Neil Young Got SUED for Not Sounding Like… Himself?

About this episode

This episode explores Neil Young's lawsuit with Geffen over his experimental music in the 1980s.

A big ol' multi-million-dollar record deal, a rebel artist, a major corporate label, and "total creative freedom." What could possibly go wrong? In this episode of Tape Spaghetti, Scott and Blake unravel the chaotic 1980s era of Neil Young. When Young let his artistic spirit soar into downright experimental territory, his own label, Geffen, sued him for not being “Neil Young enough.” While the album he delivered technically fit the contract, it certainly didn't meet expectations. Fans were confused, executives were pissed, and Young was accused of fulfilling the brief in an act of pure sabotage. The lawsuit that followed shook the industry. Was the artist in the right for boldly embodying his creative identity, or did Geffen have cause to react on behalf of Young's frustrated fans? Here's how Neil Young's foray into synth-heavy rockabilly music actually spoke to a larger argument over who *actually* owns an artist's signature sound.

People in this episode

Hosts: Blake Wyland, Scott Marquart

Topics covered

• Neil Young
• lawsuit
• music industry
• creative freedom
• 1980s music
• artist identity

Keywords

• Neil Young
• Geffen
• lawsuit
• music
• 1980s
• creative freedom
• experimental music
• artist identity

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Geffen, Tape Spaghetti

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