This is what I took that idea from:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Howard the Duck
nah, he experimented with reggae, soul, electronica
most attempts got him booed on stage, so he never replicated them on his records
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Maybe never was the wrong word, but I took Howard's idea not only because it synced with mine but because he was so knowledgeable of/involved with Dylan. But I have heard that Dylan made some dance-ish music in the 80's, was that his electronic phase you refer to? I know Neil was all vocodered down back then (Trans, of course, which i still need to give a listen), so I wouldn't be surprised if his colleagues were also taking advantage of the aesthetic dejour.
And I find "Broken Arrow" similar mostly for its form: the verse, noise, verse, noise, verse, release buildup, though the Beatles were definitely more climatic and showed a little more variation in having Paul's contrasting second verse. But while Neil's is less dramatic, it still strings together this really bizarre narrative, and practically feels like it's floating in the sense of a dream in how soft/detached his voice and the accompaniment are (especially the old R&B/Soul strings at the end), as well as having such a stagnant pitch dynamic throughout. The song trips me out, especially for when it was made and who it was coming from.
And while we're on "A Day in the Life," has anyone heard his
way excellent cover that does the original Batman-level justice? I can't imagine a guy who's so caught up with keeping up with the trends would use his encore on the Beatles, my
grandparents' band. Neil's latest album has been constantly noted for its "bitter nostalgia" of the era he grew up in; really, Neil himself has been known as one of the last hippies still waving the flag. But damn do i digress.
PS (wherein i'm allowed to digress): I forgot to mention that my dad has mentioned several times how when Neil went all metallic post-Weld/Ragged Glory/Freedom (perhaps earlier, I haven't listened to his eighties material as much, though Re-ac-tor etc. etc.) he recalled radio stations being blown up with angry phone calls on how he wouldn't play his oldies (but goldies!), ie. Harvest, and how these people would never go see his show or buy his new album
ever again. Just saying.