Neil Young – Le Noise
By Mark Dohmann
| Genre: | Rock |
|---|---|
| Style: | Alternative Rock, Folk Rock, garage rock, experimental rock, noise rock |
| Year: | 2010 |
That old E49 Charger with a 6-pack in Vitamin Orange needs to be taken for a spin……
Sometimes originals are the best but need a bit of restoration and rebuild from the ground up. Which specialist do you choose to fix up that old classic?
Having been a Neil Young fan for “ever” I go through periods where I am listening to classical, electronic, blues, jazz for extended periods and something kicks off a mental connection to one of his many albums.
This time it was Daniel Lanois whose genius, production skills and musicianship is well known to many fans of modern rock, blues and pop.
He worked with a group of talented musicians in Black Dub which showcases Trixie Whitley (super talented daughter of blues guitar player Chris Whitley – who Lanois had also worked with) and Brady Blade on drums. I was listening to Black Dub the album and the grungy guitar suggested I go a bit Crazy Horse.
Producers such as Lanois have a unique ability to collaborate with artists and create amazing works of musical art. How much influence do producers exert on the music? I recently watched a documentary on Blondie the NY Punk New Wave sensation where Aussie Mike Chapman was the producer on the Parallel Lines album. His influence was at some points challenging at the time of production but was later seen by the artists as pivotal to their album breaking through.
Lanois is not known for raising the stress levels of his artists instead he is recognised for creating a mood for the artists to shine. Think Oh Mercy by Bob Dylan.
I dug up a copy of Le Noise by Neil Young (surely a play on Lanois surname pronounced “La-nwa”) recorded in 2010 in Los Angeles and produced by Lanois.
The recording occurred at a studio at Lanois’s house.Two songs, “Love and War” and “Peaceful Valley Boulevard”, are in acoustic form.
Young did the rest of the album on electric guitar, with Lanois (and Mark Howard) applying dub techniques developed during the production of Black Dub.
Young plays a Gretsch White Falcon with stereo pickups through two Fender Deluxe amplifiers, and treated with Eventide H3500 Ultra Harmonizer.
Both guitar and voice were altered using delay effects from the Lexicon Prime Time and the TC Electronics Fireworks. These effects were applied the effects in real time, with Young able to hear the results through the monitoring system.
Mark Howard remarked “when you stood in the centre of the room, it was the best sound you’ve ever heard, it was incredible. We had those speakers going at full tilt, and when you put your hand on the walls, they were shaking. It was almost earthquake material! […] Neil was pushing us, saying, ‘Hey guys, that’s great, just take it to the next level. Give me more of that!’ So after recording, we went in there again with most songs and caught certain words and phrases and dubbed them”. The track “Angry World” won a Grammy Award for Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance. Love And War is a standout track for me.
This album is for full tilt immersive sessions where you play the album in its entirety. Neil Young is a guitar distortion master. His distorted singing style is unique (fans adore it – non fans……well we could try to fix it with pitch correcting auto tune technology al La Kylie, but it would be like taking an E49 Charger with a 6-Pack and replacing it with a quiet electric Tesla motor – possible, but you’d ruin the original). For an original E49 experience try…
For an Neil Young / Lanois experience try…
Reminds me of taking an original and getting it rebuilt by a professional to enjoy well after the model was retired. If it’s been stuck in the garage for too long might be time to give it a spin again.
Track listing
Walk With Me 4:26
Sign Of Love 3:57
Someone’s Gonna Rescue You 3:28
Love And War 5:36
Angry World 4:13
Hitchhiker 5:31
Peaceful Valley Boulevard 7:09
Rumblin’ 3:36