Neil Young & Crazy Horse
Zuma
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NATN Recommended
Neil Young
Zuma
Reprise, 1975
RiYL: Bob Dylan, Pearl Jam, Birds flying with naked ladies |
After the dark ages of the early '70s, after the dark drunk period of Tonight's the Night and the stoned recovery of On The Beach, Neil finally hit his stride on Zuma. While it might not be as artistically poignant as its two predecessors or as groundbreaking as Rust Never Sleeps, this record is easily one of Neil's most enjoyable, showcasing his various talents without sacrificing continuity. Here, we get pensive acoustic Neil ("Pardon My Heart"), hopeful romantic Neil ("Lookin' For A Love"), grunge forefather Neil ("Drive Back"), and yes, even drunk poet Neil ("Barstool Blues"). Somehow it all fits together as a sort of perfect sampling of mid-'70s Neil Young, which, by the way, is the best sort of Neil Young.
Arriving just six months after the release of Tonight's the Night, this album must have been a welcome relief for those still depressed from its predecessor. No, Neil is not completely carefree, but then again, he's never carefree. But on Zuma, he's keeping perspective, even giving off a positive glow. On album opener "Don't Cry No Tears," Neil borrows the faux-positive vibe of On The Beach's "Walk On," and supports it with fresh confidence.
The singer tells a sad tale of a stolen lover, but the music tells a different story. The result is a relatively carefree response to life's little dramas, a song to sing in the car on the way home from a bad day at work. On the optimistic "Lookin' For A Love," Neil continues this sonic recovery, contemplating his future life with the perfect woman. In one of his single greatest lines, he thinks, "I hope I treat her kind and don't mess with her mind when she starts to see the darker side of me." You gotta love how he admits the potential for his own cruelty to ruin this good thing, but still hopes it will work out.
Zuma also includes the original studio versions of "Cortez The Killer" and "Barstool Blues," which sound exactly as if they were recorded at one of Crazy Horse's glorious, rambling live shows. "Drive Back" is a lesser known but equally nasty rock tune. And while "Danger Bird" isn't exactly Neil's most enjoyable or coherent song, it features yet another grandaddy of a line - "With the rain pounding on his back he recalls the moment that he cracked long ago in the museum with his friends. And like those memories the rain keeps pounding down, down, down" - as well as a classic, treble-drenched guitar solo that stretches on to the horizon. Self-indulgent rock doesn't get better than this.
"Stupid Girl" is yet another high point, yet another vintage Crazy Horse performance (with a title like "Stupid Girl," how could it not be?). Neil gives Mick Jagger a run for his money, spitting out venomous jabs at the woman in question, even comparing her at one point to a fish "flopping on the summer sand." But its Neil's squirrelly singing and the band's shuffling backing that really makes this song work. The closing guitar solo is so heartfelt, so soaring, it's the perfect preclude to the aforementioned nastiness of "Drive Back."
After an entire eight songs and 30 minutes of Crazy Horse, it's a little disorienting to end the album with a Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young song. But it somehow works. Even though I don't care for CSNY (read: despise CSN), I find the track to be harmless, even pretty, a welcomed opportunity to decompress from the "Cortez" solos. And again its nice to here Neil sounding so at peace. Yes, he's talking about getting over a relationship, but he's moving on as well.
It's a fitting closer for an album whose most memorable theme is rejuvenation. With Zuma, we get to see Neil stepping into his own, and allowing his band to get comfortable with its now well-defined sound. In short, Neil brushed off his blues, and called his buddies into jam. To paraphrase the immortal words of Spinal Tap's David St. Hubbins, Neil birthed a rock and roll creation and it was goooooood.
BEN FRENCH | Ben founded NATN in the winter of 1998-1999 with fellow IU alums Troy Carpenter and Jonathan Cohen. During the day time, he's working for Nielsen Business Media, publisher of Billboard. Ben's favorite acts include Bruce Springsteen, The Clash, Sonic Youth, Elvis Costello, Talking Heads, Rolling Stones, and the Beach Boys.