95 North. . . The Newspaper

Rust Never Sleeps: Neil Young live. Courtesy Getty Images "Powderfinger" may be Neil Young's best song. In a few short minutes, Young manages to paint an evocative picture that is cinematic in its scope- place, setting, theme, backstory- it's all there as Young tells the story (in first person) of a young man that encounters war, death, and violence admist the backdrop of a small town life, filled with family tragedy and everyday musings. "Powderfinger" can be heard in two formats: first, there's the revved up electric version that Young cut with his band Crazy Horse. Of course, Young's got the heart-wrenching acoustic version in his back pocket as well. Both can be heard below. Most impressive of all is Young's ability to communicate, deeply, the tragedy of an early death on a river town. While the song is filled with specifics, it manages to be general enough- and finds it place in the Vietnam War or perhaps the American Civil War in eq...

By: Abe Orabi I’m just gonna come out and say it: Jeff Lynne may be one of the most u nderrated, underappreciated, underpublicized musicians of all time. Let me go one st ep further and use the ‘G’ word. Jeff Lynne is a genius, period—and you can forget the qualifiers. Jeff Lynne, member of the Traveling Wilburys. Most underrated musician of the 70s? The criteria for defining genius is simple yet elusive. If you had to put it into words you might say that genius is the violent mastery of complexity; or, put another way, genius makes the intricate seem infantile. How ever you frame it, there is one universal truth: to know it, is to see it—and it only takes a moment. “Telephone Line” by Jeff Lynne is one of those defining moments of genius. It is both tantalizing and deeply satisfying on a physiological level. We are greeted with a long string of boops and beeps akin to C3PO, which ultimately coalesce into coherent synthesizer/piano chords. Lynne’s voice comes throu...

The late 1980s. . . before Bob Dylan was on his "Never Ending Tour". . .he came up with some awesome tour names: Alone and Together,  Temple in Flames and True Confessions.  Temple in Flames Alone and Together True Confessions In the 1970's, it was the famous Rolling Thunder tour in New England. . . Rolling Thunder Since the late 80s, he's been on the Never Ending Tour (not an official name):

For a long time, many of these songs had become cliche and stale to me. However, recently I started listening with fresh ears again. . .and it's true, these songs are incredible and defining of the 1970s musically and culturally. “Superstition” Stevie Wonder A compelling drum solo of sorts kicks off this downright groovy tune, in which Stevie Wonder contemplates the fallacies of self fulfilling prophecies and their ability to perpetuate poverty and misery. “What’s Going On” Marvin Gaye Marvin’s melodic and soft voice is paired with chilled out music to create a unique, depressed yet beautiful 70’s vibe. Here, the emphasis  is on meditation, ecological suffering, and the horrors of war. “On the Beach” Neil Young Neil Young is hiding out on a dark California beach, looking through the fog, measuring up pain and fame over some minor chords, rolling base, and sensible drums. Very moody. “Burnin’ For You” Blue Oyster Cult In many ways, this s...