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Crazy Horse and the wind from a giant fan is trying to blow him over. It was incredible. He went from a double to a triple solo, stomping on his big red foot-pedal board as the sound suddenly swirled and swooped around us. He kept going: eight, nine, ten solos. It was like playing with Jimi Hendrix. Then suddenly it was over.
    â€œThat’s it. We got it. Good night, guys.”
    I’d thought we were just doing a run-through, but he’d had his engineer rolling the tape. He always has the tape rolling to capture the moment. “Made in Canada” appeared on my 1996 solo album Merge . Recording “Made in Canada” was an incredible experience.
    My Picks
    â€œAURORA” by Neil Young and the Squires
    â€œBREAU’S PLACE” by Randy Bachman and Lenny Breau
    â€œI WALK THE LINE” by Randy Bachman
    â€œLOOKING OUT FOR #1” by BTO
    â€œMADE IN CANADA” by Randy Bachman and Neil Young
    â€œOUT OF MY HEAD” by the Buffalo Springfield (featuring Neil Young)
    â€œPRAIRIE TOWN” (fast version) by Randy Bachman and Neil Young
    â€œPRAIRIE TOWN” (slow version) by Randy Bachman, Neil Young, and Margo Timmins
    â€œSUGAR MOUNTAIN” by Neil Young
    â€œTHIRD MAN THEME” by Chet Atkins
    â€œUNDUN” by the Guess Who
    Lenny Breau CDs for Further Listening
    Boy Wonder (Guitarchives)
    Chance Meeting (Guitarchives)
    Cabin Fever (Guitarchives)
    Live at Bourbon St. (Guitarchives)
    Live at Donte’s (String Jazz)
    Pickin’ Cotton (Guitarchives)
    The Hallmark Sessions (Art of Life Records)
    Randy’s 10 Favourite Neil Young Songs
    1.  “Southern Man”—This song really captures a northerner’s impressions of the Old South and its prejudices and traditions. The lyrics are great and the guitar solo rips part of your heart out with its angst and attitude.
    2.  “Like a Hurricane”—Again another combination of great lyrics and soulful guitar playing. The video for this has Neil trying to stand up against a powerful windstorm, and that’s kind of symbolic of his career.
    3.  “Sugar Mountain”—I love the simplicity of the silly lyrics and the childlike chorus that anyone can sing along to.
    4.  “Down by the River”—The lyrics tell it like it is and the guitar solo breathes in and out of different attacks on the strings.
    5.  “Heart of Gold”—A different, more casual, folky Neil with a cool blend of acoustic guitar and harmonica.
    6.  “Mr. Soul”—Great lyrics and a guitar riff like the Stones’ “Satisfaction.” (I’m amazed Keith Richards never sued over that.)
    7.  “Only Love Can Break Your Heart”—Again, a different Neil, this time playing piano with a great sing-along chorus. His versatility amazes me.
    8.  “Expecting to Fly”—Neil doing another switcheroo with a Beatlesque mix of tempos, textured with an array of different instruments, sound effects, and lyrics. Impressive every time I hear it.
    9.  “I Am a Child”—Just a great easy melody with lyrics seemingly written by a child or the child inside Neil.
    10.  “Rockin’ in the Free World”—The title says it all. It’s wild, frantic, urgent, and everything a great rock song should be.

The Story Behind the Song, Part 1
    In 2002 I put together a tour concept called “Every Song Tells a Story” where I would share with audiences the stories behind the songs I’m best known for from the Guess Who and Bachman-Turner Overdrive. At each show the audience was enthralled by the stories and sang along to the songs. The tour was a tremendous success and led to a live CD, a concert DVD, and a songbook. People seemed to really like the intimate, insider background stories to the songs. I’ve shared a lot of them on Vinyl Tap over the years.
    â€œTRIBUTE TO BUDDY HOLLY”
    In