NEIL YOUNG & CRAZY HORSE
Psychedelic Pill (Reprise)
Neil Young is in a nostalgic mood on Psychedelic Pill, a triumphant if somewhat meandering release with his band, Crazy Horse.
The opening track, the 27-minute Driftin' Back, sets the tone, as a reflective Young sings about turning back the clock and revisiting his past. Sure, at nearly half an hour, it takes its time getting there. Cut the guy some slack. At 66, it takes him some time to get where he needs to be.
Psychedelic Pill is the latest in a series of moves by Young retracing his steps. Last month he released his memoir, Heavy Peace, and this summer director Jonathan Demme released Neil Young Journeys, a documentary in which Young revisits his Canadian childhood home.
Sure, some of the riffs on Psychedelic Pill have more than a passing resemblance to some of Young's best-known songs. And maybe some of the longer ones could have used some judicious editing.
Three of the eight tracks on the double-disc release are 16 minutes or longer. The other four are four minutes or less.
It's not like these extended play songs represent unprecedented territory for the craggy Young. As anyone who's played Young's 1969 song Down by the River on a bar jukebox knows, you definitely get your money's worth.
Psychedelic Pill comes 43 years after that recording and Crazy Horse sounds as good as ever, setting the mood with their signature harmonies, driving guitars and pulsating back beat.
