All One Song Podcast Debuts: Neil Young Songs In The Spotlight

 There is a surfeit of podcasts about musical artists. It's not surprising that Taylor Swift podcasts lead the charge. Talented musical artists make ideal subjects for podcasts. Podcasters can review the artist, the artist's entire song portfolio, the band if the artist was part of a group, and the impact of that musical artist. 

Sometimes, musical artists with moderate cultural visibility have an outsized impact in podcasting. There are six Partridge Family podcasts. Four active and four in stasis. Really, six? There are four Katy Perry podcasts, two presumably about her singing career, and two about her new role as an astronaut, or astronut, if you are so inclined.

There's no doubt that Neil Young is a musical artist of major proportions.  Born in Canada, Young gained fame as a member of the 1960s group Buffalo Springfield. In his solo career, often backed by the group Crazy Horse, Young made significant contributions to modern music.

 Young has received multiple Grammy and Juno Awards. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has inducted him twice: in 1995 as a solo artist and in 1997 as a member of Buffalo Springfield. In 2023, Rolling Stone ranked Young No. 30 on its list of the "250 Greatest Guitarists of All Time". Young is also featured on Rolling Stone's list of the 100 greatest musical artists, and 21 of his albums and singles have been certified gold or platinum in the United States. Young was awarded the Order of Manitoba in 2006 and was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2009.

Neil Young's guitar work, deeply personal lyrics, and signature high tenor singing voice define his long career. He also plays piano and harmonica on many albums, which frequently combine folk, rock, country, and other musical genres. His often-distorted electric guitar playing, especially with Crazy Horse, earned him the nickname "Godfather of Grunge." 

 The concept of "all one song" refers to a quote attributed to Neil Young, and the idea that despite stylistic differences, his body of work is unified by a consistent artistic vision. There have been podcasts that explored this idea in relation to his music, including "Broken Record," "Long May You Young," and "Year of the Neil". These podcasts delved into Neil Young's career, albums, and the influences that shape his distinctive sound

This summer, journalist, musician, and Shakey historian Tyler Wilcox takes you deep into that Neil Young territory with All One Song: A Neil Young Podcast. Presented by Aquarium Drunkard and distributed via Talkhouse Podcast Network, each episode welcomes a new guest to discuss…one single song by Neil Young. 


Episode one featuring guest Steve Gunn exploring 1977’s “Will To Love”, launched June 25 in the Aquarium Drunkard Transmissions feed. 

Additional guests include Steve Shelley of Sonic Youth, Rosali, Meg Baird, Jeff Parker, Ilyas Ahmed, author Jesse Jarnow, Transmissions host Jason P. Woodbury, and more.

According to Mojo, the passage of time is a recurring theme in Young’s music. He’s a master at capturing a moment, his references to the past and questions about the future placing the listener directly in the song.

Mojo went on to explain that: "On arguably his most popular song, After The Gold Rush (1970), Young created it in a cramped studio he built at his Topanga Canyon home. Having tried recording the standard, company-approved way, he was keen to start cutting records using his own, more ad hoc methods. Eight of the album’s songs were recorded in this tiny space, with barely enough room for Young, his producer, and one other musician, and no facilities for reverb or fancy effects."

If you're a Neil Young fan or a music fan, check All One Song. I'm waiting for my favorites -- A Heart Of Gold, After The Gold Rush and Down By The River.