Neil Young - Fork in the Road
April 3rd, 2009 | 5:30 pm est |
It somehow is fitting that Fork in the Road arrived in stores a week after President Barack Obama announced his bail-out plan for the American automobile industry: it’s Neil Young’s one-man campaign to remind everybody what cars used to mean and what they should be again. Neil always has had a soft spot for cars — he drove a hearse from Toronto to Los Angeles, immortalizing the vehicle in “Long May You Run” — so this album-length motor manifesto couldn’t be called unexpected, nor could its palpable, ever-flowing undercurrent of nostalgia be surprise for a man who owns a toy train company.
Plus, romanticizing the classic years of Detroit is natural; those big boats were gorgeous, so unlike the colorless, characterless sedans that rule the road these days. Neil knows this and knows that dependence on oil is crippling the culture, not to mention the environment, and is enough of an evangelist to cobble together his own green machine, putting an electric engine in a 1959 Lincoln Continental, driving the car to Washington and writing a whole album about the vehicle and its downtrodden times. Fittingly, Fork in the Road is like his Lincvolt: it has a new engine in an old body, so it has all of the classic contours but runs a little differently. The Lincvolt might be smooth and efficient but Fork in the Road is charmingly clunky, a side effect of its quick creation and Young’s hard-headedness.
Neil might be writing records as quickly as a blogger these days but musically stuck in the past, never letting go of his chunky Les Paul and candied folk harmonies, embracing his status as an old crank so enthusiastically he happily presents himself as a crazy old coot on the album’s cover. At times, he certainly does sound like the resident codger, snarling about the fading economy and how everybody’s been downsized, good naturedly sneering “big rock star/my sales have tanked/I still got you/thanks” on the title track. Despite the undercurrent of auto nostalgia here, Young isn’t living in the past and he’s keenly aware of the present. This blend of dreamy thoughts of yesteryear, spitting fury over the present and planning for the future gives Fork in the Road a bit of a kick that propels it through a few songs that aren’t much more than a garage groove, but the whole thing benefits from its messiness; the loose ends make it feel alive.
This is going to be my album of the year. I love this album. Best Garage Rock Band in the world at the moment (given that Crazy Horse has been put out to stud).
Great and fabuous disc of pure rock.
.
http://toxicidades.blogspot.com
there’s a freshness and crackle(and lose ends for sure) to this album that i haven’t heard in a long time from neil. it deserves extra volume.
Neil Diamond knows who he is and he is not gonna change his sound just to sound modern. That kind of stuff doesn’t apply to legends.
I look forward to hearing this. Note: The second “its” in the opening paragraph should not have an apostrophe.
Wrong Neil, JostMon.
lol, JostMon. Womp, womp.
And that is correct grammar, J.J. Syrja. You have to read that line more than once because I can see how that tripped you up. Not that it matters.
J.J. Syrja is correct about the “It’s”. There is no such word as “it’s”, Michael and Mr. Erlewine. A little grammar summary for both of you:
It’s is a contraction for it is or it has. Its is a possessive pronoun meaning, more or less, of it or belonging to it. If you can replace it[’]s in your sentence with it is or it has, then your word is it’s; otherwise, your word is its.
Therefore, the correction should read “nor could its palpable, ever-flowing undercurrent of nostalgia be surprise for a man who owns a toy train company.”
Your welcome.
“your welcome”……..surely you mean “you’re welcome”, the contraction of “you are welcome”
looking forward to hearing Neil’s new album.
For goodness sake! Grammar lessons run amok!!
What’s most fascinating is Yup’s smug essay of the correct use of contractions ended with a contraction used incorrectly! Oh, the sheer irony of it all!!
That said, I’ve got everything Neil (Young) has ever done, and I love it all (yes, even the Geffen output), and I’m sure Fork in the Road will be no different. I’m looking forward to this one big time!
You have got to be kidding. What are you people smoking? Have you heard this cd? It’s insulting that Neil has stooped to hawking such garbage. What happened to value for money? Cough up the bucks my a**. Not for trash like this.
Seems to me that the people that don’t like this don’t like rock music and probably only buy the safe albums. Prairie Wind anyone? Same people who will praise Bob Dylan’s new 5 star album. Safe music for straight people.
Neil’s in a rut, much like he was in the ’80s. You need more than quirkiness. He needs to put out a “Ragged Glory,” not an album about his freakin’ car. What’s next, an album about his barn?
Bad album. Heard it all and think it stinks. I’ve been a fan since Buffalo Springfield. His last two have been pure clunkers. Get out of poliitics, Neil. Stick to what you do best.
Sorry to be the contrarian but after listening to the album twice, it has replaced “Everybody’s Rockin” as Neil’s worst. Banal lyrics and plodding melodies. I love Neil’s music, and his importance and influence cannot be overstated. But the only reason I hope he makes another album is so this one is not his swan song.
You people, have got to get a life. Instead of worrying about grammar, which obviously none of you are English Professors or
even majored in english, if you even went to college, and if you
did, you went for the parties and not for the education.
alfranken, if that’s who you really are, I’m sure you are not the comedian, and if you are, YOU ought to get out of politics your-
self. I’m 60 years old and I was around before Buffalo Springfield
was known, except for the locals. That band was political from their first single release “For What It’s Worth”. Neil Young
has alway’s been political, not always outspoken or out front
like most. Besides all that rhetoric, music is music.
The problem people have is,they want to be critics, or just to be heard. Neil Young and most GOOD musicians write what, and here is the key, WHAT THEY FEEL. They aren’t ALWAYS interested in what
the fans or public think, especially when they’ve been around as
long as Neil has. They’ve made the bucks and don’t really need your approval anymore. They go to the recording studios,
make their music, put it out and hopefully TRUE fans will buy it,
warts and all, good, bad or indifferent. Besides, the general
public aren’t going to buy it anyway. They’ve done their time
and don’t have to defend their music anymore. So, if you bought
Neil’s new album, instead of criticizing it, just sit back, relax
and enjoy it for what it is,… MUSIC.
What a way to assume and be wrong as can be, Salvatore. I am an English graduate student. And you tell everyone to get a life and yet you’re on this site preaching over Neil Young, gloating over how old and wise you claim to be and making foolish accusations. Ha. Therefore, what you said is void. And I had to laugh out loud at Yup for trying to play teacher only to fall flat on his/her face. Of course it’s works as a contraction. Kudos to you for that Schoolhouse Rock! lesson of the day. Now all you need to do is learn the difference between your and you’re and you’ll be all set to go! But to be fair to you, I was looking at the first “it’s,” not the second in the opening paragraph. The first time is used correctly, but definitely not the second. So we are all right.
now that’s EXCITEMENT people….
and i suppose “all you critcs sit alone, you’re no better than me for what you’ve shown…”
and I hope you realize that this is National A**hole Day.
Congratulations all who qualify. You know who you are.
Blow Me.
Looking forward to hear this album. And next month he plays here… Let’s see if it deserves the economical effort for an unemployee.
Well I’ve been listening to this all day since it arrived thnx to Amazon on my French doorstep today.
Firstly both you and I know that his sales aren’t “tanked”…Neil is a pure marketeer who on my long awaited pre order edition only gave me three video treats…I assume that there will be many “extras” on forthcoming versions of this album.
I hate being critical of Neil..cos this album is awesome…I didnt mind flying to London from my home in France last year to see his tour..I dont even mind buying three different versions of the same album..to get the extra bits that all NY fans want to see..but come on Neil!…you could have at least copied all your vids onto the bonus disc.
I love this album..I think that it is superb..but Neil..please stop screwing your fans who support you …its time for you to “cough up the bucks” pal..I dont mind paying but dont take the piss!!
Regards
Andrew
Finalle, one for the fan’s! For those of us who stayed with niel through the harvest and to freedom (thes our cd titles, peo-ple). then his greatest cd, Living With War IMHO!! And now music from the garadge and heart! This would be a good one for a road trip with friends lighting up the Gurkha’s and boppin along! Maybe CSNYs American Dream’s and the bes tof the Eagles along with harvet and LWW and you have the perfect sounds of summer. Great music for a road trip.
Oh for sure this is an awesome album!
My ride is a Chevy Suburban and with my Bose 100W speakers I’m blowing out the sleepy French Villages where I live…I love freaking out the old ladies with their shopping with Neils riffs.
My only critical point is that I wiah that I didnt have to buy three versions of the same disc to get different extras. I love Neils music..even Chrome Dreams II. I’ve bought all his stuff since 1976..I’ll keep doing it…but not three or versions of it!
Andrew Scott Carpenter
Putting an electric engine in a classic Licoln Continental is itself classic. It would be great if he published the project somewhere online… I’m sure he’d generate a lot of interest and converts to the Green Movement. The future of automobiles is energy conservation without sacrificing performance… we should be seeing a significant number of completely electric cars in the next ten years.
Keep driving down your own path, Neil. Love your music!