Neil Young's New "Folk Metal Protest" Record


You've got to hand it to Neil Young. The man definitely defies convention.

For some four decades now, Neil Young has made a career of doing the unexpected.

Where many other artists...especially those of Young's generation who have endured the way he has...often have chosen the path of least commercial resistance, Neil Young has consistently followed his artistic instincts.

Never one to simply settle for "whatever works", Neil Young more often opts for what feels right in an artistic sense. As a result, his career has been one of alternating commercial peaks and valleys.

Neil Young's artistic muse has led him to create a body of work over the years that stands out as much for it's often bizarre turns of style as it does for the great songs...from "Heart of Gold" to "Rockin In The Free World"...he is best known for.

In the seventies, this meant following up his "commercial breakthrough" album Harvest, with the darkness and desolation which permeates such personal work as On The Beach, and the only much later to be appreciated Tonights the Night.

In the eighties, it meant releasing a series of albums so stylistically schizophrenic...from syntho pop to rockabilly...that his label at the time, Geffen Records, first begged the artist to make a "Neil Young" album. Then they finally sued him for breach of contract, citing failure to deliver a commercial release.

Neil countersued and eventually returned to his original label, Reprise Records.

Now it appears Neil Young is preparing once again to throw one of his trademark artistic curveballs.

Where, on Harvest Moon, Neil Young sang "No one wins, it's a "War of Man," on the upcoming Living With War, he directs his anger at the "Man of War."

Less than a year after the release of the quiet, reflective songs of his most recent album Prairie Wind...an album released in the wake of both his father's passing and his own brush with death after a brain aneurysm...Neil Young is about to release a heavy metal protest record.

Say what?



The news, first reported early Friday morning on numerous Internet blogs (most notably by our good friends over at Thrasher's Wheat http://www.thrasherswheat.org/wheatfield.html ) ...and since confirmed by Neil Young's official site http://www.neilyoung.com/ ...is that Neil's new album, is being described this way:

"A power trio with trumpet and 100 voices...A metal version of Phil Ochs and Bob Dylan..."folk metal protest".

This comes from the artist himself.

What seems to be sure is that the upcoming (no confirmed release date yet) Living With War is very loud, very anti-war, and very anti-Bush.

The album is said to have been recorded earlier this month over a three day period with a core group of musicians consisting of Young himself on guitar and vocals; Rick Rosas on bass; and Chad Cromwell on drums.

And, as noted above, this is a power trio with both a trumpet player and a 100 voice choir.

The early reports about the album are intriguing to say the least.

One track, rumored to be titled "Impeach The President" is said to feature the aforementioned 100 voice choir...who sing "let's impeach the president for lyin"... as well as a rap featuring Bush's voice in front of the same choir chanting "Flip/Flop".

Film Maker Jonathan Demme, who most recently directed Neil Young's Heart of Gold documentary movie, describing the track to Harp Magazine said:

“It is a brilliant electric assault, accompanied by a 100-voice choir, on Bush and the war in Iraq…Truly mind blowing. Will be in stores soon.”

Here is a sample of the lyrics being scrolled on Neil Young's website:

"I join the multitudes,
I raise my hand In peace,
I will never bow to the laws,
Of The Thought Police"

"I'm living with WAR everyday
I'm living with WAR in my heart everyday,
I'm living with WAR right now."

Neil Young has often followed his louder records with quiet ones, and vice versa. Comes A Time was followed by Rust Never Sleeps; Ragged Glory by Harvest Moon.

Young himself recently hinted that his next direction may be a loud one when he recently keynoted the South by Southwest (SXSW) music conclave in Austin, Texas.

Hopefully this one will be heard clear to the White Noise.

One thing is for sure...Ol' Black is back...and this is going to get good.

















The preceding article was named an "Editors Pick" at http://blogcritics.org for the week ending April 18, 2006

Living With War is streaming in it's entirety right now at http://www.neilyoung.com


To listen to Living With War in it's entirety, go directly here:
http://www.hyfntrak.com/neilyoung2/AFF23772/

Updated 4/28/06:

Based on two initial listens to the stream at http://www.neilyoung.com

I'm a little disapointed.

Here's a quick synopsis of what I wrote at Blogcritics this morning:

I like what he's saying...and posters like Rubberneck may disagree...but I think at a time when our country is as divided as it is, the time is ripe for protest music.

But I expected a lot more musically speaking.

This is kind of like "Mirror Ball" without the great guitar solos. I'm listening to the "Impeach The President" song right now...and the Bush sound bites are pretty cool. But I'm waiting for that great screaming guitar noise to punctuate it...So far it aint there.

Seven songs in. This is more like a Greendale sound. The idea is there. The songs aint.

Personally, my expectations have been turned kind of upside down here. I expected this to be really powerful, where I expected Springsteen's Seeger Sessions to be a disapointment.

So far the opposite is true. "Looking For A Leader" is playing now, and I'm still looking for a great song."O Mary Don't You Weep" from Springsteen's "Seeger Sessions" release says everything Neil's album tries to say without hitting you over the head with it.

And Bruce didn't even write it.

April 28, 2006 6:14 AM

Yup. Definitely a disapointment.

At least on my first official listen, streamed through my computer speakers.

I still applaud Neil for bringing "protest music" back...God knows we need it now like we have at no time since the Nixon years.

But the thing is, for protest music to be truly effective, you need a memorable melody to go with the message. And for the life of me, I can't remember a thing I've just heard. No "Ohio"; No "Southern Man"; hell, no "For What its Worth" (and yes, I know Stephen Stills wrote that one).

Musically this is a slightly louder Greendale.

And again, though I had much lower expectations for it...Springsteen's "Seeger Sessions" hits the mark in all of the ways this tries to without trying nearly as hard.