Neil Young's new release ""World Record" w/ Crazy Horse is now available for pre-order. Order here (Please shop locally & independently. But if you can't, we appreciate your supporting Thrasher's Wheat by clicking this link
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As we noted in comments at the time, some rusties initial reaction was a bit on the tepid side -- which was similar to BARN, where it started off sort of slow but then grew in intensity as the tracks
spooled out.
I figured reactions on this track would be across the
spectrum, though it's been successful with people I've shared it with so
far.
I hear somewhere between Sleeps with Angels and Chrome Dreams II.
That's a good place, in case anyone was unclear. Best NY album of the
'90s crossed with his best album of the '00s by my reckoning. The vibe
is spiritual, almost New Age-ish in its ambiance. Call it Earth Age: a
genre Neil and friends are in the process of inventing.
In view
of mixed responses, I feel as though my point about the virtues of a
"quiet beginning" may bear elaboration. The tendency, with many albums
and artists, is to start off the album with something loud and/or fast
to immediately draw the listener in. Nothing inherently wrong with that,
but with art, there's always more than one way of doing it.
Although
it's obviously premature to judge 'World Record', Neil has a history
with starting albums slower, gentler, mellow even. Examples: 'Out on the
Weekend' from Harvest; 'Separate Ways' from Homegrown; 'The Emperor of
Wyoming' from the first album; 'My Heart' from Sleeps with Angels;
'Beautiful Bluebird' from Chrome Dreams II; 'Song of the Seasons' from
Barn. There are others. Some are predominantly sad or melancholy, others
a little happier. All are quite simple statements, expressed softly,
essentially easing the listener comfortably into the "space" of the
songs, the zone, the quiet, contemplative frame of mind that's conducive
to feeling music.
A flash of lightning is much more noticeable
when it's dark out. In the same way, even the loudest, heaviest sounds
have much more impact with ambiance, if there's a clean space around
them to receive, absorb, and reverberate the noise. One classic album
that starts gently and reflectively is John Lennon's 'Imagine'. No one
would describe it as upbeat, obvious hit single material, but it
immediately captures the listener's ear. Some would say it takes your
breath away.
That's not to compare the two songs per se, or to
imply that Young and/or Lennon always take this approach to beginning
albums (though both artists revisit the idea a number of times), but to
say that what I appreciate about 'Imagine' does coalesce, in some form,
in 'Love Earth.' And it's not just the piano, although the sound of that
instrument is simultaneously delicate and resonant in a way that makes
sense for this kind of song. The piano is an effect, so to speak, rather
than a cause.
It's the combination of earnest sentiment and
musical tentativeness, the reminder to relax and take a few deep breaths
before diving into things, grounding and centering. It's the feeling of
floating on slow, clear water in the shadow of a willow tree.
Basically, it's about meditation, clearing the mind and heart in a way
that gets us ready to fully receive the music.
If none of this
airy talk resonates with some folks, they should at least take heart in
that the remainder of the album may well sound completely different.
When 'Barn' came out, the first two songs we got were 'Song of the
Seasons' and 'Heading West', two tracks that couldn't be more in
different in almost all respects. Maybe the next offering from 'World
Record' will be a crunchy Horse workout. Or maybe it has Neil on pump
organ and marxophone.
You never know until you hear it.
Thank you Meta Rocker for the keen insights here. It is a bit of deja vu and the initial reaction to BARN back in 2021. And Dionys' followup comment fits in well here for further discussion, as well.
(now available for pre-order here. Please shop locally & independently. But if you can't, we appreciate your supporting Thrasher's Wheat by clicking this link
or YOUR COUNTRY's FLAG up @ top. Thank you!!!)
Produced by Rick Rubin at Shangri-La studios in Malibu, CA, the 11-song
album sounds very
different from previous Crazy Horse albums. Primarily, only two of the songs
feature Neil's electric guitar -- other tracks were recorded
acoustically and with unusual arrangements of the instruments. (see interview onNeil Young & Rick Rubin Tease Their New Music For Jack White | Broken Record) According to the credits, Neil Young even plays a zither-like "Marxophone".
"World Record contains a wealth of wisdom, and the kind of
poignant observations one can only be collected over an eventful life.
The iconoclastic songwriter reminisces with gratitude about the gifts
the Earth has given him and sets his sights on an uncertain future with
hope that we can right this big, blue and green ship. He does so in a
vital and unyielding fashion.
There’s affecting folk (This Old Planet (Changing Days), Love Earth), pummeling rock (Break The Chain, The World (Is In Trouble Now)), and a monumental, classic Crazy Horse
guitar odyssey in which he pays tribute to his relationship with cars
while asserting the necessity of a fossil-fuel-free future (Chevrolet). World Record
is a cohesive vision that spreads positive energy while not flinching
from our present situation. As Young himself said in a message on the Times-Contrarian during the making of World Record: “Real magic lasts and we think we have it.”
Recorded
live in order to wrangle the Horse’s long-running spirit of
spontaneous, collaborative, and electrifying performance, the album was
mixed to analog tape at Shangri-La under Rubin’s sage
guidance. The quality of the resulting listening experience sets fans
directly on the studio floor as Young and the legendary band do what
they do best.
To optimize audio quality, the vinyl format of World Record
will be released as a three-sided double album with an etching on side
four. There will also be a limited-edition version of the album pressed
on clear vinyl — a first in Young’s body of work — available via Young’s
webstore and indie retailers. World Record will also be issued on cassette and as a double CD set (mirroring the track sequence of the double LP). All Greedy Hand Store purchases of World Record (LP, CD or cassette) come with free hi-res digital audio downloads."
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Thank you Meta Rocker for the keen insights here. It is a bit of deja vu and the initial reaction to BARN back in 2021. And Dionys' followup comment fits in well here for further discussion, as well.