Ready for SundaySpotlight? Who could I cover after Bob Dylan? You can only guess once :)
Neil Young is a famous Canadian musicians and one of the best singer songwriters and performers in the world. He was a member of Buffalo Springs, a group that is considered as founding stone of folk and country rock. He was also contributing to the works of Crazy Horse and Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. He was also a movie actor and director for a while under pseudonym Bernard Shakey ( Journey Through The Past, Rust Never Sleeps, Human Highway, Greendale. At the same time, Neil is a huge humanitarian and activist: he stands for renewable energy, electric cars and enviromental consciousness. He is one of the founders of Farm Aid, an organization that supports American farmers and their families. Young's name is related to politican engagement as well, as his name offer appears on anti-war protests.
The reason why I am mentioning all of this is because it reflects through his music. For example, his glorious album Living With War was a conspicious castigation of George Bush's government. Young earned many accolades for his work, including Allan Waters award. He became a part of Rock n Roll Hall Of Fame two times and is also a member of Canadian Music Hall Of Fame. He even has his own museum built in his hometown Omemee called Neil Young Rock & Roll Museum. While listening to his latest album Hitchiker, you get the idea why is he so glorified.
Besides being world champion in creating verses and melodies, Neil Young is also a champion of irregular careers, strange decisions and trearing his songs like endless enigmas that can be interpreted one way or the other. He comes into the studio and leaves it super fast and nonetheless generates longstanding magic that no one else can produce that smoothly. The only issue appears when he starts collecting songs for the album and leaves plethora of brilliant tunes behind. Hitchiker is an evidence for this. After neglecting his artistic past for decades, Neil Young has finally decided to present us with the lost piece of the puzzle that fits between materpieces of the early seventies ( After the Gold Rush, Harvest, On The Beach) and late seventies (Comes A Time, Rust Never Sleeps).
The story about the album's creation goes back to 1976 when Neil went to the studio and recorded all the songs in one day, taking breaks only for beer, weed and coke consumption. No matter the physical and mental condition of the author, performances are spot-on: mastery played, beautifully sung and emotional.
Most of the songs are known from the albums that came after the unreleased Hitchhiker. Armed with guitar, piano and mouth harmonika, Neil offers intimate context. That i exactly what his type of songs demand - minimalistic instrumental arrangements and affectionate intimacy. Young's vocal interpretation unmistakably brings American South closer to the listener and takes him to the landscapes where loneliness and harsh climate are omnipresent. It is approachable and meditative Young who does not create to be liked. He creates out of intrinsic need.
Songs take you to some other times. Powderfinger and Human Highway sound better in these versions than on the original albums. The same applies to The Old Country Waltz. Previously unreleased Hawaii and Give Me Strength are super congruent to the whole concept. When it comes to the album in general, it is a pure success. The question in the spotlight - what would it happen if the album came out in 1976 instead of American Stars 'n' Bars. It would probably be marked as a continuation of a great streak. It is more substantial than already magnficent Zuma and less fragmentef than famous American Stars 'n' Bars. The songs were spread on collections of that era, often without an appropriate feeling. Some were left in the basement, waiting for the right time. There is also a tragic story about a song Powderfinger that Young gave to Lynyrd Skynyrd, who were big fans of Neil's work. The guys loved the song and were supposed to record it, but then an airplane accident turned off the lives of Ronnie Von Zant, Steve and Cassie Gaines. Young then recorded electronically-driven version that does not sound as acoustic one we finally got on Hitchhiker.
My suggestion is your start from here. Hitchhiker is a good representation of an artist who knows how to say a lot with few instruments.
