1. Indepence of Elders
"Greendale" is the latest album by the legendary rocker Neil Young with Crazy Horse. It was released on August 19th of this year. The album was released on Reprise Records in association with Concept Records a Time Warner company. The album was produced by Neil Young himself with L.A. Johnson. The album contains ten songs all telling of one long story. Some music critics have coined it as a musical novel because of the album's theme and story line.
Reprise Records barely tries to maintain "Greendale" as to having a coherent story line. Young himself has admitted that he doesn't understand it either; it's more of an intuitive journey, a channeling of information.
"Greendale," is the story of a small-town California family challenged by a changing society. The album is built on ideas that reflect Young's coming of age in the 1960s. The ideals being to be true to yourself, don't trust the media, treat others and Mother Earth well, love is power. The story, such as it is, serves as an excuse to explore those notions. What makes "Greendale" so good is that he sounds so alive and energized. The songs buzz with interesting characters and set pieces.
That buzz is matched by the music. Young and the Crazy Horse rhythm section of drummer Ralph Molina and bassist Billy Talbot play it loose and inspired, using the blues as their template but veering off into that strange, invigorating musical arrangement that only Young and Crazy Horse seem able to create. Even on the album's only acoustic song, the gorgeous "Bandit," Young tunes his low-E string until it rattles angrily against the fret board, a small defiance that plays beautifully into the song's story of a troubled, distrustful soul whom Young tries to console with a simple, evocative chorus of, "Some day you'll find everything you're looking for." It's a remarkable song, a highlight on an album that may fail as a concept but succeeds as richly satisfying music.