If you listen to Greendale cold without knowing its conceptual membrane, you might get happily lost in the slapdash looseness of Neil Young and Crazy Horse. But for those of us who were lucky enough to witness the spectacle of the live shows preceding its release, Greendale is more than just another hootenanny from Young and his favorite band. It’s a tale about the fictitious Green family and their struggles with homicide, politics, the environment and the media; a basic narrative that was actually acted out during the concerts.
Say what you will about the plot, but a majority of the songs stand up well enough on their own. From the tuneful opening notes of “Falling From Above” to the desolate, out-of-tune plunder of “Bandit” right on through to the climatic “Be The Rain” — Young and the Horse blast through every passage without a care in the world. And that’s when you know it’s something special.
To gain another perspective, the Greendale CD includes a separate DVD that features Young playing an intimate, solo performance of the entire piece. If that’s not enough, a full feature film of Greendale directed by Shakey himself is also out on DVD.
~ Shawn Perry
