Neil Young - Psychedelic Pill (2012)

In his memoir Waging Heavy Peace, Neil Young describes Crazy Horse as “a vehicle to cosmic areas that I am unable to traverse with others”.' Psychedelic Pill' is the second time he has saddled up with his veteran garage-band compadres this year, following the folk covers album 'Americana'.

The title promises a flashback to the rumbling acid rock jams of Young at his most cosmic – the epically long opener “Driftin’ Back”, is a 28-minute jamfest in which the “Horse mooch around the proverbial field, tail flicking at pesky flies”, while Young grumbles about the modern world. “I’m gonna get me a hip-hop haircut,” he jokes.

Inspiration flares fitfully on the rest of the album, whose nostalgic mood and sprawling execution make it a companion piece to the memoir. Shorter songs go from treacly sentimental “For the Love of Man” to the engaging northern boogie of “Born In Ontario” while longer numbers include the rumbling, defiant threnody to hippy idealism “Walk Like a Giant” and the magnificent “Ramada Inn” – a 17-minute jam in which Young swaps aching guitar solos with Frank Sampedro and sings about a long-term married couple drowning in too much drink and too many memories. Those cosmic areas may be harder to reach these days, but he and Crazy Horse can still get there.

Tracklist:

Disc One:
01. Driftin’ Back (27:36)
02. Psychedelic Pill (3:26)
03. Ramada Inn (16:49)
04. Born In Ontario (3:49)

Disc Two:
01. Twisted Road (3:28)
02. She’s Always Dancing (8:33)
03. For the Love of Man (4:13)
04. Walk Like a Giant (16:27)
05. Psychedelic Pill (Alternate Mix) (3:12)