Prairie Wind (album)
Encyclopedia
Prairie Wind is the twenty-eighth studio album
by Canadian musician Neil Young
, released in 2005. After recent dalliances with 60s soul music (Are You Passionate?
) and rock opera (Greendale
, which spawned a Young-directed film of the same name), Prairie Wind featured an acoustic-based sound reminiscent of his earlier commercially successful albums Harvest and Harvest Moon
. The album was in part inspired by the illness and recent death of his father, Canadian sportswriter and novelist Scott Young, and the album is dedicated in part to the elder Young.
Young recorded the album in Nashville
before undergoing minimally invasive surgery for an aneurysm
in the spring of 2005, and some of the songs on the album appear to be informed by Young confronting his own mortality.
A premiere live performance of Prairie Wind was held in 18–19 August 2005 at the Ryman Auditorium
in Nashville. Here, Young held a two-night concert where songs from the album were performed. These concerts became the subject of a film directed by Jonathan Demme
entitled Heart of Gold
.
Young debuted the album's closing track, "When God Made Me", at the Live 8
concert in Barrie, Ontario
, Canada
.
album chart at number 11, on October 15, 2005, with sales of approximately 72,000 copies. It remained on the chart for 26 weeks. It was awarded a certified gold record by the RIAA on January 23, 2006.
Prairie Wind received two Grammy Award
nominations at the 2008 Grammy Awards - Best Rock Album of the Year and Best Rock Solo Performance for The Painter. Prairie Wind was also chosen as one of Amazon.com
's Top 100 Editor's Picks of 2005.
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
by Canadian musician Neil Young
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...
, released in 2005. After recent dalliances with 60s soul music (Are You Passionate?
Are You Passionate?
Are You Passionate? is the twenty-sixth studio album by Canadian musician Neil Young, the only album to feature Booker T. & the M.G.'s, and his eighth with Crazy Horse, released in 2002. It represents Young's foray into soul music, not sounding like anything he had previously released...
) and rock opera (Greendale
Greendale (album)
Greendale is the name of an album, movie and graphic novel by Neil Young. As the twenty-seventh album by Neil Young, Young and Crazy Horse's Greendale, a 10-song rock opera, is set in a fictional California seaside town...
, which spawned a Young-directed film of the same name), Prairie Wind featured an acoustic-based sound reminiscent of his earlier commercially successful albums Harvest and Harvest Moon
Harvest Moon (album)
Harvest Moon is the twenty-first studio album by Canadian musician Neil Young, released in 1992. Many of the musicians appearing on it also appeared on his 1972 album Harvest, and this album is considered by many to be a pseudo-sequel to Harvest....
. The album was in part inspired by the illness and recent death of his father, Canadian sportswriter and novelist Scott Young, and the album is dedicated in part to the elder Young.
Young recorded the album in Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
before undergoing minimally invasive surgery for an aneurysm
Aneurysm
An aneurysm or aneurism is a localized, blood-filled balloon-like bulge in the wall of a blood vessel. Aneurysms can commonly occur in arteries at the base of the brain and an aortic aneurysm occurs in the main artery carrying blood from the left ventricle of the heart...
in the spring of 2005, and some of the songs on the album appear to be informed by Young confronting his own mortality.
A premiere live performance of Prairie Wind was held in 18–19 August 2005 at the Ryman Auditorium
Ryman Auditorium
The Ryman Auditorium is a 2,362-seat live performance venue, located at 115 5th Avenue North, in Nashville, Tennessee and is best known as the historic home of the Grand Ole Opry....
in Nashville. Here, Young held a two-night concert where songs from the album were performed. These concerts became the subject of a film directed by Jonathan Demme
Jonathan Demme
Robert Jonathan Demme is an American filmmaker, producer and screenwriter. Best known for directing The Silence of the Lambs, which won him the Academy Award for Best Director, he has also directed the acclaimed movies Philadelphia, Rachel Getting Married, the Talking Heads concert movie Stop...
entitled Heart of Gold
Neil Young: Heart of Gold
Neil Young: Heart of Gold is a 2006 documentary and concert film by Jonathan Demme, featuring Neil Young. The film was made in the summer of 2005 in Nashville, Tennessee, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, and was released to theaters on February 10, 2006...
.
Young debuted the album's closing track, "When God Made Me", at the Live 8
Live 8
Live 8 was a string of benefit concerts that took place on 2 July 2005, in the G8 states and in South Africa. They were timed to precede the G8 Conference and summit held at the Gleneagles Hotel in Auchterarder, Scotland from 6–8 July 2005; they also coincided with the 20th anniversary of Live Aid...
concert in Barrie, Ontario
Barrie, Ontario
Barrie is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada, located on the western shore of Lake Simcoe, approximately 90 km north of Toronto. Although located in Simcoe County, the city is politically independent...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
Charts and Awards
The album debuted on the Billboard 200Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
album chart at number 11, on October 15, 2005, with sales of approximately 72,000 copies. It remained on the chart for 26 weeks. It was awarded a certified gold record by the RIAA on January 23, 2006.
Prairie Wind received two Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
nominations at the 2008 Grammy Awards - Best Rock Album of the Year and Best Rock Solo Performance for The Painter. Prairie Wind was also chosen as one of Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
's Top 100 Editor's Picks of 2005.
Track listing
All songs written by Neil Young, and ©2005 Silver Fiddle Music (ASCAP)- "The Painter" – 4:36
- "No Wonder" – 5:45
- "Falling Off the Face of the Earth" – 3:35
- "Far From Home" – 3:47
- "It's a Dream" – 6:31
- "Prairie Wind" – 7:34
- "Here for You" – 4:32
- "This Old Guitar" – 5:32
- "He Was the King" – 6:08
- "When God Made Me" – 4:05
Musical Personnel
- Neil YoungNeil YoungNeil Percival Young, OC, OM is a Canadian singer-songwriter who is widely regarded as one of the most influential musicians of his generation...
- acoustic guitar, electric guitar, harmonica, piano, vocals - Ben KeithBen KeithBennett Keith Schaeufele , better known by his stage name Ben Keith, was an American musician and record producer...
- DobroDobroDobro is a registered trademark, now owned by Gibson Guitar Corporation and used for a particular design of resonator guitar.The name has a long and involved history, interwoven with that of the resonator guitar...
, pedal steel, slide guitar - Spooner OldhamSpooner OldhamDewey Lindon "Spooner" Oldham is an American songwriter and session musician. An organist, he recorded in Muscle Shoals, Alabama and at FAME Studios on such hit R&B songs as "When a Man Loves a Woman" by Percy Sledge, "Mustang Sally" by Wilson Pickett and "I Never Loved a Man" by Aretha...
- piano, Hammond B3 organ, Wurlitzer electric piano - Rick Rosas - bass
- Karl Himmel - drums, percussion
- Chad CromwellChad CromwellChad Cromwell is an American drummer, best known for his work with Neil Young and with Mark Knopfler.- Personal life :Cromwell was born in Paducah, Kentucky, and three years later moved with his family to Memphis, Tennessee...
- drums, percussion - Grant Boatwright - acoustic guitar, backing vocals
- Clinton Gregory - fiddle on "No Wonder"
- Wayne Jackson - horns
- Thomas McGinley - horns
- Emmylou HarrisEmmylou HarrisEmmylou Harris is an American singer-songwriter and musician. In addition to her work as a solo artist and bandleader, both as an interpreter of other composers' works and as a singer-songwriter, she is a sought-after backing vocalist and duet partner, working with numerous other artists including...
- special guest vocalist - Pegi Young (wife of Neil Young) - backing vocals
- Diana Dewitt - backing vocals
- Anthony Crawford - backing vocals
- Gary Pigg - backing vocals
- Curtis WrightCurtis WrightCurtis Blaine Wright is an American country music artist. He made his debut in 1989 with the single "She's Got a Man on her Mind" on a branch of MCA Records, before recording a solo album in 1992 on Liberty Records...
- backing vocals - Chuck Cochran - string arranger
- Fisk University Jubilee ChoirFisk Jubilee SingersThe Fisk Jubilee Singers are an African-American a cappella ensemble, consisting of students at Fisk University. The first group was organized in 1871 to tour and raise funds for their college. Their early repertoire consisted mostly of traditional spirituals, but included some Stephen Foster songs...
, directed by Paul Kwami