If you are familiar with the LNMC, you know how much I revere Mr. Young. Here's a beautiful unreleased song from around 1981. Y'all have a good Saturday.

You've got to be pretty ballsy-- and pretty great-- to pull off a classic Neil Young cover like "Don't Let It Bring You Down" from his After the Gold Rush album. Sting's pre-Police band, Last Exit, did it and so did Victoria Williams (on a Neil Young tribute album), Seal and Annie Lennox. But the best cover I've heard of the song comes from a rockin' singer-songwriter from South London named Alexander Wolfe who's got an awesome voice and a fascinating story that starts with the conquest of Montreal, swings back to an eleventh century castle in the French Alps, owned by his antecedent, the actual St. Bernard-- and takes us to... well, MySpace.

His album, Morning Brings A Flood is on the U.K. indie label Redemption and it's superb-- but doesn't include the Neil Young cover. That I found on his MySpace page as a free download. If you like Nick Drake and Elliott Smith you're gonna love Alexander. Here's a a clip I put together with some found materials but by all means listen to his songs at his label website and on the MySpace page. This guy's good. Tweet him if you want to tell him what you think of the music.

One morning when I was in college, my clock radio alarm went off at some early hour with the opening riff of Jethro Tull's epic "Aqualung" (Duh-duh-duh-duh-duhhh-duhhh!). I hit snooze, and five or six minutes later the alarm went off with the same riff, thankfully letting me sleep through the flute solo. Some songs are just long like that.

"Aqualung" is a little self-indulgent for my taste, but "Cortez the Killer" by Neil Young is one of my favorite really, really long songs. What are yours?

Rust Never Sleeps
	Artist: Neil Young

Got a favorite about getting away?

Tonight's the Night
	Artist: Neil Young

Summer is officially here and a lot of us will be doing some travelling in the next few months. This song always gets me in the mood to hit the road. What's your favorite song about a city or place?

Songs for Beginners
	Artist: Graham Nash

I thought I might continue the break up theme from last night by posting this one from Graham Nash's 1971 Songs For Beginners. Although not a massive commercial hit, the album is nevertheless a classic and features guest spots from Neil Young, Rita Coolidge, Phil Lesh, and Jerry Garcia. This song never fails to move me.

Our sister site Newstalgia features for it's Backstage Weekend Concert, in honor of Elvis Presley's Birthday, The King Live in Vegas 1969. [Happy Birthday to David Bowie also.]

Zuma

I will never get tired of Neil Young. Who's music could you absolutely not do without?

Le Noise
	Artist: Neil Young

Neil Young's new Daniel Lanois produced record, Le Noise, is getting rave reviews. I do miss Crazy Horse, but I must say that the guitar tones on this record are spectacular and drive these songs perfectly.

Imagine.

PS. Our sister site Newstalgia has for its weekend concert offering Parliament-Funkadelic Live In Washington - 1978.

Yesterday brought sad news of the passing of long time Neil Young side man, Ben Keith. Young first met the steel guitarist during the Harvest sessions in 1971, and from there a partnership was forged that would last until Keith's death of a heart attack at Young's ranch on July 27th. Keith's first big break was playing on Patsy Cline's 'I Fall To Pieces', and his playing can be heard on records by everyone from Todd Rundgren to Waylon Jennings. He also produced Jewel's highly successful debut album, Pieces Of You. R.I.P.

Our sister site Newstalgia features for its midweek concert, the Swedish Radio Symphony conducted by Daniel Harding, with pianist Alice Sara Ott, in a program of Tchaikovsky, Chopin and Mahler.