In the current modern age of Rock-n-Roll, albums are still being released by classic artists that have now been around for well over half a century. It is exciting to relish in the full careers of such artists and to document the transformation from beginning to end and its influence and impact during the different eras. With that in mind, Canadian Singer-Songwriter Neil Young once said, “It’s better to burn out than fade away.” A telling statement, that certainly does not apply to his lifestyle though since Young has not faded out at all with an impressive thirty-five studio albums along with soundtracks on major films including Jim Jarmusch’s 1995 film Dead Man. From his early years in Buffalo Springfield, to his rise in popularity through Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young, to Crazy Horse, to his solo works, he has left a giant mark in the history of Rock-n-Roll, Country, and Folk music. In addition, Young has been the godfather to the Grunge movement as well as influenced many other Rock and Country artists before and after that significant decade.
Still burning bright, in 2016 Young returns with a new live album, entitled Earth. Featuring Neil Young and Promise of the Real, the album was recorded on their Rebel Content Tour in 2015 and was released exclusively for streaming on Tidal as of June 17, 2016. Followed by a double CD release, Pono release was June 24, 2016, a triple LP release will come as of August 12, 2016. Young has described the album as a collection of thirteen songs he has written about living on this planet together. An interesting concept, the album mix is also packed full of nature and animal sounds, including turkeys, insects, crows, and thunder, as well as has plenty of harmonica. Those curious, it seems that Young was inspired by such animals mainly because they are among the more peaceful creatures left roaming the earth despite man’s efforts to corrupt their well-being.
Featuring the aforementioned band Promise of the Real, for those unfamiliar, they feature Lukas Nelson (son of Willie Nelson) on vocals and guitar, Anthony Logerfo on drums, Corey McCormick on bass, and Tato Melgar on percussion. Complementing Young, the Earth album is just over ninety-seven minutes long, featuring an end cut that is over twenty-eight minutes and entitled “Love And Only Love.” An extremely in-depth closing, it has that very typical signature classic Rock-n-Roll sound that perhaps pushes boundaries with its epic, lengthy adventure, especially considering it was played live; the animals sounds are actually quite therapeutic in nature. Back to the beginning, “Mother Earth” is a somber tune that sounds slightly like a funeral procession for the death of earth, which considering current circumstances, human destruction is not too far off track. Then it moves into “Seed Justice” with some more politics and a Classic Rock tune focused on guitar melodies enhanced again with modern backing tracks including roosters, and frogs.
Later on, the song “Country Home” has that Country vibe, early eighties Neil Young sound, and is a pleasant track as well as good mix into the whole of the album. Thereafter, “The Monsanto Years” comes into play from the 2015 album of the same subject. It features a small amount of electronically enhanced vocals along with the nature sounds, church bells, and a not so original or enticing jam throughout that makes its point as a contributor.
Then Young and company drive the audience into a few more unusual tracks such as “Vampire Blues.” This funky jam, featuring bluesy lyrics, could belong to a score for a Vampire Western from the 1960’s. Then there is “Hippie Dream,” which has “cute” lyrics seemingly referring to a fun time in Young’s life with the message that he has more to say and he is not going anywhere. The overdubbing on the vocals are strange for Young, who is such a naturalist and rightly so, but they are placed in an appropriate manner and it is understood the need to modernize as always. It ends in the sounds of a running stream and may be among the most successful tunes overall on the album.
Then the transformation to a peaceful piano ballad that reiterates the themes covered earlier comes into play on the track “After The Gold Rush,” which is a well-balanced tune ending of course in wild bird calls. The theme of businesses coming to an end slowly seems to be depicted in the song “Big Box” that has harmonized vocals and overdubs interspersed with the melodic guitar solos. To close it all out, and segue into the finale, “People Want To Hear About Love” comes on with its semi-Country vibe and obvious theme before “Wolf Moon” goes more to the Country and Folk realm with more harmonica medleys and somber vocals.
Overall, it definitely seems this double live album serves more as a tribute from Neil Young to his lifetimes and lifestyles. It is almost like an auto biography in song form, representing where he has been, what he has seen, along with where he is headed. As mentioned before, he has always been vulnerable and a naturalist in style, so these reoccurring nature themes and sounds depict himself as well as present day ideals. Though it is a long body of work, it has a very light feel to it, yet it should not be taken lightly. While there is no definite hit of the era in the way of “Rockin’ In The Free World” or “Cinnamon Girl,” Earth is still the essence of Neil Young and must be taken as a whole to be fully appreciated. Through careful consideration, CrypticRock gives this album 3.5 out of 5 stars.
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