Year of the Horse (1997)

Year of the Horse is both a film by Jim Jarmusch (Dead Man) and a double live album. The film mixes tour footage from the 1996 Broken Arrow tour with interviews and archival footage (some from Muddy Track) to try to tell the story of Crazy Horse as a band. There are varying opinions on how well it does its job on that front. Personally, I found it to be a fun look behind the curtain of this group of guys. I know that Poncho thinks it’s kind of hokey and sanitized (in Shakey), and he spends half his scenes needling Jarmusch. The archival footage seems to be there to tell the more complicated aspects of these relationships, especially when it uses the same footage of arguments with Billy Talbot that are on Muddy Track. Conversely, the 1996 footage shows the band in much friendlier terms with a distinct shared purpose. A poignant segment on David Briggs might reveal why. Beyond restating the “closer to the source” message, the band all outlines why Briggs was such an integral part of their cohesion. Poncho even calls him the fifth band member. A chilling “Tonight’s the Night” follows this in the edit. Perhaps a little on the nose, but still effective.

One of the more interesting tricks Jarmusch employs is merging a 1996 “Like a Hurricane” into a 1970s performance of the same song. It’s hard to tell which performance is the audio (I think the 70s one), but it creates this feeling of timelessness that fits the song perfectly. By the time it morphs back to 1996, Neil is in the midst of a feedback breakdown that has become a standard aspect of this song in live performances. Flashing lights, Molina’s rolls, and distorted noise create an audiovisual storm as the film comes to a close, with Neil abandoning his guitar for a large lit candle. Overall, this is a neat look at the band dynamics as they become adults and a worthy update to previous film documents of the band. It fits the Broken Arrow atmosphere of remembrance and growing older as a family.

The double live album Year of the Horse is strange in that it’s not really related to the film of the same name but rather just a live album of the 1996 tour. “It’s all one song!” shouts Neil at the outset of “When You Dance (I Can Really Love).”* That can be taken a lot of different ways, but I love the notion that to Neil all his songs are all part of one tapestry of music to him. In that context, Year of the Horse is a really interesting live document, containing many songs you don’t normally hear on Neil’s live releases. Different threads, so to speak, but all so recognizably Neil.

*It’s commonly said that Neil is responding to a heckler who shouts “It all sounds the same!” but 1) the “heckler” sounds like Neil, 2) that would be an awfully loud heckler at a rock show, and 3) I can imagine Neil making this comment to Billy who has a long history of trouble remembering song changes (the film Year of the Horse includes film of two instances of this also shown in Muddy Track).

“When You Dance” is blistering, truly the most electric I’ve heard this played before. “Barstool Blues” is similarly high energy while “Mr. Soul” just uses a unique combination of instrumentation to deliver one of the better live renditions of a classic. I still really dislike electric Horse versions of “Pocahontas” and this might be the worse of them all. It’s so messy and Neil’s voice is just not into it. Compare this to acoustic versions and it’s no contest. “When Your Lonely Heart Breaks” is an odd choice, but better than the studio version. Sigh, another “Sedan Delivery.” Songs like that detract from some of the standouts.

“Danger Bird” is so little heard, it’s crazy to get a fantastic 13 minute epic version here (doubling the original Zuma recording). The band takes their time building up the scene before Neil sings the first words. This is Crazy Horse at their most psychedelic, stretched out, fuzzed out, and in the zone. Needless to say, Neil really goes for it on the solos, too. I like the odd mix of acoustic, drum, and harmony on “Human Highway,” despite thinking I’ve probably heard a better version of this song before. I still can’t help loving “Prisoners of Rock ‘n’ Roll.” Despite the cheesy title and juvenile lyrics, it’s a great moment of musicians taking a shot at the machine of their industry and defiantly standing their ground. It’s also Crazy Horse’s tongue-in-cheek anthem in my mind.

Its great hearing live performances of Broken Arrow songs when they were fresh to the band. And we get my Top 3! “Big Time” is rougher than the album version but still emotive while “Slip Away” takes the relatively laid back song into a more soaring and “rock opera” performance. It’s almost like the band had unfinished business on this one. While the recording is a little muddy, “Scattered (Let’s Think About Livin’)” is possibly more effecting here, you can just hear the combination of sadness and gladness in Neil’s voice when played live. The band’s harmony is on point, too. I adore the final guitar refrain melting into “Danger Bird” (Zuma was one of Briggs’ favorite productions). A fitting tribute to the fallen producer.

Top 3:

1. Danger Bird
2. Slip Away
3. Scattered (Let’s Think About Livin’)

Cut song: Pocahontas (my love for this song is probably what makes me want to cut this terrible version)

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