Neil Is Next Level! | Neil Young - Powderfinger | REACTION/REVIEW

[@darrenbilney1861]

Heartbreaking story made even more so by the crying guitar. A masterpiece.

[@doriwiljt]

I'll love Neil forever. The sound of his electric guitar (he named it "old black") is so beautiful. He's amazing in concert.

[@mojorider8455]

that's a classic Black Beauty Les Paul Gibson he's got, I believe. He's got a P90 pickup in it and a really hot Firebird humbucker pick up in that guitar for a great tone!

[@DENVEROUTDOORMAN]

Yup way better with his rock

[@RhettAnderson]

Such a banger. I love that era of Neil.

[@clifton8929]

Neil is his own man and a unique artist. His guitar playing, song structure, and lyrics are like no other. You're always there for your fans, bringing great music. RUST NEVER SLEEPS is a fantastic album. Thank you for all your hard work and listening to your appreciative fans and Subscribers. Big Soul Biz never lets us down.

[@lathedauphinot6820]

I love this song. Supposedly, Neil offered it to Lynyrd Skynyrd but their tour plane crash happened before they could record it. I’ve seen Neil Young play a country show at a Willie Nelson 4th of July picnic, acoustic shows, and electric shows with Crazy Horse, and the two songs he played every time were this and “Needle and the Damage Done”.

[@stevedahlberg8680]

Yeah, it's heartbreaking man..

[@charleybarley914]

saw him with Crazy Horse, his more country lineup the "international harvesters, and solo in a small theater...Neil's legs pumping away on an antique pump organ doing "After the Gold Rush" like a hippie phantom of the opera was mindblowing.

[@lathedauphinot6820]

@@charleybarley914 He was playing with the International Harvesters at Willie Nelson’s picnic, and then I saw him play with them 11 days later on TV at Live Aid. At the picnic he also appeared onstage playing with Jerry Jeff Walker. I’ve never gotten the Neil Young small theater experience though. I’m probably a little jealous.

[@charleybarley914]

@@lathedauphinot6820 Rufus Thiebedoux on fiddle! Nearly stole the show from neil with the International Harvesters.

[@davidwalker5054]

Red means run son. Numbers add up to nothing. Best line ever

[@daveoutdoors4949]

Neil has the unique ability to paint a picture and put the listener in the middle of it. This might be one of the greatest songs ever written and performed.

[@carnivoroussoupspoon]

Rust Never Sleeps is one of the greatest albums front to back ever

[@smolove4005]

That smile when the backing vocals come in was priceless

[@callfourzero1931]

Neil's back up band Crazy Horse toured as a group. A wall of oozing cranked up guitar, big fun.

[@roevega9902]

I saw him play this live on full blast. The place went crazy. Hardly could hear him sing..because the audience took over

[@charleybarley914]

Think Civil War warboat coming up the river and youre a young man with all the older adults gone and its up to you. another young man dying in another old mans war.

[@Rael_486]

That's a hot guitar. You touch it, and it screams. 🎸

[@cindyfalstrom7231]

Another great song. Neil is so unique.

[@Debcatawba]

It’s a tragic song that sounds heroic. Rock on Neil Young. You’ll always be a guitar God to me. 🎸

[@davidcohen4536]

Love his guitar riffs, lyrics, voice. One of the greatest rockers of all time👍👊

[@charliecochran3035]

I had to have someone point out the imagery of the line about his face splashing in the sky. It's the reflection of his face splashing into the reflection of the sky on the water. Awesome lyrics.

[@bobschenkel7921]

One of Neil's more graphic and gut wrenching songs. Always recommend it to those who have never heard The MAN before, it gets you right into the heart of what Neil does.

[@jaybo2023]

That is one of my favorite live albums...acoustic and electric

[@suemontague3151]

Love this song 🎵 ❤️, also "Don't cry no tears "

[@georgelynch6139]

A story from the civil war era, a Union battleship coming up the river and he feels he needs to protect himself and yes, he does get blown away by the troops. Notice it’s written as he’s singing it from after death. His southern drawl word pronunciation is priceless.

[@lathedauphinot6820]

That’s what I always thought too.

[@bobcorbin3294]

One explanation that I thought might fit was he had too much powder in the rifle and it blew up in his hands.

[@ESaetre]

Civil war or war of independence? I always thought the "red means run son" was the british redcoats. Anyway it's a fantastic song.

[@georgelynch6139]

@@ESaetre Not too sure about gun boats coming up the river during the 1700’s

[@jasonmccluskey3623]

That's Neil Baby!

[@chickmcgee1000]

I think this is my favorite song from Neil Young. Glad to see you reacting to it.

[@DENVEROUTDOORMAN]

Nope listen to Ragged Glory Album Love and Only Love

[@kenni123064]

Excellent commentary brother! “Daddy’s rifle in my hand felt reassuring “ The powers of be left me here to do the thinking! Big John’s been drinking since the river took Emmy Lou” Think of me as one you haven’t figured. He lives this story doesn’t he. This is a song about VIETNAM!

[@megA_t.6532]

Good reaction Biz!

[@gramps6334]

"Rust Never Sleeps" is a great album. Thanks!

[@rhwinner]

One of the few songs in which the narrator talks from the grave. Special song.

[@bobdelp2023]

OHHHHH YESS, VERYYYYY NICE AND YOU PICKED THE RIGHT ONE TO DO BIZ😊, SUPERRR, GREAT ALBUM ( RUST NEVER SLEEPS ) 👍YEAH BABY!

[@debbiechang5781]

This is my all time favorite Neil Young song. It’s sad and shocking and mysterious because it’s not clear what it’s really about. Just love those nasty guitars. I’ve listened to this on a loop in the past. Great choice. 🎄✌️

[@jodyirvin3156]

Great song !

[@dirtinmyeye6505]

Great reaction. 👍 That guitar just takes you away.

[@tracyyork1428]

My favorite Neil Young song. The lyrics sound like a John Steinbeck short story set to music. I've always interpreted the story as Neil being part of a family in the backwoods doing something illegal, like operating a moonshine still. The boat belongs to law enforcement (revenuers) coming to bust them. Neil ignores his daddy's advice ("Red means run, son") and tries to stand his ground. He catches a bullet and dies; he sings his regret as a deceased man killed much too young. Because this is one of Young's signature songs, he has been asked many times about it's meaning. He usually says that the song is a statement about "the futility of violence". Good enough for me.

[@timpafundi6321]

Biz!! First of all…Great to see you back! ✌️ Second of all…Great friggin’ song!!! ✌️☮️

[@watchbizmatik]

Glad To Be back

[@kengunter6903]

Just special. 1 of a kind.

[@kenni123064]

Excellent commentary brother! “Daddy’s rifle in my hand felt reassuring “ The powers of be left me here to do the thinking! Big John’s been drinking since the river took Emmy Lou” Think of me as one you haven’t figured. He lives this story doesn’t he.

[@jeffreybooth5129]

One of his best and thats saying something when you look at his amazing catalogue of songs.

[@tpstrato2270]

cant ever get nuff neil young ive follow his career sinc age 15 in 1970 to me he is bigger then dylan

[@laurakali6522]

You can find a recent performance of this one from FarmAid 2018 in Hartford CT. Lukas Nelson’s band supported him that night. It’s still available on You Tube. Worth watching the full set.

[@lathedauphinot6820]

Lukas has known Neil since he was a kid. He played Willie Nelson’s 4th of July picnic in 1985 and was at Willie’s ranch nearby for a while.

[@laurakali6522]

@@lathedauphinot6820 it shows when they play together along with Micah as well.

[@paulprendergast3184]

One of my favourite Neil Young songs

[@markvanderstelt8999]

Red coats and blue coats and flint lock Rifle the British were the red coats i think that is why his dad said Red Means Fire.

[@John_Locke_108]

I always assumed it was the French and Indian war. Neil probably doesn't even know so it's up the viewer I guess.

[@zunbake3]

One of my favorites from after his masterpiece period.

[@hlawrencepowell]

My favourite Neil Young song. There is lots of speculation as to what it's about. My take is that the boat was a Revenue cutter, perhaps to stop moonshining or some illegal activity. The song's narrator is face with defending his family.

[@freddypun2921]

He first recorded in 75, last year of Vietnam. Probably written before. Like Cortez the Killer and others it’s a song about invaders. So poetic it could be about a 1000 points in history. Genius level

[@jdwoods2008]

Neil created several historical setting/theme songs. In a biography called Shakey, it is said that while recording with Buffalo Springfield in 1968, Neil had a seizure, one of many during that time period. After a minute when he was recovering and having a conversation with those present, it quickly became apparent that all was not well. Neil thought it was 1973. He supposedly argued with them, and played them several songs he had written and recorded with them during the time since that day back in 1968. Those songs supposedly included Powderfinger, Pocahontas, Cinnamon Girl, Cortez the Killer, and possibly Cowgirl in the Sand, although sometimes the CitS story is that it was a flu fever dream.

[@mojorider8455]

Hey brother, glad you got around to this one. Great story telling, great melody and great guitar riffs in this song! I always thought this song was about moonshiners or a bootlegging family with the cops coming after them. Whoever and whatever it's about, Neil paints such a great imagery...."and I just turned twenty two, I was wondering what to do..." , fantastic lyrics!

[@stevenparker4684]

Neil Young is Canada's Bob Dylan ❤🇨🇦

[@cletushouse906]

You’re on fire tonight Biz.

[@patriceschmitz521]

Thanks so much for doing this outstanding 🎵 song

[@danmayberry1185]

Saw Live Rust at the theater .. incredible.

[@ridemfast7625]

One of Neils best.

[@bobdelp2023]

THE TITLE BIZ, POWDERFINGER, YESSSSS YOU GOT IT! 👍😊 AWESOME MAN!

[@randyjohnson6960]

"NEEDLE & THE DAMAGE DONE" (LIVE VERSION)

[@Pizzo27]

Tremendous song

[@PeteHummers-my3kv]

A very odd but wonderful song from the same set is "Sedan Delivery"

[@otisdylan9532]

Great song. At this point you've pretty much hit all of his biggest songs, but he has many more good ones that aren't among his biggest songs. "Comes a Time" would be a good choice for next Neil song. Or you could do one of his songs from when he was in Buffalo Springfield, before he began his solo career. "Mr. Soul" is the best known of these, and it's more of a rocker than "Comes a Time", if you're looking more for the rockers..

[@Dooklawz]

I really like Broken Arrow ... it's so odd, so cool, and so so Neil !

[@otisdylan9532]

@@Dooklawz Yes, that's a good one too.

[@scottstewart5784]

People argue forever about the schlyrics of this song. Mostly about the setting and timeframe. Point is a young man found himself in a life or death situation he wasn't ready for and died, the rest is stage dressing. The beauty to me is in the meshing of the words and the music, driving towards the inevitable.

[@fredmurphy1604]

Powderfinger is the best coming-of-age song ever made.

[@stunafeesh7767]

Seen Neil many times in life, at least 25 shows, probs more like 30-35, starting from the late 80's (see Bridge School Benefit Concert, theres like ~25 of them) - I grew up with his stuff as my mom loved it (odd for someone born in 1933) - I remember in the early 80's coming home with this LP and was surprised when she was like "make a tape of that now" (I'd kinda forgotten that she'd played Harvest like a bazillion times on long drives to us when we were little idiots) Powderfinger, Like a Hurricane, Cortez the Killer (off Live Rust) also the Berlin concert, a very forgotten TV broadcast show that's on DVD and there's vids out there: that whole show is techno-Neil. Super strage, but has some rippin tunes (watch Like A Hurricane, his tie keeps getting in the way, but if you listen, it sounds like he's deliberate on the notes, it still works. Also, he played a rarity, "Berlin" - I've ever only heard it from that show, the guitar is haunting on it (remember that Berlin Wall was still a thing in 1982 when that show was done and we were still being taught "duck & cover")... Great to see others discover his music! One thing that sucks, discovering your lifelong hero's are mortal as well. See him while you can folks.

[@tonydelapa1911]

I’ve had mixed feeling about this song and the album (Rust Never Sleeps) that came out when I was 20 yrs old, in 1979. It was like two great partial albums, and I understand Neil has done that before and since. I was so drawn to the beautiful and deep acoustic songs on this album - especially Thrasher (one of my fave 5 by anybody) and Pocahontas. The electric songs Powder Finger, Welfare Mothers, and Sedan Delivery - all compelling rockers but I had trouble enjoying both parts at once. I like ambiguity and he delivered that in Powder Finger. Finally, Neil masterfully shook up everybody on the last track of the album with enduring electric version of the beautiful acoustic song 1 on the album “My My Hey Hey (Out of the Blue)” reprising it with the final song, the ballbusting “Hey Hey My My (Into the Black.”) THAT was a hell of a good trick - both verzions are widely loved 44 years later. You were great in this, Biz.

[@tomprucnal1554]

I’m going to suggest a song that I’ve not really seen reacted to before, but more great lyrics. The Loner. Check it out….

[@jaybo2023]

Try ,Time Fades Away . For a musical journey with Neil , upbeat song about junkies

[@John_Locke_108]

Time Fades Away is tied as my favorite Neil record.

[@PeteHummers-my3kv]

Might be my favorite NY song

[@stephenkittle6586]

NEIL and CRAZY HORSE ARE ONE OF THE BEST EVER!!😍😁🔥🐐🎸

[@82gmccaballero]

Great track. I would also recommend checking out his tune days that used to be.

[@Billy-te4ev]

Hi again big man it's your favourite English man lol, great reaction to probably my favourite American artist, s,,t he made some truly amazing stuff, one of my favourites is keep on rocking in the free world, it's about the most tragic song I've ever heard, you mentioned the sound of his guitar, well he normally plays a Gibson les Paul Black beauty, same one Jimmy page plays alot and Peter Frampton plays which he had stolen and returned I think some years later, oh by the way could you please maybe react to Peter Frampton doing his live version of Lines on my face from Frampton comes alive, as I know how much you enjoy guitar solos the one on this track is a masterpiece, very slow but awesome, it's a double album and not a bad track on it, there's really only one live concert film footage that's as good and it's a quite early show from the USA, how to tell you have the right one is Frampton has quite short hair lol, so please pretty please react to it (just for me),thanks big man you take care keep up the great work English Billy.

[@DENVEROUTDOORMAN]

LOVE AND ONLY LOVE or Mansion On The Hill from Ragged Glory

[@danielschaeffer1294]

Neil is definitely in the story-song folk tradition that goes back through Dylan to Woody Guthrie. This is AMERICAN music.

[@TheScaramongus]

except he is Canadian

[@netzahuacoyotl]

Just about every nation and culture has a story song tradition.

[@dana-2584]

Hole album good music

[@rc1564]

That might be with his band 'Crazy Horse'

[@kerryknight228]

Into the Black off this album is heavy

[@dt1064]

Next from Neil, " Crime In The City." Play the 8:44 minute version.

[@PeteHummers-my3kv]

I think it: s a war song - could be the American Civil War, or any war that used gunboats in rivers. He was killed by the gunboat

[@ktwebbdevil]

Neil offered this song to Ronnie Van Zant for Skynyrd to record but the plane crash happened and Neil decided to put it out himself

[@lunadyana3330]

Neil is always fantastic when he plays an acoustic set, but when he goes into his electric set, it’s simply transcendent. I’m thinking of this song, also of cinnamon girl, down by the river, cowgirl in the sand, Cortez the killer, tonight’s the night, like a hurricane, and all of those extended guitar solos. He’s at his finest when he does those electric sets live. I suggest for live performances either this album or the 1992(?) double album, Weld. There are also numerous videos out there of live performances. He’s great with crazy Horse backing him up, but there is also some great concert footage out there from when he performed with The Promise of the Real. That band consists of two of Willie Nelson’s sons and their name is derived from the neil young song, Walk On (some get stoned, some get strange. Sooner or later it all gets real..”)

[@DENVEROUTDOORMAN]

Way better with electric...acoustic good but too many wimp reactors refuse to do his rock...should see Ragged Glory

[@4tuneagent]

I'm not positive, but I believe the gun or musket as they used back then, misfires and blew up in his face. It happened occasionally during that time, as they had to load the powder and the bullet, and then the finger pulled the trigger, hence the powder and the finger.. Neil rips on many songs.. check out, "Love and Only Love" or "Drifter".. totally obscure.

[@davidwalker5054]

Neil showing those bullshit shredders you dont have to play a hundred musically empty notes a second. You just have to play one carefully played soul grabbing emotionally charged one

[@John_Locke_108]

Great song with a mystery nobody has been able to solve. Was he shot at the end or did the gun misfire and he accidentally killed himself?

[@watchbizmatik]

I think When he held up the gun to shoot back he got shot

[@HelynnHeels]

I suggested this to you a long time ago, but did you ever watch the movie DEAD MAN with Neil's soundtrack? You should at least see a couple of trailers. You would dig it. 💋

[@watchbizmatik]

no i havent watched it yet

[@HelynnHeels]

@@watchbizmatik great movie...great cast. Like a surreal black and white art book.

[@bobdelp2023]

I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO TELL YOU BIZ😮, THERE'S JUST SO MUCH👍, ( 565 ) TRACKS ALONE JUST WITH NEIL'S STUDIO ALBUMS DISCOGRAPHY LMAO 😊 YOU WANT SOME SONGS IN ALBUM ORDER, YOU WANT SOME HITS, YOU WANT ( 3-4 MIN. ) TRACKS WITH ACOUSTIC & HARMONICA, YOU WANT FULL TILT ( 8-10 MIN. ) RANTING ON HIS ELECTRIC, YOU TELL ME AND I'LL GIVE SOME, COOL! 😊 I'LL TELL YOU SOME GOOD BANGERS : FROM HIS 72 EPIC ALBUM ( HARVEST ): OUT ON THE WEEKEND, WORDS( BETWEEN THE LINES OF AGE ) OTHER THINGS ABOUT HARVEST BIZ : IT HAS THE 2 HITS ON IT WHICH WERE ( OLD MAN & HEART OF GOLD ) ALSO IT HAS ( ALABAMA ) THAT'S THE TRACK SKYNYRD RESPONDED TO WITH ( SWEET HOME ALABAMA ) FROM HIS 79 ALBUM ( LIVE RUST ) : SEDAN DELIVERY, WELFARE MOTHERS, I DIDN'T MEAN THIS TO BE A DAMNNNNN BOOK BIZ BUT THAT'S HOW IT TURNED OUT! 💯WELL I JUST THREW 7-8 TRACKS AT YOU WITH JUST 2 ALBUMS, THAT'S INSANE MY FRIEND! CUCKOOOOO 😊 TAKE CARE MAN!

[@watchbizmatik]

Really big catalog

[@bobdelp2023]

Yeah, Huge Catalog Just Like With : Elton John And Jethro Tull Biz, My Other 2 Favorites!!! 🙂

[@neilhamilton7487]

Civil War Drama

[@DENVEROUTDOORMAN]

Thats cause all you heard was wimpy acoustic.....why do requesters only ask for his accoustic

[@barrycohen311]

Government Agents coming for a poor, backwoods, country family because they were behind on their Booster Shots. Sad.

[@stevenparker4684]

There is no better Neil Young performance than the track "Down by the river" live with his band Crazy Horse 😊

[@DENVEROUTDOORMAN]

His live version with Crosby Stills Nash and Young is good

[@stevenparker4684]

@@DENVEROUTDOORMAN I've heard both, definitely more raw Neil Young guitar talent with the live show with Crazy horse.

[@patriceschmitz521]

Thrashers

[@dennisjohnson2772]

Dude is on the spectrum.

[@watchbizmatik]

lol who?