The Guardian UK is reporting that Neil Young has announced the release of a new album, and no one could be more distressed than his fans.
For months now, Young obsessives have been awaiting the release of Archives Volume 1 – a vast library of early recordings, in the form of 10 Blu-ray discs. This week, however, reports have emerged that an album of new Neil Young material – called Fork In the Road – will pre-empt Archives, pushing its February release back into spring.
Often, this would call for celebration. Who needs old material when you are being offered shiny, new songs by a music legend? Alas, that's not what Neil Young's fans seem to be thinking. They have heard these new songs – on Young's recent tour, or in a new viral video – and let's just say they don't like them very much.
"Would a record company actually listen to this garbage and then agree to release it?" asked one fan at the popular Thrasher's Wheat site. "At some point, they're going to have to take a stand – right? I'm actually rooting for the record company here."
With Fork In the Road, Young seems to be exploring three things – dirty blues, direct lyrics, and his LincVolt electric car project. That all sounds well and good until you hear the opening lyrics of the title track.
"Got a pot belly," Young sings, "It's not too big / Gets in my way / When I'm driving my rig."
The video – clearly a webcam recording of Old Shakey chomping on an apple, mouthing along, cotton buds in his ears – doesn't inspire much confidence. A few minutes in, he sings about blogging. Later in the video he plays air guitar as a flat-screen TV seems to be repossessed. Commentary on the financial crisis? Maybe. Revelatory rock music? Says a fan of his for the past 20 years: "This new stuff is simply the most tired music I've ever heard from Neil."
Neil Young's spokesperson confirmed to Rolling Stone that the "timeliness of the subject matter" on Fork In the Road meant that it would be released soon, probably postponing Archives and the highly anticipated lost album Toast. "It seems logical," the spokesperson said, "but that hasn't been confirmed yet.
1 comment:
I've been a Neil fan since the '60's and have great admiration for the man because he sings about things that matter even when it's not the most popular thing to do. And singing about alternative fuels when we need it most? I couldn't be prouder of him. Those who don't appreciate what he's doing just don't understand.
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