Neil Young - Re-ac-tor (or is it 'Reactor'?) - Any Love for this album?

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Doctor Jimmy, Mar 2, 2018.

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  1. scarfaceclaw

    scarfaceclaw Forum Resident

    Had never even heard of the album until I read Shakey, and then tracked it down and liked it a lot. Not on a par with his best as I'm sure most agree, but share the sentiment of many that Southern Pacific and Shots are highlights.
    Was thrilled at my first & only NY & Crazy Horse concert when they played Surfer Joe during the encore. Did not feel like many around me at the venue knew the song at all, which was a little sad, not that surprising, and made me feel like part an exclusive little Re.ac.tor. club all at the same time!
     
    JoeRockhead likes this.
  2. jneilnyc

    jneilnyc Free Range Responder

    Location:
    New York
    If it was just "Shots" and 30 minutes of dead air it would still be a great album.

     
  3. ohnothimagen

    ohnothimagen "Live music is better!"

    Location:
    Canada
    "Bone headed", I like that- thought I was the only person to use that description of some of the Horse's music (in a good way, of course)
    The synclavier is used on "Shots" for the sound effects and, as mentioned below, probably adding colour and percussive sounds on some of the other tracks as well.
    I don't know why Neil and the Horse think so little of the album- indeed, as a band they do some of their best playing on it, the actual musicianship is great. Frankly I never would have guessed the circumstances in which it was recorded -Neil's involvement in the program, etc- had I not read about it.

    For the most part to me Re-Ac-Tor also sounds like Neil's last "seventies" album. His "eighties" didn't start until Trans IMO.
    I always thought that was just massively overdubbed handclapping. Could be the synclavier, though.
    I'd never even heard of Re-Ac-Tor or Hawks And Doves until I stumbled across them on cassette about twenty years ago. Bought 'em both immediately, of course. Re-Ac-Tor I liked right away, I'm still not big on a lot of side two of Hawks And Doves.
     
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  4. rjp

    rjp Senior Member

    Location:
    Ohio
    the saddest thing of all is that both 're-act-or" and "hawks and doves" are 10x better than anything young has done in the last 15 years.
     
    Old Mac likes this.
  5. Chemguy

    Chemguy Forum Resident

    Location:
    Western Canada
    Probably am, of course. Thanks.
     
  6. JoeRockhead

    JoeRockhead Forum Resident

    Location:
    New Jersey
    They have said they think so little of the album?
     
  7. JoeRockhead

    JoeRockhead Forum Resident

    Location:
    New Jersey
    [​IMG]
     
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  8. GroovyGuy

    GroovyGuy Forum Resident

    Location:
    Halifax, NS Canada
    I'm a VERY big NY fan and while I own this recording I have to admit I have absolutely no love for it. That said, I do have a little bit of like for a couple of tracks but if it was stolen from my collection I'm not sure I'd spend the money to replace it :hide:
     
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  9. The Elephant Man

    The Elephant Man Forum Resident

    When this album was released, we played this record like crazy in our store.
    It sounded great blasting through the speakers at a high volume. I still have the promo posters and
    the triangle shaped red vinyl promo of 'Southern Pacific' (mono/stereo).
     
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  10. Kevin j

    Kevin j The 5th 99

    Location:
    Seattle Area
    I love it. always have. a few years ago I left the cd in my car player for about 2 months. I never tired of the album (and it's pretty short).
     
  11. rjp

    rjp Senior Member

    Location:
    Ohio
    so tell me then, in your opinion, which album since 2000 is better than those 2?
     
  12. rainbow dome

    rainbow dome Forum Resident

    Location:
    New York City
    This album is big, dumb, and so much fun.

    GOT MASHED POTATO
     
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  13. ohnothimagen

    ohnothimagen "Live music is better!"

    Location:
    Canada
    Ralph Molina called Re-Ac-Tor a "one legged turkey" in Shakey.
     
    JoeRockhead likes this.
  14. Smokin Chains

    Smokin Chains Forum Resident

    Location:
    Nashua, NH
    It's a strange album cover, I am trying to figure out if there's any meaning to it. I guess the same thing with the album title, why Re-Ac-Tor, why not Mashed Potato?
     
    JoeRockhead likes this.
  15. uzn007

    uzn007 Pack Rat

    Location:
    Raleigh, N.C.
    <groan> Let's not and say we did.
     
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  16. rjp

    rjp Senior Member

    Location:
    Ohio
    OK then.

    i'll say this...there are a smattering of songs strewn throughout those years that may be better than some of the songs on those 2 albums, but overall albums.....sorry.......the muse has left the building.
     
    DTK likes this.
  17. PaulOnTheBeach

    PaulOnTheBeach Active Member

    Location:
    California
    Reactor at its best is like Trans vocoder songs minus vocoder. Combining the best of both could’ve made a great LP. Recall the Horse is all over tracks like We R In Control, Computer Cowboy and Sample and Hold. To me they are closely related to tunes like Southern Pacific, rapid Transit and Shots. What a rockin album that would’ve been....
     
  18. TheDailyBuzzherd

    TheDailyBuzzherd Forum Resident

    Location:
    Northeast USA
    "Southern Pacific" – Top shelf Young
    "Rapid Transit" – Second shelf Young ( the stuttering knocks it down ... what's the point? )
    "Shots" – Second shelf Young ( probably a ref to Lennon; but gun violence in general )

    The rest is filler to me.
     
  19. DTK

    DTK Forum Resident

    Location:
    Europe
    Yeah, the Horse boys were on...horse at the time. And Neil was preoccupied with his parenting program.
    So they probably feel they didn't put much effort into it.
    It still rocks, in a fun, dumb way. Not all rock music has to be art. Opera Star sums it up.
     
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  20. DTK

    DTK Forum Resident

    Location:
    Europe
    Live At Carnegie Hall and Bluenote Cafe ;)



    None.
     
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  21. Linus

    Linus Senior Member

    Location:
    Melb. Australia
    Fell in love with this album the moment I heard that train whistle blow and the guitar chugging out of the station at the start of Southern Pacific. Has there ever been a better train riff?
    Heck, I can even sit through T-Bone.
    Couple this album, (train pun intended), with Hawks & Doves for a classic one two punch of eighties/Geffen Neil.
    P.S. I think Trans is great too!
     
    Last edited: Mar 5, 2018
  22. rjp

    rjp Senior Member

    Location:
    Ohio
    neither one count. as both were recorded before 2000.
     
  23. DTK

    DTK Forum Resident

    Location:
    Europe
    Joke.
     
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  24. ohnothimagen

    ohnothimagen "Live music is better!"

    Location:
    Canada
    For my money "We R In Control" is one of Neil Young's greatest songs. He plays a telephone on it fer chrissakes...pure genius!
    Coulda fooled me...
     
  25. moonshiner

    moonshiner Forum Resident

    Location:
    Italy
    Surfer Joe and Shots are great songs, the rest is quite good
     
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