NEIL YOUNG & CRAZY HORSE PART 1 NEIL'S GLORY

When I was in High School I was absorbing quickly all the cool music I could find.  I worked at the local library and would go through the vinyl and pick something to listen to after the end of my day.  I picked some odd and not so odd albums.  I came across Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere.  The album had two songs longer then I had ever scene.  I was like "wow" this is awesome.  When I was going to my car, my co-worker mentioned that Neil Young was part of his youth and told me he bring in some cassettes for my to listen to.  The next day I looked in my mailbox and there was Tonight's The Night, Live Rust, After The Gold Rush, and Harvest.  He told me their are countless other great albums that I should listen to.

I had Freedom and I thought with all those albums I got to borrow, how could it get much better.  Well in the fall of 1990 I went to the local record store. It was within riding my bike distance so I went over with a backpack and a boat load of cash.  The record store guy knew me well.  In his hands when I walked in was the brand new Neil Young & Crazy Horse album called Ragged Glory.  I said to him, "You must have been talking with my co-worker.  He just handed me a bunch of cassettes."  "Well," the record store guy said,  He came in at lunch and picked up a copy of the new one.  He was just excited as you are now."

The next time I came to work was an early Saturday morning.  I hear Ragged Glory blaring from my co-workers car and singing the words...

Mindless drifter on the road
Carry such an easy load
It's how you look, and how you feel
You must have a heart of steel

Why do I keep fuckin' up?

I can see you on a hill
Comatose but walking still
Curves beneath your flowing gown
Only I could bring you down

Why do I keep fuckin' up?

Dogs that lick and dogs that bite
Hounds that howl through the night
Broken leashes are all over the floor
Keys left hanging in a swinging door.

Why do I keep fuckin' up?

"Classic Neil," my co-worker says.  These are some of his best words put to a song.  "I could not agree more" I said. "Only one problemo, I cannot play that song without headphones in my house. " "My parents hate the song."  My co-worker and I laughed. "Fuck them" and we continued our laughter. My co-worker saw me working in the stacks and whispered "don't Fuck up." again it erupted in laughter.  This album was awesome, not because of the tongue and cheek song, but this was way louder then anything Neil Young has ever done.  These songs had two ten minute pieces and one short of eight and half minutes.  These were jams and classics.  I could only imagine what it was like in the studio to practice and put down these songs this was classic.

So around the time of the albums release Neil Young mentioned the tour.  The tour had a stop in my hometown.  I begged and pleaded with my parents to go.  I went with friends, but the only they asked of me is that one of them go with me.  I knew my mother did not like Neil Young.  She really did not like any Classic Rock type music.  I asked my dad to go and he said he was ready.  "As long as it's not too loud.  Well little did he know that this was more then likely the loudest show he would ever see up to that point.  With openers Social Distortion and Sonic Youth either he was going to love it or hate it.

After the show he turned to me and told me he liked Social Distortion and Neil Young, but that Sonic Youth he was not so crazy about.  "I hope you don't like them too?, my dad said loudly.  "I do I liked the whole show."  "Even when they did F*!#in' Up."  My dad even agreed, he liked that song as much as I did.  As a whole the show was awesome and his older tunes held up well and at actually introduced me to other Neil songs I have never heard.  To me the show was a education and it was a fun way to learn. Two years later Neil Young got mellower and acoustic and dad liked that music much better.

This show made me a serious Neil Young junkie.  It made me go after all his music that he recored. It took some time but I have a majority of his collection.  I love it and more then a few people can agree he is timeless.  He is political, he is loud and honest and he is a musician you want in your corner if you are looking for to fight in something you believe in.  Neil could do no wrong (well maybe that 1980's output) in my book.

Over the years I come to admire Neil Young more and more. It's the causes he believes in and his honest approach tells me and his fans that he cares a lot about on what is going on in the world.  He had a school for kids.  The Bridge School helps mentally and physically disabled kids.  He has two kids who have challenges and that's why I'm in that field as well.  Every year for about twenty years he gets his friends to play for him.  It's a charity I can get behind.  He is a true artist who puts his beliefs and cares on his sleeve.

About a decade after  Ragged Glory came out I was on a music sharing web site called Willard's Wormhole(remember him).  This guy had it all.  He had music that was a must hear and so forth.  One day he posted a homemade deluxe edition of Ragged Glory.  He added a few different versions of songs on the album, plus a few other gems.  When I to download it I put it in another hard drive I put it back on my iTunes and gave it a listen.  Not only I was impressed with the different versions, but the extra tracks easily could have made an extra album.  Their lightning was electric and after all these years Neil Young & Crazy Horse were the best of the best.  The kicked ass after all.  Wish I saw them in the 1970's.

All in all Neil Young & Crazy Horse are an awesome band.  Their music is infectious and tight and are a great foil for Neil Young.  They are psychic and know what direction Neil wants to go to.  He could make them circle around the moon and back and still have it all together.  Ragged Glory after all is a crowning moment.  If you have not heard this now is the time.  This album deserves to be played loud and rock out to.  If you do have it, then play it loud and rock with me and give a hearty cheers to a classic.