Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Ragged Glory Audio CD
A fair review of the Neil Young & Crazy Horse "Ragged Glory" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all
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Crazy for Crazy Horse Neil Young brings you back to what real music, real rock was all about. Rarely do you find an album with 9 out of 10 songs winners. The album is instrumentally superior.
Neil Young's Glory of an Album
I've been a Neil Young fan since I was little, my Uncle gave me my first album of Neil's which was Decade. and I was hooked by his music, how he could switch from beautiful country tinged folk to in your face loud guitar rock and roll. Ragged Glory was released in September of 1990 and I was almost 13 years old when I first picked it up on cassette. This is one of his most rocking albums in his long career. Tracks like F**kin Up, Love To Burn, Love and Only Love have Neil and Crazy Horse just tearing it up. On Mansion on the Hill, there's sing along hooks and beautiful backing vocals from the band. I really love this entire album with all it's energy and rock, an essential album from a vital figure in rock history.
Lemmie tell ya' how I became a Neil Young fan...
At the time, I was trying to be the best punk rocker I could be. I was only 20 years old when this record came out. Comming out of my Cure phase and into the early years of 90's sludge, I was wholly caught up in bands like Primus, Rollins Band, and the Pixies. One of my buddies scored some tickets to the Ragged Glory Tour show at the Capital Center in DC. Also on the ticket were Social Distortion and Sonic Youth. . . two of my favorite bands at the time, so I gladdly tagged along. Sure, I was somewhat familiar with Neil Young, heard some of his songs, etc. But at that time, he was nothing more than a legendary figure of classic rock in my mind.
I watched gleefully while Social D belted out a quick set of punkabilly and Sonic Youth reduced the place to pure baffled silence. My expectations for Neil Young were low, and I can remember talking to my buddy about leaving early. Suddenly dozens of giant dummy speakers were lowered down to the stage and the lights brightened. The band emerged with Neil front and center. His appearance looked like something out of a Tim Burton movie - Levi's barely hanging on to his skinny legs, a tattered oversized flannel shirt, shoulders slumped forward, and hair that looked like a giant silver cobweb. He picked up his guitar, gave a quick wave to the crowd, then ripped the place to shreds. There's really no better way to describe it.
I can still remember standing there in the middle of a giant steaming pile of rubble that was once the stadium, my jaw on the floor, feeling like I'd just witnessed the second coming of the Messiah, or who knows what else. . . and that I needed to pick myself up off the floor and learn how to walk all over again.
I've been hooked ever since.
Left me Flat
I consider myself a pretty big Neil Young fan but this record is just plain boring. I don't know. Nothing to really discerne one song from the next. Similar tempo throughout. Meandering guitar solos that really go nowhere. Truth is I might even like some of these songs if they were half as long. Disappointing in my opinion. Noy sure what all the hype is about on this one.
It ROCKS
Yes it's all electric distorted guitar, with Neil soloing all over the place, no acoustic. . It's the HARD rockin Neil and Crazy Horse, and it's beautiful. If you're a fan, or even just a casual fan, of the hard rockin side of Niel YOU WILL love this. If not then buy it anyway because it will grow on you. When I first played this back in the 90s I was a little put off by the kind of country rock sound of the first two songs. But after about three spins, I was (and still am) in love with this disc. A great disc to play when your in a bad mood or feeling down because it pumps you right up. If your system can play loud it sounds especialy great. If you can crank it on a P. A. system in a backyard you will be in heaven. If you're a sensitive type, the last song, Mother Earth (Natural Anthem) which was done live and in the studio, might bring a tear to your eye when you think about these days we live in. Hope this helps! .
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