Re•ac•tor (1981)
I’ve never heard this album but remember seeing it in stores all the time, always wondering what it sounded like. When my Neil fandom began, there was the general feeling that the 80s were a wash for Neil (more on that next time…) and that probably contributed to me never picking this up. So what do I discover? I dig this album. It’s definitely not a top tier album and none of the songs would end up in a playlist of mine, but it’s a lot of fun with some truly wild Crazy Horse collaborations. I think Salon called it a “proto-grunge” effort and I really see that with the benefit of fresh ears. This is also the album where Neil started messing around with the Synclavier (also more on that next time…).
“Opera Star” is a shaggy dog at the outset of this, a little low slung but certainly playing around with the more poppy end of punk. Co-written with Frank “Poncho” Sampedro (one of Neil’s closest collaborators in Crazy Horse and separate as well), “Surfer Joe and Moe the Sleaze” is just a wild time, with some bluesy rock foundations and a typically vague Neil narrative. In some ways, I think this is telling the tale of Poncho and David Briggs, who are both pretty intense characters in the Neil orbit. (see Shakey for more). The handclaps and other percussion elements really give it a ramshackle, juke joint feel.
It’s hard to describe “T-Bone” as anything other than a goofy jam groove. It’s way too long for the small amount of changes in it. Nine minutes of the same basic groove and Neil complaining he doesn’t have a steak to go with his mashed potatoes. You can just see that slow grin of his at the idea of this being on an album under his name.
The relatively calm “Get Back On It” sits in the middle of the album like a little breather. In some ways it prefigures some of the looking back that Neil will do in the next few years with Everybody’s Rockin and This Notes For You.
Trains are important to Neil and I’ll find some time to talk about them soon, but I really like “Southern Pacific.” From the train whistle start to the chugging rhythm that this track is built around, it’s an ode to a favorite hobby of this songwriter. And at some point, this hobby takes over his life. In a lot of ways, it probably saved him from either burnout or depression. There’s a lot to talk about with his family and children, but Trans is the time to talk about that, so I’ll save it for then.
“Motor City” has some great guitar distortion and a hilariously morose theme about broken down cars. He puts that Synclavier to use here and it fits with the soundscape he’s trying to build. “Rapid Transit” has a rhythm that reminds me of very starkly of another song, but I can’t place it. The rolling rrrrrs he employs here are so goofy you gotta respect in the Ramones-ish way they are delivered. Otherwise this song is all about that groove.
The finale song is probably the best song on this album and the one that gets talked about the most. “Shots” is chaos. A rapid fire drum beat backs a typically great Neil riff all the while a gun shot mimicking Synclavier careens around the space. It’s sort of Portishead’s stellar “Machine Gun” but with Crazy Horse (gotta wonder if there was any influence there). It’s a pretty incredible sound and delivers its standout status. To think this cacophony started out in 1978 in as a ballad.
Top 3:
- Shots
- Southern Pacific
- Surfer Joe and Moe the Sleaze
Cut song: Get Back On It. It seems out of place.