Mr. Soul
Encyclopedia
"Mr. Soul" is a song written by Canadian rock musician Neil Young
, and first recorded by folk rock
band Buffalo Springfield
and released on their second album, Buffalo Springfield Again
. It was originally recorded on January 9, 1967 at Atlantic Studios
, New York with an additional recording on April 4, 1967.
The common album version and the mono single have completely different guitar solos (the mono single mix has never been reissued).
On track 3 of the album Sugar Mountain - Live At Canterbury House 1968
, Young said, "A lot of songs take a long time to write. Generally they take an hour and a half, two hours to write. But this one took only five minutes."
Young subsequently recorded several other versions of the song, often with marked stylistic changes. Of all of Young's songs, "Mr. Soul" has been released the most times.
, with vocals processed with a vocoder
.
In addition to these versions--the original album and Trans--"Mr. Soul" also appeared in an acoustic live version on Unplugged
and Sugar Mountain - Live At Canterbury House 1968
, and a live acoustic band version on Year of the Horse
, as well as on the collections
Retrospective
, Journey Through the Past
, and Young's Decade
.
The song was adapted by rock band Rush
and featured on the 2004 covers album Feedback
. The song is also regularly covered during live performances by jam-band Widespread Panic
. The song was also covered by The Icicle Works as a b-side to the single All the Daughters (Of Her Father's House).
Neil Young
Neil Percival Young, OC, OM is a Canadian singer-songwriter who is widely regarded as one of the most influential musicians of his generation...
, and first recorded by folk rock
Folk rock
Folk rock is a musical genre combining elements of folk music and rock music. In its earliest and narrowest sense, the term referred to a genre that arose in the United States and the UK around the mid-1960s...
band Buffalo Springfield
Buffalo Springfield
Buffalo Springfield is a North American folk rock band renown both for its music and as a springboard for the careers of Neil Young, Stephen Stills, Richie Furay and Jim Messina. Among the first wave of North American bands to become popular in the wake of the British invasion, the group combined...
and released on their second album, Buffalo Springfield Again
Buffalo Springfield Again
Buffalo Springfield Again is the second 1967 folk rock album by Buffalo Springfield.-Production:The recording has been stated by some as tense and protracted, because Young was often absent and the band was unable to keep a permanent bass player...
. It was originally recorded on January 9, 1967 at Atlantic Studios
Atlantic Studios
Atlantic Studios was the recording studio of Atlantic Records. It was located at 1841 Broadway , in New York City. According to the address written in the original liner notes of Charles Mingus' The Clown, it was initially located at 157 W 57th Street. The American record label first recorded in...
, New York with an additional recording on April 4, 1967.
The common album version and the mono single have completely different guitar solos (the mono single mix has never been reissued).
On track 3 of the album Sugar Mountain - Live At Canterbury House 1968
Sugar Mountain - Live At Canterbury House 1968
Sugar Mountain – Live at Canterbury House 1968 is a live album by Neil Young. On November 8–10, 1968, Young performed three shows at Canterbury House in Ann Arbor, Michigan. This album is compiled from the performances on the 9th and 10th....
, Young said, "A lot of songs take a long time to write. Generally they take an hour and a half, two hours to write. But this one took only five minutes."
Young subsequently recorded several other versions of the song, often with marked stylistic changes. Of all of Young's songs, "Mr. Soul" has been released the most times.
Remakes and other releases
A new recording of this song in a synth-electric style was included on Young's 1982 album TransTrans (album)
Trans is the twelfth studio album by Canadian musician Neil Young, released in 1982. Recorded partially and released during his notorious Geffen era in the 1980s, Trans baffled many Neil Young fans. Some suggested that the album could be a satirical message that Young was trying to send about the...
, with vocals processed with a vocoder
Vocoder
A vocoder is an analysis/synthesis system, mostly used for speech. In the encoder, the input is passed through a multiband filter, each band is passed through an envelope follower, and the control signals from the envelope followers are communicated to the decoder...
.
In addition to these versions--the original album and Trans--"Mr. Soul" also appeared in an acoustic live version on Unplugged
Unplugged (Neil Young album)
Unplugged is a 1993 live album by Neil Young. It contains a previously unreleased song "Stringman", that dates from 1976. The taping of the show was also released on VHS....
and Sugar Mountain - Live At Canterbury House 1968
Sugar Mountain - Live At Canterbury House 1968
Sugar Mountain – Live at Canterbury House 1968 is a live album by Neil Young. On November 8–10, 1968, Young performed three shows at Canterbury House in Ann Arbor, Michigan. This album is compiled from the performances on the 9th and 10th....
, and a live acoustic band version on Year of the Horse
Year of the Horse
Year of the Horse is a 1997 documentary directed by Jim Jarmusch following Neil Young and Crazy Horse on their 1996 tour.-Eponymous album:Year of the Horse is also a live album by Neil Young & Crazy Horse released in 1997...
, as well as on the collections
Retrospective
The Best of Buffalo Springfield … Retrospective
Retrospective: The Best of Buffalo Springfield is a compilation album released in February 1969 after the band disbanded in mid-1968.-Track listing:Side One:#"For What It's Worth" – 2:37...
, Journey Through the Past
Journey Through the Past
Journey Through the Past is a soundtrack album from the film of the same name by Neil Young, released in November of 1972 on Reprise Records, catalogue 6480. It peaked at #45 on the Billboard 200, and since its initial release on vinyl, cassette tape and 8-track tape cartridge it has remained out...
, and Young's Decade
Decade (Neil Young album)
Decade is a triple album compilation by Neil Young, released in 1977, now available on two compact discs. It contains 35 of Young's songs recorded between 1966 and 1976, among them five tracks that had been unreleased up to that point...
.
The song was adapted by rock band Rush
Rush (band)
Rush is a Canadian rock band formed in August 1968, in the Willowdale neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario. The band is composed of bassist, keyboardist, and lead vocalist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer and lyricist Neil Peart...
and featured on the 2004 covers album Feedback
Feedback (Rush album)
Rhapsody praised the album, calling it one of their favorite cover albums. Allmusic reviewer Thom Jurek called the tracklist "amazing" and said "None of these tunes are done with an ounce of camp...
. The song is also regularly covered during live performances by jam-band Widespread Panic
Widespread Panic
Widespread Panic is an American rock band from Athens, Georgia. The current lineup includes guitarist/singer John Bell, bassist Dave Schools, drummer Todd Nance, percussionist Domingo "Sunny" Ortiz, keyboardist John "JoJo" Hermann, and guitarist Jimmy Herring...
. The song was also covered by The Icicle Works as a b-side to the single All the Daughters (Of Her Father's House).