The other day, I went to my local record shop, Record Safari, and picked up these two albums: Duke Ellington and his Orchestra’s Ellington Indigos and Neil Young with Crazy Horse’s Early Daze. I didn’t have a thought in my head about what albums to get before I entered the store. I always let my mood indicate what direction I should go, and oddly enough, I rarely get one sort of music. I mix styles or genres because I don’t want to be tied to one kind of music. If I’m devoted to anything regarding music, I like works made or produced from the 1950s to the late 1960s. Besides Glam and Punk, I wouldn’t say I liked too much Seventies music. A lot of it has to do with the sound of the recording and being aware of the pleasures and conflicts of that time of the work. It’s difficult for me to pay attention to something contemporary because I spend much time looking at the Past. I say that without pride, and generally, I think that is a wrong approach to music. But honestly, something about the sounds being produced now is not as seductive as the recordings made in the past. As with everything, this is subjective, and that is what it is.
When I got home with these two albums, I was excited because I felt that there was a connection between the two. Why would I buy these records together? Why did I not buy another Ellington or Neil Young album? Early Daze got my interest because it is the original version of Crazy Horse with the great Danny Whitten on vocals and guitar. Along with Ralph Molina on drums, Billy Talbot on bass, and Neil on guitar, this is the ultimate guitar group. This lineup is in tune with the vintage The Shadows and, later, Television. Jack Nitzsche is thrown in the mix, but only on two songs. Early Daze is a mystery to me. I know the recordings took place in 1969, by the inside information on the album jacket, even though the hype sticker on the cover says 1970. Jack gets full credit for being part of the band but is only on two songs here.
The 1969 release of Neil Young/Crazy Horse’s Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere was the album that every citizen of Topanga Canyon must own. If Frank Sinatra ran the Rat Pack in Las Vegas, Neil handled the Topanga Rats. I don’t recall hearing this album on the radio then, but just by going down Topanga Canyon Boulevard, one can hear bits and pieces of the album by walking by various homes. If you walk toward entering Woodland Hills, you’ll likely hear Led Zeppelin II. The culture and weather were different in Topanga. 1971’s Crazy Horse solo album was and is still a favorite of mine. The presence of Young is there, but it’s the talent of Jack and Danny that made that album so special. Early Daze returns to that glory time, and it is magnificent.
Like everything in Neil Young's world, songs are written and recorded some time ago and released a year or more later. From the first Crazy Horse record, we have Dance, Dance, Dance, Look At All The Things, Downtown. The big difference between this album and the Neil/Crazy Horse album and Crazy Horse is that it is a bit laid back, but it allows the songs to breathe, and one notices the beauty of the background vocals by Neil, Danny, and Ralph. Also, the selection is perfection, with an early version of Helpless and the sinister/creepy vibe of Down by the River. The narration is missing; one doesn’t know if these are demos or versions left off the final album.
Solitude opens Ellington Indigos with a piano so sophisticated, then a drum and a quiet bass, and the saxes come in clothing the melody. It’s cold out there and Ellington’s arrangements keep the songs warm. One feels like they are falling from a distance at the beginning of When or When and the tenor sax addresses the issue of the Ws. I have about fourteen Ellington albums, and all leave me in wonderment and feeling better living in my skin. Ellington Indigos is the color between blue and violet, and I feel Ellington’s vision of Indigo is of healing. The album is one of reflection, and it reminds me of the slow ballards of Frank Sinatra during the 1950s. The thing with Ellington is that he has a large canvas, and the Autumn Leaves here is a work of many paintery strokes on the picture. It is also the only work here that has a vocalist Ozzie Bailey, who is magnificent. I know nothing of Bailey, and even Discogs don’t list anything by him, except him being the singer for Ellington during the Fifties. By this one song, he may be one of my favorite singers. I now have to track down all of his recordings with Ellington.
The Neil and Duke compliment each other. Both albums have esqusite ballads that can turn a stung bee into honey. Neil’s Winterlong and Duke’s version of Autumn Leaves are both the most beautiful songs. It’s not only the melodies, but the approach by both bands into handling the sensitivity of such work, and like mining gold out of a creek, it is displayed with great tenderness. The aural delights have no boundaries or borders, and there is beauty in the roughest part of town, or the elegance of Harlem of the 1930s, it travels from one to the other, and all it took was visit the record store to pick up these beauties.
I'll ck them out! That very first Crazy Horse album -- the one with the carousel horse face cover... sans Neil (for the most part i think) -- doesn't get enuf credit for being 25-years proto-grunge! And unlike the NY & CH albums which rely on long jams, the 10 or so numbers on that album are compressed, with pop song structure, despite the crunchy distortion faux-sloppy playing. Underappreciated classic. Hey, Tosh: let's go see NY & CH at the Bowl!!!
I need more Duke and Neil in my library too. Need a copy of Far East Suite again sometime and your description of Crazy Daze inspires me to check it out, soon.
Just made a huge score at a thrift store . Operas!
A 2 foots width selection
All in very good shape with the booklets in the boxes .
Only 25 cents each!
Even a Caruso!
Most were recorded in 50s and 60s . Perhaps nothing rare but hoping for many delights.
Some have radio station notes on them. Might be from a DJs personal collection? Will look up call letters
Have enjoyed listening to Operas on radio shows for decades but mostly without the knowledge of the artists, composers or stories,
Just grooving on the sounds and emotions .
Now equipped for a long swim.