Big John's been drinking since the river took Emmylou. Man I love this song. Rust Never Sleeps, awesome album. Good to hear it all these years later. Thanks Justin.
Perfect song. The time and place, the meaning of events described in the lyrics, have always been enigmatic to me, and I'm happy for them to remain that way. The song still carries a weight of emotional power. Neil Young has often been criticised by more technically minded guitar players for the relative crudity of his approach. Somehow they overlook his mastery of tone, phrasing and melody. As with much of his music with Crazy Horse, it all feels loose, but still intuitively and effortlessly together.
With Old Black in his hands, he amazes me very often. A P90 and Bigsby equipped Les Paul, as well as a, tweed Fender Deluxe has me drooling with lust. Someday.
Absolutely love this song, and was thrilled you reacted to it. What makes this song so great for me is the specificity of the details combined with the vagueness of the story. The first line of the song perfectly sets up a foreboding situation, but we're left to guess what's going on - all we learn about our narrator is that he's young, alone, scared, and ultimately desperate. He's also faced with a critical decision. All of which makes him completely relatable even as we're guessing about the big picture. Musically, I appreciated your comments about the "folk" elements of this as well...It does share the story telling aspect of folk music as well as a pretty simple chord progression, but the tasty riffs and solos make it feel like an anthem of sorts. Got to see him perform this live with Crazy Horse, and it turned into a 20-minute jam (as most songs performed with them do) - completely unexpected and completely perfect.
Those manic guitar solos 🎸🤘 Not flashy, not very technical (though not so simple) but emotional, really good sounding, always on the edge of breaking down, so Neil Youngesque
One of Neils greats. “Powderfinger” is an inscrutable rock & roll koan: a song sung by a dead man, but full of life and longing. The narrator, just turned 22, was leaving boyhood behind by defending his family's land against a gunboat coming up the river. The day he became an adult, however, was also the day he died.
According to a friend who has worked for and with Neil over fifty years told me it's a movie, though it never came to be. Also, Neil wrote this song for Lynyrd Skynrd to record, they never got the chance. I wish they had, but I can only imagine how their guitarists would have played it. They would have done it justice, because Neil and Ronnie were good friends and unlike the misconception the song gave fans. Ronnie put in his will to be buried in a Neil Young shirt t shirt
I was 22 and about to graduate from college when this song came out. I had no idea what was next in my life. So the line "I just turned twenty-two/ I was wondering what to do" really resonated with me. Although for me it wasn't, of course, a life or death situation.
The last time I saw Neil Young in concert he performed his rock opera "Greendale". I was feeling a bit disappointed that he didn't do any of his classic tunes during the show, but when he came back out to do an encore, "Powderfinger" was one of the songs he played.
JP, very masterfully broken down. I actually feel that I gained insight on this track from your words, and that my friend is a pretty high compliment to a piece of music I have known and loved for decades. You are most definitely one of the best reaction sites going and I regularly follow about 5 or 6 of them. Look forward to your posts, please continue to work the older stuff. As a Boomer you do lose me a bit on the newer and more obscure stuff but you do what you feel compelled to. Kudos.
I completely agree with you, both about his breakdown of this song, and his quality reactions overall! Yes, it's a challenge sometimes to keep an open mind to some of the stuff he reacts to that I did not know before. However, discovering something new (to me) through his reactions, is a huge part of what makes this sharing of music so enjoyable and satisfying!
Glad you went with this one. Now grab a copy of ‘Live Rust’ and check out Powderfinger and Cortez the Killer back-to-back (Sedan Delivery is no slouch as a lead-in, if you want a solid triple shot). As to being based on actual events, sometimes a tale is just a tale, and Neil can weave a story. Can’t wait to hear your next choice.
Great track from an awesome record. My My, Hey Hey (Out of the Blue) opens this album on an acoustic note and it finishes with Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black), which is Neil Young and Crazy Horse at their rocking hardest - both are highly recommended.
Not a huge Neil Young fan, but I really enjoyed Rust Never Sleeps album!!! I remember hanging with a few childhood friends in the basement when this LP was played. It was amazing. Have a great day all and in case you were wondering....yes, we totally rocked out Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black). Good times.
The first song I played on my 50th birthday. One of my favorite live songs and I've seen him and Crazy Horse perform this a few times. It was great when he toured with Crazy Horse. Thanks for reacting to this, great choice!
It's a work of pure genius. Neil is actually a fine guitarist and a wonderful songwriter/performer/storyteller and always has been. I love this, it's one of his very best!
Southern Man or The Live Rust versions of Like A Hurricane or Hey Hey, My My (Into The Black) are top Neil Young tracks. The latter has some of the rawest distorted guitar you are likely to hear, but it just sounds so right.
I can't help but hear echoes of the Beatles' 'Nowhere Man'; compare 'I just turned 22' to 'Nowhere man, please listen'... Still, this is a great song, with great lyrics, expressive guitar solos and even a mariachi-like flourish at the end of each verse. Thanks for reacting to this!
For a different take on this classic song, check out the version from his record Hitchhiker. It's the original version with just Neil and an acoustic guitar recorded in 1976 but he didn't release it until 2017.
There's an even older version recorded with Crazy Horse during the Zuma album sessions in 1975. The main guitar line is not there yet, but the song is 7 minutes long, with amazing extended solos. It was released in 2020 on Archives 2.
This and "Pocahontas, Welfare Mothers" never get reacted to. Well done. I always thought this was about Appalachian or swamp folk and it was cops coming. ALSO: There is a super-mellow version of this by Cowboy Junkies (they also do an amazing cover of "Sweet Jane" by Lou Reed).
I love all of Neil's 60's & 70's output. He was not the world's greatest guitarist but possibly the world's most atmospheric one. He does not have a great vocal range but he doesn't need one. But his song-writing is up there with the very best in all of rock. A great choice Justin.
You still haven't exposed yourself to the hard-rocking side of Neil Young yet, which as a Led Zeppelin fan I've always been fond of. I'll recommend again the triplet of *Cinnamon Girl, Down By The River,* & *Cowgirl In The Sand* off of Neil's second album, "Everyone Knows This Is Nowhere." IMO, they are both examples of his hard-rocking edge as well as 3 of the best he's ever written. Your eyes will be opened! :)
Another incredible video JP. Your videos make my day, and I love seeing the song you have picked for the day. If you are reading the comments, Have A Fantastic Day. You Are Awesome!
I second what pilesofvinyl said in their comment. You are one of the best, but under appreciated music reactors, and I have seen plenty of them!! Please add to your list "Hey Hey My My" from Rust Never Sleeps concert and "The Needle And The Damage Done" both from Neil. No hurry to get to them or anything, just keep them in mind for some day!
Thanks for doing another great reaction, JP.. "Pocahontas " is another great unusual song from the Rust Never Sleeps LP, and also "Thrasher" is a very cool tune..
Great old song and a good review/reaction. I still think you need to explore the "Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere" Album. Key songs being "Cinnamon Girl" "Cowgirl in the Sand" and "Down By The River". I got to hear two new artists today. Twin Atlantic "One Man Party" and Skye Wallace "Truth Be Told" and they were listenable which is a rare treat for me and recent music.
Wonderful song today. There’s so many great Neil songs that I’ve heard here and there but not put under the microscope. This is one. There’s not much to it, a short captivating story and lots of guitar but it’s somehow different when heard here. I feel the ears of the world trained on it and it makes me listen more intently. Similar to friends back in the days of ether listening to the car’s blasting 8track player with a new album and a cold beverage in hand, and comments afterwards. Good times. Peace and Transformational at the Speed of Love Music
Hey Justin, thanks for doing some Neil here - great song ! I discovered your movie channel last week so I thought I’d pitch a movie that has an soundtrack that’s entirely instrumental Neil Young guitar ! It’s called “Dead Man” starring Johnny Depp - a “ psychedelic Western” filmed in black and white. Very cool movie.
Saw this live concert movie at a midnight show at a local theater that had two screens, playing on the other screen…Rocky Horror Picture Show. Talk about opposites! Sticked my head into the other screen after Rust Never Sleeps and saw people with umbrellas doing things that had me wondering, ‘What the heck is happening in there!!???’. I will never forget that night 😂 This is my favorite song on that album, wonderful!
I don't think anyone else has had the ability to coax emotional nuance out of distortion like Neil Young. It's the electric discord that make this song so edgy.
Big fan of Neil Young (and Crazy Horse) This one of his great rock songs. Down by the river Cowgirl in the sand Sugar mountain My my hey hey Like a hurricane The needing the damage done
In the world of storyteller songs, this one is superb! The blending of skillfully crafted lyrics with Neil's powerful guitar and the perfect backup group in Crazy Horse make this a spectacular tune for me. To the best of my knowledge, Neil has never specified a historical reference for this but it matches up with the western theater of the US Civil War where Grant's army utilized the Union 'brown water' riverine navy in the Mississippi River and the various tributaries that feed it. I can picture a homestead in Arkansas and a young rebel wanting to defend his home and family from this gunboat he sees as a foreign invader.
Thank you for reviewing this incredible song. It has been one of my favorites for years. I agree that the climax is graphic, but it's supported by tension built up through the previous verses. I would 100% recommend this whole album for a reaction, (not that you don't have enough on your plate already.) As for the back story, I've always thought it was about the Vietnam War just reset in rural America to make it relatable. It doesn't really matter, though. Good fiction is as true as real life.
Neil Young has been writing and playing great songs since the very early 1960's, and he continues to this day. He and his band Crazy Horse released a new album called "Barn" late last year. This audio was from his concert film "Rust Never Sleeps". This film is Neil and Crazy Horse at their absolute peak. You get Neil solo on acoustic guitar, piano, harmonica and after five or six songs and a short set-up break, Neil Young on electric guitar with Frank "Pancho" Sampedro, Billy Talbot and Ralph Molina, who make up the band Crazy Horse. There are audio snippets from the movie "Woodstock" and The Beatles album "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" throughout. I think you will enjoy it. Maybe do a reaction to the whole film?
Wow, no matter what happens the rest of the day, nothing can go wrong now. This is precisely why this is my favorite reaction channel. You interact with your listeners and do the songs they suggest, beyond the top half dozen most requested mega-hits. This song has been one of my favorites for over 40 years, but it is not widely known outside of Neil Young's most dedicated fans. Thank you, first of all, for choosing to react to this song, and secondly, for the brilliant reaction and analysis. As for the context, I always pictured a family of moonshiners somewhere along the Mississippi being visited by a ship full of federal marshals, but that's just my interpretation. In any event, have a great day and a great weekend. The entire album, Rust Never Sleeps, is worthy of reactions. Side 1 is acoustic, side 2 is electric. Pick any track. Maybe "Sedan Delivery" next?
Thank you. Great insights, analysis and interpretation, as expected. One of my three top Neil Young songs/performances. The other two are "Like a Hurricane" and "Cortez the Killer".
Hi Justin ,I love this song , the harmonies and guitar work and storytelling are really excellent ,one of my favourites from him and rust never sleeps is a really great album ,But Neil has so many great songs already mentioned but ; cowgirl in the sand , ...down by the river , ...like a hurricane are absolutely classic .great channel Jp🤘
Thanks for reacting to this long-time favorite, Justin. I had an interesting epiphany of sorts, expressed in a reply to Music Droog, that I won't restate here. Just wanted to say thanks and recommend that almost everything from Neil's '70s - early '80s albums is well worth exploring. A controversial take is that Tonight's The Night could be his strongest work, despite (or due to?) the raw, drunken pain that it seems the producer didn't even attempt to polish. It is a compelling experience that wraps exquisitely beautiful music in an unnervingly rough package.
Great song, off of the album that turned me from Neil Young respecter to Neil Young fan. The names of the characters in this song scream "hillbilly" but the river gunboat always made me think of Vietnam. It seems like the nature of the conflict is deliberately enigmatic to prevent you from taking a "tidy", distanced, political view of the story.
This song is from the Rust Never Sleeps album. It’s tragic and amazing all at the same time. The guitars are superb. I love everything about it. It seems to be the story of a young man defending his property, probably Civil War era. This is one of my favorite NY songs. How about checking out some more Linda Ronstadt music. She’s stunningly talented and has a forty year catalogue to explore. 🌺✌️
I'm not a musket expert, but I think powder finger refers to the discoloration of one's finger when poring out a measure of gunpowder into the barrel from the gunpowder bag. But I could be wrong. See the wonderful movie The Revenant (the opening scene with the river boat is all one take with incredible camera movement).
@@JustJP It's an honor. A big honor that you responded. And I just saw that you reacted to Zeppelin's " Thank You" That was awesome! I dedicated that song to the love of my life. She passed away from covid on 2020. So I shed some tears while you played the song And I wanted to thank you for giving it a listen. So thank you for being a stud! Peace?!✌
@@raymondrocha797 Thats lovely Raymond, I'm so sorry to read about your loss. I'm hoping that the good music and warm memories are keeping you in well spirits
@@JustJP Thank you for your condolences.🙏 It is very hard to live life without my beloved being here. But I have to find a way. To have the strength. But I believe God will keep me going. And wonderful people like yourself and others that have contributed musically to help give some balance to people in mourning. The other channel Dana's Faith also paid homage to my loved ones passing. I asked if they would play the song to pay tribute to my Alice. And they did! So that helps ease the pain. So thanks again brother! And God bless.
Loved your assessment of this great song. Story is he originally wrote it for Lynyrd Skynyrd to cover. The whole Rust Never Sleeps album deserves a deep dive
@@Katehowe3010 I love Neil Young, to be clear. But his lyrics on this specific song find another level of profundity on the morose folk version of the Junkies.
Some of Neil's lesser know songs but still killer (to me at least) are "Crime in the City" from 1989 and "Ramada Inn" from 2006. Both definitely worth checking out.
For sure,.in fact i do a solo acoustic version of sixty to zero( which crime in the city is based off of) with the original 11 verses ( all memorized) it takes me about 15 minutes to do it from beginning to end yeah u oughta check out neil and blue notes 18 minute full band version of it from private video on UA-cam .its f ing sublime ( from 1988)
Absolutely great reaction and review. I place this song somewhere up a river in the Eastern US (possibly during prohibition) where the boy and his family live a subsistence life, probably with a few animals, truck garden, and hunting wild game. I suspect they also had a still and sold moonshine. The boat is official because it has numbers on the side, making it probably an Internal Revenue boat coming to raid the property. Red, is as you explained, and numbers add up to nothing is simply that officialdom isn't to be trusted. I subscribed on the basis of your understanding of the musicianship, vocals, and genre. I would also classify it as Americana in the vein of The Band.
If you'd like to hear a 'folkier' version of this song, Cowboy Junkies did a very pretty cover. Come to think of it, I don't remeber you doing any Cowboy Junkies reviews. They are worth a listen.
Oh... now I want to hear that. I love the Cowboy Junkies cover of "Sweet Jane" and "Walking After Midnight" (Trinity Sessions is the ultimate in laid back for me).
@@Ignatius1972LOL, not surprsing. Almost every cover they do is darker. It has something to do with Margo's voice and singing style when combing with the band stripped down delivery.
Thank you very much. English is not my native tongue and your thoughts and explanation helped me a lot understanding the lyrics. Even without understanding the lyrics in detail, the music grabbed me in such a way that I thought it was a beautiful song.Neil is such an expressive guitarplayer. Such beautiful tone to his playing, also when not every note is perfect, it is beautiful imperfection to me. Some of the well known guitargods are purely technicians, seeing the playing as a technical craft only. Not my opinion of what music is all about. Background vocals also are very sweet in this song.
Neil offered Powderfinger to Lynyrd Skynyrd and they were supposedly going to record it on the next album but unfortunately the plane crash saw to that not happening. Interesting when some people think Skynyrd and Neil had some kind of beef because of Sweet Home Alabama whereas Neil and Ronnie Van zant were friends.
"Rust Never Sleeps" is an all-time great album. Out of thousands of albums, it would crack my Top 20 of all-time. Brilliant from beginning to end. Half acoustic... half electric. Neil Young's narrative writing skills were at their peak and this album produced masterpiece after masterpiece. "Powderfinger" is one of those. Another is "Pocahontas." Hope you'll be checking out that gem (can't listen to it without shedding a tear)... along with the rest of the album. Have a great weekend, Justin!
Don't quote me, but I always figured this as set in the American War of Independence. "Red means run, son", run from the redcoats. "Numbers add up to nuthin'"? It don't matter if there's just a few of them, they're highly trained, you're not, so run!
Now you're talking! Great, great deep cut from a great album. I'd do My My, Hey Hey (Out of the Blue), the song that starts the album. Not to be confused with Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black), the song the album ends on. A bunch of fantastic songs in between.
The song is about a short moment in time for the young man and it's context in time and history isn't very clear but it doesn't have to be. I always imagined it was mountain people vs government.
NEIL WITH CRAZY HORSE!!! :) OKAY JUSTIN SO I JUST WANTED TO SAY I HOPE YOU HAVE A GREAT 2022, YOU AND THE WIFEY :) KEEP ENJOYINGGG THE GREAT MUSIC, HAVE ALOTTA FUN, STAY SAFE AND HAPPY, ALL THE BEST JUSTIN :)
“ shelter me from the powder and the finger “ sooo fitting today ! Been my favorite song for 40 yrs, keep rocking Neil !
Big John's been drinking since the river took Emmylou. Man I love this song. Rust Never Sleeps, awesome album. Good to hear it all these years later. Thanks Justin.
That is a great line.
There is an entire backstory in that line! Neil's power in words is just epic!
Nice one sir
Perfect song. The time and place, the meaning of events described in the lyrics, have always been enigmatic to me, and I'm happy for them to remain that way. The song still carries a weight of emotional power. Neil Young has often been criticised by more technically minded guitar players for the relative crudity of his approach. Somehow they overlook his mastery of tone, phrasing and melody. As with much of his music with Crazy Horse, it all feels loose, but still intuitively and effortlessly together.
With Old Black in his hands, he amazes me very often. A P90 and Bigsby equipped Les Paul, as well as a, tweed Fender Deluxe has me drooling with lust. Someday.
I love their who.e style and sound!
100% correct...there aren't many better guitar pieces than Cortez The Killer . Not Gilmour or SRV because it's not supposed to be . :)
Time: Mid-20th Century. Place: Appalachia. Meaning: Pointing a rifle at an armed police vessel is a very bad idea.
There is a legendary thread where the meaning of this song has been argued. I believe a thesis or 2 have included this song
Neil Young is like comfort food for me, it doesn't matter if it's an electric rocker, an acoustic number or piano based, it just feels right.
Absolutely love this song, and was thrilled you reacted to it. What makes this song so great for me is the specificity of the details combined with the vagueness of the story. The first line of the song perfectly sets up a foreboding situation, but we're left to guess what's going on - all we learn about our narrator is that he's young, alone, scared, and ultimately desperate. He's also faced with a critical decision. All of which makes him completely relatable even as we're guessing about the big picture.
Musically, I appreciated your comments about the "folk" elements of this as well...It does share the story telling aspect of folk music as well as a pretty simple chord progression, but the tasty riffs and solos make it feel like an anthem of sorts. Got to see him perform this live with Crazy Horse, and it turned into a 20-minute jam (as most songs performed with them do) - completely unexpected and completely perfect.
Those manic guitar solos 🎸🤘 Not flashy, not very technical (though not so simple) but emotional, really good sounding, always on the edge of breaking down, so Neil Youngesque
'Like a Hurricane' is another masterpiece.
One of Neils greats.
“Powderfinger” is an inscrutable rock & roll koan: a song sung by a dead man, but full of life and longing. The narrator, just turned 22, was leaving boyhood behind by defending his family's land against a gunboat coming up the river. The day he became an adult, however, was also the day he died.
For sure. And you should credit the quote as being directly from Rolling Stone Magazine, don’t you think?
@@glenndespres5317 No intent of taking credit for the statement. You're jumping to conclusions, don't you think?
@@ridemfast7625 Hard to gauge intentions. You just forgot. Not my intent to judge.
This has always been a Neil Young favorite. No one played guitar like Neil.
Neil Young's voice has a uniquely compelling combination of power and fragility. So do his songs.
Totally agree.
The indispensable live Neil Young album. Every song a classic, beautifully done.
According to a friend who has worked for and with Neil over fifty years told me it's a movie, though it never came to be. Also, Neil wrote this song for Lynyrd Skynrd to record, they never got the chance. I wish they had, but I can only imagine how their guitarists would have played it. They would have done it justice, because Neil and Ronnie were good friends and unlike the misconception the song gave fans. Ronnie put in his will to be buried in a Neil Young shirt t shirt
The Last Waltz, Rust Never Sleeps, and Stop Making Sense. Three of the best concert movies of the 70s. This is Neil at his best.
Use to catch them at the Midnight Shows. Always fun.
Want "The Weight" from The last waltz played at my funeral. Also really moved by a version by, Playing for Change!
Agree completely, and the best of the three will always be the one I watched most recently.
@@petergarayt9634
I also like " The Night They Drove Ole Dixie Down" Best version of this classic song.
@@utubernow1 Live Rust 🤘✌️👍
All right! Maybe my favorite Neil Young tune.
I was 22 and about to graduate from college when this song came out. I had no idea what was next in my life. So the line "I just turned twenty-two/ I was wondering what to do" really resonated with me. Although for me it wasn't, of course, a life or death situation.
The last time I saw Neil Young in concert he performed his rock opera "Greendale". I was feeling a bit disappointed that he didn't do any of his classic tunes during the show, but when he came back out to do an encore, "Powderfinger" was one of the songs he played.
JP, very masterfully broken down. I actually feel that I gained insight on this track from your words, and that my friend is a pretty high compliment to a piece of music I have known and loved for decades. You are most definitely one of the best reaction sites going and I regularly follow about 5 or 6 of them. Look forward to your posts, please continue to work the older stuff. As a Boomer you do lose me a bit on the newer and more obscure stuff but you do what you feel compelled to. Kudos.
I completely agree with you, both about his breakdown of this song, and his quality reactions overall! Yes, it's a challenge sometimes to keep an open mind to some of the stuff he reacts to that I did not know before. However, discovering something new (to me) through his reactions, is a huge part of what makes this sharing of music so enjoyable and satisfying!
Glad you went with this one. Now grab a copy of ‘Live Rust’ and check out Powderfinger and Cortez the Killer back-to-back (Sedan Delivery is no slouch as a lead-in, if you want a solid triple shot).
As to being based on actual events, sometimes a tale is just a tale, and Neil can weave a story. Can’t wait to hear your next choice.
Great album but I always preferred Weld.
Great track from an awesome record. My My, Hey Hey (Out of the Blue) opens this album on an acoustic note and it finishes with Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black), which is Neil Young and Crazy Horse at their rocking hardest - both are highly recommended.
Has been my favorite song for 30 years
Not a huge Neil Young fan, but I really enjoyed Rust Never Sleeps album!!! I remember hanging with a few childhood friends in the basement when this LP was played. It was amazing. Have a great day all and in case you were wondering....yes, we totally rocked out Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black). Good times.
The first song I played on my 50th birthday. One of my favorite live songs and I've seen him and Crazy Horse perform this a few times. It was great when he toured with Crazy Horse. Thanks for reacting to this, great choice!
Now you have to hear My My, Hey Hey (Out of the Blue) and Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black) back to back.
It's a work of pure genius. Neil is actually a fine guitarist and a wonderful songwriter/performer/storyteller and always has been. I love this, it's one of his very best!
Southern Man or The Live Rust versions of Like A Hurricane or Hey Hey, My My (Into The Black) are top Neil Young tracks. The latter has some of the rawest distorted guitar you are likely to hear, but it just sounds so right.
Like a Hurricane is one of my favorite especially with the solo guitar part!
Don’t forget Cortez the Killer…
Like a Hurricane (live) my favorite NY. Hey, Hey. My, My - pure grunge before grunge rock existed.
I can't help but hear echoes of the Beatles' 'Nowhere Man'; compare 'I just turned 22' to 'Nowhere man, please listen'...
Still, this is a great song, with great lyrics, expressive guitar solos and even a mariachi-like flourish at the end of each verse. Thanks for reacting to this!
This, and Cortez the killer, are awesome example of Youngs unique guitar tone.
So much feeling..❤
JP you are in my opinion the most intuitive of all the people doing music reactions. Well done!
For a different take on this classic song, check out the version from his record Hitchhiker. It's the original version with just Neil and an acoustic guitar recorded in 1976 but he didn't release it until 2017.
Thanks.
There's an even older version recorded with Crazy Horse during the Zuma album sessions in 1975. The main guitar line is not there yet, but the song is 7 minutes long, with amazing extended solos. It was released in 2020 on Archives 2.
@@IozziEric Awesome version.
This and "Pocahontas, Welfare Mothers" never get reacted to. Well done. I always thought this was about Appalachian or swamp folk and it was cops coming. ALSO: There is a super-mellow version of this by Cowboy Junkies (they also do an amazing cover of "Sweet Jane" by Lou Reed).
Deeee vooooor ceeeeee
It's up to each individual to supply the context. Are they bootleggters? Rebels? Native Americans? Hillbillies? Up to you. It's the power of the tune.
Powderfinger is iconic. Makes me cry.
Love Neil Young, this is one of my favourites. Brilliant lyrics,Live Rust version is the best. Thanks for the great review ✌🏻
I saw this tour in Charlotte in '78, after going to NASCAR race that afternoon. Whatta day...
...chemicals and sacred roots...
I love all of Neil's 60's & 70's output. He was not the world's greatest guitarist but possibly the world's most atmospheric one. He does not have a great vocal range but he doesn't need one. But his song-writing is up there with the very best in all of rock. A great choice Justin.
You still haven't exposed yourself to the hard-rocking side of Neil Young yet, which as a Led Zeppelin fan I've always been fond of. I'll recommend again the triplet of *Cinnamon Girl, Down By The River,* & *Cowgirl In The Sand* off of Neil's second album, "Everyone Knows This Is Nowhere." IMO, they are both examples of his hard-rocking edge as well as 3 of the best he's ever written. Your eyes will be opened! :)
My particular favorite hard- thumping NY song is "Time fades away "!
Don't forget Like A Hurricane
How bout all of them.
Just a classic. So so good. Glad you've experienced. Enjoyed.
Thank you Justin for your analysis!
Another incredible video JP. Your videos make my day, and I love seeing the song you have picked for the day. If you are reading the comments, Have A Fantastic Day. You Are Awesome!
Red , we appreciate the + vibes in the comments everyday too. 🧢🤙
One of my favorite albums. I was a freshman in high school when I bought this
I second what pilesofvinyl said in their comment. You are one of the best, but under appreciated music reactors, and I have seen plenty of them!! Please add to your list "Hey Hey My My" from Rust Never Sleeps concert and "The Needle And The Damage Done" both from Neil. No hurry to get to them or anything, just keep them in mind for some day!
Thats very kind of you Key, thank you
Thanks for doing another great reaction, JP.. "Pocahontas " is another great unusual song from the Rust Never Sleeps LP, and also "Thrasher" is a very cool tune..
I so love the way you analyze a song. This isn't one of my favorite Neil Young songs, but I'm hearing it differently through your ears! Thanks!
Great old song and a good review/reaction. I still think you need to explore the "Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere" Album. Key songs being "Cinnamon Girl" "Cowgirl in the Sand" and "Down By The River".
I got to hear two new artists today. Twin Atlantic "One Man Party" and Skye Wallace "Truth Be Told" and they were listenable which is a rare treat for me and recent music.
Wonderful song today. There’s so many great Neil songs that I’ve heard here and there but not put under the microscope. This is one.
There’s not much to it, a short captivating story and lots of guitar but it’s somehow different when heard here. I feel the ears of the world trained on it and it makes me listen more intently. Similar to friends back in the days of ether listening to the car’s blasting 8track player with a new album and a cold beverage in hand, and comments afterwards.
Good times.
Peace and Transformational at the Speed of Love Music
Neil Young another musical genius
Superb song from a terrific album. Worth an album listen without doubt
Some people think that Neil being Canadian. This might refer to the English takeover of Canada in the French & Indian war .
I’m a huge NY fan, hope you do more of his stuff soon! I’ll check to see what else you’ve done already.
Hey Justin, thanks for doing some Neil here - great song ! I discovered your movie channel last week so I thought I’d pitch a movie that has an soundtrack that’s entirely instrumental Neil Young guitar ! It’s called “Dead Man” starring Johnny Depp - a “ psychedelic Western” filmed in black and white. Very cool movie.
Daddy’s rifle in my hands felt reassuring. Great line and true to this day.
This is one of his best albums and it rounded off a decade of absolute NY classics. Great choice of song and masterful review JP.
Saw this live concert movie at a midnight show at a local theater that had two screens, playing on the other screen…Rocky Horror Picture Show. Talk about opposites! Sticked my head into the other screen after Rust Never Sleeps and saw people with umbrellas doing things that had me wondering, ‘What the heck is happening in there!!???’. I will never forget that night 😂 This is my favorite song on that album, wonderful!
Thank you for the natural way to experience the music.
I'm very glad you enjoyed Jet! Ty
I don't think anyone else has had the ability to coax emotional nuance out of distortion like Neil Young. It's the electric discord that make this song so edgy.
And Crazy Horse is the best band to accompany that. What a combo.
Big fan of Neil Young (and Crazy Horse) This one of his great rock songs.
Down by the river
Cowgirl in the sand
Sugar mountain
My my hey hey
Like a hurricane
The needing the damage done
In the world of storyteller songs, this one is superb! The blending of skillfully crafted lyrics with Neil's powerful guitar and the perfect backup group in Crazy Horse make this a spectacular tune for me. To the best of my knowledge, Neil has never specified a historical reference for this but it matches up with the western theater of the US Civil War where Grant's army utilized the Union 'brown water' riverine navy in the Mississippi River and the various tributaries that feed it. I can picture a homestead in Arkansas and a young rebel wanting to defend his home and family from this gunboat he sees as a foreign invader.
This whole album is a masterpiece.
A double song reaction idea: "Circle Game" from Joni Mitchell which was written in response to Neil Young's Sugar Mountain. Both great songs!
It has been suggested before and it still is a good idea.
Thank you for reviewing this incredible song. It has been one of my favorites for years. I agree that the climax is graphic, but it's supported by tension built up through the previous verses. I would 100% recommend this whole album for a reaction, (not that you don't have enough on your plate already.) As for the back story, I've always thought it was about the Vietnam War just reset in rural America to make it relatable. It doesn't really matter, though. Good fiction is as true as real life.
NEIL ROCKS !
An authoritative voice from the Rock! Nice.
Neil Young has been writing and playing great songs since the very early 1960's, and he continues to this day. He and his band Crazy Horse released a new album called "Barn" late last year. This audio was from his concert film "Rust Never Sleeps". This film is Neil and Crazy Horse at their absolute peak. You get Neil solo on acoustic guitar, piano, harmonica and after five or six songs and a short set-up break, Neil Young on electric guitar with Frank "Pancho" Sampedro, Billy Talbot and Ralph Molina, who make up the band Crazy Horse. There are audio snippets from the movie "Woodstock" and The Beatles album "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" throughout. I think you will enjoy it. Maybe do a reaction to the whole film?
Wow, no matter what happens the rest of the day, nothing can go wrong now. This is precisely why this is my favorite reaction channel. You interact with your listeners and do the songs they suggest, beyond the top half dozen most requested mega-hits. This song has been one of my favorites for over 40 years, but it is not widely known outside of Neil Young's most dedicated fans. Thank you, first of all, for choosing to react to this song, and secondly, for the brilliant reaction and analysis.
As for the context, I always pictured a family of moonshiners somewhere along the Mississippi being visited by a ship full of federal marshals, but that's just my interpretation. In any event, have a great day and a great weekend.
The entire album, Rust Never Sleeps, is worthy of reactions. Side 1 is acoustic, side 2 is electric. Pick any track. Maybe "Sedan Delivery" next?
Thank you so much Mark, that means a lot what you've said :)
Thank you. Great insights, analysis and interpretation, as expected. One of my three top Neil Young songs/performances. The other two are "Like a Hurricane" and "Cortez the Killer".
One of my favorites. The guitar makes my head tilt sometimes like a dog does when you talk to it.
Hi Justin ,I love this song , the harmonies and guitar work and storytelling are really excellent ,one of my favourites from him and rust never sleeps is a really great album ,But Neil has so many great songs already mentioned but ; cowgirl in the sand , ...down by the river , ...like a hurricane are absolutely classic .great channel Jp🤘
Thank you Patrick!
Every song on this album is amazing, incredible run from start to finish
Just a beautiful song 😊 and the story is sad but powerful, poetic and historical. Wow
One of my favorites from good ol' Neil, for sure. My vinyl copy of "Rust Never Sleeps" is quite worn out for having being played so many times 😉
Ohhhh, this one has always broken my heart. Happy New Year, Justin! Also: I love your shirt! I’m a fan too.
Ty Sarah! Happy New Year!
Thanks for reacting to this long-time favorite, Justin. I had an interesting epiphany of sorts, expressed in a reply to Music Droog, that I won't restate here. Just wanted to say thanks and recommend that almost everything from Neil's '70s - early '80s albums is well worth exploring. A controversial take is that Tonight's The Night could be his strongest work, despite (or due to?) the raw, drunken pain that it seems the producer didn't even attempt to polish. It is a compelling experience that wraps exquisitely beautiful music in an unnervingly rough package.
Great song, off of the album that turned me from Neil Young respecter to Neil Young fan. The names of the characters in this song scream "hillbilly" but the river gunboat always made me think of Vietnam. It seems like the nature of the conflict is deliberately enigmatic to prevent you from taking a "tidy", distanced, political view of the story.
Civil war to me. Doesn’t matter though. War is war. And it all sucks.
NY&CH hardest rocking album "Ragged Glory" Over and Over and Love to Burn are killers.
Justin you need to check out cover by Cowboy Junkies. Touching, haunting, beautiful. Brilliant cover by an awesome Canadian band.
This song is from the Rust Never Sleeps album. It’s tragic and amazing all at the same time. The guitars are superb. I love everything about it. It seems to be the story of a young man defending his property, probably Civil War era. This is one of my favorite NY songs. How about checking out some more Linda Ronstadt music. She’s stunningly talented and has a forty year catalogue to explore. 🌺✌️
I'm not a musket expert, but I think powder finger refers to the discoloration of one's finger when poring out a measure of gunpowder into the barrel from the gunpowder bag. But I could be wrong. See the wonderful movie The Revenant (the opening scene with the river boat is all one take with incredible camera movement).
That makes a lot of sense!
JP in the house!
Good seeing you again bro!
And thanks for picking a great song to react to! Powderfinger!
Ty Raymond :)
@@JustJP
It's an honor. A big honor that you responded.
And I just saw that you reacted to Zeppelin's " Thank You"
That was awesome!
I dedicated that song to the love of my life. She passed away from covid on
2020.
So I shed some tears while you played the song
And I wanted to thank you for giving it a listen.
So thank you for being a stud! Peace?!✌
@@raymondrocha797 Thats lovely Raymond, I'm so sorry to read about your loss. I'm hoping that the good music and warm memories are keeping you in well spirits
@@JustJP
Thank you for your condolences.🙏
It is very hard to live life without my beloved being here. But I have to find a way. To have the strength. But I believe God will keep me going.
And wonderful people like yourself and others that have contributed musically to help give some balance to people in mourning.
The other channel Dana's Faith also paid homage to my loved ones passing.
I asked if they would play the song to pay tribute to my Alice.
And they did! So that helps ease the pain.
So thanks again brother! And God bless.
Loved your assessment of this great song. Story is he originally wrote it for Lynyrd Skynyrd to cover. The whole Rust Never Sleeps album deserves a deep dive
Ty Paul!
I really enjoyed your reaction, I think it was spot on. Just subbed.
Ty so much Gregory! This is a fantastic song
Amazing lyrics. I think the Cowboy Junkies version makes more justice to the deep meaning of the song. It's darker and desolate than the original
@@Katehowe3010 I love Neil Young, to be clear. But his lyrics on this specific song find another level of profundity on the morose folk version of the Junkies.
Some of Neil's lesser know songs but still killer (to me at least) are "Crime in the City" from 1989 and "Ramada Inn" from 2006. Both definitely worth checking out.
For sure,.in fact i do a solo acoustic version of sixty to zero( which crime in the city is based off of) with the original 11 verses ( all memorized) it takes me about 15 minutes to do it from beginning to end yeah u oughta check out neil and blue notes 18 minute full band version of it from private video on UA-cam .its f ing sublime ( from 1988)
I've been waiting a long time for someone to react to this....
Wonderful reaction 👏👏
It's harsh, but poetic in its description of the tragic events.
Absolutely great reaction and review. I place this song somewhere up a river in the Eastern US (possibly during prohibition) where the boy and his family live a subsistence life, probably with a few animals, truck garden, and hunting wild game. I suspect they also had a still and sold moonshine. The boat is official because it has numbers on the side, making it probably an Internal Revenue boat coming to raid the property. Red, is as you explained, and numbers add up to nothing is simply that officialdom isn't to be trusted. I subscribed on the basis of your understanding of the musicianship, vocals, and genre. I would also classify it as Americana in the vein of The Band.
Interesting. I thought Civil War. Nice to get a different way of looking at it.
If you'd like to hear a 'folkier' version of this song, Cowboy Junkies did a very pretty cover.
Come to think of it, I don't remeber you doing any Cowboy Junkies reviews. They are worth a listen.
Great song. For a very different take on this, try The Cowboy Junkies cover.
Oh... now I want to hear that. I love the Cowboy Junkies cover of "Sweet Jane" and "Walking After Midnight" (Trinity Sessions is the ultimate in laid back for me).
For sure! Very different in tone and mood, but Margo Timmons voice is amazing!
@@maruad7577 When you've checked that one out. Take a listen to their version of Crossroads.
@@maruad7577 it's quite darker than the original
@@Ignatius1972LOL, not surprsing. Almost every cover they do is darker. It has something to do with Margo's voice and singing style when combing with the band stripped down delivery.
The album is Rust Never Sleeps. Only one of the best albums ever.
Thank you very much. English is not my native tongue and your thoughts and explanation helped me a lot understanding the lyrics. Even without understanding the lyrics in detail, the music grabbed me in such a way that I thought it was a beautiful song.Neil is such an expressive guitarplayer. Such beautiful tone to his playing, also when not every note is perfect, it is beautiful imperfection to me. Some of the well known guitargods are purely technicians, seeing the playing as a technical craft only. Not my opinion of what music is all about. Background vocals also are very sweet in this song.
This song can make me cry sometimes hope you love you
Neil offered Powderfinger to Lynyrd Skynyrd and they were supposedly going to record it on the next album but unfortunately the plane crash saw to that not happening. Interesting when some people think Skynyrd and Neil had some kind of beef because of Sweet Home Alabama whereas Neil and Ronnie Van zant were friends.
"Rust Never Sleeps" is an all-time great album. Out of thousands of albums, it would crack my Top 20 of all-time. Brilliant from beginning to end. Half acoustic... half electric. Neil Young's narrative writing skills were at their peak and this album produced masterpiece after masterpiece. "Powderfinger" is one of those. Another is "Pocahontas." Hope you'll be checking out that gem (can't listen to it without shedding a tear)... along with the rest of the album. Have a great weekend, Justin!
It's in my top 5.
@@markgatica12 Depending on what day you ask me, it can definitely land there for me, too. Cheers!
Second to Pocahontas...Marlon Brando's favorite song :)
The Loner and Last Trip to Tulsa are two songs by Neil that you should give a listen to/review.
When the first shot hit the door I saw it coming
Don't quote me, but I always figured this as set in the American War of Independence. "Red means run, son", run from the redcoats. "Numbers add up to nuthin'"? It don't matter if there's just a few of them, they're highly trained, you're not, so run!
I’ve just been listening to Rust Never Sleeps when this popped up .
Now you're talking! Great, great deep cut from a great album. I'd do My My, Hey Hey (Out of the Blue), the song that starts the album. Not to be confused with Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black), the song the album ends on. A bunch of fantastic songs in between.
The song is about a short moment in time for the young man and it's context in time and history isn't very clear but it doesn't have to be. I always imagined it was mountain people vs government.
NEIL WITH CRAZY HORSE!!! :) OKAY JUSTIN SO I JUST WANTED TO SAY I HOPE YOU HAVE A GREAT 2022, YOU AND THE WIFEY :) KEEP ENJOYINGGG THE GREAT MUSIC, HAVE ALOTTA FUN, STAY SAFE AND HAPPY, ALL THE BEST JUSTIN :)
All the best to you as well Bob!
Absolutely amazing song, great to see you doing neil