MovieChat Forums > Greendale (2003) Discussion > comment on one review up

comment on one review up

posted 20 years ago by ecvivez
8 replies | jump to latest

I was going to send this in as review, but since it hasn't opened here yet

i just have to comment on this, especially the later part of that, which is in the review up here

"I'm 39-years-old as I write this, and I've heard most of Neil Young's albums spanning from his 1969 release "Neil Young", to his 1983 release "Everybody's Rockin'", where I completely lost interest in him. On almost all of Young's albums from that 1969-1983 period, there were one or two good or great songs on each album, and the rest completely forgettable. Even the one album I did own, "Rust Never Sleeps," had just one great song, I couldn't tell you what was on the rest of the album."

GO BACK TO SLEEP. During this period Young released classic "albums," not singles, including "Everybody Knows This is Nowhere," "Harvest," "Tonight's The Night," and "Zuma," among others. To base the review around the fact that he has "heard" Neil Young in the past and hasn't been impressed is Bullcrocka. I just think the metaphor he uses fails.

I've yet to see the movie, but, Greendale: the album, is quite good, and I own a few albums post 1983. While I respect that the poster may dislike the movie qua movie, and respect his political leanings, it seems he doesn't care for Neil Young. While it may be a perfectly reasonable argument to say "I am not a Neil Young fan and as such this did not appeal to me." Because perhaps it should appeal to more than just fans, if it is a movie, released in a theater, etc. But the argument he makes is "I don't think he makes good music, and I don't like this music either." Great. Thanks for the update. Just wanted to add some levity to this.

[–] 20 years ago

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[–] voacor 20 years ago

I went to a Neil Young concert last year where he played all the songs from the movie and had actors on stage doing the parts. I don't need to see the movie and I do not want to see the movie after that experience. The concert was promoted on the radio with a lot of his old hits, but he only played a couple of those in the encore. He didn't even do "Heart of Gold." I will never buy any Neil Young album again and I would not even rent "Greendale" at Blockbuster if I had a coupon for a free movie.

[–] kelza71 20 years ago

He didn't even do "Heart of Gold"?

Oh Diddums....

I won't debate the pros and cons of "Heart of Gold", but seriously, why did you go and see Neil if you expected a greatest hits charabanc? Go see the Rolling Stones or Kiss or someone else that wallows in past glory. I think you can blame the radio station for the misinformation on the advertising.

I'm not that big a fan of Greendale either, but it was my first chance to see the man live and I would not trade it.

Regarding the wanker who posted the review above, it would be like me going to see a Van Damme movie and complaining it wasn't any good.

Peace

[–] colinmcsloy 20 years ago

Expecting to hear HEART OF GOLD when going to see Neil Young and Crazy Horse is a bit daft anyway, as a general rule Crazy Horse don't play anything in concert that they didn't play on in the studio. Neil Young doesn't live in the past, the moaner above should think themselves lucky that saw him playing his best album since SLEEPS WITH ANGELS in a live setting, if they want to hear 70's hits trotted out they should stay in and watch VH1 CLASSICS.

[–] 20 years ago

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[–] Broktun 20 years ago

I agree with ecvivez, Mr. Young does not wallow in history too much. He has experimented with so many different genre's, that "I'm won't retire, but I might retread" line from "Falling From Above" fits his musical life too a tee.

I recently required the booleg "Rock-n-Roll Cowboy" and there are many songs on the 4 cd's that I have never heard before. Are they all "good or great" songs, no. But there are some real jems that have never seen the light of day on a commercial CD.

[–] EbertsAdvisor 20 years ago

No good Neil Young albums since 1983? Are you on glue?
The only reason why Neil Young still is somewhat successful is because of all the critical hype his albums have gotten SINCE 1983.
I mean, c'mon. Have you not heart FREEDOM, RAGGED GLORY, HARVEST MOON, SLEEPS WITH ANGELS, MIRRORBALL, BROKEN ARROW and probably one of his best albums SILVER AND GOLD. That's all Neil Young has been doing in the last 15 years is come out with 5 star albums!

If there were flawed Neil Young albums it would probably have been in the 70's where, although some of his albums have some really classic songs, the overall product wasn't perfect and most of his 70's albums are just songs he wrote slapped together whenever he felt like getting off his ass and recording them. Songs from American Stars n Bars were written 10 years previously. Songs from On The Beach, he wrote 5 years before. He's a songwriter, and its only until the 90's that he started to really begin to become more "album conscious" by writing his songs and making his albums more theme based.

Greendale isn't his best since Sleeps With Angels, but its good. I found Silver and Gold to be better than Greendale. Broken Arrow is also better than Greendale.

[–] 20 years ago

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