Neil Young and Crazy Horse 'Return to Greendale' Review: Not mere live album, record offers rock opera experience
Legendary rock icon Neil Young's latest offering, 'Return to Greendale', is a live album and concert film of the historic 2003 tour that brought his 25th studio album, 'Greendale', to life both musically and theatrically. Available worldwide starting Friday, November 6, 2020, via Reprise Records, 'Return to Greendale', which features Young's trusty partners Crazy Horse, is as topical and relevant as it ever was especially in a strange, topsy-turvy year as 2020. The live album, which comprises 10 tracks, is beautifully crafted and reminds us why Young is one of the greatest songwriters of all time. The record, which was first released as a full-length studio album back in 2003, is more than just a collection of songs. It's a sonic cinematic experience that showcases the auteur's storytelling abilities with songs that range from dark and haunting to hopeful and uplifting.
'Return to Greendale' starts off with 'Falling from Above', a classic sounding rock song, that is endearing and heartwarming. With messages to spreading love even when times are bleak and uncaring, Young, in his signature baritone voice, sings "and mama said, 'a little love and affection/In everything you do/Will make the world a better place/With or without you'". A much-needed message for the current times, or 21st century in general, 'Falling from Above', with its towering harmonica and guitar solos, is a strong opening to a mesmerizing album. On 'Double E', which introduces the characters, Edith and Earl, Young's magic is intact as the record turns into the musical theatre that it is backed by Crazy Horse’s heavy blues thrash. One by one, the songs take us deeper into the backstories of the fictional characters featured on the record, like in a feature film. In fact, the band is joined on-stage by actors who play out Greendale’s narrative as the live album progresses.
On the third track, 'Devil's Sidewalk', Young sings about the inherent omnipresent danger and difficulties of the world that us mortal beings have to fight through. With layered instrumentals and masterful guitar solos, Young's poetry, if paid close attention, enchants listeners in a deeply moving way. This experience is only elevated on the following track 'Leave the Driving'; a song about a guy named Jed who, while transporting drugs, shoots a cop dead sending his loved ones into a whirlwind of trouble and anxiety. Intricately crafted with heart-touching verses, Young sings, "Jed got stopped by the CHP/For speeding and no brake lights/Rolled down the drivers window/Slipped his gun down under the seat/Glovebox full of cocaine/Trunk was full of weed." 'Leave the Driving' is a prime example of why Young is one of the greatest songwriters to have ever lived.
'Carmichael', the grungy, jangly fifth track on 'Return to Greendale' which is over ten minutes in length, is delicately melodious and classically rock n' roll. Here we meet more members of the Green family living in a fictional California town. The expertly composed song effortlessly transitions into the sixth track 'Bandit' where Young assures that we'll someday find everything we're looking for. But, the most stand-out and sonically satisfying track on the record is 'Grandpa's Interview' which tells the story of the fall-out that follows Jed's misadventure. On 'Grandpa’s Interview', the titular character visits Edith and Earl in a bid to avoid the media as he's worried about being asked questions about Jed. Young sings, "I ain't gonna talk about Jed/I don't watch channel 2 or 6 or 9/I don't have time to talk that fast/And it ain't my crime/It ain't an honor to be on TV/And it ain't a duty either/The only good thing about TV/Is shows like 'Leave it to Beaver'".
'Sun Green', the ninth track, is yet another sprawling, epic track that focuses on the often-overlooked importance of the planet we reside on. Poetry in motion, 'Bringin' Down Dinner' runs over 12 minutes with velvety solos that culminates into the final chapter of the story of the Green family. It's a track that showcases why Young has been so influential for so long and across generations. The album closes with 'Be the Rain', a track powered by themes of environmentalism, anti-corruption, and highlighting the destructive effects of capitalism. Young sings, "Save the planet for another day/attention shoppers, buy with a conscience and save/Save the planet for another day/save Alaska! let the Caribou stay/Don't care what the governments say/they're all bought and paid for anyway".
'Return to Greendale' is an epic experience of Young’s immersive, small-town rock opera. It's seamless multimedia exploit that blends Young’s powerful lyrics and Crazy Horse’s trance-like folk-rock with a cinematic edge. Just like 'Greendale', the live album eschews elaborate production in favor of a ragged and rough-hewn feel that does right by its source material. A must-have for rock n' rock fans.