OMG, Fave comment of the month! there are a few of the vids that I like better than others and this Neil vid is one of them. Its really fun when I get to actually go in!
I used to play guitar for hours in the 70's in the family house basement. After the Gold Rush was one that I used a lot. Really great for listening and playing to. 🎸 🎉
I have watched several of your videos tonight...love anything around Laurel Canyon, my drive to and from work from Hollywood Hills, and then after my move to Burbank, to Sunset Blvd everyday. I had just moved to L.A. and started work within a week, and found that drive, before I knew it's history...there was such a good feeling in there, and I came to understand why, not long after I came to know several in the area. Topanga Canyon became one of my favorite places during my first year in L.A., such a special magical place. I could smell the air as you were walking up the drive in this video, thank you for the full view from the tree house...took my breath away~ Love these videos and stories, I am so happy to have found them tonight. Carry On~
Thank you so much! I live near Laurel Canyon Blvd and when I go to Hollywood and back I take it. Its always so alive, I almost don't mind being stuck in the traffic.
I've never been anywhere that looked quite like it. The owners were busy remodeling it when I took the video but they were of course leaving all the structural and much of the style identity. The studio and downstairs apartment was finished and it looked great. Thanks for your wonderful comment!
Imagine being back in the day and a neighbor of Neil’s, sitting on your deck and listening to Neil on the deck of his treehouse working out the beginnings of a song like “Tell Me Why” on an old Martin. Magical stuff indeed.
Funny you should say that cuz when I when I was up there, there is this horse stable/riding school below and I remember thinking it would be close enough to hear someone in the treehouse singing.
Im 68 years old and dig Neil Young thanks for taking the time to give us the tour, how did you pull it off via the new property owner wow? Buffalo Springfield takes me back to my early youth I love them too. Happy to subscribe and give thumbs up thank you
Thank you! The new owner was doing some work on the house when I was scouting it out and I asked her. She is a truly lovely person and knew that a lot of people might be interested in the house. Talk about being in the right place at the right time....
I'm 49 years old and have been listening to Neil since I was in my mother's womb, and After the Gold Rush is my earliest memory. I still own the same LP my dad bought when it came out, and I still listen to it regularly.
Reminds me of my sweet pop whose voice paid the bills until he bravely lay down his sword in '22. He broke artists such as Sam Cooke, Otis Redding, Bobbie Gentry, James Gang (ARS), Classics IV Allman Bros., Swingin' Medallions and more. Diction was always very important to him, and he was a hard a$$ on us about English & grammar. He was recruited from the deep South to the likes of NY, and Laurel Canyon because of his instrument. Dear Lord, am I grateful we stayed put. Family is everything if you're lucky enough to have it❤
That's cool Just imagine if those walls could talk. It would awesome to hear what they would say. I was born and raised in Southern California in 1958. The 60's where a very special part of my life. Thanks for reposting this.
@@RockessentialTim Yes there was some great music back then. All of the clubs in L.A./Hollywood The Whisky A Go Go Madame Wong's The Troubadour and some that I'm sure I've left out.
@@RockessentialTim Yes we can go on and on, but if we could only go back it would be awesome. Of course if I knew then what I know now I just might have a "little" more fun.
Thank you so much Tim for your continuing historical videos on the canyons of LA and more importantly the music history that was born in those hills. Thank goodness we have people like you that love this stuff just as much. Keep them coming. Thank you sir
Thank you for taking us there as seeing inside Neil Young's Topanga studio is something I would never had the opportunity to do! Really Great...Really, Really, Really Great!
Like many at sixteen I wore out this album and my parents. At the time I didn't know this was recorded just down the canyon from our house. It's a special place.
My daughter and son both live in LA. My wife and I went last year to visit and drove up to Topanga, where I worked for a year at The Inn of the Seventh Ray (restaurant) in 1976. The Inn is still going strong thanks to my former boss, Lucy Yaney, and young culinary talent . Great memories for me in Topanga! Go if you want a special experience!
@@RockessentialTim Neat little factoid: I was at Topanga Hardware when my van wouldn't start. Bernie Leadon was inside with a buddy. They push started my van for me. They were good neighbors as well as great musicians. Great memory for me.
We love going to The Inn of the Seventh Ray with our two dogs. Incredibly charming vibe. I've wanted to live in Topanga for years now but it's too damn expensive.
This guy is really good. No "ums" or "aws". Well thought out. Very little filler. Has a voice perfect for video/radio that gets a hold of your attention. (Had to come back an edit my grammar.)
Great tour thanks. Big Pink and Neil's home studio[s] inspired me to make my home studio. The luxury we have today of recording technology makes this easy, but back then it was quite a commitment. Great video, thanks.
If I were an up and coming artist right now I'd think about bringing a simple rig up to the Neil House and renting it for a few days to record. I've been in a lot of studios and that room had a very specific sound and it also had a definite vibe.
WOW! Such an integral part of my teenage life, these songs in the days of my youth. To actually see where it was conceived, played and eventually laid down on vinyl, which I played in my basement for so many years makes for a very concusive present moment jolt, when I realize they were recorded over 50 years ago! (still have both 1st & 2nd albums of his, as well as Deja Vu and CSN 1st (on the sofa). Thanks again for rekindling these memories. Remembrances of our youth are so potent, nostalgic and a little sad. As I have said before, where did the time go? Ya, still raining up here in Vancouver BC. Thanks for the sunshine! ss February 19th, 2023
Nice job! Nice to see Neil's Topanga house still thriving. With regards to guitar tuning, Neil used double drop D, both E strings tuned down to D. It was also called D Modal. Neil's "Ohio" is the most sonically (to my ears anyway) representative of this tuning.
Haa, my bad! I know he used drop D but I spaced cuz I only ever tune down the low E. It takes too long when you only have 1 guitar and you are completely lazy like me! I have always thought of Cinnamon Girl when I think of that tuning.
I'm in Cyprus for a month. It beats the cold weather in the UK and it does start to get chilly in Merseyside this time of year . I've been walking round the akamas peninsula which is on the northwest coast between paphos and latchi. You would love it. The scenery is breathtaking. Cheers for all the videos your time and effort is appreciated. 👍👍👍🇬🇧
Thanks for this Tim . what great memories are resurrected seeing these places again .i use to live for a short time with a friend and his parents in a beachfront house that they bought back in the forties or fifties . it was california beach funk remodeled . we did a bit of carpentry in the colony and one day got a lead for a job in Topanga canyon . my buddy said we couldn't take the job because we didn't speak the local dialect of 'Topanganese. ' Neil young was a god to me in the late sixties after i heard "everybody knows this is nowhere " album with Crazy Horse . wow , what a unique sound they had , from Neil's repetitious but mesmerizing leads to the raw forceful energy that grabbed the listener and wouldn't let go . Young continues to amaze to this day . great video , thanks !
Incredible how music was recorded back then. I would have loved to have been a neighbor back then just to hear the sounds coming from the homes up there. One thing for sure, I wouldn't want to experience an earthquake in that house or any other in the canyon. On to the next video, keep sharing.
Grew up in Woodland Hills and graduated from Taft High School in 1974. Was a tow truck driver from '75 - '96. The AAA station I began with was a Shell St. on Topanga Cyn., a couple of blocks south of Ventura Blvd. From Victory Blvd. south on Topanga Cyn. to "the center" (about halfway to the beach in the Santa Monica Mtns.) and all the tiny side streets in the hills of Topanga were part of my AAA area. Was in it daily. At 1:24 is a street sign (Summit x Skyline) I recognize and if Neil Young lived nearby, as often as I was at that very spot/area and never knew. The views are marvelous and the architecture is as different and "far-out" as you'll find anywhere. The two greatest reasons why more don't move here is besides earthquakes/landslides are fires. Anyone who has been up there knows how narrow and poorly maintained the roads are. For the civilian it is very easy to get trapped and for the fire dept. it is difficult getting heavy equipment into the area. Does anyone know if the "Elysium" still exists? I believe it is on Entrada St., east of Topanga Cyn, north of "the center." Elysium was a nudist colony established in the early '60's. Was still in operation in '96. Might have been connected to "Sandstone." Topanga Cyn., south of Mulholland Dr. is a beautiful drive all the way to the beach. Back in the day, during the summer months I was the white knight in my monster truck showing up to save the fair maidens on their broken-down steeds. Of course coming back from the beach they would be dressed accordingly. Met many young ladies including my ex. Great area to grow up in.
Thanks for the quick tour. Very inspiring. I’m about the same age as Neil so I find it a positive thing that he is still active in music production. That very well might be what keeps him going at 76. Served my military time with his music in my ears.
I do quite a few of these vids and I can say without question that even at 76, Neil is still the most interesting person in the music business. Right on!
Tim, this is an absolutely brilliant video. I've been a huge fan of Neil Young since I was a kid (MANY years ago) and it was great hearing all the events that led to the recording of that classic album and the details of the recording process. Thanks!
This one was one of my favorites because the owner of the Neil house was such a truly wonderful human being. She didn't have to be so forthcoming about everything but she was!
It is too bad that they wouldn't let you include a few snippets of Neil Young songs along with the video. I would have fit in so nicely. Nice video, just missing the Neil Young ambiance. BTW, say hi to the wife.
I've subscribed with pleasure. That was fascinating. I first heard After The Goldrush at a party in Wales in the 1970s, and it was one of "what's that" moments. Southern Man is my favourite track and one of my favourite songs. Great to see where the magic happened. Thank you.
When I was in that room filming the song going through my head was Southern Man. There was a piano that the new owner had inherited from the previous one (no one in their right mind would move it off that hill again), and I played Southern Man on it. I couldn't show it on video (copyright stuff) but it was either the acoustics in the room or the same piano they used on that record or both---It had that wonderful, dull stunning tone.
What a great tour! I love this stuff! I find unconventional recording locations fascinating. While I never broke into the big time with my own music I did have many wonderful experiences in my teens and twenties, when I was duking it out in the clubs as a lead guitarist in several hard rock bands, recording in unusual places. I never recorded in a professional studio but I did record at a friend's home studio. The main drummer I worked with in those years was a rich kid and his father built him a studio for his drums that expanded into a recording studio. We didn't really know what we were doing when we recorded our demos but we experimented with all sorts of tricks. We even recorded some acoustic tracks in my bathroom because of the natural reverb. We got some very good sounds. It was raw but as professional as we could make it. I was aware for years that Neil had recorded in the Canyon but the details remained a mystery to me. Thanks for making this video! That must have been a great experience for Neil, a very creative time. I've spent a lot of time in Topanga having grown up in nearby Santa Monica and the Palisades.
I think the best way to learn about recording is by trial and error, just like you said. The bottom line is no matter how you do it, its a really FUN process, right? BTW: in the late 80's I lived right near SM College on 20th.
Love the re-edit: esp the cut-aways to new video from the car, the explanations, and of course the enthusiasm! Always follow your heart and let that guide you. Do you know there was a successful Australian band called Powderfinger? (named after the song)
@@RockessentialTim Powderfinger's lead singer went on to create some good solo albums - a bit of a National treasure: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Q5VudVCt4Cw.html
Nice video Tim. Always a pleasure to see your trips around the greater LA areas. This one was very interesting. Really nice house too. Thanks for the upload.
Thank you, Andrew. I love home studios and the footprint of this one was still very much there. This place had a definite vibe about it that you could feel just standing in it.
I noticed the Class A vacuum tube amplifier in the recording area on the shelf, they are suppose to have a warmer sound then using a transistor Class A/B or Class D amplifier.
I've seen this house in a few different video's on Neil Young but it's so cool you were able to go in!!!! Great video, thanks! I look forward to more vid's on classic rock.
Hey man, good to hear from you. Yeah, they gave me a copyright strike for this and there isn't a lot I can do about it except say Thank you sir may I have another.
Tim, thank you so much for truly awesome video. Music is one of the few joys in this insane cv19 world. Your vids bring peace and healing power. Plus definitely reinspire my love for LA. I saw Neil in concert once in early 70s, and was even more a fan of Nils Lofgren who graced LA with his magical guitar work and his early band Grin. Some of your subscribers may remember his show at the Topanga Corral circa 1970.
Darn , missed those shows , think he did several. Seems to me we did see him there though hangin' out with Neil. Jim Morrison was there several times too although I missed him. Think Roadhouse Blues I'm told was written about the Corral. Good times.
Enjoyed this. I was sitting on my bed, looking at the album photos trying to understand what this new record was all about. I was in Thunder Bay where I grew up. Not a lot of information back then, just the really cool album photos and the dream-like magical songs. Decades later my office was at Topanga and Ventura Blvd in Woodland Hills. Topanga to the Coast Hwy was something else. Great to see where the album was recorded. Thx
Thank you. I live in The Valley and I'm going up to Topanga tomorrow for the first time in a few months to do some filming and then down to Malibu. Love it up there.
Just found your channel, love it man so cool! It's funny ive wanted to do something similar for so long with a friend who is SO knowledgable, about your age. But just haven't been able to, so to find this channel was a real treat. Was like someone already made what I had in my mind haha.
I have been fascinated by Topanga Canyon for years, this was very cool. Have had a chance to drive the Rt 27 drive from the PCH many times, it never gets old. wish I had more time to explore, thanks
Thank you for the very informative videos. I've read the Neil Young books, but never seen a video like this. Puts everything that I read in a better perspective.
Did Neil have a lady friend named "Peace"? Probably in late 60s or early 70s? I have a friend that tells me that was her cousin and she dated Neil. Just curious. It really isnt about music but may a little extra you may have heard about. Thanks for sharing your passion. It must be so fun to visit these homes of legends. You give a sense to me anyway, of being there too. Rock on! ✌️&❤&🎵
When I was a kid in Toronto Neil, Joni etc use to play downtown in Yorkville where all the folk clubs were. All gentrified now and has lost its soul....
WOW!!! Susan Ral was an eclectic architect/builder. Didn't Neil Young have a vision. Writers block was probably the tension built up from Buffalo Springfield break-up Loved this group. I started listening to different groups of the '60's. I remember Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young. I was 5 in 1969. Glad the new owner kept the original personality plus her iwn touches to the house. Boy his stufio was pretty small for the equipment they had. The big electronic board that they edited the performance to put it on the tape. I grew up with classic rock through the '70's. I love the tree house!!
Still have all of mine... scratch free, in non-acid paper inner sleeves with the original cover, inside plastic envelopes. i consider myself extremely fortunate. They still sound great with the Bang & Olufsen turntable, 4000 receiver, and Klipsch raw birch speakers.
That house has the most amazing views of the Santa Monica Mountains. I'm sure the views and the area were inspirational to their music. Neil Young also had a house/ ranch up here in Woodside, California.
Places like this matter...part of incredible stories, adventures, creativity, a place where spirit touched a soul and gave a gift to humanity...Thanks for this incredible tour...and totally get how you were so excited & forgot to intro your wife! ;-) ps: I have a piece of Crosby's house in Mill Valley CA which I often walk by with my dog - it was being renovated for first time (long after he left)...whole dumpster full of wood from the inside out front...it was a house of pain & addiction...by all accounts a terrible time for him, but part of the journey that led him to Jan (his beloved wife) and so much more creativity and so many more gifts...so that little scrap of wood is sacred to me...
Thanks for the great story! I think its not so much the places that are important but how they start a conversation about the people that lived there. I totally get it.
very cool topic and great insight! loved it! wished it was longer but also some older house and studio pics would have tied it in. Neil was ahead of the time with the HOME FAMILY model for recording, that many bands took on, like in Exile by Stones. Kept family atmosphere and cohesion.
Thanx very much. BTW: I don't believe there are any pictures of the After The Gold Rush sessions in Topanga. The new owner of the house was asking me if I'd run across any. Anyway, someone should make a record in that room. It sounds amazing.
I've been there several times in my past but never as a vlogger. Notwithstanding music, It is still one of the greatest places on earth to visit. I am def going to get that one on the docket next year!
Tim, assuming you live out on the west coast, but if you get the chance, you ought to consider Hiking the back woods roads of West Saugerties, NY to visit BigPink. I’m sure I don’t have to tell you the significance of it in rock music history. I paid it a quick visit myself a few yrs back and the most intriguing thing about it, is it’s in the EXACT same shape & setting as it was back in the 60’s, same rough, gravel dirt road leading up to it, no signs or plaques, no groupies or fanatics loitering around.
