Stunningly beautiful, soaring, ethereal, ecstatic Synth-Pop cover of Neil Young's classic folk rock ballad "Helpless" by Yukihiro Takahashi of Yellow Magic Orchestra and Bill Nelson.
VIDEO DIRECT is at: https://youtu.be/71HRxm09pg0 , embedded below in this message.
From the 1984/1985 Yukihiro Takahashi LP/CD "Wild & Moody." https://www.discogs.com/Yukihiro-Taka...
Guitar, Vocals – Bill Nelson Vocals
Drums, Keyboards – Yukihiro Takahashi
Written-By – Neil Young
I wanted to share this magnificent "long lost" track, a huge favorite of mine, with a wider audience, so I created a cover collage featuring the album cover including Yukihiro, Bill, & Neil together, in some atmospheric imagery, and uploaded it to YouTube way back in 2013. It has received 5,200 views, 81 Likes and several thanks and praises along the way.
It only now, finally, occurred to me to share it here. ENJOY, it is SOOOO beautiful! Bill's vocal interpretation is stunning as is his guitar, as always. Gives me goosebumps and sometimes tears.
The entire album is a delight, by the way, well worth searching out. Bill also appears on the track "Bounds Of Reason Bonds Of Love"
A full-rez copy of my collage is below as well.
What I love from the first time I heard this, putting on Wild and Moody, is the driving quarter note beat phasing...and as our family has had a cottage in Haliburton Ontario Canada, the fantastical thoughts of a Japanese YMO'er and a Be Bop Deluxer Brit, singing about Northern Ontario, in a way and a beat that I loved and still do, brings on the drip dry eyes/waterworks every time. I put this on so many mix tapes for friends...I do not imagine that either of these lovely chaps have been "up north" however, I have seen Bill in Toronto a couple of times...The northern lights were fantastic about a week ago, if either of you are in Toronto and want to come up for a visit, please get in touch and I'll take you there.
Very nice soulful rendition. Good clean vocals and interesting harmonies. I, however, see Neil completely different: almost ragged and lunging around like a raging, bull elephant. I use to play in the Neil Young cover band "Hurricane" around the time "Ragged Glory" came out and it was like "Stars and Bars" all over again. It wasn't for the meek -- catchy tunes buried deep within distortion driven songs. Yes, Neil can be vulnerable and introspective, and "Helpless" gives itself over to that quite easily. But my first impression is that he'll kill you like "Cortez the Killer." Better yet, watch him rage around the stage with Led Zeppelin at a Rockin Roll Hall of Fame Induction: Jimmy Page didn't have a chance. Neil is some ego-maniac from hell.
If anybody is interested, I do a rendition of "Rockin in the Free World" (with Neil lip-syncing to his own song) check out:
https://www.billnelson.com/forum/the-world-and-his-wife/crazed-fandango
Keep on Rockin like a Tree Squirrel!
Great track. If I’m being picky the album cover is for Neuromantic which is itself a fine album. What, Me Worry the follow up features Bill and sits between Neuromantic and Wild and Moody.
Here it is a year later, but thanks for sharing this!