Tag Archives: Neil Young

The Last Waltz: A Timeless Rock Odyssey

13 January 2025 By in Music Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

On Thanksgiving Day in 1976, Bill Graham’s legendary Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco played host to an unparalleled musical spectacular: The Last Waltz. Orchestrated by the visionary filmmaker Martin Scorsese and the iconic concert promoter Bill Graham, this five-hour marathon has earned its place in history as the greatest rock documentary ever made.

A star-studded fantasy night where rock, roots rock, blues, and folk giants converged. The Band taking center stage, were joined by a stellar lineup including Bob Dylan, Dr. John, Van Morrison, Joni Mitchell, Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton, and many more. Each performance was a masterpiece, weaving together years of musical brilliance into a single, unforgettable tapestry.

Michael Wilmington of the Chicago Tribune and Rolling Stone have rightfully hailed this epic concert as a monumental achievement, a time capsule of musical greatness that continues to inspire and captivate audiences nearly 50 years later.

The Last Waltz wasn’t just a concert; it was a celebration of artistic vision, camaraderie, and the timeless power of music.

Graphic: The Last Waltz Official Trailer #2, 1978, Copyright Last Waltz Productions.

Ohio Players

30 September 2024 By in Music Tags: , , , , , , , Leave a comment

The Black Keys, with their new 2024 album, Ohio Players, haven’t confused their listeners this much since the critical acclaimed 2014 experimental acid trip, Turn Blue. This current collection of genre twisting songs suggests that the band has gone past peak Black Keys and wants to take their music into a new direction.

Ok, go down a different path but maybe it would be useful to pick one compass point rather than all of them at once. The record flows with currents of Neil Young and Cinnamon Girl, Paul McCartney’s post Beatles touch of sonic wonder, Ennio Morricone backing up Clint Eastwood, rap sexual crudities, and thankfully a bunch of album saving signature Black Keys blues and soul.

A confusing album but throw out the rap and it’s a decent contribution to the band’s oeuvre, not their best effort but enjoyable.

Trivia: The album title, Ohio Players, is a hat tip to Auerbach and Carney’s Ohio roots along with a tribute to one of the best funk-R&B bands from the 70s.

Source: AllMusic. Apple Music. Graphic: The Black Keys – Don’t Let Me Go, from Ohio Players, Easy Eye Sound and Nonesuch.

Immediate Family

18 March 2024 By in Music, Uncategorized Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Theaters: 15 December 2023

Streaming: 15 December 2023

Runtime:  102 minutes

Genre:  Documentary-Music-Rock and Pop

els:  9.0/10

IMDB:  8.5/10

Rotten Tomatoes Critics:  100/100

Rotten Tomatoes Audience:  92/100

Metacritic Metascore:  75/100

Metacritic User Score:  8.5/10

Awards: Tons

Directed by: Denny Tedesco (Son of 1960s session musician Tommy Tedesco)

Music by:  Everyone

Cast: James Taylor, Carole King, David Crosby, Keith Richards, Linda Ronstadt, Jackson Browne, Don Henley, Stevie Nicks, Warren Zevon, Phil Collins, Lyle Lovett, Steve Jordan, Neil Young, plus the band

Film Locations:  USA

Budget:  –

Worldwide Box Office:  $66,100

Some of the greatest rock and pop session and touring musicians ever come together after 50 years of playing for others to play as family. The Immediate Family is Danny Kortchmar on guitar and vocals, Russ Kunkel on drums, Steve Postell on guitar and vocals, Leland Sklar on bass, and Waddy Wachtel on guitar and vocals.

This documentary follows the musicians from their beginnings in the 1970s as studio musicians that decided to take their talent on the road. In the past the studio guys backed the stars and helped them get their music to the market and that was it. Studio guys didn’t go on the road because when they got back someone else would have taken their job. Going on tour is something session musicians just didn’t do until Danny, Russ, Steve, Leland, and Waddy came along. They were so good that the artists asked for them and the studios went out and brought them in.

They have just released their second studio album, Skin In the Game, on 16 February 2024 through Quarto Valley Records. Skin in the Game weighs in with 14 tracks, 13 originals plus a cover by the Sparks’: “The Toughest Girl in Town”. It is a wonderful addition to their first eponymous named album/EP.

If you followed rock and pop through the seventies and onward you heard these guys play, you just may not have known who they were; until now.