NEIL YOUNG

I hate Neil Young. No, I don't really but I've a friend who's a big fan and has been pestering me to write this page so I thought it would be a good line to start with. In fact I love Neil Young. He is great. Of the whole singer-songwriter she-bang he is obviously lagging a bit behind Bob Dylan but he comes closer than anyone else. He is certainly an immensely talented individual. His song-writing is superb and he also adds an extra dimension to his songs with his unique guitar playing. He's not the most pioneering musician ever but, for the most part, his music is varied and interesting. His vocals are honest yet easy on the ear whilst his lyrics are decent without being on a par with Dylan's (which is probably more of a problem for him than it is for me). My only complaint really is, at times, he obsesses too much over country music, which isn't really the best of genres.

The ten year period from his first solo album (1969) to Rust Never Sleeps in 1979 produced some of the most consistently excellent music I've ever come across. Even Bob Dylan didn't manage ten years of great album after great album (although that's part of his enigma). Only David Bowie had greater consistent success, particularly with regard to the seventies. Unfortunately Young has never produced (at least from what I've heard and read) a truly classic album. He has no Blonde on Blonde, Ziggy Stardust, Dark Side of the Moon, etc. I've manage to squeeze 10* out of one album but it was more a matter of course rather than anything else. It is also serves as a great example of the fallacy of artist ratings. Over his complete catalogue Young is certainly a strong 4 rating (in my view) placing him along side the likes of David Bowie, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, etc. However if I had to calculate band ratings by reference to their best album he'd struggle to get a 3. I realise this discussion is a little moot in the context of my band-ratings-less site but it does serve to illustrate the point that Neil Young is a truly great artist without a truly great album to his name. Still, he's still going. Perhaps the best is yet to come. Er... perhaps.

From: Karl Bruno

Just thought I'd drop you a line to compliment on your site. I like to do that when coming across something particulary nice on the web. Lot's of good music reviewed properly. Though I think you're a little hard on Neil Young. The man's a genius (at times) and honestly, both Tonight's the Night and Rust Never Sleeps deserves 10's. Not so sure that After the Goldrush actually does that, though. Oh well...you ought to check out his newer albums as well. Both Harvest Moon and Silver & Gold are very good, maybe not on par with his 70's works but very good nonetheless. (I figure you get tons of mails like this and are completely fed up with them by now, but I couldn't resist the urge to send one myself...heh.) Regards, Karl.

[On the contrary, all comments are as welcome as ever - JF]

From: brianbji@hotmail.com

Nice site. I agree with most of what you say.. I am slowly going thru his other albums after 25 yr of only Gold Rush and Decade and Unplugged, I do like Road Rock ("walk on", "Words","Tonights the nite" etc)
I lived in Winnipeg in the 60's in Crescentwood by Kelvin High school and Neil's 'ambience' is same as mine.

From: Bob Heuman

Saw your Neil Young page, album reviews. Have you seen Neil live? Especially with Crazy Horse. If so, you appreciate the albums are an approximation of the live show. It's the sound he gets in the live show that I find unique, powerful, and his contribution to rock. That's why people probably reacted to Zuma. Not just because it captured the tone of his live guitar, but because it offered a hint of the energy of his live shows. Check out 8/14/96 in Berlin with Pearl Jam, or most any live version of "Cortez". Or even "Slip Away" from Year of the Horse. It's the sound... plodding bass and drums put down a slow rhythm with a hole big enough to drive a truck through, and then Neil comes in and fills it in with a soaring, crashing, weeping, silent guitar. -Bob
PS - if you get tickets, try to sit close

If you've read my Nick Drake page you'll know I make a couple of comparisons to Neil Young. I wrote that page before I had heard this album but it seems even more relevant in hindsight as this album actually sounds a lot like Nick Drake. It is quite unlike the rest of Young's career, obviously still finding his feet, although, strangely, it still stands up as a really good album. Neil began his career, of course, in Buffalo Springfield (Stephen Stills being the other notable member) and this album comes hot on the heels of their split in '68. Still, a lot of Young's songs for his original band were similar to his more typical work, after this album, so this album is still a surprise even in context. In fact even his regular producer, David Briggs, produces this so I'm really at a loss to explain the different sound on here. Well, what's so different? Well, like Nick Drake, most of the songs are heavily orchestrated, not just by strings but also with funny synths. Female backing singers crop up occasionally (including Mary Clayton of "Gimme Shelter" fame) and Young's ragged guitar is nowhere in sight. I guess it was the recruitment of Crazy Horse that really established his true sound later in the year. Still, like I said, most of the songs are really good. It is surprising that such a different, almost bland, sounding album should be so good. I guess it is less a rock album and more a sort of synth-folk album. Odd. It begins with a funny instrumental "The Emperor of Wyoming" with synths being layered over Neil's jolly guitar part. Bizarrely, the Neil Young remasters booklet which lists the "featured" tracks from each album (eg. Harvest featuring "Heart of Gold", "Old Man", "The Needle and the Damage Done") includes "The Emperor of Wyoming" as one of three tracks (understandably, "The Loner" and "The Old Laughing Lady" being the other two). Who the hell buys an album because it includes a light-weight, throwaway instrumental? They must have picked off the two classics (well, those on Decade) and then just stuck a pin in the track-listing for the third track. Idiots. Still, I don't need to tell you record companies are run by fools. Anyway "The Loner" and "The Old Laughing Lady" are actually two of the best tracks on here. "The Loner" is certainly the most commercial song on here and even the synths don't obscure it too much. A memorable melody and all that. "The Old Laughing Lady" (a metaphor for death, apparently) is a more ambitious project with a gradual build-up utilising the female backing singers. The final song, "The Last Trip to Tulsa", is by far the most ambitious on here. It is actually the only song that really sounds similar to Young's later material, maybe because it is the only song not to feature the synths. It rambles on for almost ten minutes and parts of it do seem a bit slip-shod but it is certainly an intriguing listen. The lyrics are suitably obtuse for this to be a clear indication of Young's pretensions. The rest of the album, despite being good, is not what you'd particularly associate with Young. Most of the songs are short numbers half way between folk and pop with the synths and strings sometimes impeding his vocals (something he has never been too pleased about). Still they are all nice songs. My favourite is probably the whimsical "Here We Are in the Years". The piano line that opens it points towards a better song than it actually turns out to be but even so, it is a memorable effort. All the songs are, in fact, memorable to some extent apart from, perhaps, Jack Nitzsche's brief instrumental "String Quartet from Whiskey Boot Hill" (a name that would re-occur on CSN&Y's Deja Vu). Thus a strange album and not one you'd at all expect from Neil Young. That doesn't stop it, however, from being surprisingly good.

From: François Dorléans

Just a few words to say that what you mistake for synths on this record is actually a distorted guitar sound. Apparently the record company insisted (against Neil's will) on trying a new sonic enhancement process on this particular record. That was supposed to be revolutionnary, but it sounded pretty shitty, as all the weight of the electric guitars has entirely disappeared. Young seems to always have been very bitter about the way his first solo album had to be screwed up. It may explain why he subsequently tried to maintain global control over his recordings, and just didn't let anyone except close collaborators interfere with his records, hence the kind of lo-fi ethics.
Pardon my english. François.
PS: David Bowie's cover of "I've Been Waiting For You" (on his Heathen album) is much rockier than the original version, largely because of the guitars sounding like proper guitars.

Well if the sound of Neil Young confused you you can at least sleep easy with the knowledge that this is a fairly typical effort of Young's. Typical in the loosest sense of the word, though, as such is the nature of Neil's catalogue that it is very hard to pin-point a typical sound. Anyway, no synth-folk and instead a ragged, intriguing and sometimes astonishing cross-breed of country rock. This is the first album to be recorded with Young's frequent backing band Crazy Horse so that goes a long way to explaining the more typical sound. He was also, apparently, dismayed with the amount of time involved in such a production-heavy project as his debut so in future he used a more basic, live-recording technique which is also behind the shift in sound. Well, production aside, what have we got on this album? I'd say twenty minutes of the finest music ever known to man and a patchy mix for the rest of the album. And the twenty minutes is taken up by but two songs, "Down by the River" and "Cowgirl in the Sand". Both around ten minutes long and both two of the greatest songs Young ever recorded. The melodies for both are superb, the hook for "Down by the River" I've had in my head constantly for about six months - it is that great. What really makes them stand out, though, is the stupendous guitar duelling that Young engages Crazy Horse in. Specifically the guitarist being Danny Whitten (who will crop again in a later review). In terms of quality, it is almost impossible to pick between the two numbers. "Down by the River" has a more laidback feel whilst "Cowgirl in the Sand" is a little more intense. I might plump for the former on account of the wonderful melody for the actual song, although don't be thinking that "Cowgirl in the Sand" doesn't have a memorable melody as well. Both songs are utterly enthralling. You simply must hear those songs (they are included on Decade if you are one of those scummy greatest hits people). Well, like I said earlier, the rest of the material is a little patchy. The opening "Cinnamon Girl" is probably the pick of the bunch with its driving guitar lines. The title track is also a really nice tune. I guess it is a little throwaway but that only increases its charm. The main problem with the rest of the material is Young's intensified obsession with country music. I mean, he's not even a proper hick (indeed he often rallies against them) so why the sudden interest? I guess it provides him with a niche of sorts, particularly after he abandoned the synth-folk approach, but it does get the better of him, on this album especially. "The Losing End" is just a standard country song, although played slightly tongue-in-cheek. "Round & Round" and "Running Dry", unfortunately, both go on for too long, given the limited interest they hold. "Round & Round" is slightly better although it hardly justifies its six minute length whilst even the fiddle on "Running Dry" fails to make the song particularly interesting. Still, these off the cuff moments do make for an intriguing listen. Besides which an entire album of guitar epics wouldn't have made for the easiest of listening. As it is, the mesmerising periods of genius interspersed with moments of generic filler makes for one of Young's most intriguing albums.

Now we come to Young's only 10* album, in my view. And like I said in my introduction it is not the strongest of 10*'s I've ever awarded. It does, though, capture all of Young's facets and also contains his most consistent song-writing. It isn't actually my favourite (I prefer his mid-seventies material) but I do think, overall, it just edges it as his best album. It is certainly his most quintessential, if that's your kind of shit. Crazy Horse are still backing him up (although not equally credited as with some of his other albums) and Nils Lofgren and old sparring partner Stephen Stills also pop up to lend a few harmonies and such like. It is probably worth mentioning that earlier in the year Young had joined forces with mssrs Crosby, Stills and Nash to become one quarter of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, which released Deja Vu in 1971. Anyway, this album is definitely a good cross-section of his general musical outlook. There's a bit of folk, a bit of country and even one (abridged) guitar epic. All that and he finally gets round to having a go at the southern hicks. Good on him. Strangely the title of this album was inspired by a Dean Stockwell script. Yes, him from Quantum Leap, Blue Velvet and every TVM not starring Dwight Schulz (ie. Murdock from the A-Team). You might argue that the songs sometimes dip into AOR but if the song-writing is on par I can't see that being a problem. Just because "I Believe in You", for instance, sounds like something you'd hear on Radio 2 in the middle of the afternoon does not logically entail it is a bad song. Because it isn't. It's a damn fine one, actually. "Southern Man" is the song that has a go at them hicks for being the racist, bigoted bastards they are and also the song that transfers the guitar epics from Everybody Knows. It is hardly a massive criticism to say it is inferior to the two epics from the previous album, given their intimidable quality, but the abridged nature doesn't do it any favours and the melody does seem to recycle both songs. Still it is still one mighty fine song, even if the lyrics make me more keen on it than other people may be. The title track is maybe the best song on here with Young using only a piano and his vocals adopting a beautiful falsetto. A truly lovely song. The opening line about a dream does make it seem a little dreamy. Oooh...it's so dreamy. Yeah, I know it sounds gay (used in the strictly ironic, puerile sense) but what's a boy to do? Well, except play in a rock 'n' roll band and I can't even seem to do that. "Don't Let it Bring You Down" also utilises Young's falsetto but is a far more sinister effort about the terrible state the world is in. Neil Young being cynical - I never would have believed it. "Birds", on the other hand, is a fairly sentimental love song. Pleasant, though, and with some damn fine harmonising. The opening guitar line from "When You Dance" I'm sure I've heard somewhere before. I seem to associate it with Bruce Springsteen which is perhaps unsurprising given Nils Lofgren also worked with him. Perhaps he covered it. I dunno but the song doesn't quite match the memorable opening. The opening "Tell Me Why" is a great start with just Young and his acoustic guitar (= folk, see?) The lyrical metaphors are singularly obtuse but this is Neil Young. Furthermore Neil Young trying to be Bob Dylan. Now do you see the lyrical mess we're in? Well, lyrics aside, it has some nice hooks and is possessor of a great melody. The rest? Yeah, it's all good. Perhaps most consistent and quintessential doesn't add up to a classic album but I had to give him one 10* didn't I? He's hard to please as it is. He'd probably break my legs if I took him to a lower level than Van Halen. Please bear that in mind, your honour.

After the success of his album with Crosby, Stills and Nash Young's commercial standing was somewhat raised. The surprising thing, though, is that it was this album, not the superior and ultimately more commercial After the Gold Rush, that gave him his greatest level of fame, as well as number of sales. It's not just that After the Gold Rush is the better album (as when have the public ever taken that into account?) but that it seems to me to be more commercial and accessible than this piece. Obviously "A Heart of Gold" (Young's biggest selling single) has AOR chart success written all over it but a lot of the material on here isn't that accessible. In fact, this album sits rather uneasily in the people's opinion.. The non-Young fans and the general public like it but his more hard-core fan base have all but rejected this album. Although being his biggest commercial success, critically it is often poured scorn upon. Songs like "Out on the Weekend" and "Harvest" don't seem a million miles away, to me, from the melancholy country-blues on his much more critically appreciated albums like On the Beach or Tonight's the Night. Apparently Young had to record much of the album with a neck brace on which is supposed to be responsible for the more laid back sound. I guess Young does "rock out" less on this album than the previous two albums and particularly his later ones. Only "Alabama" and "Words" are fully electric and even then they aren't his most energetic performances ever. It is actually an odd album, this one, in that it is better out of the context of being a Neil Young album. It was the first one I bought and if you listened to this album largely ignorant of Neil Young's work it may well really appeal to you. Once you hear the rest of his seventies albums, though, this album might jump to the back of your favourite Young albums. Whilst, song for song, it probably is better than Everybody Knows This is Nowhere or Zuma once you actually own all three you probably find yourself listening more to the latter two. I know that was the case with me. Thus this is an album that is actually better when not considered as a Neil Young album but in its own right. Well, what of the material on here? Like I intimated earlier, the highlight of this album is probably the opening two melancholy country numbers "Out on the Weekend" and the title track. To start your biggest selling album with the line "I think I'll pack it in and buy a pick-up" is certainly an ironic twist. I'd say the only number really primed for the top ten position is "Heart of Gold" which despite being a good song is mightily AOR. Young also returns, briefly, to his heavily arranged folk from the first album with the bombastic "A Man Needs a Maid" and "There's a World", both utilising the London Symphony Orchestra (and arranged by Jack Nitzsche). I'm not certain if the strings really improve "A Man Needs a Maid", as such a good song does not need to rely on its production. Young actually justifies the use of strings by claiming that Bob Dylan told him it sounded better. Given that this is a man that deliberately left "Blind Willie McTell" off Infidels, though, I wouldn't take his word as gospel. "There's a World" ain't much of a song to begin with and the strings only make things worse. Clearly the worst song on the album. By the way, Linda Ronstadt and James Taylor provide backing vocals to both "A Heart of Gold" and "Old Man" thereby upping the AOR ante quite considerably. Probably the best song on the album is the concise "The Needle and the Damage Down" about the perils of heroin abuse. Perhaps the romanticising of it ("every junkie's like a setting sun"), though, nullifies the point. It was also recorded live which was a trick Young was to repeat; putting a live song on a studio album that is. The final "Words (Between the Lines of Age)" is perhaps the most ambitious song on the album, going on for almost seven minutes. The change of tempo is interesting, though, and it has some good ragged guitar playing too. Oh, and for this album Young ditched Crazy Horse and recruited the Stray Gators instead. If there's any difference I guess the latter group are more country as opposed to the ragged rock of Crazy Horse. I'm strictly a Crazy Horse person myself, though. Well, anyway, the song writing on here is enough to suggest this could have been Young's best but his back injury meant he had to rely too much on external aid and thus, on occasions, the album leans a little too much into AOR territory. As it is, the record buying goons have made the genuine Young fans turn their backs on this album a tad too hastily for my liking.

For all you newcomers I am obliged to point out that this review has been added after this page was originally written. Thus, if you wish to read my rantings about Neil Young's stubborn refusal to release his best albums on CD then please refer to the On the Beach review below. Now this isn't quite On the Beach quality but it is still up there with the majority of his (CD issued) catalogue. I just can't understand why he doesn't release the handful of albums that are so far unavailable. Like On the Beach this is an absolutely pivotal release in his career. His first to abandon the polished country rock of the previous excursions and also one of the first albums, in general, to have been released to dissuade the fair-weather fans picked up from Harvest, After the Goldrush and his work with Mr. Crosby, Mr. Nash and Dr. Stills BA M(Phil). Of course, these days, every artist worth his/her/their salt releases "difficult" albums after their initial success (well, Radiohead anyway) but back then, as far as I know, only the most mercurial of talents, Bob Dylan, had attempted such career suicide previously. This is effectively a live album but using only new material. The songs themselves are a million miles away from the likes of "Heart of Gold" or "I Believe in You", being the kind of depressing, off-kilter rock songs he was to make his name with, but his voice is also knackered and the playing is satisfyingly ragged. In short, this is effectively the first of his "real" seventies records. To cap the wanton unprofessionalism off, the bootleg version I bought (although with plush packaging) is mastered a good two or three notches too low (meaning I have to play it at a much higher volume than all other albums). It was also obviously recorded from a rather battered old vinyl copy as it crackles like nobodies' business and even clicks now and again. It is as if Neil Young himself copied it. Anyway, none of this matters to you lot but I couldn't resist a whinge. Not that I regret buying it, though, as (regardless of mastering) I enjoy this album immensely. I honestly think Neil Young is one of the most genuine artists of the twentieth century. He ain't Dylan but he "speaks" to you far more than the likes of the (admittedly superior) David Bowie. Actually that's a good conflicting example, Young and Bowie: two of the best artists in twentieth century music, one utterly sincere and resonant and the other, after thirty plus years in the business, still a complete blank entity. Still, both ends of the spectrums have their own merits. Anyway, no more is Young genuine or sincere than on the stand-out track on here, "Don't Be Denied". If I was going to revise my Top 5 Songs That Make Me Cry this little beaut would be sitting pretty at numero uno. Over three verses he recalls his life story, starting with his moving house, to his first day at school, to forming his first band and eventually ending where he is now: "a millionaire through a businessman's eyes". It is maybe a little overly sentimental (I doubt he actually got a beating on his first day of school for wearing the wrong type of shoes) but it can't help but strike a chord. I don't want to go too far into an interpretation as I'm sure I'd be way out but, to me, it is one of the most affecting songs he has ever performed. The real problem with the album's low mastering is that I can't put it on a compilation tape for my car, as I would have to turn up the volume while driving and I'm hardly the most careful of drivers even in ideal circumstances. The hard-edged rock songs are interspersed throughout the album with brief piano ballads. "Journey Through the Past" (named after, although inexplicably not featured on, his film soundtrack) is probably the pick but "Love in Mind" and, to a lesser extent, "The Bridge" are still lovely, if slight, interludes. They are also perhaps enhanced by the complete lack of bombastic string arrangements. The album ends on an epic note with "Last Dance", another best track. An aggressive, yet rambling, rhetoric from Young with suitably ragged guitar playing without any particular long guitar solos. Dave Crosby also pops up at the end for a bit of his trademark impassioned yelping. Goddamn hippy. The title track, which opens the album, is an up-tempo slice of country-ish rock'n'roll with jaunty yet desolate lyrics about junkies and hangers-on and the like. I think it was just before this tour that Danny Whitten died an' all. Clearly Young was not in the best of states when he recorded this album and it really shows. Shows in a fascinatingly excellent way, that is. The only real gripe is that the unprofessionalism does make this something of a "diamond in the rough" affair. "Yonder Stands the Sinner" is definitely the weakest track (a not hugely memorable rocker) and although "LA" features a haunting chorus ("city of the smog") it is hardly one of Young's greatest songs. Actually I wrote an answer on my Geography GCSE paper about LA. And he's quite right, it does suffer problems with smog. And fresh water as well, if my memory serves me correct. And I tell you who else suffers problems: Neil Young's CD catalogue. When oh when will the bastard release gems like this for those of us unfortunate enough not to have been a record-buying consumer in the early seventies?

NB. Those "kings among men" bootleggers included a bonus album on my CD calling itself Chrome Dreams. It purports to be the album Young planned to release before he eventually released American Stars 'N' Bars. Therefore, it effectively consists of a wad of material from American Stars 'N' Bars polished off with a few alternate versions (well, live tracks without the applause) of "Pocahontas", "Too Far Gone", "Captain Kennedy" and "Stringman". Clearly there isn't much point in me reviewing it as the vast majority of you won't own it and it is basically just a slightly different version of American Stars 'N' Bars; which is reviewed below. That said, it is probably a bit better than its latter incarnation as "Captain Kennedy", "Stringman" and, of course, "Pocahontas" are all pretty fine efforts.

[Please note, I've upgraded this album from 9* to 10* after realising it is one of my all-time favourite albums (easily top 5) and almost certainly Young's best (although still not absolute classic status). I haven't edited the review, though, as it was always immensely complimentary.]

I've written, what, four reviews now (plus the introduction) and I've yet to touch upon the Neil Young=bastard theme. Now I realise he probably ain't a bastard in the Bob Dylan sense (who on earth is?) and that story Prindle told about him looking after his mentally disabled kid is genuinely touching and I really would like to believe that if I ever met him he wouldn't be a complete shit to me but, publicly at least, he really is a contrary bastard. And nothing is better evidence than this album. Basically, you might read this review and decide to look for it in the shops but you ain't gonna find it. For that bastard Neil Young has refused to issue it on CD, along with a few other of his albums from the seventies (American Stars 'n Bars, Journey Through the Past and Time Fades Away at least). And even more so than the others the refusal to release this is nothing short of mean. (I was lucky enough to copy it from a friend who bought it as a bootleg.) For this is one of Young's very best albums. In a complete reversal to Harvest it is an album that is most appealing to the hardened Neil Young fan. Apart from the engaging, if lightweight, swagger of the opening "Walk On" every other track on here is depressing, intense blues. Well, more or less. "Revolution Blues" (about the Manson murders), I guess, is quite pacy and bubbling over with vitriol. I love the ambiguity of the last line about the valley being full of lots of favourite stars and "I hate them more than lepers and I'll kill them in their cars." Is Young sympathising with Manson over the repulsive culture of Hollywood? I guess not but, still, the way he really spits out the words is superb. For the rest of the album Young sticks firmly to one subject: himself. Well, how terrible it is to be him after his commercial success. I bet you think you know what's coming now. Another of my patented rants against moaning rock stars. Funny thing is, though, I almost feel sorry for him. The acknowledgement on the title track of "I know my problems are meaningless but that don't make them go away" is a perfect summation of his position. "Ambulance Blues" is probably a lengthier thesis on his "terrible" life but I don't think he ever sums it up better than that one line. The title track is probably the best song on the album and one of my all-time favourite Neil Young songs. It is dreadfully melancholy and depressing but it contains just enough of a melody to keep you hooked. In particularly the chorus-ish bit when he sings "now I'm livin' out on the beach" in a touching falsetto. For the most part it revolves around the lines "the world is turning, hope it don't turn away" and "I need a crowd of people but I can't face them day to day". All in all, the most successful rock star whinge ever. "See the Sky About to Rain" is one of the better numbers (although all are, at the very least, good) with its minimalist arrangement relying mainly on a sole keyboard and slide guitar. "For the Turnstiles" utilises a banjo, from a man who chastises hicks, whilst lyrically it deals with comparisons of Young and a baseball player. Evaluatively? Well, it's pretty good. "Vampire Blues" (as the name suggests) is the most straightforward blues on the album although it has a nice lead part to it, imitating a mandolin. I really can't think how to describe this album as a whole. Artistically it is probably one of Young's boldest, and best, statements. "Understated" is a good word, I guess. "Great" would be another but perhaps "melancholy" sums it up best. The last three songs I've seen referred to as the best side of music Young ever produced. I'm not really an expert but I think, "On the Beach" apart, and despite being good songs, that is maybe overdoing it. "Motion Picture", again, is wistfully melancholy but doesn't give me a lot of remember about it. Apart from, bizarrely, the congas backing him up. "Ambulance Blues" is a great song but maybe, just maybe, a tad self-indulgent. The violin accompaniment adds an extra dimension but the lyrics don't sum up his sentiments as concisely as "On the Beach". Still a great song, though. Make no mistake. In summary: an "understated", "melancholy" and "great" album and one really for the enthusiasts more than anyone. Shame that Neil has to be such a bastard about it, though. Tell you what: if you live in Britain and are desperate for a copy give me an email (at the usual address) and I can probably send you a copy for cost price. And, Neil Young, if you're thinking of setting up a sting to catch me out why don't you send me an email, instead, listing the reasons why you have refused to issue this on CD. Personally I can only think of one and it involves the words "Neil", "Young", "is", "an", "awkward" and "bastard". You get me?

Given the unprofessional and slip-shod manner in which Young's seventies material was released it will come as little surprise to learn that this album was in fact recorded before On the Beach. Apparently the record company were none too happy about issuing this rather uncommercial album so Young issued the equally uncommercial On the Beach instead; probably just to spite them. As it happened, a couple of years after it was recorded Young's friends finally persuaded him to release this. And, furthermore, Young has even allowed us members of the CD generation the opportunity to own it. First, though, a look at the Rock 'n' Roll Dictionary: Exile on Main Street (n) = an album recorded in a sloppy and unprofessional manner, eg. Draw the Line is Aerosmith's Exile on Main Street. And yes, Tonight's the Night is Neil Young's Exile on Main Street. That is to say, a sloppy and impulsive record that is really best considered as a whole. That's not to say the songs don't stand up in their own right as, unlike with Draw the Line or even the unparalleled Exile on Main Street, on this album the songs certainly do. The atmosphere and ambience of the album is unique to Young's canon, however. It is actually a loose concept album as two of Young's associates (and friends, presumably), roadie Bruce Berry and Crazy Horse guitarist Danny Whitten, died of drugs overdoses. Not all of the songs document it but the album still has the same relaxed melancholy to it. The title track actually details Young learning of Berry's death in a starkly honest account. The title track is actually on here twice in two different, although not wildly dissimilar, versions. There's not much of a contrast between them but I guess the album closes on that note more for conceptual reasons. Perhaps just a reprise would have been sufficient, though, rather than going through the whole song again. It is a trick, though, that Young would perfect on a later album. Speaking of Young's tricks of the trade he also, on this album, includes a live track. This time a piece written and featuring lead vocals by Danny Whitten himself. Ironically enough the song is actually about scoring drugs but I'm sure Young was aware of the irony. It's a cracking song, actually. Definitely the most rock 'n' roll number on here. This album is seen as a bit of a foray into pure rock 'n' roll for Young. To an extent it probably is but the country influence is still strongly felt, "Roll Another Number (for the Road)" probably being the biggest culprit. It is interesting to note that Young is actually celebrating the use of marijuana but then I suppose it is fallacious to associate it with hard drugs anyway. Apparently large quantities of tequila were also consumed in the making of this album. It does seem a little odd that after two of his friends dying of overdoses Young should seek comfort in other, albeit milder, drugs. Well, you can't complain when he produces an album of this quality. Again it occupies an odd position in relation to critical opinion. Some think it his best, some think it overrated. Me? I think it one of his best. An intriguing and involving album. The first half is near-immaculate although the album does tail off a little towards the end. "Lookout Joe" ain't anything special and "Tired Eyes" is clearly the worst song on here. It sounds a little dreary and Young comes across as a bit preachy: "was he a heavy doper or was he just a loser?". Still, I guess he has due cause to criticise heroin users. "Mellow My Mind" is perhaps my favourite song on here. The vocal performance is wholly unprofessional, his voice cracks hopelessly when he tries to reach the high notes for the chorus, but it is an utterly endearing song. "Speakin' Out" is a sort of laid back country rock song that is surely one of the peaks of the genre, whilst "World on a String" speeds things up a bit but without lowering the quality. "Borrowed Tune" is a nice little song but then it's bound to be considering he pinched it straight from the Stones' equally nice "Lady Jane". He is big enough to admit it in the lyrics (and the title itself) but even so he is bold (or cheeky) enough to give himself sole song writing credits. The album as a whole is a real gem. One of Young's most intriguing, and best, albums. An Exile on Main Street but with great individual songs to boot. And that's something special.

Apparently this album is most noticeable for the fact that Young was able to successfully replicate the sound and tone of his guitar from his live gigs. Big. Fucking. Wow. I mean you do notice it but it is hardly something to base a review of an album around. The guitar tone probably does pave the way for a more rock-edged sound than some of his previous albums. Certainly this album and Tonight's the Night are two of his most rock 'n' roll albums. He's still lovin' his country but thankfully he occasionally lets slip some truly great melodies meaning, for the most part, you don't really notice it. If After the Gold Rush was indicative of his early career then this album probably best sums up his mid-seventies material. Rock 'n' roll with country leanings, in summary. "Lookin' for a Love" and "Barstool Blues" are two of his great "rock 'n' roll" songs with gorgeous melodies and suitably energetic performances to match. "Lookin' for a Love", in particular, is probably my all-time favourite Neil Young song. The little repetitive riff that drives it along is so infectious, a magnificent hook, and the melody for the chorus is just fantastic. Really, really fantastic. I really like the lyrics as well. He plays it simple and for once you can actually identify with the man. I realise some of you who already know this song will be saying: "but it's just a twee country song" but what can I say? I love it. Oh, and the bit right at the end when Young sings the last line in a higher key. Oh, and the harmonies on the chorus. Yeah, what a song. "Barstool Blues" isn't quite as good, although still great, with Young really straining himself for the choruses. In contrast to those two rather off-beat country-rock gems there are two guitar epics, "Danger Bird" and the infamous "Cortez the Killer". They are both great songs although perhaps lacking the appeal of the two aforementioned charmers. To tell the truth, I'm not that plussed with "Cortez the Killer". With regard to the intro in particular, I see what Young is trying to do, what with the layers of guitars and all that, but it seems maybe a little...flaccid. Yet I've listed it as a great track - I'm crazy, I am. I don't really see "Danger Bird" being a million miles behind in terms of quality. The backing vocals improve its grandiosity and the slow melody is not without its power. Well, both are great songs (although "Cortez the Killer" is perhaps a mite overrated) but the real point I'm trying to make is that I prefer the less well-known country rock classics. The opening "Don't Cry No Tears" is also a bit of melodic country rock, I guess. Again, a great little number with a memorable melody. Young also throws on a couple of acoustic ballads. The closing "Through My Sails" actually features Crosby, Stills and Nash on backing vocals but I reckon I prefer the ultimately more memorable "Pardon My Heart". Neither are highlights on the album but both make nice excursions. To be honest I probably could have awarded this 9* without much soul-searching but I reckon I can get by giving it 8*. The reason? Well, "Stupid Girl" and "Drive Back" are both fairly generic rock songs that bring little to the album. I suppose they show off Young's rock 'n' roll credentials, particularly with his new improved guitar tone, but not much else. To cap it all off: a good rock 'n' roll album from Young but, in my humble opinion, the best tracks are not the ones that get the most attention. Yeah you heard me: "Lookin' for a Love" is better, BETTER I tell you, than "Cortez the Killer". Take that.

So we reach unissued album no. 3 thus far (I'm counting Journey Through the Past more as a soundtrack than a full album - after all it only contains one new song and that's on Decade) and again it is another really good album. However, not as good, it has to be said, as the rest of Young's seventies catalogue. This is often regarded as the weakest of his pre-eighties albums (which, by all accounts, are very weak themselves) but it don't seem much poorer to me. It is testament to Neil's productivity and creativity that this should be the weakest of his albums up to this point as it really isn't very weak at all. Perhaps it could have slipped down to 7* but I don't think it is anywhere near as mediocre as some would have it and, more importantly, I don't want to lose my "Neil Young never made a less-than-great album for ten years" hypothesis. So let's give this 8* but claim that it is a weaker 8* than Zuma or Time Fades Away. The main problem with the album is that its structure is a bit messy (rare for a Young album) and the overall quality of songs is a little inconsistent. The first side aims at pure country rock. Some are slow, acoustic numbers whilst others are electric rockers. The second side is dominated by the extravagant "Will to Love" and "Like a Hurricane" and both come as somewhat of a shock after the preceding six tracks. It is also noticeable that some songs come from completely different sessions. "Will to Love" and "Like a Hurricane" sound like they belong on a different album and "Star of Bethlehem" dates from the Harvest era. Still, some of the country stuff is still pretty strong. The opening "The Old Country Waltz" is an appropriately lackadaisical...er, country waltz. It is quite clever that the lyrics should be about the jukebox playing an old country waltz when the song itself is a country waltz. Clever, see? It is the only really excellent song on the first half. I'm going to rile some hardened Young fans, now, and argue that the hopelessly banal "Hey Babe" is actually a good song. Every time it starts I'm thinking "what a nice song this is" and then the tepid "love song" lyrics come in and I realise that I'm supposed to hate it. Well I don't hate it. The steel guitar accompaniment is neat-o and the melody, I reckon, is actually quite nice (if a little simple). Besides Youngy (as he doesn't like to be called) probably only wrote it to piss off his hardcore fans. Ain't that nice - he writes "difficult" songs to put off fair-weather fans and banal songs to irk his hard-core fans. What a truly appreciative man. The electric "Saddle Up the Palomino" I can take, "Hold Back the Tears" is pretty good (apart from the high-register female vox) but "Bite the Bullet" is a dumb rocker. Even if the lyrics are tongue-in-cheek the song itself is rather dull. At this point we have a rather patchy first half, what on earth could save this album? Howsabout Young's most artistically ambitious song (perhaps ever) and another corking Crazy Horse guitar workout. And I'll throw in a nice country tune and we can forget the throwaway "Homegrown". Hmm, that sounds like my cup of tea. "Will to Love", lyrically, is crazy. He basically draws an analogy between himself as a performer and a fish. Yes, a fish. But he uses some cool echo effects to make his voice go all watery. I ain't so sure on the background noise, it sounds like a camp-fire, but musically it is a pretty sound venture. There's a few nice touches thrown in, like when he sings about being a singer on a stage and a perfectly timed piano crops up in the background. It is preeeeeeetty pretentious but let's forgive him that. "Like a Hurricane", on the other hand, is just another rocker which does exactly what it says on the tin. Rocks like a hurricane. It ain't quite "Cowgirl in the Sand" but it is definitely as intense and has a surprisingly good melody for what could have been an excuse to just wail on the ol' six-string. If you've got Decade you'll already by familiar with it. You'll also be familiar with "Star of Bethlehem" which is one of the best, if not the best, acoustic tracks on the album. The album finishes with "Homegrown" which is short and silly but not entirely without worth. So, a bit pick'n'mix this one. Mostly it is good but the sloppy feel doesn't do it many favours and a couple of the country rockers are a bit duff. Still, if you think I'm too generous bear in mind it at least means I don't have to re-write part of my introduction.

I'd like you to meet Mr. Greatest Hits package. That's right, after ten years (hence the name) Mr. Young decided it was time to give the fans another financial flogging and released a greatest hits package. Oh OK, I'm being a bit harsh, there really ain't much wrong with greatest hits packages, as long as they are done properly. And this one certainly is. It is also almost as essential as greatest hits packages get. Not just because Young has so many albums behind him, at this stage, but also because of the material on here that isn't otherwise available. And, furthermore, not just because of his refusal to release his albums on CD. This was also one of the first packages of its kind to include rarities on it, to ensure all the material on here isn't available elsewhere. Obviously everyone now does it, as it means you can flog greatest hits packages to even hard-core fans who already have all the albums. Perhaps the area Young was most pioneering in was ripping people off. Again I'm joking as, providing you ain't paying too much, this is still a useful CD to purchase. Of the material from the albums I've reviewed selected on here Young is fairly uncontroversial. The best cuts from Neil Young and Everybody Knows are selected (including the two masterful guitar epics from the latter album) although I'm surprised After the Gold Rush's "Tell Me Why" isn't on here. Harvest gets a fair few cuts but nothing unusual. I like "Out on the Weekend" but it ain't considerably better than "Harvest" or "Old Man" which are both included here. Tonight's the Night and On the Beach do suffer from a somewhat questionable selection, however. I guess "Walk On" is quite commercial but "For the Turnstiles" I rate as one of the lesser tracks on the album. Even if you disregard "Revolution Blues" for its controversial subject matter I still would have thought "On the Beach" or "See the Sky About to Rain" would have been better choices. Similarly, I guess it makes sense to include the title track from Tonight's the Night but "Tired Eyes"? I don't see the logic there. "Speakin' Out" would have been nice but surely the most obvious choice would have been "World on a String"? "Cortez the Killer" is understandably Zuma's sole representative. Well, what of the other material? Thankfully Young also includes material from other bands he's played in rather than just his solo output. That means the first CD starts off with Buffalo Springfield material with the rock 'n' roll "Mr Soul" and the magnificent epic "Broken Arrow" being the picks. Proof that Young's solo career perhaps unfairly obscures what a good band Buffalo Springfield were in their own right. They certainly had their moments. In terms of his CSN&Y work the excellent "Helpless" from Deja Vu closes the first CD whilst the almost as excellent "Ohio" from So Far opens the second CD. The album ends with a decent, if unspectacular, cut from his collaboration with Stephen Stills, "Long May You Run", from the album of the same name. What of the unreleased material? Well this is slightly different from when it was originally released as vinyl as, now, we have to class material from the likes of Time Fades Away and Journey Through the Past as unreleased (and On the Beach, I guess). There's a couple of early cuts, "I Am a Child" (pleasant) and "Sugar Mountain". On Prindle's site he launches into a tirade against "Sugar Mountain" and I can see his point. It isn't terrible but it goes on for almost seven minutes and it is hopelessly saccharine and, well, sugary. I think it is a metaphor for childhood but who cares when the lyrics are as banal as they are here. On the second CD, the haunting "Soldier" is from Journey Through the Past whilst "Star of Bethlehem" is included amongst the Harvest-era songs. The completely unreleased "Winterlong" is a good melodic rock song whilst "Like a Hurricane" (from American Stars 'N' Bars) is one Young's very best guitar epics. "Deep Forbidden Lake", "Love is a Rose" and "Campaigner" are all acoustic folky songs that are good to a greater or lesser extent. Richard Nixon actually gets name-checked twice on the second CD alone, in a bad way on "Ohio" and a good way on "Campaigner". Go figure. Well, on that note, let's call it a day (or review). Due to the fact that Young is an awkward bastard and is currently withholding some of his albums from being released on CD this compilation is actually more useful to the discerning fan now than it was when it was first released. And if you aren't a discerning fan and just like compilations then this is as fine as they come.

This album must rank as one of Young's most unusual albums. Wanna know why? Because he plays it safe. Nothing adventurous or artistically outlandish, just ten straight (predominantly acoustic) folk/country songs with a touch of orchestral arrangements. And therefore Neil Young's most straight-forward album is also one of his strangest. After the rip-roaring adventure of his seventies output Young clearly felt he wanted a bit more commercial success (which no doubt delighted the record companies) so he returned to the basic formula that made After the Gold Rush and particularly Harvest such commercially popular albums in the early seventies. This album might actually rank as the most predominantly country album he had ever done. Banjos are used on a couple of tracks ("Comes a Time" and "Human Highway" - both two of the more lightweight tracks on the album) and he duets with Nicolette Larson on a few tracks, echoing Emmylou Harris' backing vocals on Gram Parsons' albums. Thus this album is equally cursed and blessed. The compositions are all consistently strong (unlike American Stars 'N' Bars) but the arrangement, while subtle and interesting at times, gives the album a very glossy and bland feel. I don't think I'm alone in thinking Young's ragged compositions are generally his most interesting and there is not a single such number on here. On the other hand, he does stay clear of "There's a World"'s bombastic arrangement and no song is as weak an example of song-writing as that one. Still, the album as a whole is less interesting than Harvest and there are fewer stand-out moments. Crazy Horse feature on only two tracks which are both, coincidently enough, two of the best. "Look Out for My Love" features a surprisingly subtle arrangement from the band with them gradually coming in as the song progresses. The intriguing arrangement perfectly complements the accomplished song-writing and I'm certainly in little doubt that it is the overall best number on here. On the other hand the band are barely noticeable on "Lotta Love" but, again, it is simply a well-written composition. The slightly saccharine "Already One" is also evidence of strong song-writing. I guess the lyrics are at least heartfelt, Young acknowledging the fact that his divorce from his wife won't separate them completely because of their son. An album is unlikely to go by, though, without Young addressing his artistic situation and in this case it is the nice, but slight, "Field of Opportunity". The opening "Goin' Back" features one of the fuller arrangements (with an orchestra) but its lyrics are a little obtuse and the composition as a whole is one of the weaker tracks on here. Similarly, the album ends with a cover, "Four Strong Winds", and while it is no doubt an appropriate end it, again, hardly grabs your attention. And that reflects the problem with the album as whole: while it is perfectly professional and solid it sometimes fails to really grab the attention. You can certainly see why this was another of Young's most commercially popular albums. Heaven forbid, the public should like something artistically challenging. Anyway, this is shaken off somewhat with the surprising inclusion of "Motorcycle Mama", an electric number with Larsson's vocals imitating black soul music, like some of the sixties divas (Aretha Franklin or Carla Thomas, for example) or Mary Clayton's "Gimme Shelter" performance. Just the sheer difference of it means it grabs the attention, although it is not quite one of Young's best songs. Other than that number you could quite easily imagine this album signified Young's intent to see out his career in MOR commercial country territory. Thankfully, this is Neil Young we're dealing with and nothing could be further from the truth.

And thus Neil Young' perfect decade comes to an end. Some even regard this album as the very peak of Young's career as well. I just can't quite see it, myself. It is one of his best albums, and an artistic peak (relatively late in his career as well), but some of the songs do let the side down a little. It actually follows a similar pattern to Tonight's the Night with two versions of the same song beginning and ending the album and a loose concept about how an artist's reach should always out-stretch its grasp. Or along those lines. Something to do with artists and burning out and whatever. Bizarrely the material on here is all taken from various live concerts (presumably on his Live Rust tour which has its own album) but with the audience noise muted out. Unfortunately the technology wasn't enough to allow Young to prevent the audience being heard during songs but there is no applause between songs. Thus we all know the songs are live performances but are also acutely aware that the audience has been muted between songs. It certainly gives the album a half-arsed feel to it which isn't particularly beneficial. I should also mention that the first half (up to and including "Sail Away") is acoustic whilst for the last four songs Crazy Horse enter the fray and give the album a curious, and innovative, proto-grunge play out. Indeed, this is sometimes referred to as the first grunge album although, personally, I'd say Kick Out the Jams was. As if being first grunge album is much of an honour in the first place. Anyway, and speaking of which, do you recognise the quoted lyric, above? If you are one of those self-wallowing grunge fans you no doubt will because they are the very words that Kurt Cobain ended his suicide note with. Which, I'm sure, is not what Young intended when he actually wrote them. Curiously the lyrics refer to Johnny Rotten who did exactly the opposite and faded out so now all you see of him is on talking heads programmes and half-arsed Sex Pistols' reunions. Surely Sid Vicious would have been more appropriate although the very notion of him as an artist is ludicrous. And no-one's even heard of Glen Matlock (who wrote the songs). Surely someone like Johnny Thunders would have been more appropriate. An artist who, more than anyone, lived and died for rock 'n' roll. Where was I? Well, the opening track "My My, Hey Hey" is a great song. Even better is the thumping and corrosive latter electric version that ends the album. Like I said on the Tonight's the Night review, this represents the finest moment of that particular trick. It's hard to say which half of the album is better, the acoustic or electric. The electric features what are probably the two weakest tracks, "Welfare Mothers" and "Sedan Delivery". The unique manner in which they are delivered, though, makes them, at the very least, interesting. The pulsating "Sedan Delivery", in particular, is played to such an extreme (with the two interchanging tempos) that it actually renders the song almost incomprehensible. Still there is one great electric song on here and maybe the best of the lot, namely "Powderfinger". With this song Young reaches his story-telling peak as a lyricist. You can really picture the scene and feel the emotions that the lad goes through. Furthermore, the melody is simply stunning. Easily one of Young's finest ever compositions. Whilst the acoustic numbers don't reach the heights set by that number they are ultimately more consistent; apart from maybe "Sail Away" which is a bit slight. "Thrasher" is probably the best, other than "My My, Hey Hey", again with some good story telling. It actually makes me think of Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath although I don't really know why. I like the sentiments of leaving the big city for a new life, though. Like "Sedan Delivery", "Ride My Llama" suffers a bit from Young changing its structure too readily. It does have some good hooks, though. And it is amusing to hear the audience trying to clap along, as Young immediately changes the structure yet again, as if just to spite them. And finally there is "Pocahontas". A nice song, about Indians, that inexplicably features Marlon Brando. Oh hang on, maybe it was because he sent that Indian boy, who wasn't really an Indian, to collect his oscar for the Godfather. I just thought of that. Funny, isn't it, how things only appear to you after you write them down. Well, it's a nice song anyway. Well as nice as a song about a massacre can be. Sorry, I've gone on a bit so I'll round up. Basically, this is another of Young's great (although not quite classic) albums. I'd recommend it to anyone. Even you.

Of course the good thing about Young's refusal to issue some of his albums on CD is that self-confessed record collectors like myself who refuse to accept or make CDRs on the grounds that they spoil the sentiments of a collection can download themselves copies of the unreleased albums, burn off a copy and spend many a boring hour creating some sort of cover art to make the CD look as real as possible. And, for this album (another of Young's non-CD-issued records), that is precisely what I did. And I actually think I did a pretty fine job of it too, with at least bootleg quality artwork. My only real problem was that I think the version of "Captain Kennedy" I settled for is not the full version on the original Hawks & Doves album. The internet discographies list it as being almost five minutes long whereas the only version I could find is the Chrome Dreams version which lasts less than three. That said, the proper retail bootlegs that I've seen for this album also have the shorter version. Anyway, to business. This was of course Young's first album of the eighties and the beginning of his slide into shitness that he wallowed in for the rest of the decade. Now I'm sure it isn't as bad as his synth-pop experiments or his retro rockabilly but this sure as hell ain't another of his unique artistic statements. What this appears to be is a hodgey-podgey mix of country numbers, half electric and half acoustic. To add to the general lazy, half-arsed feel the first half of the album, the acoustic numbers, are mainly songs that Young wrote earlier in the seventies but never materialised on his official albums. On the other hand, the entirety of the second half is made up with generic electric country numbers which show definite signs of at least a tiredness in his writing, if not quite a laziness. Understandably, it is the first half of the album that provides any insistence of artistic achievement. On the other hand, the first side has only four songs and the long, rambling number ("The Old Homestead") hardly stands up with the best of Young's acoustic epics ("Will to Love", "Ambulance Blues", "Last Trip to Tulsa", etc.). That said, it is still far preferable to the cuts on the latter half of the album. If we're talking strict artistic merit it is mainly "Little Wing" and "Captain Kennedy" that warrant a listening. The opening "Little Wing" ain't a Jimi Hendrix cover (although using the same name seems a little cheeky) but it is still a really good song. Young's vocals sound a little tired but that only adds to the whimsical charm of the song. "Captain Kennedy" is a nice (if dark) folk song about a sailer/soldier. It involves killing, anyway. And although not quite up to the quality of the aforementioned duo, "Lost in Space", has a fragile charm to it (particularly the desperate sounding "live with me" lines). It features an inexplicable section in the middle, however, with kids singing a Disney-style tune with electronically treated vocals. A really odd touch and one that decreases the overall quality of the song. At any rate, the first half is still a satisfactory side of material and not a massive come-down from the likes of Comes a Time. In a disappointing repeat of Rust Never Sleeps, however, Neil opts for a contrasting second half of electric numbers. Unfortunately the addition of a band add precisely nothing, and none of the songs rise above mediocrity. To be fair to Young I think he was suffering family problems at the time (his son was mentally/physically disabled, I forget which) and therefore the songs mainly deal with sticking together and persevering. Whilst I appreciate the heartfelt sincerity of the likes of "Stayin' Power" and "Coastline" they simply aren't very good songs; mainly generic country rock. There is only one real clunker, however, namely "Union Man". Aiming at a similar social satire as "Welfare Mothers" from the previous album Young delivers a tongue-in-cheek account of the laziness and stupidity of workers' unions. Even if the lyrics are exceptionally clever (which I doubt) the comic vocal delivery and silly arrangement leaves one almost embarrassed and definitely unimpressed. And although the rest ain't that bad I think the cost of a blank CDR is about the right price for this album. Clearly Young was artistically jaded after such an amazing ten years and problems at home add up to a disappointingly inconsistent album and definite proof that the golden days of Neil Young's career had temporarily departed.

Old man take a look at yourself, you're no longer a lot like me. After writing the majority of this page (although not long after) I realised that Neil Young is the artist that I probably most identify with. As I've added above, On the Beach is the album, more than any other, that I find the most emotionally resonant. Obviously, though, I am referring to Neil Young as artist rather than an actual human being. I'm not going to stalk him or tearfully embrace him as a spiritual brother if I ever met him but in terms of resonance and emotional identification I sympathise closely with the majority of his works. Not any more, though. This album is often held up as a late classic of Young's (although 1989's Freedom is usually pinpointed as the return to form) and, musically at least, it seems a sound enough statement. Young was well into his forties when he wrote and recorded this album and, as always, he doesn't shy away from his personal situation. Most of the songs are obviously the work of a middle-aged man, celebrating his love for his old lady, fondly reminiscing about his youthful glory, and eulogising his dead dog. The general consensus is that most of his nineties albums are actually pretty solid which is an impressive achievement given the tendency of most sixties and seventies relics to lose their artistic touch after their glory years peter out. Young's vocals are also as good as ever which, again, would have most of his peers casting envious glances. This album is often regarded as the follow-up to Harvest (the clue is in the title) but I hardly think it is a clear-cut affair. It is less ambitious in its scope (after Young's genre confusion in the eighties) but its modesty is also the key to its success. I guess the fact that the Stray Gators return to the fore echoes Harvest but the arrangements on here are mainly acoustic based and only at times sound like his unfairly critically savaged watershed release. Comes a Time is a more accurate comparison, if you ask me, although the musical themes on this album are more varied. The songwriting is certainly as strong as Comes a Time although not every song is a veritable masterpiece. The silly hicky tribute to his dead dog "Old King" is an irritating inclusion, the pompous "War of Man" is too preachy and not clever enough to avoid obvious accusations of pretentiousness and the sentimental "Dreamin' Man" suffers from a weak melody and a rather odd ambience. A lot of the melodies on here are top notch, though, and certainly warrant this album being hailed as evidence of a second wind in Young's career. "From Hank to Hendrix" is simply superb, a beautiful country-tinged melody supports probably the best lyrics on the album - a rose-tinted look-back over his life, focusing on his wife and career. The title track is also a lovely country ballad, more traditional in style but no less affecting. "One of These Days" is another track that features above-par lyrics about writing a letter to his old friends that he's made along the way. It is probably slightly rose-tinted from Young's perspective, I always think the line "I know I've let some goods things go" sounds like he meant to say "I know I've let some people down", and I also think the "one of these days" line is an implicit acknowledgement that he probably won't actually get round to doing it. The only attempt to match his more ambitious albums is the final ten minute track "Natural Beauty" which, like all his long rambling epics, I really like. Lyrically I've absolutely no idea what he is on about but it is by far and away the most musically interesting track on the album. The rippling piano of "Such a Woman" is also very atmospheric, even if the melody is not one of the strongest. I do like the themes of reminiscing but I just get the feeling that this is more aimed at his contemporary, middle-American fans. A song like "Unknown Legend" is far too trite for my liking and does not fit in with my conception of Young's artistic persona being harsher and more complex. I'm also hardly likely to dig songs about the joy of growing old with a loving partner. And I hate dogs. Of course, if I identify so much with his work as a twenty-something chances are I'll appreciate this album more when I reach my mid-forties. I'll get back to you in twenty years then.