350 - Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Rust Never Sleeps

[csberry]

Confession time: I am not a fan of Neil Young. Part of it is overcoming his outspokenness and another part is that I've struggled to understand the adulation the guy gets for his music. This was a chance for me to explore my feelings for his music since my last attempt about 12 years ago with a concerted effort to understand Harvest Moon.

This album is split between an acoustic first half and an electric second half. The album is also bookended by essentially two versions of the same song - "My My, Hey Hey" and "Hey Hey, My My." It is "My My, Hey Hey" that seems to be the primary source of Jimmy Fallon's Neil Young acoustic impersonation. I don't know that I was familiar with the song, but the structure certainly seemed familiar. "Thrasher" follows and it seems to embody every characteristic I expect from a Dylan song (except the lyrics are more intelligible). I found myself liking the sound of "Ride My Llama" but scratching my head when I tried paying attention to the lyrics. My enjoyment of this song is probably attributable how it reminded me of some of my favorite Crosby, Stills, & Nash and Joni Mitchell songs. "Pocahontas" is still undetermined in my mind. Overall, I like it. But I keep giggling at the lyrics when Marlon Brando makes his appearance. Yes, I understand why Marlon Brando is in this song about Native Americans, but something about how Neil sings those lines comes across as humorous to me...and I'm uncertain if that is a good or bad thing.

Once the album is flipped over to the electric side, I found myself slightly less entertained and slightly more puzzled. I must give "Powderfinger" props for sounding like the stereotypical Neil Young electric song to me. I enjoyed "Sedan Delivery" although I also kept finding myself thinking it was actually a post-Out of Time REM song. But the song that keeps me the most puzzled on the whole album is "Welfare Mothers" ("Welfare mothers make better lovers. - Huh?). Again, I think I struggle a little with finding humor in Neil's songs that I'm not certain if I'm supposed to considering the message of the song.

So, I finish my listening session of this album appreciating Neil's music a little more, but I'm still puzzled about his songs and the zeal his followers have.

Songs I knew I liked: None

Songs I didn't know but now like: "My My, Hey Hey," "Ride My Llama," and "Sedan Delivery"

Songs I can go the rest of my life without hearing again: "Thrasher"