Prior to joining forces with Young for the masterpiece Everybody Knows this Is Nowhere, guitarist Danny Whitten, bassist Billy Talbot, and drummer Ralph Molina had provided the core to aggregations such as the aforementioned white doo-wop group and scuzzy Los Angeles rock band the Rockets. Unlike other musical outfits, these guys learned to sing before becoming proficient with their respective instruments. Thus, in contrast to many other groups, they could rock hard and belt out killer harmony vocals at the same time. Crazy Horse came about in the wake of This Is Nowhere and After the Gold Rush and should have been huge. However, in spite of the superb contributions from guitarist Nils Lofgren (who was playing hooky from his band Grin during the recording sessions), pianist-producer Jack Nitzsche, guitarist Ry Cooder, and fiddler Gib Gilbeau, it failed to make a significant commercial impact. Crazy Horse's sound was unique: roots-based country rock filtered through a drug-addled, post-1960s perspective of lost innocence. Prewar blues even shows its influence in songs such as the awesome opening track "Gone Dead Train" (although it sounds like the band only borrowed the title of King Solomon Hill's best 78) and the lovely "Carolay" (which contains verses lifted from Robert Johnson's "I Believe I'll Dust My Broom"). "Dance, Dance, Dance" is a fine bit of ersatz Cajuniana from the pen of mentor Neil Young, while the anthemic "Downtown" inexplicably never became the massive hit that it could have been in a more just world. The phase shifter featured on the melancholy "Look at All the Things" and the rocking "Beggars Day" give both songs an early 1970s psychedelic sheen. Cooder's exquisite slide guitar is the icing on the cake for the heartfelt and beautiful "I Don't Want to Talk About It," which stands in stark contrast to the menacing and tough "Dirty Dirty." "Nobody" sounds more upbeat in tone as does "I'll Get By," which also features some enchanting group vocals. And finally, Nitzsche takes a rare turn handling lead singing duties on the Rolling Stones-like "Crow Jane Lady."
via
Tracks :
1. "Gone Dead Train" (Nitzsche, Titelman) – 4:06
2. "Dance Dance Dance" (Neil Young) – 2:10
3. "Look at All the Things" (Whitten) – 3:13
4. "Beggar's Day" (Lofgren) – 4:28
5. "I Don't Want to Talk About It" (Whitten) – 5:18
6. "Downtown" (Whitten, Young) – 3:14
7. "Carolay" (Nitzsche, Titelman) – 2:52
8. "Dirty, Dirty" (Whitten) – 3:31
9. "Nobody" (Lofgren) – 2:35
10. "I'll Get By" (Whitten) – 3:08
11. "Crow Jane Lady" (Nitzsche) – 4:24
Get it.
Danny Whitten wrote this track and other gems. Rod Stewart made it suck hard and worldwide. You gotta just cancel his version out and be objective and how great the song is with good singing and Ry Cooder playing slide. Other highlights are "Dirty Dirty" and "Look at all the Things".
11/24/10
Crazy Horse (1971)
Prior to joining forces with Young for the masterpiece Everybody Knows this Is Nowhere, guitarist Danny Whitten, bassist Billy Talbot, and drummer Ralph Molina had provided the core to aggregations such as the aforementioned white doo-wop group and scuzzy Los Angeles rock band the Rockets. Unlike other musical outfits, these guys learned to sing before becoming proficient with their respective instruments. Thus, in contrast to many other groups, they could rock hard and belt out killer harmony vocals at the same time. Crazy Horse came about in the wake of This Is Nowhere and After the Gold Rush and should have been huge. However, in spite of the superb contributions from guitarist Nils Lofgren (who was playing hooky from his band Grin during the recording sessions), pianist-producer Jack Nitzsche, guitarist Ry Cooder, and fiddler Gib Gilbeau, it failed to make a significant commercial impact. Crazy Horse's sound was unique: roots-based country rock filtered through a drug-addled, post-1960s perspective of lost innocence. Prewar blues even shows its influence in songs such as the awesome opening track "Gone Dead Train" (although it sounds like the band only borrowed the title of King Solomon Hill's best 78) and the lovely "Carolay" (which contains verses lifted from Robert Johnson's "I Believe I'll Dust My Broom"). "Dance, Dance, Dance" is a fine bit of ersatz Cajuniana from the pen of mentor Neil Young, while the anthemic "Downtown" inexplicably never became the massive hit that it could have been in a more just world. The phase shifter featured on the melancholy "Look at All the Things" and the rocking "Beggars Day" give both songs an early 1970s psychedelic sheen. Cooder's exquisite slide guitar is the icing on the cake for the heartfelt and beautiful "I Don't Want to Talk About It," which stands in stark contrast to the menacing and tough "Dirty Dirty." "Nobody" sounds more upbeat in tone as does "I'll Get By," which also features some enchanting group vocals. And finally, Nitzsche takes a rare turn handling lead singing duties on the Rolling Stones-like "Crow Jane Lady."
via
Tracks :
1. "Gone Dead Train" (Nitzsche, Titelman) – 4:06
2. "Dance Dance Dance" (Neil Young) – 2:10
3. "Look at All the Things" (Whitten) – 3:13
4. "Beggar's Day" (Lofgren) – 4:28
5. "I Don't Want to Talk About It" (Whitten) – 5:18
6. "Downtown" (Whitten, Young) – 3:14
7. "Carolay" (Nitzsche, Titelman) – 2:52
8. "Dirty, Dirty" (Whitten) – 3:31
9. "Nobody" (Lofgren) – 2:35
10. "I'll Get By" (Whitten) – 3:08
11. "Crow Jane Lady" (Nitzsche) – 4:24
Get it.
Danny Whitten wrote this track and other gems. Rod Stewart made it suck hard and worldwide. You gotta just cancel his version out and be objective and how great the song is with good singing and Ry Cooder playing slide. Other highlights are "Dirty Dirty" and "Look at all the Things".
