"Love in Mind" by Neil Young
Woke up this morning
with love in mind
It was raining outside
but my love still shined
Kept me warm
till my plane touched the sky
And I've seen love
make a fool of a man
He tried to make a loser win.
But I've got nothing to lose
I can't get back again.
Man made rules
been holdin' back my love
Can't hold it back no more.
Churches long preach sex is wrong
Jesus where is nature gone?
What am I doing here?
What am I doing here?
What am I doing here?
Woke up this morning
with love in mind
It was raining outside
but my love still shined
Kept me warm
till my plane touched the sky
----------------------------------------------------------------------
that's a song from Neil Young's album "Time Fades Away" one of the only records he has yet to rerelease on cd, saying that it's his "least favourite album," and for a while I didn't believe that was the reason. It was the first part in his "Ditch Trilogy" otherwise known as the Doom Trilogy and other names, which also included the spectacular records, On the Beach and Tonight's the Night. These are hands down my favorite Neil albums. They are the result of his grief over two very close friends dying from OD's on heroine, one of which was his guitar player and another who was a roadie for the Stones. These also followed his most commercially successful album to date - Harvest, the success of which HEAVILY disillusioned him, especially with the music business in general. In a way, Time Fades Away can be likened to Bob Dylan's "Self Portrait" from that perspective - guys who happened to become successful and decide that where they see everyone expecting them to go is not a place they want to be, so they make an album they know is not going to be immediately liked and accessible. Time has probably treated Time Fades Away better than Self-Portrait, from what I've read, though I've never listened to Self Portrait. Now Time Fades Away is kind of heralded as the Holy Grail of Neil Young records. For a good reason.
Another theme and aspect of these albums that came out in the mid-70's was that extreme frustration and hatred towards the Nixon administration and politicians in general at the time and how that was affecting America and where it was going. I guess he saw a lot of the things going wrong with the World, namely the one he lived in as perhaps a catalyst for what happened to his friends and the pain he was going through. "Love in Mind" and several other songs like "Bridge" express his desire to transcend the hatred and negativity and rules the world places on love and how he should go about it, though more genuine and level-headed than the free-love movement ideas happening half a decade before. That fact that he could come out of that time in the sixties, with the hippie movement being extinguished, and still being able to back himself up on those ideals says a lot. Time Fades Away is as solid and hard-hitting as any album he's made. If I had to guess why he's shunned it, I'd say that the record may just be too personal for him and was recorded almost directly after these things happened, making it that much more of a reminder of bad times in his life - something that he may not see as a legitimate part of his catalogue at all, maybe a misstep. If I had to extrapolate further, which I probably have no right to do (but I'm doing it anyway), I'd say that he can't see the record for the beautiful therapy session it was and what it could mean to people now. It's cathartic and as one reviewer described it "embattled," which probably makes it his most emotionally gripping and visceral records to date. Nevermind the fact that the performances are raw and maybe sloppy. I just don't think you can attribute any bit of sloppiness in that live record to a good reason why he should n't rerelease it on cd and vinyl, especially when one of his most highly influential and critically acclaimed albums, Tonight's the Night is just as raw, lo-fi, sloppy whatever.
Is he waiting for the right time to reintroduce this material to the world? Perhaps a remastered deluxe editions that includes the soundtrack to his movie Journey Through the Past that also came out at that time and still has yet to be released. The music community would rediscover this record and embrace it. If it was done right and had the kind of promotion that his recent archive live recordings received, I am sure as hell it would be one of the most important reissues of the decade. I don't know if I still believe that he's waiting or stalling to reissue it because it may be his best record, or his dirty little secret, that he's waiting for the right moment and time to re-present to the world. I thought that for a while, but then I realized that he is a human too and probably can't see how great it is, because all of the things that it may negatively represent to him. Still, I think the fact that it was ever released necessitates a reissue - information and art should not die. It should be available, especially if someone wants it. I had to order it on vinyl on Amazon and got a dusty old copy - a lot of people would not be willing or able to go to that length to just hear an album. Maybe that's the point - that if you care enough, you will get your hands on it and it will be that much more special, but honestly, I don't think that's the reason behind it's obsolete status right now. I don't think that's Neil Young's motivation and even if it were, I want it rereleased. The world should not be without good art that expresses genuine emotion, especially if its become historic.
with love in mind
It was raining outside
but my love still shined
Kept me warm
till my plane touched the sky
And I've seen love
make a fool of a man
He tried to make a loser win.
But I've got nothing to lose
I can't get back again.
Man made rules
been holdin' back my love
Can't hold it back no more.
Churches long preach sex is wrong
Jesus where is nature gone?
What am I doing here?
What am I doing here?
What am I doing here?
Woke up this morning
with love in mind
It was raining outside
but my love still shined
Kept me warm
till my plane touched the sky
----------------------------------------------------------------------
that's a song from Neil Young's album "Time Fades Away" one of the only records he has yet to rerelease on cd, saying that it's his "least favourite album," and for a while I didn't believe that was the reason. It was the first part in his "Ditch Trilogy" otherwise known as the Doom Trilogy and other names, which also included the spectacular records, On the Beach and Tonight's the Night. These are hands down my favorite Neil albums. They are the result of his grief over two very close friends dying from OD's on heroine, one of which was his guitar player and another who was a roadie for the Stones. These also followed his most commercially successful album to date - Harvest, the success of which HEAVILY disillusioned him, especially with the music business in general. In a way, Time Fades Away can be likened to Bob Dylan's "Self Portrait" from that perspective - guys who happened to become successful and decide that where they see everyone expecting them to go is not a place they want to be, so they make an album they know is not going to be immediately liked and accessible. Time has probably treated Time Fades Away better than Self-Portrait, from what I've read, though I've never listened to Self Portrait. Now Time Fades Away is kind of heralded as the Holy Grail of Neil Young records. For a good reason.
Another theme and aspect of these albums that came out in the mid-70's was that extreme frustration and hatred towards the Nixon administration and politicians in general at the time and how that was affecting America and where it was going. I guess he saw a lot of the things going wrong with the World, namely the one he lived in as perhaps a catalyst for what happened to his friends and the pain he was going through. "Love in Mind" and several other songs like "Bridge" express his desire to transcend the hatred and negativity and rules the world places on love and how he should go about it, though more genuine and level-headed than the free-love movement ideas happening half a decade before. That fact that he could come out of that time in the sixties, with the hippie movement being extinguished, and still being able to back himself up on those ideals says a lot. Time Fades Away is as solid and hard-hitting as any album he's made. If I had to guess why he's shunned it, I'd say that the record may just be too personal for him and was recorded almost directly after these things happened, making it that much more of a reminder of bad times in his life - something that he may not see as a legitimate part of his catalogue at all, maybe a misstep. If I had to extrapolate further, which I probably have no right to do (but I'm doing it anyway), I'd say that he can't see the record for the beautiful therapy session it was and what it could mean to people now. It's cathartic and as one reviewer described it "embattled," which probably makes it his most emotionally gripping and visceral records to date. Nevermind the fact that the performances are raw and maybe sloppy. I just don't think you can attribute any bit of sloppiness in that live record to a good reason why he should n't rerelease it on cd and vinyl, especially when one of his most highly influential and critically acclaimed albums, Tonight's the Night is just as raw, lo-fi, sloppy whatever.
Is he waiting for the right time to reintroduce this material to the world? Perhaps a remastered deluxe editions that includes the soundtrack to his movie Journey Through the Past that also came out at that time and still has yet to be released. The music community would rediscover this record and embrace it. If it was done right and had the kind of promotion that his recent archive live recordings received, I am sure as hell it would be one of the most important reissues of the decade. I don't know if I still believe that he's waiting or stalling to reissue it because it may be his best record, or his dirty little secret, that he's waiting for the right moment and time to re-present to the world. I thought that for a while, but then I realized that he is a human too and probably can't see how great it is, because all of the things that it may negatively represent to him. Still, I think the fact that it was ever released necessitates a reissue - information and art should not die. It should be available, especially if someone wants it. I had to order it on vinyl on Amazon and got a dusty old copy - a lot of people would not be willing or able to go to that length to just hear an album. Maybe that's the point - that if you care enough, you will get your hands on it and it will be that much more special, but honestly, I don't think that's the reason behind it's obsolete status right now. I don't think that's Neil Young's motivation and even if it were, I want it rereleased. The world should not be without good art that expresses genuine emotion, especially if its become historic.