Americana (2012)

In 2012, Neil would release two albums, Americana and Psychedelic Pill, both with Crazy Horse. I was familiar with Psychedelic Pill, but had no idea what Americana sounded like. All I knew was it was an album of traditional/folk songs covered by Neil and the Horse. I was expecting it to be a bit hokey, honestly. Imagine my shock that this is a pretty great Horse album. They sound fantastic. This is the first time Neil was back with the full horse including Poncho since 2001’s Toast and you can really tell. Neil is also using David Briggs’ protege John Hanlon as co-producer (who also produced the Horse on Toast), so there’s a certain sound quality here that fits this group really well. It’s that classic warm, clear recording style that Briggs always brought to Neil’s best recordings. Hanlon describes the setup in great detail in this informative article. Getting the right feel seems to be important.

The relationship between Neil and Crazy Horse needs a certain atmosphere to work right. This is where the phrase “don’t spook the horse” comes from (it was probably Briggs that said it). While 2003’s Greendale had Billy and Ralph on it, Poncho also played keys on the live tour. Neil considers Crazy Horse to be a band he’s in, while Billy tends to want to do other stuff with the band. Poncho just wants to play with Neil. A lot of history there that needs to be treated with care to get the best result. Neil talked about a mounting feeling of wanting to get the Horse back together even before he had songs inWaging Heavy Peace. It makes sense then that he started with some traditional covers while the Horse worked out that feeling of being back together. I wouldn’t call this a warm-up for Psychedelic Pill, but I do think it was a little bit of a way for Neil and the band to get back into that Horse mood. It’s telling that Americana was first teased with the 37 minute film “Horse Back,” which is an extended jam incorporating a super slowed down “Fuckin’ Up” and a sprawling “Cortez the Killer” that was recorded after Americana, but right at the beginning of the Psychedelic Pill sessions. The film reveals lyric sheets for Americana songs as the jam plays back in the empty recording studio at Neil’s ranch.

“Oh Susannah” is a strong start, with fantastic backing vocals by the Horse and a real bluesy bop to it. This arrangement is not the one everyone is familiar with, but rather one composed by Tim Rose from the 60s. As Neil says in the studio chatter after, it’s “real funky.” By contrast, Young’s new arrangement from “Clementine” is a dark dirge. It’s fitting for what is a dark song to begin with. I think Neil’s voice is straining a little bit on this song which doesn’t fit as smoothly, but the spooky backing vocals by the Horse are really cool. This is a good time to bring up Billy Talbot and Ralph Molina were originally in an a cappella doo-wop group with Danny Whitten called Danny & the Memories before evolving into first the Rockets and then Crazy Horse. They’ve always had strong backing vocals with Neil, but really shine on this collection of covers. Jumping ahead slightly, “Get a Job” is a great showcase for them. The Silhouettes were a doo-wop rhythm and blues group in the late 50s and I can imagine this is precisely the type of music Danny & the Memories were singing when they formed.

It’s probably not an uncommon criticism that “Tom Dula” is the low point of the album, the one listeners are likely to skip on subsequent plays. The song itself is not bad, a bluesy dirge, but there’s an aggravating repetition of the title throughout the song that just overpowers the mood of the song. Also, it’s eight minutes long. Neil plays well as always, the rhythm section is tight, the subject matter sad and poignant. The song would be great if they cut back the “Tom Dula! Tom Dula!” by about 80%. The position of “Gallows Pole” right after this song is thematically perfect, but it’s such a Neil moment for the swinging arrangement by Odetta Holmes to take on some serious Cab Calloway vibes. Of course, that leads right into “Get a Job,” the aforementioned doo-wop showcase for Billy and Ralph. The dissonance between the downbeat lyrics and upbeat rhythm makes it a perfect vehicle for this album. One other thing to note is that Ralph is really killing these drum patterns. Check out the “When I go back to the house…” breakdown!

There’s a particular theme running through these reinventions, namely they are dark and serious subjects. As Neil puts it:

Every one of these songs [on Americana] has verses that have been ignored. And those are the key verses, those are the things that make these songs live. They're a little heavy for kindergarteners to be singing. The originals are much darker, there's more protest in them — the other verses in "This Land Is Your Land" are very timely, or in "Clementine," the verses are so dark. Almost every one has to do with people getting killed, with life-or-death struggles. You don't hear much about that; they've been made into something much more light. So I moved them away from that gentler interpretation. With new melodies and arrangements, we could use the folk process to invoke the original meanings for this generation. (Neil Young, American Songwriter)

Wow does “Travel On” sound like a Neil Young song. The loping rhythm and Old Black’s tone make it sound like a Ragged Glory outtake. Amazing solos, great harmonies, and a countrified fuzziness. While the traditional dates back as early as 1927, this arrangement was first recorded by Pete Seeger in 1958. I’m in love with this cover and putting it in my top Neil songs, easily the best song on Americana. Would love to hear the band do this live. “High Flyin’ Bird” is more firmly a 60s folk song, which might account for its trippy lyrics and sliding rhythms, but it also sounds like a Neil song, maybe something from Zuma or Psychedelic Pill. I like this song a lot, but I’m still coming down from the high of “Travel On,” I can’t give it as high of marks.

Neil and the Horse next take on “She’ll Be Coming Around the Mountain” or “Jesus’ Chariot (She’ll Be Coming Around the Mountain)” as the title is given here. In opposition to the friendly sing-a-long we all known, Neil’s arrangement gives it a doom-laden foreboding, with pummeling drums and angry guitars. This traditional Christian folk song certainly has some dark apocalyptic lyrics in its original form. I find the lyric “She will bring us to the portals when she comes (when she comes)” to be particularly threatening. What are these portals? I shudder to think.

“This Land is your Land” is well-known to have some dark lyrics in Woody Guthrie’s original version (it was written to criticize “God Bless America,” after all). Neil keeps all that intact, and keeps the happy go lucky feel of it for maximum effect. I quite like the wistful, more subdued “Wayfarin’ Stranger,” an 1800s traditional, this time with an arrangement by none other than Burl Ives. The band gives it a light touch and Neil’s vocal is gentle and laden with meaning (“I go there to see my father…” is particularly prominent).

Ending Americana with a cover of “God Save the Queen” is peak Neil humor, of course. His arrangement is stately and heavy on the drumbeats, with a subtle use of a children’s choir and a somewhat Hendrix feel to the lead guitar. I went into this album expecting it to feel a bit cheesy, but I’m incredibly glad to be wrong. Maybe it was the band, maybe it was the time, but they attacked this project with a lot of thought, and some of these renditions are up there with the best of Neil, quite honestly. Especially “Travel On.”

Top 3:

1. Travel On
2. Wayfarin’ Stranger
3. High Flyin’ Bird

Cut song: Tom Dula

A Day at the Gallery is a pretty hilarious film Neil made to preview both Americana and the artwork Shepard Fairey (Obey Giant) did to accompany the album. How does Neil choose to showcase this? Well, of course a silent film with Neil portraying a buyer visiting an art gallery and haggling with the curator (“You sir are a cheap fucker” reads one title card). It’s incredibly well done, with the right frame rate, lighting, exaggerated movements and even makeup (all those dark shadows around the eyes!). The running gag of them walking past covered paintings over and over again is great. And the piano accompaniment is perfectly appropriate. Each song is briefly featured alongside archive footage that all feels just right for the era of these songs. Banjo playing father giving his young son a cigarette, daredevils on the wings of early planes, caravans in the Dust Bowl.

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