Neil Young's protest album heads to Internet first...for free

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" Stevo " <blue_meanie_9

Sat, 22 Apr 2006 07:47:41 -0700 (PDT)

Neil Young's protest album heads to Internet first...for free

 

 

 

 

http://news./s/nm/20060422/music_nm/leisure_young_dc

 

Neil Young's protest album heads to Internet first

 

 

 

By Steve Gorman Fri Apr 21, 10:09 PM ET

 

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) -

Neil Young's newly recorded protest album " Living With War, " including

a song calling for the impeachment of President Bush, will be posted

for free Internet streaming next week, his label said on Friday.

 

Starting April 28, fans can log onto Young's Web site,

http://www.neilyoung.com,

and listen to the 10-track collection in its entirety, free of charge,

said Bill Bentley, a spokesman for Warner Music Group's Reprise Records.

 

The album will first become commercially available as a digital

download beginning May 2, " and we plan to get it into retail stores as

soon after that as we can get them manufactured, " Bentley said.

 

He said the label anticipates getting the album into retail outlets

between May 5 and May 15. " Neil wants this album out there as soon as

possible, " Bentley added.

 

The Canadian-born Young, 60, who has tackled social and political

themes through four decades as a singer-songwriter, wrote and recorded

his latest studio offering over a two-week period this month, backed

by a 100-member choir, according to his longtime manager, Elliot Roberts.

 

Much of the album conveys a sense of outrage, vowing repeatedly in the

title track " to never kill again, " mocking Bush's conduct of the

Iraq war in " Shock and Awe " and calling for his removal from office in

a provocative song titled " Let's Impeach the President. "

 

The album also strikes a chord of empathy with soldiers separated from

their families, and features lyrics ridiculing America's consumer

culture, political corruption and religious fundamentalism.

 

Juxtaposed to " Let's Impeach the President " is one of the album's more

hopeful selections, " Lookin' for a Leader, " with such lyrics as:

" Someone walks among us ... and I hope he hears the call. And maybe

it's a woman, or a black man after all. "

 

The album closes with an a capella version of " America the Beautiful. "

 

Young, who voiced support for Bush's efforts to expand law-enforcement

powers in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks,

acknowledged in published remarks on Friday the provocative nature of

his latest work.

 

" You're always going to rub someone the wrong way when you sing,

'let's impeach the president, " ' he told the Los Angeles Times. " But

that's what this country's all about -- being able to express your views. "

 

Young's new set comes just seven months after the release of his last

album, " Prairie Wind, " which has sold about 450,000 U.S. copies,

according to Nielsen SoundScan.