Speaking of Neil Young's ability to frustrate his record company, you gotta feel a little bit of sympathy for the raw deal that David Geffen must have felt like he got after signing Young to his then new record label in the eighties.
Coming on the heels of a commercial and artistic comeback with Rust Never Sleeps, Neil spent the next decade delivering album after album of odd experiments in techno, rockabilly, country, and just about anything but actual "Neil Young music" to his new label. Things got so bad that Geffen finally resorted to a lawsuit based on the premise that Neil Young refused to deliver product that the label could sell.
But the thing about those years of having to endure the artistic antics of "weird Neil" is that eventually he always comes back home. This certainly happened at the end of the eighties when he released the album Freedom seemingly out of a clear blue sky, and just when many were ready to count him out. The album was a return to Neil's classic sound, and began a streak of great records that would continue well into the nineties, including classics like Harvest Moon and Ragged Glory.
But the thing is, if we are really being honest here, wasn't that the last run of really great music from Neil Young? The present decade, like most before it, has brought its share of both the decent and the not-so-much from the artist. Albums like Prairie Wind and Living With War certainly had their moments, but it's been a good little while now since we've seen an instant classic on the order of Rust Never Sleeps or Harvest Moon, hasn't it? Meanwhile, Neil continues to put out as many goofy experiments like Greendale as he does decent, if not quite great albums.
Which may be why Neil Young has been devoting so much energy to his past lately. He still puts out new albums at a pretty decent clip. But many of these, like the recent Fork In The Road, have the unmistakable feel of being rather thrown together affairs. In the case of Fork In The Road, while it's not outright awful, I count exactly one truly great song on the entire record in "Just Singing A Song (Wont Change The World)."
In the meantime, Neil Young has spent just as much, if not more time putting out bits and pieces of the Archives box in the form of all those live albums. Meanwhile fans have patiently awaited the arrival of the complete box. Even 2007's "new" Chrome Dreams II found Neil relying on unreleased songs, which in some cases we're written decades ago.
Article comments
1 - Donald Gibson
I really believe that any perceived run of classic Neil Young albums has come predominantly by his own artistic muse and intuition rather an any concerted effort to create a masterwork. He's never been one to do what record execs or managers (or bandmates) have preferred; rather, he's followed his own intuition to wherever it has led him. He likely felt as inspired and believed as much in Prairie Wind as he did in Zuma or After the Goldrush.
I don't think the kind of genius, the kind of creativity that's within him, ever extinguishes until he does.
2 - Glen Boyd
Absolutely correct Gibson, and it's a very great part of why his genius continues to endure.
Neil has always followed his artistic muse to a fault (of which there have been many), for better of for worse, and in the case of such brilliant work as On The Beach for example, it's taken decades for the record buying public to catch up to it.
That said, Neil's artistic stubbornness has meant that we've had to endure shit like "Everybody's Rocking" in between masterpieces like "Freedom."
Thats the hardest part of being a Neil Young fan. It requires the patience of Job. Fortunately, it's usually worth it. But just lately my own patience has been admittedly tested. All I'm saying...
-Glen
3 - Shelley Woods
Personally, I'd be happier if Neil would just release the "Time Fades Away" album, far too long out of print. It's not just the $300 to purchase the Blu-ray version of Archives -- but I'm sure there are countless Neil fans like me who would have to shell out for an actual Blu-ray machine first. I love Neil Young, but I love The Beatles even more ... and they're releasing two boxed sets in September. That's where my $$$ has to go. Priorites.
4 - Craig Leavitt
Agree with many of your comments, although I liked Greendale more than you seem to have (better idea than actual record. But "Carmichael" is priceless and most of the songs work for me).
I basically gave up on Neil over his decision to have his wife sing back-up for him. I'm sure she's a nice person but she's a horrible singer and it really hurts his music. I can't forget or forgive what she did to "Cowgirl" at Red Rocks 2000.
I won't ever spend a dime to see Neil play again, unless he brings back Crazy Horse sans Pegi. I don't buy his records anymore either.