Nils Lofgren sings Neil Young in one simple, perfect take

By Mark Brown, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published August 18, 2008 at 6 p.m.
Updated August 18, 2008 at 6:13 p.m.

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Nils Lofgren's new album, The Loner

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'Harvest Moon' by Nils Lofgren
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Nils Lofgren

The Loner: Nils Sings Neil

CD Baby/NilsLofgren.com

Grade: B+

Longtime Neil Young sideman Nils Lofgren has an affinity for the catalog and comes through with more than a dozen new takes on Young classics and obscurities. Some stay close to the versions fans know, such as Harvest Moon and Long May You Run. Others by necessity are radically different from the roaring electric versions known to fans (Like a Hurricane).

The greatest gift for fans here is rescuing some of Young's finest yet somewhat obscure songs and breathing new life into them. World on a String and Wonderin' particularly benefit from Lofgren's gentle vocals and crack playing. What could have been a vanity project is instead a solid piece of Lofgren's catalog.

brownm@RockyMountainNews or 303-954-2674

An interview with Nils Lofgren

Nils Lofgren had a goal: On The Loner he'd do his versions of Neil Young songs in one take, with one instrument and his voice. No cheating.

Lofgren spoke with Rocky music critic Mark Brown from his Arizona home just before another leg of touring with Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. ("We're better than we've ever been as a band," he said. "Offstage we're starting to resemble a M*A*S*H unit with heating pads and ice packs.")

You said part of the inspiration for these one-take recordings was Neil's legendary debauched Tonight's the Night sessions. Were those as wild as the myth has it?

It was pretty crazy. It was fun, too. It was to me kind of a healthy wake for processing grief over a couple of good friends dying, Bruce Berry and Danny Whitten.

There was a method to the madness. We got together at dinner time, shot pool, hung out, drank tequila. It wasn't till midnight we started doing these sets ... there was a musical challenge going on that kept us very focused. It was the antithesis of production ... he specifically said we're going to do a record live in the studio. Even more than live, we're going to record passionate versions before the band really gets to know the songs too well and develop real parts ... As soon as Neil gets a passionate vocal, that's the take, and you can't fix anything.

And you used that same rule when you came up with this idea - no fixing?

It was not my idea. It was the furthest thing from my mind ... (but) the most popular items in the past 14 years have pretty much been my acoustic live CD and my acoustic live DVD. Because of my long history with Neil Young, (my manager) suggested singing my favorite Neil Young songs in an acoustic format. I was cautious about it but didn't want to dismiss it. I put together 30 songs, and I sang them for two weeks to my dogs and my cats ... I realized if this would work I'd have to sing live in the studio with only one instrument. There couldn't be any production - or overdubbing.

What songs didn't work?

I'd like to egotistically think as a singer ... that everything could have worked ... specifically there was a song I loved, Needle and the Damage Done - very close to my heart. Danny Whitten was a good friend who passed away ... I felt very close to that song. Philadelphia was a song that always just blew my mind. It sounded OK, but that was it. I said I'm not gonna force it ... I didn't want to belabor anything. I went with the songs that felt a little more special.

You do big songs such as Like a Hurricane. Were there any that were too iconic to sing?.

Hey Hey My My - Out of the Blue and Into the Black - that's one that's too iconic for me ... it's not a song that lyrically spoke to me. It didn't grab me like the others that I tackled.

How is life without a record company?

I don't have hit records. I can't dictate terms to the record company. It got to be too hands-on. 'It's our ideas, it's our money, pick some of our ideas even if they (stink).' That's not my idea of good music.

Between playing with Neil and Bruce over the years, have you ever had to choose which you'd go with?

Not in a train-wreck way. A couple of times Neil's manager called to sound me out, but I was already booked with Bruce. I talked with Neil after I made this record. A recurring theme is my love of playing with him and his music. Hopefully down the road that'll happen.

Listen in

Hear a sample of Harvest Moon from Nils Lofgren's The Loner album at RockyMountainNews.com/extras.

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