"Ordinary People," like many of the tracks here is also apparently one that has been around for awhile, which explains some of the dated sounding references to people like Lee Iacocca in the lyrics. Available in bootleg versions for years, the track is said to be part of an original Chrome Dreams CD that Neil nearly released in 1976.
As the story goes, he shelved the project after Joni Mitchell criticized it as being a little too "all over the place." Whether he chose to revisit this project now as a result of his ongoing trip through the vaults for the impending definitive series of Archives said to be finally about to see the light of day or not, the description fits here as well.
The other "big" track here is "No Hidden Path," which like "Ordinary People" is another lengthy electric guitar workout, which at eleven minutes is only slightly shorter. Here again, the big dark sounding guitar work is front and center, but Neil again seems more interested in revisiting the more psychedelic edges of his early work than the grunge of nineties-era Crazy Horse. For fans of the lengthy Neil Young guitar opus in the tradition of "Hurricane" and "Cortez," these two tracks alone make Chrome Dreams II a must-have.
Outside of those, Chrome Dreams II is an album that is as all over the place as its apparently thirty-year-old source material would seem to indicate. The rest of the album is a mixed bag to be sure. "Dirty Old Man" is a goofy-ass songs in the tradition of Ragged Glory's "Fuckin' Up" that Neil comes up with from time to time. This one is about a "Dirty Old Man" who likes to get hammered and fool around with the boss' wife. The track is actually a lot of fun, and hearkens back to the lovingly, but sloppily executed rock sound that fans of Crazy Horse will love.
"Boxcar" starts out with the sort of banjo sound that would have been right at home on Prairie Wind, and maintains a lovely sort of country vibe, as it weaves a plaintive tale of a vagabond on a freight train in the lyrics.
Meanwhile, other tracks here seem to take on a more spiritual tone. The borderline gospel of "Shining Light" never makes it quite clear whether the "shining light" that Neil has found here comes in the form of carnal love or the divine. Either way, the song is one of the prettiest he has included on an album in awhile. "The Believer" is another song that seems to hint at spirituality, but is never overtly clear about it. The arrangement here is a quiet, simple, and understated one of piano, guitar, and drums.
Article comments
1 - Pico
Well done, Glen, I'm going to have to pick up this Neil.
And now, I will sit back and see if your comment section gets half the action your last Neil Young review did ;&)
2 - Glen Boyd
I don't think this one will be nearly as controversial Pico -- it's just a review. But I guess we'll see won't we?
-Glen
3 - gsilverman
Glen,
I was thoroughly enjoying your review and looking forward to adding this release by Neil to my collection until I found myself hopelessly sidetracked by the following sentence:
"Available in bootleg versions for years, the track is said to be part of an original Chrome Dreams CD that Neil nearly released in 1976."
Surely, you meant to use the term "album" or "LP" there, rather than "CD." Hard to imagine a 1976 that included CD's. Oh, if only. Most of the Neil Young recordings I heard back then skipped, popped, or in the case of 8 track or cassette, hissed.
OK, I'm over it now. CD, LP, whatever, Neil's in-between is definitely good enough for me, too. Thanks for the review.
4 - Glen Boyd
Yeah big faux paux there, and thanks for the catch. It's actually now also pointed out to me by bigtime Neil Young expert Thrasher that the track "Ordinary People" was NOT originally recorded for "Chrome Dreams", but rather for "This Notes For You" -- which actually makes perfect sense once you hear it.
Anyway, my review still stands as a mild "thumbs up" at this point. Couple of great tracks there, and still others that I fully expect to be growing on me (especially after seeing Neil Last night here in Seattle)
-Glen
5 - Connie Phillips
Congrats! This article has been forwarded to the Advance.net websites and Boston.com.
6 - Apell
Great article. I too am fan of Neil Young however there are a lot of albums where he seems to have lost focus on the songs while trying to go with a "sound" whether it be country, punk/grunge rock or 80s electronic production like on Chrome Dreams.
I like his early songs such as "Don't let It Bring You Down". I have recorded an electronic influenced version of it and you can hear a sample of it here.