Posted on 01/28/2022 6:22:04 PM PST by nickcarraway
Musicians have taken sides in the ongoing discourse surrounding Neil Young’s battle with Spotify.
Young made headlines on Jan. 24 when he demanded his music be pulled from Spotify due to the streaming site’s support for The Joe Rogan Experience, a popular podcast which has been scrutinized for promoting lies about COVID-19 vaccines.
“I am doing this because Spotify is spreading fake information about vaccines – potentially causing death to those who believe the disinformation being spread by them,” the rocker wrote at the time. “I want all my music off their platform. They can have [Joe] Rogan or Young. Not both.”
Spotify respected Young’s ultimatum and opted to pull the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer’s catalog from their platform. Doing so has resulted in a new round of criticism, as musicians and fans alike have slammed the streaming giant for seemingly backing Rogan’s side in the debate.
In a show of support, Nils Lofgren also had his music removed from Spotify. “We will miss the $3.28 we get a year but we will forge ahead righteously,” the rocker’s wife remarked via Twitter.
Young’s former CSNY bandmate David Crosby said the musician’s action “makes me proud of him,” while Kay Hanley of '90s alt-rock group Letters to Cleo wrote: “If record labels + fans found out in the 90s that Tower Records was ripping off artists, using music profits to bankroll and elevate Rush Limbaugh, the shelves would have been empty. I hope more powerful artists follow Neil Young’s stance on toxic jock Joe Rogan #LeaveSpotify.”
Catherine Mayer, widow of Gang of Four’s Andy Gill who died in the pandemic’s early days, wrote an open letter to Spotify condemning the streaming company’s decision. “If my beloved husband, Andy Gill, hadn’t died at the start of the pandemic, he’d have strong and clear feelings about your decision to remove Neil Young’s music in favor of a podcast that has spread anti-vax misinformation,” she wrote in part. “If vaccines had been available at the start of the pandemic, he’d be here to have that conversation with you. Instead, I must speak for him. And I have to tell you, as his widow, I feel sick about the business decision you’ve made.”
Meanwhile, Sebastian Bach called on his fellow musicians to voice support for Young. “Imagine calling yourself a rocker yet siding with some dude who has a podcast over Neil Young,” the former Skid Row frontman declared. “You can stick to listening to your podcast and I will stick to listening to Neil Young.”
Still, not every musician was in Young’s corner. David Draiman, frontman of the metal band Disturbed, voiced support for Spotify’s decision. “[Spotify CEO Daniel Ek] I applaud you and Spotify for making the RIGHT call, preserving #FreeSpeech and not capitulating to the mob,” the singer declared. “I may not agree with everything Joe Rogan or his guests say, but they’re entitled to have the forum to say it.”
In a statement to Billboard, Spotify said: “We want all the world’s music and audio content to be available to Spotify users. With that comes great responsibility in balancing both safety for listeners and freedom for creators. We have detailed content policies in place and we’ve removed over 20,000 podcast episodes related to COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic. We regret Neil’s decision to remove his music from Spotify, but hope to welcome him back soon.”
The aforementioned tweets and more can be found below.
Distrubed's one of my favorite bands, easily in my top three. Check out their version of "Sound Of Silence." Not their usual fare but still, absolutely mind blowing. What an incredible voice! Sound Of Silence
I didn’t see your post and put up a link to that song too. Absolutely blows away the original!
My experience could be all wrong, but . . .
I played with real rockers-—guys from the south who were pals with the Allman Brothers. In seven or so years of playing, I was doing clubs with (that is, in the same venues) as Alice Cooper (then the Spyders), Three Dog Night’s Corey Wells, and the Tubes (then the Beans).
Many years later as a writer (”Seven Events that Made America”) then a film producer (”Rockin’ the Wall,” “Other Walls 2 Fall”) I had the opportunity to interview around 100 60s/70s era rockers including Deep Purple, Billy Joel, the Doors, Vanilla Fudge, Quiet Riot, Mother’s Finest, and read countless books such as autobiographies of rockers or second hand accounts.
Bottom line. Not one single time did Neil Young’s name come up as an influence on anyone, or someone whose songwriting they admired. The Beatles? All but two. The Stones? Not often. Hendrix and Clapton? Tons. Even older stars like Gene Pitney, Chuck Berry, and of course Elvis and the Beach Boys. Never Southern Man.
As to a music list, I have about 3,500 songs on my ipod, all individually selected-—no albums. In other words, I really want them there. Here are some albums where I took almost every song:
Jefferson Airlane, “Surrealistic Pillow”
Jimi Hendrix, “Are You Experienced?”
Moby Grape, “Moby Grape”
Cream, both “Wheels of Fire” and “Disraeli Gears”
Howard Jones, “Dream Into Action”
Alan Parsons, “Gaudi”
Michael W. Smith, “Worship” and “It’s a Wonderful Christmas” (best Christmas album ever), “Above All,” “Cross of Gold”
almost anything from the first 3-4 Point of Grace or Avalon albums
many of the Tubes’ songs including “She’s a Beauty,” “Step by Step”, “What do you want from Life?” and “Talk to ya Later.”
Clint Black, “Killin Time,” “America: I”m still in Love with You,” “Nothin but the Tail Lights,” “No Time to Kill,”
The Weeknd, “Save Your Tears,” “Take my Breath”
Stephen Curtis Chapman, “Magnificent Obsession,” “Dive,” “Live Out Loud” almost anything
Mark Schultz, “Letters from War,” “She Was Watchin,” I Have Benn There,” “Iverson,”
ANYTHING off the WOW 2003, 2004, and 2005 compliations.
I like Halsey, Tate McCrae, Panic at the Disco
Super album is “The Greatest Showman” but also the “Greatest Showman” redone by various artists
Rod Stewart, “Camoflauge”
Jeff Beck, “Guitar Workshop,” “Blow by Blow,” and his version of “People Get Ready” as well as that of Rod.
Vanilla Fudge’s first album “Vanilla Fudge” and their fourth and fifth albums “Near the Beginning” and “Rock and Roll”
Cactus . . . anything.
The Doors, mostly anything
Santana, “Abraxis” and “Santana.”
Joe Cocker, “Delta Lady,” “High Time We Went,” “She Came in Through the Bathroom Window,” “A Little Help from My Friends”
Yes, “Relayer,” “Close to the Edge,” “Fragile’ especially.
And finally, check out our soundtrack for “Rockin’ the Wall”
on itunes. I think every song there is a winner or I wouldn’t have put it in the soundtrack.
Old hippies and Brandons comin’
Free speech must be banned!
Take my crap off Spotify
Or get Joe Rogan banned
Got to go get them. This insanity has to stop!
The Un-Vaxxed are a bunch of chumps
Brandon says go get another shot.
Wonder where they’d stand if it was Trump?
Old hippies and Brandons comin’
Free speech must be banned!
Take my crap off Spotify
Or get Joe Rogan banned
Great list. I was thinking a weekly ping list. Could be music or other content. Just a thought. They want to shut down yet another supplier of consciousness.
Who'd a thunk it? Dopey bastard.
Strange times.
Imagine it’s 1972. Neil Young is riding high with his “Harvest” album…
And guys like Irving Berlin and George Cohan don’t like this new “hippie” music and demand that all record stores remove THEIR music - in protest..
Same scenario here.
Bye Neil… ya putz.. nobody cares.
[snip] David Draiman, frontman of the metal band Disturbed, voiced support for Spotify's decision. “[Spotify CEO Daniel Ek] I applaud you and Spotify for making the RIGHT call, preserving #FreeSpeech and not capitulating to the mob,” the singer declared. “I may not agree with everything Joe Rogan or his guests say, but they're entitled to have the forum to say it.”
Mugsy of the Uncle Floyd Show (on local NJ UHF-TV back in the late 70s) used to do “Neil Yuck” song parodies. Live show would feature him singing:
“Hey Hey, My My.....
If you like this song you must be f-ing high”
I can always go back to the vinyl . . .
bookmark
Thanks for sharing. You really should write “The History of Rock Music” book.
Actually I did.
12 years ago Vanilla Fudge’s Mark Stein ask me to do his biography. I agreed on the condition that it would not JUST be his bio but a history of Rock since about 1960. He agreed.
It’s called “You Keep Me Hangin’ On.”
Awesome! I wasn't aware that you had authored a book about rock music. But I should have known better. Unfortunately, due to my vision issues I need it in Kindle format. However, I added it to my list.
He self published so I doubt it’s I Kindle.
One of the best things about Spotify is I can grab a list like yours and peruse it.
I thought of a few more:
“Come on, Come on” Von Bondies
This is just the As. Get to the Bs later.
“Accidentally Like a Martyr,” “Lawyers Guns & Money,” “Tenderness on the Block,” “Gorilla You’re a Desperado,” Warren Zevon
“Achy Breaky Song” Weird Al
“After the Fall,” “Be Good to Yourself,” “Edge of the Blade,” “Any Way You Want It,” “Ask the Lonely,” Journey
“Attention,” Charlie Puth
“Atmosphere,” Toby Mac
“Ain’t that a Kindness,” “Prodigal Son,” “Funky Music,” Johnny Winter
“Alibi” Tait
“All I Need,” Switchfoot
“All I Need,” Bethany Dillon
“All Right Now” Rod Stewart
“Allentown,” Billy Joel
“All Things New,” Stephen Curtis Chapman
“America,” Yes
“Amish Paradise,” “Angry White Boy Polka,” “Livin in the Fridge,” Weird Al
“And She Said,” Lucas Prata
“Answer to the Question,” Tree63
“Apology,” Echoing Green
“Anybody Wanna Pray,” CeCe Wyans
“As Long as He Needs Me,” Shani Wallis (”Oliver”)
“As Time Goes By,” Barbra Streisand
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