Under the Covers: Neil Young Edition

First, a little housekeeping, in the form of an apology for a lack of posts on here of late. The combination of Glastonbury and related hangovers, followed by a bout of overnight shifts, knocked me back a bit. The bad news - I now have some time off to make up for it. Expect a rash in the next few days.

Right. Welcome to the first edition of Under the Covers, which will become an (ir)regular feature on Ragged Glories going forth. It does what it says on the tin, which is to say it deals exclusively in cover versions. And what better way to start than with five of the best Neil Young covers.

Johnny Cash - Heart of Gold (Unearthed II: Trouble In Mind, 2003)


Take one old master, emptying the tank on his final set of recordings, and give him a Neil Young song to cover. This can only work out well.

Heart of Gold was one of two Neil songs Johnny Cash tackled during the American Recordings, but both it and Pocahontas were added to the pile of cast-offs before finally appearing on the posthumous Unearthed. Thank goodness they did.

Pocahontas is the better song, one of Neil's best, but this is the better cover. While Pocahontas suffers from a little over-elaboration, distracting from the raw beauty of its battle-weary lyrics (which should have been perfect for Cash's fading voice), Heart of Gold is given a fresh lease of life by a man coming to the end of his life. When Neil first summed up his search for a Heart of Gold with the line "...and I'm getting old", there was irony - he was 25 years of age. When Cash sings it here, it is with the rueful smile of a man who has conducted a life-long search.

Emmylou Harris - Wrecking Ball (Wrecking Ball, 1995)


If you're going to cover a Neil song, and need someone to do backing vocals, who do you get? Neil. Only if you can, of course, but Emmylou Harris can.

There's absolutely nothing not to like about this. Whisper it, because I can hardly bring myself to write it about Neil, but it's better than the original (it's okay, it's not like he wasn't there and involved, right?). Emmylou's take is more tender and touching than the original, and these are lyrics that seem like they were written for a female voice. Emmylou subtly adds "I'll" to the chorus lyric "Wear something pretty and white", which is no longer a request but part of the offer.

This served as the title track of Emmylou's 1995 album, which ushered in something of a revival for her, followed as it was by the likes of Red Dirt Girl and Stumble Into Grace. Working with Daniel Lanois, best known as U2's producer, she used an updated electric sound, far more atmospheric, which only served to enhance the greatest voice in country music.

Scott Miller & The Commonwealth - Hawks and Doves (Reconstruction, 2007)


The original sounds like it was recorded in a bar, presumably quite considerably after closing time, so what better way to cover it than live, in a bar, with closing time fast approaching.

A gloriously ragged slow stumper back in its original form, Hawks and Doves epitomised Young's surprising and controversial rightward political tilt at the start of the 80s.

Miller first covered it for his 2006 album, Citation, but I've gone with the more raucous live version from 2007's Reconstruction. Cleaned up and speeded up, Miller turns this into an anthem, and one I used to love belting out at the top of my lungs flying down the freeway - "I'm proud to be living in the USA" is a great lyric to sing when you've just moved to the country, as I had when this came out.

Given how misplaced most of the analysis of the original proved, we won't even consider the politics of covering this at the time Miller did, but just appreciate a good ol' sing-along.

The Pixies - Winterlong (Bridge: A Tribute To Neil Young, 1989)


This was one of the true highlights of the 1989 collection, Bridge: A Tribute to Neil Young, for a couple of reasons.

Firstly, this song is something of a lost classic - at least as lost as anything that figures on the essential Neil compilation Decade can be. Never appearing on an album proper, it almost seemed to be forgotten in the great mass of Neil's works.

The Pixies rescued it from obscurity and made it their own - which maybe wasn't too hard given how the flowing melody of the vocals over a driving rhythm echoed their own sound.

Buddy Miles - Down By The River (Them Changes, 1970)


If you were drawing up a list of songs that no one should bother trying to cover, there's a strong case for putting Down By The River somewhere near the top. Let's be honest, Neil nailed it. The original version is among the greatest nine minutes and 27 seconds in musical history.

But Buddy Miles clearly was not put off. Bringing his soulful sounds to the party, Miles polishes the raw edges of Neil's classic, changing the mood to something more sinister. Gone is the emotion that charged the original, almost as though Miles doesn't care what he's done.

No, this isn't as good as the original, but it's a more than worthy effort.


PS - The picture credit for this post goes to my good friend Jack Doyle - this was our view of the great man at Glastonbury. Fantastic.

Happy Birthday, Mr Parks!

A little toast to my partner in aural crime, as Mr Parky celebrates his birthday today. In his honour, I've picked out five suitable songs to commemorate his birth, get him in the party mood and hopefully gloss over the fact that I haven't bought him a present. 

Well, it's the thought that counts and I've certainly given this selection some thought. In fact, this playlist was much more difficult to compile than I first expected, what with my natural inclination to avoid the obvious (Stevie Wonder's Happy Birthday), coupled with my appreciation of his post-Glasto state (Whiskeytown's Dancing With The Girls At The Bar is great but perhaps optimistic on a hungover Tuesday, no?!). Instead, I went for the bluesy, the modestly celebratory and the tongue-in-cheek, ending - as Mr P always does - with Neil Young. A fitting tribute then, and hopefully a decent listen for everyone else.

The Beatles - "Birthday" (The White Album, 1968)

Jim White - "God Was Drunk When He Made Me" (No Such Place, 2001)

Rare Earth - "I Just Want To Celebrate" (One World, 1971)

Little Axe - "All Night Party" (Hard Grind, 2002)

Neil Young - "Old Man" (Harvest, 1972)

Away From The Numbers - Off the Main Stage at Glastonbury

I couldn't write about anything else even if I tried this week. Glastonbury is dominating all thoughts as we count down to the weekend, and one of the greatest line-ups ever assembled, topped as it is by the mighty Neil Young and Bruce Springsteen. Throwing in the likes of Crosby, Stills & Nash, the Fleet Foxes, the Gaslight Anthem and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and they're just spoiling us.

But away from the main stage, there's the usual array of treats as well, and I wanted to single out a few recommendations if anyone's looking for ideas. Without repeating the quartet of Alessi's Ark, Blue Roses, Emmy The Great, and Alela Diane, all of whom were in Thank Folk It's Friday a couple of weeks ago, here are some bands who should get your attention in Pilton this weekend.

Alberta Cross - Lucy Rider (The Thief & The Heartbreaker, 2007)

The wait for a full-length album has been long since Alberta Cross released their EP two years ago, but it's almost over. When they hit the Park Stage on Sunday afternoon, we can hope to hear plenty of material from the long player, which is slated for release in September. Although formed in London, the band quickly moved themselves to the only place to be in music right now - Brooklyn - and their sound is decidedly American, rooted in the Band and Neil Young (of whom more later).

The Low Anthem - The Horizon Is A Beltway (Oh My God, Charlie Darwin, 2009)

Sticking with the Americana theme, here's one of the buzz bands of the moment as they get set for the full release of their full debut, Oh My God, Charlie Darwin, next week. Able to shift from beautiful sounding gospel to raucous blues without skipping a beat, its a brilliant collection of sounds unlike any album I've previously heard. There seems to be a growing movement right now to go back to the rootsy Americana of the Band (see the Felice Brothers, Alberta Cross, etc). Little could please me more, and this Providence, RI band are right in the middle of it. They'll hit the Queen's Head Stage Friday, and come back for more on the Park Stage on Saturday.

The Broken Family Band - Devil In The Details (Cold Water Songs, 2003)

Yes, it's another slice of Americana, but despite appearances, the Broken Family Band are from Cambridge (England, not Massachusetts). Their sound has evolved on more recent albums, trending towards indie rock on Balls and Hello Love, but as far as my ears are concerned, nothing tops this slice of country from their full-length debut of six years ago. Hear them on the Other Stage, early doors on Saturday.

Sparrow and the Workshop - Devil's Song (Sleight of Hand, 2009)

With the release of their Sleight of Hand EP a couple of weeks ago, Sparrow and the Workshop are starting to earn some serious attention. A rough bio will tell you they're from Glasgow, but that is only half the story as they boast members from Chicago and Wales (obviously) and their diversity manifests itself in a range of styles, from folk and country through to pop and rock. Get on board the bandwagon in the BBC Introducing tent on Friday afternoon.

Broken Records - Until The Earth Begins To Part (Until The Earth Begins To Part, 2009)


More Scottish folk-rock, yes. But this stuff is a little more earnest and high-reaching then their neighbours from down the M8. The seven-piece from Edinburgh set out to avoid being "just another four-piece guitar band" and so throw in violins, accordians, glockenspiels and ukeleles - among others - to mix things up. The result is a soaring, epic sound that is earning them plenty of new fans since their debut came out last month. After playing a set on the Dirty Boots Stage on Friday, they kick off an exciting little stretch on the Queen's Head Stage on Saturday, with Emmy The Great and Noah and the Whale quickly following.

Okay, so there's five from the smaller stages. Now, me being me, I'm going to sign off with this. It needs no introduction or explanation. Only more volume. Enjoy.

Neil Young - Cowgirl In The Sand (Live At The Fillmore East, March 1970, 2006)