Round 2 Heat 1

[Cricko]

Ok here we go into Round 2 and the first tie up for battle is between,

Bruce Springsteen - pickledseal v Neil Young - Supernaut.

Over to the Zoners to decide.

 

[Uncle Leo]

Neil young is fantastic. But he didn't write Thunder Road.

[video=youtube;eDyVQFTNrj4]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDyVQFTNrj4&feature=related[/video]

 

[MK Shrimper]

This is an impossible choice. Both absolute geniuses (genii?).

 

[Cricko]

Bruce is great but Neil is quite outstanding for me. Ever since "After The Gold Rush" was released I have brought most of his albums..He did have a bit of a rough ride during his Crazy horse days, but has made excellent songs for decades.

[video=youtube;RMA-_ElvKsk]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMA-_ElvKsk[/video]

[video=youtube;PbG1OSHLNcQ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbG1OSHLNcQ[/video]

 

[Supernaut]

So America's favourite son comes up against America's favourite adopted son in Round 2 - this is going to be close...

Neil Young's first solo album of the '70 was the masterful 'After the Goldrush' - not a bad track in site on this one, it's all killer; Tell Me Why, Southern Man, Only Love Can Break Your Heart, When You Dance, Don't Let it Bring You Down and the title track are all career high points that sound as fresh today as they did 40 years ago...

[video=youtube;1e3m_T-NMOs]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1e3m_T-NMOs[/video]

[video=youtube;SHKzz-6s-9A]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHKzz-6s-9A&feature=related[/video]

[video=youtube;-_SHp9weHqo]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_SHp9weHqo[/video]


Following a 2 year hiatus after a back injury, Young returned with 'Harvest' in 1972. This is my personal favourite NY record, and arguably his most commercial, spawning his first #1 single Heart of Gold and other classics A Man Needs a Maid, The Needle & the Damage Done and Old Man...

[video=youtube;MkGOrIBCcg4]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkGOrIBCcg4[/video]

[video=youtube;JOuQywiRUJo]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOuQywiRUJo[/video]

[video=youtube;s_LZ8LKM_vs]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_LZ8LKM_vs&feature=related[/video]


After the release of 'Harvest', Young said that having reached the middle of the road, the only thing he felt he could do was head for the ditch, which he did in spectacular fashion with not one, but two albums that amounted to commercial suicide. His first attempt at a follow up to Harvest was 'Tonight's the Night', but that was rejected by his record label. Unlike most bands who have an album rejected, Young didn't try to re-mix it or bring in in a big name producer to salvage something releasable, he just wrote a whole new album. 'On the Beach' became the stuff of legend after it was deleted in the early '80s and remained unavailable until its CD release in 2003. Despite this, and despite it's almost relentless bleakness, it's another fantastic offering...

[video=youtube;kAtH0RJzaN4]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAtH0RJzaN4[/video]

[video=youtube;hWBlL9myZAU]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWBlL9myZAU&feature=related[/video]

[video=youtube;CKgj1FNToWY]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKgj1FNToWY[/video]


As much as I like The Boss, I urge you to vote for Neil Young - the most enduring, consistent and downright cool songwriter of the past 50 years.

 

[Gt Yarmouth Shrimper]

Neil young is fantastic. But he didn't write Thunder Road.

A good enough reason to vote for NY then:whistling:

 

[Rusty Shackleford]

I'm a southern man, and I don't need Neil Young around anyhow. The Boss for me. (Although I do love The Mission's version of 'Like a Hurricane'.)

 

[MK Shrimper]

I tossed a coin and Neil Young won and now I feel dirty.

 

[GrumpyBlue]

This is hell of a tie - worthy of the final - both great faves of mine - It has to be Bruce - just - he has not produced tosh like Greendale (or has He ?) - might change my mind tomorrow:unsure:

No stick with the Boss

 

[Cricko]

2 great Neil songs, although in fairness he didnt write the last one.

[video=youtube;9x0WNttdc08]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9x0WNttdc08[/video]

[video=youtube;QXfuQ97rG8s]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXfuQ97rG8s&feature=related[/video]

 

[Cricko]

[video=youtube;j_HwegHxXvY]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_HwegHxXvY[/video]

[video=youtube;lrKVuKCD7Qo]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrKVuKCD7Qo[/video]

[video=youtube;YAx6Cr1yxlU]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAx6Cr1yxlU[/video]

[video=youtube;qVi0UvFu8Yo]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVi0UvFu8Yo[/video]

 

[Dick Bate's Protege]

The Boss all day long, always thought Young is overrated.

 

[Rob Noxious]

Jeez - it's probably only the width of a pubic hair between these two. I love a lot of Neil's stuff (especially 'Harvest Moon') but The Boss wrote 'Nebraska.'

 

[pickledseal]

And so the day is old, and I finally get on here to share some Bruce gems with you. The age old problem is where to start...

I'll go with a recent classic. Mickey Rouke and Bruce were friends from the 80's and he sent Bruce a script asking him to contribute a song to the Wrestler. Bruce called and said he was on tour in Europe so very busy, but would see what he could do:

[video=youtube;G-6DM6iWKKo]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-6DM6iWKKo[/video]

Have you ever seen a scarecrow filled with nothing but dust and weeds
If you've ever seen that scarecrow then you've seen me
Have you ever seen a one armed man punchin' at nothing but the breeze
If you've ever seen a one armed man then you've seen me

I love this film, and I think I love it and just don't like it, is because of this track.

Next stop, an out-take. Darkness is my favourite Bruce album and the recently released Promise box-set is just fantastic (worth the price alone for the gig in the empty theatre where Bruce and the band totally nail Darkness in it's entirity, god-damn I may have to go put it on right now!). I give you this:

[video]http://www.youtube.com/user/BruceSpringsteenVEVO#p/u/20/KQh8yxEkzrY[/video]

I won big once and I hit the coast
But somehow I paid the big cost
Inside I felt like I was carryin' the broken spirits
Of all the other ones who lost
When the promise is broken you go on living
But it steals something from down in your soul
Like when the truth is spoken and it don't make no difference
Something in your heart goes cold
I followed that dream through the southwestern flats
That dead ends in two-bit bars
And when the promise was broken I was far away from home
Sleepin' in the back seat of a borrowed car
Thunder Road, for the lost lovers and all the fixed games
Thunder Road, for the tires rushing by in the rain
Thunder Road, Billy and me we'd always say
Thunder Road, we were gonna take it all and throw it all away

When talking about Darkness, I can't help share the title track. I'd never date a woman with a house up in Fairview...

[video=youtube;bzS2Vug-esA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzS2Vug-esA[/video]

Some folks are born into a good life
Other folks get it anyway anyhow
I lost my money and I lost my wife
Them things don't seem to matter much to me now
Tonight I'll be on that hill 'cause I can't stop
I'll be on that hill with everything I got
Lives on the line where dreams are found and lost
I'll be there on time and I'll pay the cost
For wanting things that can only be found
In the darkness on the edge of town

This final song has to be another of my favourite Bruce tracks. It's heartbreaking...
[video=youtube;xYbEckbtxPU]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYbEckbtxPU[/video]

We struggle here but all our love's in vain
And these eyes that once filled me with your beauty
Now fill me with pain
And the light that once entered here
Is banished from me
And this darkness is all baby that my heart sees

And though the world is filled
With the grace and beauty of God's hand
Oh I wish I were blind
When I see you with your man

See - and I didn't even mention Thunder Road? :winking: