Monday 27 June 2016

Neil Young - Earth


Rating: 4/5

Review:
A very decent album from Neil Young



I almost didn't bother with Earth.  I thought The Monsanto Years was so poor that I wasn't keen to revisit the experience in live form, but this is far, far better, I think. 

It's partly down to the material, which is selected from albums as far back as 1970, so we don't just get Neil yelling random eco-slogans at us but some very decent songs – including a very lovely version of After The Goldrush.  More than that, though, the performances are terrific.  Despite my fears, he really has still got it.  OK, the voice may not be quite what it was, but it's actually in pretty good form here (which it really wasn't on The Monsanto Years) and the band and Neil's guitar work are very good.  As a live performance, it's tight, musically very good with some fine harmonies and genuinely exciting in places.

Even if you've despaired of Neil Young ever making a decent album again, I'd recommend giving this a try.  The animal sounds between tracks are a bit ho-hum, but that aside there's lots to enjoy here and – against my expectations - I can recommend this warmly.

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