Tuesday 29 May 2012

TUESDAY BLUES!! Neil Young/Laura Marling - The Needle and the Damage Done

Neil Young - The Needle and the Damage Done





1993 MTV Unplugged / Harvest

This MTV performance was my introduction to Neil Young and at first I was oblivious to the subject matter. It originally featured on the 1972 album 'Harvest' and it "describes the descent into heroin addiction of musicians he knew" and became a bit of an anthem after Kurt Cobain died.

Fortunately & Naively for me, I'd spent a lot my youth in a safe and secluded expat compound in Saudi Arabia and drugs was something that only happened in the movies. When I returned to the UK I was shocked to find that a school friend ended up living this life and was sadly taken by the "needle and the damage (was) done".

I still adore the song and also enjoy the many cover versions - one notable cover has been done by Laura Marling.






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TUESDAY BLUES!! Neil Young/Laura Marling - The Needle and the Damage Done
4/ 5
Oleh

3 comments

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Anonymous
29 May 2012 at 07:35

Brilliant song. Laura needs to get more sun on her.

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29 May 2012 at 16:18

One of the great NY songs, not a bad effort from Laura...looking forward to the new NY out soon

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4 June 2012 at 11:42

Great track, I wasn't familiar with it or what Harvest was all about either. I've always had a soft spot for Neil Young with his fabulous southern twang. This coupled with the sparse acoustic backing and delicate subject matter makes for a very humbling performance. Although I like Laura Marling, something seems missing in her version?

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