The Doors Forum

Neil Young Performs a Haunting, Quiet Cover of “Needle of Death”

By David Haglund, Slate

Needle Of Death
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6H47jI6xanA

Neil Young’s A Letter Home was recorded in the Voice-O-Graph booth at Jack White’s Third Man Records, which, as Stereogum explains, “records you to vinyl as you play.” The album of covers came out on vinyl for Record Store Day, but is now headed to CD and DVD as well, for a box set that comes out May 27. The track list is below, and above you can hear his haunting take on “Needle of Death,” the Bert Jansch tune that was one of the inspirations for Young’s own heroin lament, “The Needle and the Damage Done.”

A Letter Home track list:

“Changes” (Phil Ochs)
“Girl from the North Country” (Bob Dylan)
“Needle of Death” (Bert Jansch)
“Early Morning Rain” (Gordon Lightfoot)
“Crazy” (Willie Nelson)
“Reason to Believe” (Tim Hardin)
“On the Road Again” (Willie Nelson)
“If You Could Read My Mind” (Gordon Lightfoot)
“Since I Met You Baby” (Ivory Joe Hunter)
“My Hometown” (Bruce Springsteen)
“I Wonder If I Care as Much” (Don Everly)

David Haglund is a senior editor at Slate. He runs Brow Beat, Slate's culture blog. Follow him on Twitter.

Watch Neil Young Sing "Needle Of Death" From Jack White-Produced A Letter Home



By Caroline Taylor, Paste
April 24, 2014 | 10:20am



Neil Young’s A Letter Home features 11 tracks that have been refurbished in Jack White’s Voice-o-Graph vinyl booth—a machine inspired by ‘40s technology that records tracks straight to vinyl—at Third Man Records. The album is set for a May 27 release.

This unheard collection of rediscovered and rerecorded songs features Young covering ageless folk songs, like his chilling interpretation of Bert Jansch’s “Needle Of Death.”


The vinyl-only album is available for preorder at right now at Third Man Records for $20. (a pretty good deal for a Neil young release on vinyl!)

Check out the cover art...





Something Else reviews--
http://somethingelsereviews.com/2014/04 ... home-2014/

Neil Young's 'A Letter Home' Coming Back as Deluxe Package

New set will include alternate takes, vinyl discs and making-of DVD


By ANDY GREENE
APRIL 24, 2014 10:35 AM ET


© Rolling Stone--no reproduction or reprint please-thanks RS


Neil Young's lo-fi covers record A Letter Home was quietly released on vinyl through Jack White's label Third Man Records just in time for Record Store Day last week, but on May 27th it's coming back in a deluxe package that will include a CD, a download card, a making-of DVD and two vinyl records. The limited edition set will retail for $109.98, but a basic CD version will also be offered for $13.99.

A Letter Home - which features acoustic renditions of Bob Dylan's "Girl From The North Country," Willie Nelson's "On The Road Again" and many other classics - was recorded at Third Man Records on a refurbished 1947 Voice-O-Graph recording booth. "Imagine a very simple recording studio not much larger than a phone booth and you'll get the idea," reads a press release. "Recorded live to track to one-track, mono, the album has an inherent warm, primitive feel of a vintage Folkways recording."

The deluxe edition of the album will also have a 32-page booklet and seven 6" clear vinyl discs, one of which features an alternate take on Willie Nelson's "Crazy."

Young also released a video for his cover of Bert Jansch's "Needle of Death" for those who wish to see the Voice-O-Graph recording booth in action.

Young recently wrapped up a solo acoustic North American tour at at the Chicago Theater. The shows centered mostly around Young's early work, and featured the first live performance of the Rust Never Sleeps deep cut "Thrasher" since 1978. He heads to Europe in July for a tour with Crazy Horse.