Neil Young & Crazy Horse - WORLD RECORD new, Rick Rubin-produced album 2022*

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by jlf, Sep 2, 2022.

  1. dtuck90

    dtuck90 Forum Resident

    Location:
    UK
    I think meditations is the perfect way to describe these tracks especially in the way they were conceived (and I think Neil would probably agree)

    Which is the track on World Record that Neil forgot to record for Barn?
     
  2. TheBabbo

    TheBabbo Forum Resident

    Location:
    USA
    Break the Chain
     
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  3. shepherdfan

    shepherdfan Western European Socialist Music Lover

    Location:
    Eugene, OR
    I wish to thank the person who convinced Neil to have the CDs packed in sleeves. I appreciated it because neither disc has nary a scratch on them. I hope it becomes a trend with his releases.
     
  4. Porkpie

    Porkpie Forum Resident

    Location:
    UK
    Playing my vinyl copy now and it sounds fantastic. Now I just need him to pick up where he left off with the album archives series and put out Ragged Glory and Sleeps With Angels.
     
  5. Big Blue

    Big Blue Forum Resident

    Location:
    Wisconsin
    Its sonic qualities are enough for me to like it, even without the lyrics.
     
  6. All Shook Down

    All Shook Down @Lost Mixtapes on You Tube

    Location:
    Seattle
    Is anyone ever going to weigh in on the difference between the vinyl cut of Chevrolet and the CD/streaming version? There was an awful lot of discussion about it pre-release. I'm guessing it's a non-issue if nobody is talking about it.
     
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  7. Kevin j

    Kevin j The 5th 99

    Location:
    Seattle Area
    First listen. This is pretty cool. Late classic?
     
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  8. vertigone

    vertigone Forum Resident

    Location:
    NYC
    Maybe. I've found things to like on all of his recent albums but also a fair amount of cringe. This one I've been playing start to finish on pretty heavy rotation. Maybe it's the unorthodox way in which he wrote and arranged everything which gives it a fresher feel? Very melodic, lots of hooks. I was nervous when he said he didn't make a single revision to the lyrics. Ok, nobody's going to mistake them for Leonard Cohen's lyrics but they're not bad.

    I'm pleasantly surprised by this one.
     
  9. andyediewatt

    andyediewatt Forum Resident

    Location:
    South Australia
    I like it very much. Enjoyable but as are Colorado and Barn to my ears.

    Just made up a cool 10 track playlist from the last 3 Nils Crazy Horse recordings. On Apple music if interested...Andy WTt is my apple user name for those interested to play my Crazy Horse compilation.

    They Might Be Lost, Heading West, HMLMM, Milky Way, This Old Planet, Olden Days, Welcome Back, I Walk With You, Chevrolet, I Do.

    Doesn't really flow as they are from different albums but I think these tracks sum up this what I'll call inconsistent era. Some real gems but filler too on those albums.

    Edit: but how fantastic is They Might Be Lost. It's an all timer.
     
  10. RoyalPineapple

    RoyalPineapple It ain't me in the photo, babe.

    Location:
    England
    Me too — but what makes it a special song, I think, is the fact it's got some depth to it that's been made accessible (and rewarding) to the listener.

    It's the difference between admiring the pretty surface of a work of art, and taking a journey into the idea (or feeling, or concept) it represents.
     
  11. RoyalPineapple

    RoyalPineapple It ain't me in the photo, babe.

    Location:
    England
    A lot of reviews seem to be along the lines of "it's okay".

    Another phrase that's come up a few times is "not bad". Which to me sounds like damning with faint praise — particularly as the album has only been out a few days and should still be riding a wave of novelty value.

    Now, think of them what you like, but nobody was saying this about She Showed Me Love or Help Me Lose My Mind.

    People might have been saying "what the **** is this?", but the reaction was not one of being mildy impressed.

    And the best bits of all the three recent Crazy Horse albums (all of which I think have some guts to them) are not those songs that sound like pretty jingles, nor the ones with neither-here-nor-there "okay" lyrics.

    They are ones that disturb and unsettle the listener.... or warmly reassure her. Or freak her out with surreal (or even cringeworthy) vibes.

    Whatever! But they create a vivid reaction, not an insipid one.

    Opinion: A great Neil Young record isn't one that makes us sigh with relief that the critics aren't going to be given too much ammunition, while we sit cosily in our arm chairs and sip chamomile tea and admire the melodies.

    Nor are they the ones that make us think "oh thank goodness he's stopped talking about the environment for five seconds".

    That might be one way to appreciate the albums, but I also think it would be missing most of the value they hold for us. Just like we don't listen to Bob Dylan records because we like the sound of the hi-hat.

    So I have no disgruntlement at all with Neil writing about environmental matters, because great art is supposed to disturb, inspire or otherwise spark us into life.

    And it's hard to do that if you're writing about an entirely safe subject in an entirely safe way.
     
    Last edited: Nov 24, 2022
  12. andyediewatt

    andyediewatt Forum Resident

    Location:
    South Australia
    World Record is very clearly in the NOW! I love the warm and happy feeling of nostalgic vibes that we very readily get from his archival releases but Neil is in the present not the Ragged Glory Or Psychedelic Pill sessions.

    I think often NY can't win..he releases re-treads and gets hammered by some for it being too familiar and new fresher material like this and he gets hammered. How lucky are we that we have not just a new Neil Young record but a group of tunes that sound great as a collection.

    Grumpiness aside I really am embracing this record. Neil sounds very content, happy and in a good place.
     
  13. GarretK

    GarretK Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chicago, IL
    The whole album is growing on me, although the tracks that stood out the first time are growing the most. Musically (besides "Chevrolet"), I'm most excited to hear Neil going for that bluesy barroom feel with creative use of percussion, harmonica, and Old Black. Then some of the mellower ones run together a bit even though the harmonies are always great. Let's just say I wouldn't miss a couple of those if they were cut and I'm glad there aren't more.

    Then "Chevrolet" is just a hearty slab of everything I want to hear. When Neil dials into that sound, it's the greatest thing ever, and both he and the Horse can still pull it off in terms of performance and songwriting. Very little has diminished in his guitar playing/tone or the strength of the rhythm section. Even though I can hear echoes of "Powderfinger" and whatever else (best car song since "Long May You Run"?), it doesn't sound derivative or stuck in the past to me. It just happens to be what he excels at the most...just a timeless, lived-in rock sound, which is incredibly well recorded here. More of that, please!
     
  14. Kevin j

    Kevin j The 5th 99

    Location:
    Seattle Area
    i would say that his electric guitar playing is only getting better. with decades under his belt playing the same rig, he's a complete master. he knows his "sound" inside and out, and can go places that NO other guitar player can. watching the world record doc yesterday i was amazed at how he can play, without a pick, and make those sounds come out.

    it's just such a shame that he's not sharing that gift with the public anymore at live shows. there's nothing like live, electric neil young.
     
  15. DavyBhoy

    DavyBhoy Forum Resident

    Location:
    Glasgow, Scotland
    A look at the Greedy Hand exclusive edition and review of the album
     
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  16. Mr_Flanders

    Mr_Flanders Forum Resident

    Location:
    Morehead, KY
    Life has been crazy and I’ve only gotten one good listen in so far. It certainly feels like it belongs alongside Colorado & Barn, for better or worse. While those records had legitimate shortcomings, I still enjoyed them, and that’s basically my take on this one after a first listen.

    Lyrically, this album sort of fits with the others. Some of the songs or themes feel under-written, though at this stage in his life and all the projects that he is juggling, I both expected that and understand why he might not want to spend month and months working on an album.

    Musically, this one sounds a bit more diverse than the other recent CH albums. That’s one of the strengths of this record, I think. The beautiful piano line that opens the record felt like sinking into a warm bath.

    And of course, his electric guitar playing sounds inspired. I agree with those who find Chevrolet to be the obvious highlight. If he puts one great electric guitar workout on each album from here on out, I’ll gladly keep punching my ticket.

    Overhead has a nice barrelhouse vibe, had me thinking about some of those old tunes like Roll Another Number, or The Old Countrt Waltz.

    Maybe it’s the contrast between the more electric guitar driven tracks and the others, but this albums works best for me when Old Black is doing the talking.

    I’ve enjoyed some of the playlists you all have been putting together compiling your favorites from Colorado, Barn, & World Record. It feels like there’s an incredible Crazy Horse album hidden in there, somewhere.
     
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  17. Deckard

    Deckard Blade Runner

    Location:
    Belgium
    Chevrolet is truly amazing. What a track. One would almost say it deserves its own disk :D.

    No but seriously. While this trio of albums (Colorado - Barn - World Record) is not my favourite version of Crazy Horse, it certainly is an interesting version. In the beginning I was certainly a bit dismissive of Colorado and while still not a favourite I've come to appreciate it more over the years. Barn was a big step forward from that and is still a very fine album to me.
    And now with World Record I gave it some spins and it does not reveal itself easily on the musical side. It does sound a bit more cohesive imo. Standout tracks, apart from Chevrolet and Love Earth, to me are I Walk With You, The World, Break The Chain and The Wonder Won't Wait. The other tracks need some more listens before they reveal more I guess. Not a big lyrics man myself and I knew what to expect from Neil, so not the biggest disappointment for me in that area.

    For me this trio of albums is a lot more interesting and better than the 5 studio albums he has done before.
     
  18. palisantrancho

    palisantrancho Forum Resident

    Somehow, I didn't think I cared much about these albums. His discography is so huge that sometimes a record slips through the cracks. I love Sleeps With Angels. The new album has me listening through all of his albums I am not very familiar with. I also was pleasantly surprised with Peace Trail. I still say Word Record is my favorite in a really long time.
     
  19. Zeki

    Zeki Forum Resident

    ‘Peace Trail’ has the title track, Show Me and Terrorist Suicide Hang Gliders. (Extra points for that last song title!) But it also has the cringiest lyrics in Indian Givers.
     
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  20. RoyalPineapple

    RoyalPineapple It ain't me in the photo, babe.

    Location:
    England
    Trans Am!
     
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  21. Mr_Flanders

    Mr_Flanders Forum Resident

    Location:
    Morehead, KY
    If you haven’t tried it yet, Broken Arrow and Mirror Ball are both wonderful too.
     
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  22. palisantrancho

    palisantrancho Forum Resident

    I haven't listened that closely to it yet, but that's too bad. I like the sound of that song. Peace Trail starts off strong, but kind of limps to the finish.
    Actually, listened to Mirror Ball last night and it was much better than I thought it was. I never liked Pearl Jam, so I dismissed this record at the time, but it has a great sound. I really like "Throw Your Hatred Down".
     
    Last edited: Nov 24, 2022
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  23. Kevin j

    Kevin j The 5th 99

    Location:
    Seattle Area
    mirror ball benefits greatly from having jack irons on drums. "big green country" is probably a top 10 neil song for me.
     
  24. Mr_Flanders

    Mr_Flanders Forum Resident

    Location:
    Morehead, KY
    I love PEARL JAM so take this with a grain of salt, but there’s a track of their album NO CODE that always sounded heavily inspired by NYCH to me, called Smile. It’s just got a nice CH like groove.

    Plus their are two Pearl Jam songs from the Mirror Ball sessions that were released on a single called MERKIN BALL. If you enjoyed Mirror Ball, that might be worth checking out. Neil plays guitar on one of the songs, and pump organ on the other.

    Apparently there was a big tiff between Epic and Reprise, and they wouldn’t allow those songs to be included on Mirror Ball, or the band name Pearl Jam to be used for Mirror Ball.

    But anyway, sorry for dropping that on you. But I thought it might be of interest if you liked Mirror Ball.
     
  25. malcolm reynolds

    malcolm reynolds Handsome, Humble, Genius

    Location:
    Oklahoma
    "Throw Your Hatred Down" is in my top 10 Neil Young songs. I love Mirror Ball.
     
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