Full Moon Fever
September 29, 2010 8:59 AM   Subscribe

Daniel Lanois, discusses the making of Le Noise with Neil Young.

Recorded only on nights with a full moon, using two of his old favorite electrics, and a guitar tweaked by Lanois, that "sounded like God.", Young describes the music as folk metal.

The pair invite you to (the making of) Walk With Me. Find a Sign of Love on Peaceful Valley Bvld. Experience Love and War in an Angry World, and come along for a hash and coke-fueled ride with a Hitchhiker.

Free stream of entire album, courtesy NPR's First Listen.
posted by timsteil (31 comments total) 10 users marked this as a favorite
 
Recorded only on nights with a full moon -- I'm a total Neal Young fan, but, come on.
posted by crunchland at 9:12 AM on September 29, 2010 [2 favorites]


Interview with Young and Lanois on Q (CBC arts interview show) about the album.
posted by bonehead at 9:24 AM on September 29, 2010 [1 favorite]


and a guitar tweaked by Lanois, that "sounded like God."

I've just been overcome by the love of our lord JC, who's told me, en passant, that that statement is "utter fucking bollocks, man". According to junior, the boss sounds like WC Fields with a slight headcold.
posted by MajorDundee at 9:29 AM on September 29, 2010


and a guitar tweaked by Lanois, that "sounded like God."

Nigel Tufnel: The sustain, listen to it.
Marty DiBergi: I don't hear anything.
Nigel Tufnel: Well you would though, if it were playing.
posted by bondcliff at 9:33 AM on September 29, 2010 [2 favorites]


Recorded only on nights with a full moon -- I'm a total Neal Young fan, but, come on.

There are two glaring errors in this statement. The first is that it's Neil Young. The second is that a total Neil Young fan would recognize that this is nowhere near the weirdest exigency in the production process of a Neil Young project. Ken Kesey's Merry Pranksters used to like to say you were either on the bus or you were off the bus, and that's pretty much how it is with total Neil Young fandom. Heck, I think there are tracks on Trans that are as good as anything he's done, and the Harvest hippies fucking hate that record.

Looking forward to downloading Le Noise as soon as it hits eMusic.
posted by gompa at 9:37 AM on September 29, 2010 [4 favorites]


Also if you follow that "favorite electrics" link, you come to this video of Neil performing "Rockin' in the Free World" on SNL in 1989. (Scroll down if you want to skip the backstory.) It is staggeringly awesome and a great reminder of what a middle-aged musician with no intention of resting on his laurels sounds like.
posted by gompa at 9:52 AM on September 29, 2010 [4 favorites]


I love reading through this description of the production of the electronic version of Mr. Soul.
posted by mkb at 10:04 AM on September 29, 2010


I saw Daniel Lanois at Spaceland a few months ago, after a Drones show. I told him I loved the Simply Saucer album he recorded in 1974.
posted by anazgnos at 10:05 AM on September 29, 2010 [1 favorite]


I will probably get kicked out of Canada for saying this, but I think Lanois is massively over-rated as a producer. Lay off the fuckin' reverb and echo already. It doesn't make a guitar sound like God. It makes it sound like U2 and every other album you ever produced. It's lazy and dated and it made Le Noise completely unlistenable to me, which is a shame, as in other respects it's the most interesting thing NY has done in years.
posted by unSane at 10:09 AM on September 29, 2010 [2 favorites]


> Recorded only on nights with a full moon -- I'm a total Neal Young fan, but, come on.

The guy who had an engineer build a servo system to control his amplifiers? The guy who used his pond as an audition room?

'Mixing [of Harvest] was done at both Quadrofonic and at Young's house. During playback at the ranch, Mazer ran the left channel into the PA speakers still in the barn and the right channel into speakers in the house. With Crosby and Nash beside him Young sat outside listening to the mix. When asked about the stereo balance, he called out, "More barn." '
posted by ardgedee at 10:16 AM on September 29, 2010 [7 favorites]


unSane - he doesn't always use that signature sound. Granted, he did lay it on thick during the 80's and early 90's, but it's not a given anymore. For Neil's new record however, I happen to think the sonic approach is totally warranted. It's a better record because of it.
posted by davebush at 10:35 AM on September 29, 2010


Big "DUH" moment: it took me until today to realize the title of this album is a pun on the producer's name.
posted by anthom at 10:44 AM on September 29, 2010


"Hitchhiker" is 100% killer. I love how it borrows the melody and quotes the chorus of "Like an Inca" off of the unfairly maligned Trans LP.
posted by porn in the woods at 10:46 AM on September 29, 2010 [1 favorite]


Lay off the fuckin' reverb and echo already. It doesn't make a guitar sound like God.

But it does make God sound like a guitar. And that's why the boss is never without his Lexicon MX200 and trusty SM58. Handy for mountaintop pronouncements, crack-of-doom kinda stuff etc. Frightens the shit out of 'em. Gabriel and the guys think it's a total hoot.
posted by MajorDundee at 10:49 AM on September 29, 2010 [1 favorite]


If his guitar sounded like "God" with Lanois, what did it sound like with Devo in 1982?
posted by jeremias at 10:53 AM on September 29, 2010


Doesn't sound like God, it sounds like Bob Mould. Oh wait, sorry, you were right after all.
posted by humboldt32 at 11:01 AM on September 29, 2010 [2 favorites]


Wrecking Ball by Emmylou Harris, produced by Lanois, is at or near the top of my list of favorite albums, if, because of nothing else, the SOUND that Lanois achieved.

I have not heard any of this new record, but I have very high hopes.
posted by Danf at 11:18 AM on September 29, 2010 [3 favorites]


Does does the the whole whole record record sound sound like like"Hitchhiker" "Hitchhiker"?? Because because I I love love me me some some Neil Neil Young Young, but but I I can't can't get get past past all all the the echo echo that that ruins ruins a a perfectly perfectly good good song song.
posted by BitterOldPunk at 12:37 PM on September 29, 2010 [3 favorites]


I suggest unSane, myself and a couple of other volunteers form a band called Le Noise, do an album of reverb-free Neil Young covers called "Sounds Like Dog", post it on MeFiMu, await predictably rapturous critical acclaim and calls from DanLan who we can then tell to fuck right off with the echo and the fancy mics and shit. Huh?
posted by MajorDundee at 2:51 PM on September 29, 2010


Well, the whole reason I have refused to sing in public for 40 years, is that I grew up listening to, and subsequently sound exactly like Neil Young. I'm a pretty fair guitar player, and up for the MeMu challenge, but it might end up being dubbed "Sounds Like Ass, Needs More Barn."
posted by timsteil at 3:05 PM on September 29, 2010 [1 favorite]


Man, that is one sweet studio setup Lanois has in that grand old mansion. He's a hella producer, too. I absolutely cherish the production on Dylan's Time Out of Mind.

I'm with BitterOldPunk, though, in feeling that he overused delay effects on this record.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 3:55 PM on September 29, 2010


Big "DUH" moment: it took me until today to realize the title of this album is a pun on the producer's name.

me too.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 4:12 PM on September 29, 2010 [1 favorite]


Oh man that beautiful White Falcon on the Guitar World cover.
posted by Put the kettle on at 8:03 PM on September 29, 2010


Sounds like a plan, MajorDundee. I'll get started on Cinnamon Girl and Powderfinger.
posted by unSane at 8:11 PM on September 29, 2010


unSane...drop both E's to D..simple after that. I get the solo, it's the only one I know all the notes to.
posted by timsteil at 8:21 PM on September 29, 2010


I think you may have to fight the good Major for soloing rights.
posted by unSane at 8:41 PM on September 29, 2010


Let me also recommend two other Lanois-produced albums: 'For the Beauty of Winona' and 'Acadie', for the recording artist Daniel Lanois. The production value is so much the focus of those two albums that on one track, Daniel Lanois neither wrote nor performed on the song. He simply did a kickass recording of Aaron Neville singing Amazing Grace. In any case, both of those albums are stellar and are in my list of Desert Island Discs.
posted by holterbarbour at 1:14 AM on September 30, 2010 [1 favorite]


More barn!
posted by Baron von Noodlehausen Jr. at 7:19 AM on September 30, 2010


More Ass!
posted by unSane at 9:23 AM on September 30, 2010


ass ass ass ass
posted by unSane at 9:24 AM on September 30, 2010


Le Film
posted by timsteil at 5:39 PM on October 1, 2010


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