First posted on Mark Is Cranky:
No harm was meant by last week's remark. I was just being honest...you can't fault me for that. It was this: I'd rather listen to John Mayer than Elliott Smith.
So there, I've said it again. Not to illustrate that I've got no indie cred. That I apparently have no taste in music. Not even to piss off the legions of Smith fans. No, that is not the point.
The point...is that this stuff is completely and utterly subjective. Further, there are really no objective measures for the 'goodness' of the music we love (sorry, Duke Ellington). Do I like Springsteen's "She's The One" over, say "Billy Don't Be A Hero"? Without a doubt. Is one 'better' than the other? I don't think there's an answer. I also don't care that there isn't one.
I bring all of this up because Neil Young has always struck me as one of those love-him-or-hate-him kind of artists. His shaky voice either resonates with you (count me in there) or annoys you. Elliott Smith seems to be such an artist as well. He was a genius. He was boring. Not much middle ground there.
As for Neil Young and my early listening years, I came fairly late in his game. The first record was Rust Never Sleeps. From there I worked my way backwards. Then the 80's hit and I had to hang on for musical life. From the 'normal' (Comes A Time) to the experimental (Trans), Young has been one thing: sincere. Sometimes, painfully so.
Prairie Wind does not divert from that course, from the pain of losing a loved one to political hypocrisy and cynicism to questions of the nature of God - there's not a lot of veneer coating anything here.
This is more evident on "Falling Off The Face Of The Earth", during which Young professes his love with a chorus falsetto so brittle and wobbly that you just know he meant it.
A lot of Prairie Wind's instrumentation leans toward the usual folk/country vein but, as always, there are a few surprises. "Far From Home", an ode to life in rural Canada, mixes in a swaggering horn section, making it seem a little like Neil Young and the Asbury Jukes. The horns resurface on the title track as well. Sure, Young has used horns before ("This Note's For You") but they're torqued up a bit by their mixture with an acoustic-only backing.
"Far From Home" leads into the not particularly surprising, but highly romantic and sentimental "Only A Dream". I'm mostly not a 'lyrics guy', but this chorus got to me:
- It's a dream
Only a dream
And it's fading now
Fading away
It's only a dream
Just a memory without anywhere to stay
Prairie Wind ends with a trio of songs that leave me a little worried about the old guy. "This Old Guitar" takes a gentle look at a physical object that's been a true friend throughout the years. "He Was The King" is a country stomper paying tribute to Elvis (complete with swelling horns and female backup-type singers). The record ends with "When God Made Me", which tosses a lot of pointed questions God's way. I guess what's worrying me is that Neil's doing an awful lot of looking back. Maybe we all do this more and more as we get on in years (and I suppose if I'd had to deal with things like a brain aneurysm, I'd be looking back a little too), so perhaps I shouldn't worry...but Neil Young's been through a lot and I'm afraid it's starting to show.
Overall, I'd say that this record fits in nicely with his older albums like Harvest and Comes A Time. Think of it as a companion record to Harvest Moon. Maybe not hugely different, but definitely worth checking out.
Neil Young. Elliott Smith. John Mayer. You can play a game of "which of these artists doesn't belong", or you can remember that it's a big world out there...and we're not likely to agree on anything.
Article comments
1 - Darren
I agree with your sentiments about Neil's, well, sentiments. He's pretty much got nowhere left to go musically and lyrically except home for a rest. I saw him at the Live 8 concert in July, and for the first time, he really looked like an *old* man, which, at 60, and after all the things he's been through lately, he is. Bernard Shakey, indeed.
2 - Mark Saleski
i'm not sure that there's nothin' left in Neil's tank, because he's sort of unpredictable.
i guess we'll see, eh?
3 - Vern Halen
Is it just me, or has Neil's recent work been as dull as I think it's been? You made the comment that Neil was a love him or hate him artist - but I never thought he'd ever be an artist in which I'd lose interest, i.e., Greendale, that live album whatever it was called (Friends & Relatives? or something like that), Harvest Moon, etc. Or did I miss something wonderful along the line?
4 - Mark Saleski
dunno. i guess it's what you're looking (or not) looking for. i mean, "Falling Off The Face Of The Earth" is a tribute to his father...which i found quite moving.
and i loved Greendale.
not sure what any of this means. ;-)
5 - DJRadiohead
I can't help but feel some of this was aimed at me... :)
Neil Young has been a tough pill to swallow. His voice has always been one I found grating- and his persona has had that same effect for me as well.
Having said that, I think Neil's Crazy Horse 'rawk' persona is behind him. If he still has anything to say he might have another Harvest in him. Dylan managed to make a pair of great records late in his career. So did Muddy Waters. It could happen.
In the meantime, could someone please make VH-1 stop playing "Walking to New Orleans." Sweet baby fuck is that annoying. It gets ingrained in your head and not in a good way. AIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEE!
Nice review, Mark. Reading it made me want to run through the halls of my high school and scream at the top of my lungs. What's that all about...?
6 - Mark Saleski
VH1 is still on the air?
imagine that.
7 - DJRadiohead
VH1 is on the air in the mornings; it becomes E!2 in the afternoon and evenings.
8 - Vern Halen
I dunno either. Maybe I've just grown apart from what Neil does, or maybe I've just come to expect more. Or maybe my capacity for appreciation has grown less.
Years ago, I saw his Saturday Night Live appearance when he played "Rockin' in the Free World" and I remember thinking that this man was the living embodiment of what it meant to be a rock musician and even more than that, an artist. And I guess it's just wishful thinking that I could relive that on a daily basis.
We expect a lot from our heroes.
9 - thrasher
Neil Young. Elliott Smith. John Mayer.???
Which of these artists doesn't belong? It's so hard to decide?
Nice review of Prairie Wind.
Glad you "get" Neil.
Btw, Neil is on the Conan O'Brien show all this week as the musical guest. He's been playing cuts from Prairie Wind.
10 - athina
Darren states-"He's pretty much got nowhere left to go musically and lyrically except home for a rest." Why are we so harsh? Why does our society looks at aging as such a horrible thing! Neil is a 60 year old man, so what if he looks like an old man? Other cultures worship the elderly, yet we americans want to discard people at the first sign of their aging-even musical geniuses like Neil! I think Neil has been aging gracefully, and beautifully-It is really sad that others can't see that. Prairie wind is proof that Neil is far from done. This album is as good as any- Harvest, Comes a time, Harvest moon, After the gold rush.
11 - sydney
Agreed... I think people who fidn this album dull, haven't given it the chance it deserves. Old Shakey's back!
I listedned to it for a short while before shelving it earlier. But have since revisited it and now find it his best since the 70's. And thats saying alot because Neil has made a few very relevent albums since that time.
My point is that this isn't just a "good" album for Neil, its a good album by any standered and it holds up well against any of his masterpeices.
The review posted above is a poor one. It reads as though the critic hadn't listened to the album more than once. For instance the song "When God made me" begs for far more insight than it was afforded here. It's a song of tolerance and self-criticism that too many Americans and Christians NEED to hear. One of the beautiful things about Neil Young is that he is passionate, and follows his heart, but also isn't afriad to admit his heart has taken him in the wrong direction a few times. Thats what this song is about... taking a critical look at ones own faith, or ones own belifs.
Lastly, how can anyone say neil hasn't got a good voice? Its a voice that has soul all over it. IT makes a person want to cry just hearing it quiver from note to note.
12 - Mark Saleski
The review posted above is a poor one. It reads as though the critic hadn't listened to the album more than once.
that...is a funny statement.
13 - DJRadiohead
Lastly, how can anyone say neil hasn't got a good voice?
Very easily. I hate the very sound of his voice. What you call soul I call a whine.
And Elliott Smith is a genius.
14 - Mark Saleski
a genius who whines and mopes.
make that "whined and moped".
15 - DJRadiohead
I say he moped more than whined, but a genius nonetheless.
16 - Mick
I have just finished watching Niel Young's Praire Wind on DVD and I was so moved that I immediately went on line to see what the critics/people had to say about it. First, I have to tell you that I have been a fan....A BIG FAN since the 1960s. Neil Young has been with me since his time with Buffalo Springfield. I never questioned his drive or sincerity to bring to us the very best he could muster. I didn't always like the direction he took with his music, but I always remained a fan and stayed with him for 40 years. As far as his voice goes......Many people said similar things about Dylan. I saw Neil perform Greendale in Hershey, PA and it was awsome. His narration through the show was outstanding. In the 90s I I saw him with Crazy Horse....He was touring with Social Distortion and Sonic Youth!!! My guy has been all over the music spectrum during his career and he just keeps putting it out there for us. He doesn't give a s__t what anyone thinks about his music. He is a true artist that has withstood the test of almost 5 decades in an industry that sees people come and go like shooting stars. As far as Red Rock Live -Relatives and Friends, I watch that DVD 4 times a month. The energy and drive from that show
keeps me going! I guess what I am getting at is that just listening to Neil Young isn't the whole story. You have to see him.......The man I hope will live to be 100. If I should survive him I will be at his memorial to honor and thank him for all his has given us and meant to me in my life.