Random Thoughts

First off, I can't agree more with Neil that George Bush sucks. Any blue-stater knows this. Does it require a whole album of anger? I'm not so sure. He calls it his protest album, modeling it after the protest songs from the '60s. And they had every reason to protest. But somehow "Ohio" leaves a timeless image that "Let's Impeach the President" doesn't quite have. David Crosby was always better at this anyway. "Long Time Gone" and "Almost Cut My Hair" were perfect and still work well into today's turmoil. Even his recent "Dream For Him" from CSNY's 1999 album, "Looking Forward," holds up.

Neil lists Bob Dylan as inspiration in the liner notes. Its funny how all musicians see Dylan as the model protest singer. He hated being pigeon-holed as a protest singer and, on his fourth album, "Another Side of Bob Dylan," he wrote mostly introspective songs that pissed off the hardcore "message music" fans. But still, this early period is what everyone wants to draw inspiration from. I guess it could be worse. People could be obsessed over "Empire Burlesque" calling it his brilliant period. But I digress...

As stated before, this album is super cheesy. Its Graham Nash protest cheesy. I can see Nash sitting in his house listening this album with Neil, giving him the thumbs up and getting a wink in return. They're going to be like giddy protesters on stage when they go on tour this summer. Crosby will be standing there with that big mustached-grin, still surprised that he himself is still alive. And Stills will just be happy to be onstage making some cash, wearing his Hawaiian bathrobe and grinning when some asshole in the front keeps screaming for "Southern Cross." Good song, but there is always that asshole in the front who won't shut up until he here's it. But I digress again...

Neil, who plays a loud guitar throughout, recorded this in three days with a drummer, bassist, trumpet guy and a 100-voice choir. It’s in an interesting choice of musicians. I like it when Neil does something a little different with his albums. His "computer" album, 1982's "Trans", was a flop but I loved it. His big band album, 1988's "This Note’s For You," is a lot of fun. And his classic trilogy of depressed albums from the mid- 1970s - “Time Fades Away,” “On the Beach,” “Tonight’s the Night” - weren’t commercially successful but is some of his best work. These albums always seemed to follow commercially giant recordings, like "Harvest." So when "Prairie Wind" came out, I was sure Neil would pull a fast on the market. I'd be disappointed if he didn't.

Do I like the album? I've only heard it all the way through twice and I winced a hell of a lot more than I did listening to "Greendale." There are also a lot of unintentional laughs in listening to this. It's undeniably bad. And that's why I love it. It's like a bad movie. You can enjoy watching "Big Bad Mama," but it's not like I'm going to watch it everyday (although...). So I can't say that this will be my CD of choice for the next few weeks, if ever. Here's my song by song review:

#1. After the Garden - I think this one is actually pretty good. I had high hopes for the rest of the album upon listening to it. It has a tune that can stuck in your head. And the 100 voice choir makes its first appearance, although I'm surprised that they're not louder in the mix. It seems that way for the whole album. The trumpet guys shows up too, and that's the most interesting instrumental choice for the rest of the CD. Trumpet guy always shows up at the right time. Basically, the lyrics suggest that we won't need any Bush or "shadow government" after the proverbial garden is gone (the U.S.) because Bush will destroy us. At least, I think that's what he means.

#2. Living With War - "I'm living with war everyday." This is the first line of the song. Huh? U.S. soldiers in Iraq live with war everyday. Sudanese refugees in Darfur live with war everyday. Canadian singer-songwriters live with back-bacon, hockey, poutine, Stephen Harper (Governor #51) and French Canadians everyday. Not war. And if you're Neil, you don't even live with that because you live in the U.S. WTF, Neil? The best part of the song is when Neil and his chorus sing a portion of the "Star Spangled Banner" and their voices go so high in octave that it becomes an uncomfortable moment. I laughed out loud. Also, the song has Neil's first reference to flat screen TVs.

#3. The Restless Consumer - On this track, Neil lets us consumers have it. We're in such a need for oil, that we must go to war over it. No Shit. But the song does have a nice beat to it. The chorus yells "Don't Need" while Neil sings/shouts/moans "Don't Need No More Lies" in a strange way. The song is endearing, kind of. Also, first song in Neil's songbook to feature the word diarrhea. Finally!

#4. Shock and Awe - Yeah, the title is funny. I laughed too. It’s another song that reminds us how we're stuck in a quagmire in Iraq. The lyrics aren't bad either. "History was the cruel judge of overconfidence." He then makes fun of Bush's Mission Accomplished stunt when the war was far from over. I can see this one becoming a kind of angry anthem, although the tune is rather pedestrian. But trumpet guy makes a triumphant return to the CD.

#5. Families - Here, Neil is writing from a soldier's viewpoint. This song really dips into the cheese here. It’s about soldiers looking forward to seeing there loved ones again. And that's a nice thought. I don't really need Neil to sing to me about it. Very forgettable.

#6. Flags of Freedom - Neil updates Dylan's "Chimes of Freedom" and even mentions his name in the song. This isn't so much an anti-war song as it is a song supporting the troops as they march to war. I'm guessing this made it in so Neil wouldn't be seen as someone who hates the troops. I can see Stephen Colbert asking him that question right now, "Why do you hate the troops?" I can see a staunch Bush lover getting into this song if they didn't know the full context of the CD. Also, Neil's second reference to a flat-screen TV in the lyrics.

#7. Let's Impeach the President - Hahaha. Could this be the worst song on the album? Possibly. No other song comes right out and expresses Neil's hatred for the Bush administration quite like this one. But do we need it to sound like its coming from a third-rate peace rally? The best part is when Neil and the chorus yell "Flip...Flop" intermingled with sound bytes of Bush contradicting himself in previous speeches. The choir is really into it at the end. It sounds like they're clapping and high-fiving each other at the end. Please!

#8. Lookin' for a Leader - Neil is looking towards the future to find a new and better leader to run this country. Kind of like the six billion dollar candidate (we have the technology!). He mentions Barak Obama and Colin Powell specifically, so they'd better be listening! I like this one though. It's got some decent lyrics to it. "America has a leader/But he's not in the house/He's walkin' here among us/And we've got to seek him out." Nicely put. Good beat, too.

#9. Roger and Out - Neil finally comes out with a zinger. This one has some emotional pull with the slow beat, the lack of a yelling chorus, and the sad lyrics. It’s about a guy reflecting back to a friend who died in Vietnam and made the ultimate sacrifice. It’s sung with Neil's mournful voice and strikes just the write note. Best song on the album.

#10. America the Beautiful - The chorus gets down to business and sings this American classic with some appropriate gusto. After they belt out the words, the nicely "ooooh" the tune. Which made me laugh again. I was really expecting to hear Elvis come in and start speaking the words to the song like he did in his late 70s version. For those of you who have heard this, then you know what I'm talking about. "America! America!"

You gotta love Neil. He's fed up with Bush and had to say something. While most people just complain about him, he releases an album in under a month of recording. I agree with what he says. We should impeach the president. But I've always found that when musicians try to make a "message" album, it inevitably sounds silly. In three years from now, is anyone going to want to listen to this again? It'll sound incredibly dated. While last year's "Prairie Wind" sounds timeless, "Living With War" will remain an odd footnote in his illustrious career. He's also a Canadian citizen, which, for some, may throw credibility right out the window. Yes, he lives in the U.S. most of the time and his family is American, but he's still a hoser through and through. But God bless him. He's got balls to release this and he flaunts them. And so I admire the man and what he's set out to do. I might not like the finished product as a whole, but he's got some decent stuff here. It's an interesting experiment he tried and I hope he keeps throwing his listening audience curve balls. I never get bored listening to Neil Young.