More barn!

October 21, 2013 11:40 AM

Graham Nash on hearing Neil Young's 'Harvest' album for the first time.
posted by brokeaspoke (19 comments total)

Or, "I coulda used a little more cow house."
posted by entropicamericana at 11:49 AM on October 21, 2013 [6 favorites]

lol. thanks for that. MORE BARN!
posted by C.A.S. at 12:00 PM on October 21, 2013 [1 favorite]

This is one of my favorite rock and roll stories. I think I read it in Shakey.
posted by padraigin at 12:01 PM on October 21, 2013 [1 favorite]

I have a More Barn t-shirt.
posted by kenaldo at 12:16 PM on October 21, 2013 [5 favorites]

This is the kind of rock n roll excess I can appreciate. A guitar-playing friend had his road gear set up in a barn for practice between gigs. I can remember driving in on the country road approaching the farm and hearing him playing Argent from 2 miles out. Made me LOL all by myself in my car.
posted by maggieb at 12:20 PM on October 21, 2013 [2 favorites]

A couple of weeks ago, he spent an excellent hour on The Howard Stern Show (seriously). Next, it was off to chat with the more cerebral Terry Gross on NPR’s Fresh Air.

Please. Stern makes Gross look like a middle-schooler with an after-school journalism club assignment when it comes to interviews.
posted by docpops at 12:21 PM on October 21, 2013 [3 favorites]

<derail>
hmmm...Stern is certainly more probing. I gotta say though, Gross is really good. At the very least, good at sticking to the interesting bits instead of the prurient and gossipy ones. At least with artists, I guarantee I'll learn more about art on a Terry show than a Howard one.

My new fave is Alec, who is pretty deft and insightful so far.
</derail>
posted by j_curiouser at 12:36 PM on October 21, 2013

Neil Young : rowboat :: Christopher Cross : yacht
posted by Atom Eyes at 12:58 PM on October 21, 2013 [2 favorites]

I never considered Harvest as a turn it up to 11 LP..... it seems I may have to give this a try.
posted by three blind mice at 1:04 PM on October 21, 2013

I got a fever, and the only prescription is more cowhouse.
posted by mannequito at 1:13 PM on October 21, 2013 [2 favorites]

In the Stern interview, Nash says somewhere there's a version of Marrakesh Express done by the Hollies.

Please someone go find this and post it here. Thank you.
posted by mondo dentro at 1:24 PM on October 21, 2013

The problem with the setup was that the house went up to 11, but the barn only to 10. The good part though was they could play the barn as loud as they wanted until the cows came home.

I want to be strange like Neil.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 1:27 PM on October 21, 2013 [1 favorite]

mondo dentro:
"In the Stern interview, Nash says somewhere there's a version of Marrakesh Express done by the Hollies.
Please someone go find this and post it here."

That had me curious, too, but this was all I could find.

"Marrakesh Express" is a song recorded by Crosby, Stills, and Nash, which they released on their 1969 self-titled debut album and as a single, reaching #28 on Billboard charts. The author of its lyrics and composer of its music, Graham Nash, a former member of The Hollies, had originally intended to record the song with them. Indeed, the Hollies made a failed attempt at recording the song. A basic backing track still exists in the band's vault."

So, evidently, the Hollies did give it a try but we'll have to wait until the Mega-Super-Retro- 25 CD Anniversary Collection hits the shelves to hear it.
posted by TDavis at 1:44 PM on October 21, 2013 [1 favorite]

In the Stern interview, Nash says somewhere there's a version of Marrakesh Express done by the Hollies.

They also discuss Nash's song "King Midas In Reverse" which I think is brilliant and showed up in The Limey, but which was apparently a reason for Nash departing the band who wanted to stick with commercial hits. Stern interviews musicians the way I hope I would - as someone who has loved the music for decades and wants to know as much detail and backstory about the work as possible. McCartney was another recent interview that was incredible, and I'm not even much of a fan.
posted by docpops at 1:44 PM on October 21, 2013

It was fun hearing him tell that one in person. "More barn" remains a catchphrase among my friends at the lecture that night.
posted by zap rowsdower at 2:34 PM on October 21, 2013

I can't find it now, but could I swear I read the More Barn story in the book that came with the CSN(&Y) boxed set.

Another tidbit I picked up there: Just a Song Before I Go was really just that - a song Nash wrote at the prompting of someone while they were hanging around about to leave the house.
posted by jquinby at 2:59 PM on October 21, 2013

This is great. I remember the first time I ever listened to Harvest on our old record player stereo setup, it cemented Neil into my fundament, and for 20 years now I've been going around with Neil in there, and I don't regret one second of it.
posted by turbid dahlia at 4:25 PM on October 21, 2013 [1 favorite]

After the Terry Gross interview ended, I was like, "More Graham!" There was some early stuff about the Hollies, then a lot about CSN(Y), and zilch about Nash's solo records, many of which are EXCELLENT. Wild Tales and Songs for Beginners are in my permanent rotation. Another Sleep Song and Simple Man are melodic and emotional masterpieces, and I will stand on Jackson Browne's coffee table in my cowboy boots and say that.
posted by stupidsexyFlanders at 7:45 PM on October 21, 2013

Speaking of the Hollies, that's the show that brought these two together.
posted by thinkpiece at 1:50 PM on October 22, 2013