
Jimmy Henderson Guitar
Greg Rding Guitar
Debbie Cathey Vocals

SHINING STARR

This is an excellent collection of songs, many written by keyboard player Marius Penczner, displaying Starr's vocal range and dominating personality. Far more commercial than Black Oak Arkansas, that band and their lead singer, Jim "Dandy" Mangrum, appear on "Fistful of Love" -- a fun and disciplined performance. You can't really call her version of "Be My Baby" reggae, but you can say it is one of the more interesting takes on the song, with Andrew Love of the Memphis Horns slipping in a wonderful sax at the end of it. "Drift Away," a Penczner original, has the band emulating early Deep Purple, especially the songwriter's keyboard riffs. "Mass Transit" is an interesting instrumental, but what is it doing on an all-too-short album by a vocalist? There are six words in the song, which Starr cameos several times; it's funky stuff that adds to the intrigue, but more activity from the star of the show would have been preferred. "Mass Transit" is one of the best sounding tracks on the record, the band no doubt showing off, but this lady can sing and should've been given an equal chance to vamp. "Maybe I'm Amazed" is a wonderful opening for this album, with Starr possessing that Kim Carnes/Bonnie Tyler rasp, giving the woman's point of view. She gives the McCartney classic a gospel feel without the help of a choir or additional vocalists. Impressive. Penczner proves to be a formidable writer; "Morning Glory" is a solid pop tune, and a nice break before the heavy "That's It," the only tune on the disc co-written by Starr. She works well with Penczner, and her overpowering voice makes it feel like she's co-written the rest of his originals. "I'll Meet You Halfway" changing moods again, giving the band a chance to be dramatic, and letting Starr soar. "Love On Ice" brings the album back to heavy pop with more of that Deep Purple keyboard sound, only a little more up-tempo. Scene Stealer is a complete and varied recording by an artist who should have made a bigger impact on rock & roll. ~ Joe Viglione, All Music Guide

Scene Stealer 1976

1. Maybe I,m Amazed 3:02
2. Morning Glory 2:40
3. That's It 4:40
4. I'll Meet You Half Way 3:30
5. Love On Ice 3:35
6. Who's Who 2:30
7. Be My Baby 2:43
8. Mass Transit 5:00
9. Fistful Of Love 3:16
10. Drift Away 3:28
Ruby Starr Lead Vocals
Tommy Aldridge Drums
Jimmy Henderson Lead Guitar
Marius Penczner Keyboards/Vocals
David Mayo Bass

Andrew Love Saxophone ( Be My Baby)
Jim Dandy Vocal ( Fistful of Love)

CALAMITY JANE AND THE CONFEDERATE GENERAL

In mid 1974 Ruby needed to put together her own band to support her on the road. She and her manager approach members of a local Memphis band( Target) while in town. Members drummer Joel Williams and keyboard player Marius Peczner are recruited into Starr's backing band. She added guitarists Ronnie Mason and Gary Levin with bassist David Mayo. This band became Ruby Starr and Grey Ghost The grey ghost in question being a reference to Confederate Civil war hero General Mosby.After some short rehearsal time touring ensued as support to BOA, Mountain and Heartsfield.
As 1975 dawned the band gained a major label deal with Capitol Records immediately after a television appearance on the 'Midnight Special' show. The band recorded their debut album at the legendary Muscle Shoals studios produced by former Hombres bassist Jerry Masters with later sessions taking place in Memphis. Throughout 1975 the band was rarely off the road opening frequently for major rock acts.
This is the first LP for Ruby. As the album was released it entered the Billboard charts at number 172. Much in demand Starr and her cohorts were straight back on the road playing major venues across the country
This LP is the first of three releases on the Capitol label for Ruby and her associated musicians. Many believe this to be her best LP overall. It is more than likely that these three LP's represent Ruby in her finest moments and Grey Ghost was undoubtedly her tightest and most talented band.

Grey Ghost 1975

1. Burnin' Whiskey
2. Sweet, Sweet, Sweet
3. Witchin'Hour
4. Did It Again
5. Everything Comes And Goes
6. Long Wait
7. You Need A Chain
8. Fork In The Road
9. Living Proof
The 1974 promo poster for the Grey Ghost Tour.Concert Poster from Armadillo World Headquarters featuring Ruby with Bob Seeger in Dec of 75

JIM DANDY TO THE RESCUE???

I thought I would call this one by the Jim Dandy reference because we do have to acknowledge the fact that Jim Mangrum did bring Ruby Jones to the fore front of rock and roll by asking her to join his band Black Oak Arkansas as a back up vocalist. And so Ruby Starr is born. I mentioned on the last post that rock and roll was like playing poker. I think Ruby should have held her own in this decision because from day one her stage presence outclassed BOA and it was not long before Ruby moved to a solo career. Her relationship with BOA was a good one I am assuming because of the input they had on her career whether it was good or bad. making her first solo LP for Capitol Records while still filling the bill as a backup singer for BOA
You just gotta love the 70's and how it was back then. You still have to remember that it was Ruby herself that made her career decisions.

These tracks are from a live BOA concert in 76 and they show the talents that Ruby had and to some degree her allegiance to BOA. Three of the four songs are from her then current Capitol LP..Scene Stealer

1. Jim Dandy
2. Fist Full
3. Maybe I'm Amazed
4. Love On IceA promotional poster for the BOA tour of 76 Ruby is billed as the opening act. Things would change for Ruby during this time frame. The poster shows the promo spot for Ruby's second Capitol LP....... What happened to the first?

A TALE OF ROCK AND ROLL INJUSTICE

Rock and Roll sometimes does talent an injustice and passes an individual by. So is the case for this young lady who had one of the most powerful voices in rock. You do not see much on the web about her..... Her music is hard to find..... She passed away too soon....Another injustice! So here you have the beginnings of a fantastic female vocalist and a tribute to her because I believe she deserved more than what she got. I guess that being in rock and roll is like playing poker... you have to know when you play the right cards.

Born Constance Henrietta Mierzwiak in Toledo, OH, in 1949, the future rock singer got her start at the age of nine (performing renditions of Brenda Lee songs) before changing her stage name to Connie Little and forming the Phil Spector-esque Connie & the Blu-Beats. Following stints in such obscure outfits as the Downtowners and the Blue Grange Ramblers (aka BGR), the latter of which mutated into the outfit Ruby Jones (a name that the singer was going by at the time). Signed to Curtis Mayfield's Curtom label, the recording of Ruby Jones' 1971 self-titled was even supervised by Mayfield. A very good lp that shows off the potential of this young lady.
...... She shows that she is equal in vocal talent to Janis Joplin, funky, raucous, wild...

Ruby Jones - Stone Junkie (1971)

99, 000 Times
Looking Out at Tomorrow
46th Street
Have No Witness
Freely Away
Oh Baby
Tightrope
Bicycle Built For Everyone
Stone Junkie
You Better Run

HEADED FOR THE DITCH

* Neil Young – lead guitar, piano, harmonica, vocals
* Ben Keith – pedal steel, harmony vocals (on tracks 1, 3, 4, 6, 8)
* Jack Nitzsche – piano (on tracks 1, 3, 4, 6, 8)
* Johnny Barbata – drums (on tracks 1, 3, 4, 6, 8)
* Tim Drummond – bass (on tracks 1, 3, 6, 8)
* Joe Yankee – bass (on track 4)
* David Crosby – rhythm guitar, backing vocals (on tracks 3, 6, 8)
* Graham Nash – rhythm guitar, backing vocals (on tracks 3, 6, 8)

Time Fades Away

Neil Young's 1973 "Time Fades Away" is one of the most remarkable live albums ever recorded. Certainly at the time of release, it was almost unprecedented for an artist to release a live concert recording of previously unreleased material. Long out of print on vinyl and still unavailable on CD in the early 21st century, the album is considered to be the "Holy Grail" of all Neil Young albums and the "missing link" of the "Ditch Trilogy".

"Time Fades Away" is the first installment of the trio of albums known as the "Ditch Trilogy". The edgy moody darkness of recording and brilliantly erratic song selection offer the portrait of the artist undergoing a deep catharsis and excorcising demons which is so palpable that most listeners turned away -- or worse ignored completely.

Neil Young's three consecutive early 1970's albums "Time Fades Away", "On The Beach" and Tonight's The Night are considered by many fans the Rosetta Stone to understanding his entire body of work. Because of their dark, haunting brilliance, the albums are known as "The Ditch Trilogy".

In the often quoted hand written liner notes of Decade, Neil writes: " 'Heart of Gold' put me in the middle of the road. Traveling there soon became a bore so I headed for the ditch." Hence, the origin of the "Ditch" term -- which is sometimes also referred to as the "Doom" period or "The Wilderness Years".

The impetus for the heart of darkness spiral can be traced back to Harvest's "The Needle and The Damage Done", Young's legendary anti-drug plea based on the heroin trouble's of Crazy Horse guitarist Danny Whitten.

Here is a link to the HDCD that was briefly released to a very select few before Neil yanked it back .This is a blog site that has a nice review and information posting on this LP. The file download is in the FLAC format Burn this one to CD for a copy of a great LP

http://thepowerofindependenttrucking.blogspot.com/2010/06/essential-neil-young-time-fades-away.html

I hope you have enjoyed the Neil Young series. Please give me some feedback.

"I" SAID SOLO..."THEY" SAID ACOUSTIC

Neil Young
May 29, 2010
Fox Theatre
Atlanta, GA

A Review By David Courtright

As the dawn of the Internet and subsequent decline of major label music is reshaping how music is made, understood and distributed, it could strike one as sadly ironic to hear an old rocker sing, “My, my, hey, hey/Rock and roll is here to stay.” In his opening song, “My, My, Hey, Hey (Into the Black),”Neil Young, still triumphant at 64, his voice still a clear bell of want and longing, proclaimed that to a hushed audience at the Fox Theatre Saturday May 29th 2010. With its Moorish architecture and artificial night sky, complete with twinkling stars and drifting clouds projected across the ceiling, The Fabulous Fox Theatre exudes magic. It feels like a time warp. Out of the humid early summer air, suddenly you’ve stumbled into a tent caravan in 16^th century Arabia. And Neil Young is there.

Of course Neil Young could play in the parking lot of Wal-Mart and it would devastate you, but the feeling the Fox gives, that ethereal presence of being inside living history, was a perfect compliment to Young’s pristine ballads and blazing guitar work. Young’s place in popular music is often held up next to Bob Dylan, but unlike Dylan, Young keeps his songs intact as they were written. When he plays “Tell Me Why,” which was his second selection of the evening, it sounds more or less exactly the way it does on After the Gold Rush. His patient whine, clear and sweet, filled the Fox to a nearly full audience. Hearing the crowd swell and sing along to the refrain of “Helpless,” I was at once overcome by the gravity of the situation. A living legend, one of my biggest idols and influences, lit by a single spotlight far below me.

He played a good mix of old favorites and new numbers from a set list he’s been more or less repeating on this tour. “Who’ll be the one to lead this world?/Who’ll be the beacon in the night?”he asked in “Peaceful Valley.” He also played a sweet little ballad called “Leia,” about a granddaughter, which he introduced by saying, “This is just a little thing.” He had relatively small interaction with the crowd, but with his slow glide across the stage, and the way he would sporadically stop and raise an arm or two to the crowd to roaring applause, he commanded the place.

Though it came only halfway through the performance, the climax for me was “After the Gold Rush,” which he played on the pump organ. Why he didn’t play it on the Fox’s organ, which is the second largest theater organ in the country, I don’t know. But he took a song that already pleads with its quiet desire, and made it even more grandiose, even more breathtaking. “Cortez the Killer,” another classic, burned through the still air of the theater. After so many years, he has become a true master of balance and composition, flawlessly playing quiet ballads on his acoustic, or seething riffs on his black Les Paul. He is indeed a true master of his craft.

Disc 1

01. My My, Hey Hey (Out Of The Blue)
02. Tell Me Why
03. Helpless
04. You Never Call
05. Peaceful Valley
06. Love And War
07. Down By The River
08. Hitchhiker
09. Ohio
10. Sign Of Love

Disc 2

11. Leia
12. After The Goldrush
13. I Believe In You
14. Rumblin'
15. Cortez The Killer
16. Cinnamon Girl
17. encore break
18. Walk With Me

WALK WITH ME

Pearl Jam and Neil Young have been collaborating since at least 1992 when Pearl Jam and Neil played separately at the Bob Dylan tribute ("BobFest") at Madison Square Garden in New York City on October 16. It is believed that this is when Neil and Eddie Vedder first met and possibly Neil invited Pearl Jam to play at the Bridge School Benefit concert. on 11/1/92.

A few weeks later Pearl Jam would play the Bridge School concert and mark the beginning of a long and productive relationship. Since their initial meeting, Pearl Jam's music has been heavily influenced by Neil Young as demonstrated by their numerous covers of Young songs. For example, Pearl Jam has covered "Rockin In The Free World" over 100 times, often as final encores, according to the Pearl Jam fan site Lukin.

A year later, Neil would join Pearl Jam onstage at the MTV Music Awards on 9/2/93 to play an incendiary Rockin in The Free World. Critics would call the onstage interplay the highlight of an otherwise lackluster affair. The attention gained from "BobFest" and playing with Pearl Jam would introduce Neil to a new generation of admirers.

It is likely that during this period that Young invited Eddie Vedder to induct him into the Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame the following year.

And once again at this past Octobers' Bridge School Concert the flame reunited with Pearl Jam joined by Neil to do the tune "Walk With Me " from the Neil's latest CD "Le Noise"


Golden Gate Park, San Francisco June 24, 1995

Disc 1

1. Big Green Country
2. Act Of Love
3. Peace And Love
4. Rockin' In The Free World
5. Last Exit
6. Spin The Black Circle
7. Go
8. Animal
9. Tremor Christ

Disc 2

1. Downtown
2. Cortez The Killer
3. Throw Your Hatred Dowm
4. Powderfinger
5. Truth Be Known
6. Needle And The Damage Done
7. I'm The Ocean
8. Hey Hey, My My
9. Down By The River
10. Rockin' In The Free world

CHROME JOURNEY

A show in support of the Chrome Dreams II CD released in late 2007

The Electric Band

Neil Young
Ben Keith
Rick Rosas
Ralph Molina
Anthony Crawford
Pegi Young

SUN GREEN

Greendale is the name of an album, movie and graphic novel by Neil Young. Neil Young and Crazy Horse's Greendale, a 10-song rock opera, is set in a fictional California seaside town. Based on the saga of the Green family, the "audio novel" has been compared to the literary classics of Thornton Wilder's Our Town and Sherwood Anderson's Winesburg, Ohio for its complexity and emotional depth in exploring a small town in America.

Greendale combines numerous themes on corruption, environmentalism and mass media consolidation into relevant post-9/11 art. The album, concert, film and DVDs have produced a vast divergence of critical opinion ranging from being called "amateur" to being voted as one of the best albums of 2003 by Rolling Stone magazine music critics.

As of 2010, it is the last Neil Young album to feature Crazy Horse.

First Set (Greendale)

1. Falling From Above
2. Double E
3. Devil's Sidewalk
4. Leave The Driving
5. Carmichael
6. Bandit
7. Grandpa's Interview
8. Bringin' Down Dinner
9. Sun Green
10. Be The Rain

Second Set

11. Hey Hey, My My (Into The Black)
12. Like A Hurricane
13. Prisoners Of Rock 'n' Roll
14. The Losing End
15. Sedan Delivery
16. Powderfinger
17. Rockin' In The Free World

Neil Young - vocals, guitar, pump organ

Crazy Horse.....
Frank Sampedro - guitar, keyboards, vocals
Billy Talbot - bass, vocals
Ralph Molina - drums, vocals

The Mountainettes.....
Pegi Young - background vocals
Nancy Hall - background vocals
Susan Hall - background vocals
Twink Brewer - background vocals

RETURN OF THE HORSE

In 1996, Neil Young released Broken Arrow and, with Crazy Horse, went on tour. This resulted in the Jim Jarmusch film, Year Of The Horse, as well the Year Of The Horse album. However, none of the songs from the movie were found on the album. This release tries to correct that anomaly.

Here is a succinct account according to the CD notes:

Neil asked film director Jim Jarmusch to shoot some of the shows on 16mm film for potential future use. After the autumn US tour, Neil and Jarmusch got together and started working on their project called Year Of The Horse. In June 1997 a double CD with the same title was released. Despite an interesting song list - 10 out of 12 songs have never been released on any previous Neil Young live CD - the production was very poor.

His lifetime friend and producer David Briggs passed away two years before and Neil wanted to release his own official bootleg of a great tour. The result was a shambolic sounding double-CD, only 80 minutes long and badly mixed. Late autumn 1997 saw the premiere of the movie with the same name. Hailed and praised by both press and fans the film travelled around the world, shown in unique theaters and during art film festivals.

The songs heard on this CD have been taken from the original soundtrack. When one listens to the sound quality in comparison to the official live album, it is like being transported to a different stage. Take a bow for the dueling guitars in Slip Away, where Sampedro and Young end up like battling soldiers. Indeed this CD sounds so good, so perfect that we are at a loss for words.

But the real treat is that all performances are different and much better than those on the double CD. Award-winner is Tonight’s The Night, over 10 minutes long and an epic seldom heard before. Like A Hurricane is a unique mix of two decades Crazy Horse sound. The intro and outro were recorded in Viennes, France in the summer of 1996, while the middle part (the centerpiece of the song) got captured at the Hammersmith Odeon in London, during his much hailed 1976 European tour.

Neil’s voice has never sounded so rich, tender and lonely as in those last four minutes on Music Arcade. A perfect closer to a classic live album, and a perfect partner in crime to Weld.

Lineup:
Neil Young - vocals, lead and acoustic guitar
Frank (Poncho) Sampedro - guitar
Billy Talbot - bass
Ralph Molina - drums

THIS NOTE'S FOR YOU

From 1988 ...Neil goes with some brass.Young continued to tour relentlessly, assembling a new blues band called The Bluenotes in mid-1987 (a legal dispute with musician Harold Melvin forced the eventual rechristening of the band as Ten Men Working midway through the tour). The addition of a brass section provided a new jazzier sound, and the title track of 1988's This Note's For You became Young's first hit single of the decade. Accompanied by a video that parodied corporate rock, the pretensions of advertising, and Michael Jackson, the song was initially unofficially banned by MTV for mentioning the brand names of some of their sponsors. Young wrote an open letter, "What does the M in MTV stand for: music or money?" Despite this, the video was eventually named best video of the year by the network in 1989. By comparison, the major music cable network of Young's home nation, Muchmusic, ran the video immediately. Not a bad adventure overall. Some good tunes came from these sessions.

HOMETOWN RUST

Neil Young And Crazy Horse 10/22/86 Fox Theater, St. Louis Soundboard @ 320

From the Rusted Out Garage Tour. Sound quality is very good. The first few tracks are a little muddy to my ears, but this clears up. A special posting as this was my second Neil Young show and it was in my hometown of St. Louis. My first Neil Show was in 83 at the Arizona State University Activity Center. Both shows were great to me. The AZ show was an acoustic show with some Trans material . But this one was my first Crazy Horse show and it will always be one of my favorite concerts. I was very happy to find this one! Brings back good times!


01 - (Intro)
02 - Mr Soul
03 - Cinnamon Girl
04 - When You Dance, I Can Really Lo
05 - Touch The Night
06 - Down By The River
07 - Too Lonely
08 - (Moms Phone Call)
09 - Heart Of Gold
10 - Inca Queen
11 - After The Gold Rush
12 - Drive Back
13 - Opera Star
14 - (Neighbours Phone Call)
15 - Road Of Plenty
16 - Cortez The Killer
17 - (Neighbour and Cop)
18 - Sample And Hold
19 - Computer Age
20 - (Neighbour)
21 - Violent Side
22 - Mideast Vacation
23 - Long Walk Home
24 - The Needle And The Damage Done
25 - Hippie Dream
26 - Powderfinger
27 - Like A Hurricane
28 - Hey Hey, My My
29 - Prisoners Of Rock 'n' Roll

RUST IN THE MOTOR CITY

Tour : 1973 Time Fades Away Tour with The Stray Gators

Neil Young - vocals, guitar, keyboards, harmonica
Ben Keith - pedal steel guitar, vocals
Jack Nitzsche - keyboards
Tim Drummond - bass
Kenny Buttrey - drums

This recording, which surfaced a couple of years back, is one of the
better 1973 Time Fades Away recordings. Besides sounding nice, you get
the unreleased Come Along And Say You Will (some people have called it
Lonely Weekend) along with a very rare Borrowed Tune, and the
surprisingly infrequently played Harvest and Out On The Weekend.

Disk 1
1. On The Way Home
2. Tell Me Why
3. LA
4. I Am A Child
5. Love In Mind
6. Sugar Mountain
7. Borrowed Tune
8. Out On The Weekend
9. Band Intros
10. Harvest
11. Heart Of Gold


Disk 2
1. Band tune-up
2. Times Fades Away
3. Everyone Knows This Is Nowhere
4. New Mama
5. Come Along And Say You Will
6. Alabama
7. Cinnamon Girl
8. Don't Be Denied
9. Lookout Joe
10. Last Dance
11. Are You Ready For The Country?

MOTION PICTURES

Neil's songs have been included in many great motion pictures over the years from the "Strawberry Statement" to "Philadelphia". Neil did soundtrack scores for two films as the soundtrack's main creator......Where The Buffalo Roam and Deadman.

Tracks 1-8 From the Deadman soundtrack
Tracks 9-15 From the Where The Buffalo Roams soundtrack

HORSE POWER

Pardon my pun here but we are going to ride this horse a bit longer. This post is some tracks taken fron the 12CD Bootleg called "Capture The Horse" created by Mark Dubbelman several
years back, This bootleg is devoted to the Neil and Horse team.(Claiming to be a version of every song that Neil had played with Crazy Horse up until that time) When Neil worked with Crazy Horse during those great years some of his most explosive music was created.

Homegrown 5:22
Downtown 6:05
Cowgirl In The Sand 9:46
Love To Burn 14:09
Stupid Girl 3:25
Don't Spook The Horse 9:09
Cortez The Killer 22:15
Powderfinger 9:13

ROCK AND ROLL SOUL

Disk 4:
1 Long Beach Arena, Long Beach, August 28, 1986
2 Metropolitan Center, Minneapolis, October 17 1986.
3 the Palatrussardi Milano, Italy, May 5, 1987. Was broadcast on Italian TV on July 18th, 1987
4 Poplar Creek Music Center, Hoffman Estates, Chicago, August 16, 1988
5 Jones Beach Auditorium, Wantagh, August 27, 1988.
6 'Saturday Night Live' NBC Studio 8H, Rockefeller Plaza, NY City, September 30, 1989. Broadcast on US TV.
7 Sportpaleis Ahoy, Rotterdam, Holland, December 13, 1989
8 the Civic Auditorium, Santa Monica, March 31, 1990
9 Memorial Auditorium, Buffalo, February 16, 1991
10 Orpheum Theatre, Boston , March 19, 1992
11 Dorothy Chandler Pavillon, LA, March 1, 1993
12 Sportpaleis Ahoy , Rotterdam, Holland, July 5, 1993.
13 Torhout Festival, Belgium, July 3, 1993
14 Dorothy Chandler Pavillon, LA, March 21, 1994. Grammy Awards telecast