Neil Young & Pearl Jam
"Mirror Ball"
Reprise Records, 1995

"I'm not present, I'm a drug that makes you dream
I'm an Aerostar, I'm a Cutlass Supreme
In the wrong lane, tryin' to turn against the flow
I'm the ocean, I'm the giant undertow"

Rating: 4,5/5

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Just when you thought that Neil had entered middle age and was going to continue making records like Harvest Moon and Unplugged - beautiful, acoustic, country-flavoured music for late night listening - hey presto, he teams up with disciples Pearl Jam and records some good ol'fashioned rock'n'roll with lots of distorted electric guitars.

The choice of Pearl Jam as backing group was not really very surprising to anyone. They had been showing up at each other's concerts off and on for a few years, and the only thing really standing in the way was Pearl Jam's record company, which refused to let them record with Neil. The solution is obvious if you look at the record: the words "Pearl Jam" are nowhere to be found, and the band members are just referred to as "Band". It works, though, even if you compare them to Crazy Horse. Pearl Jam has something Crazy Horse lacks, namely energy and fresh air. Nothing wrong with Crazy Horse, but by now we know what a Neil Young & Crazy Horse record sounds like. Pearl Jam do something new with Neil's music.

Neil. He is in great shape on this record. His guitarplaying is great, and even if his voice cracks now and then (the record was recorded in four days, so there wasn't much room for alternate takes) he still sounds a lot fresher than he would on the next album, the awful Broken Arrow.

The music is simple, even by Neil's standards. Since there was not much room for rehearsals, it's mostly just a few chords pounding away over and over again. But the pure power of 3-4 electric guitars and one of the best rhythm sections in rock right now hide that. The lyrics, then: some of them are simply the best Neil's written. Ever. There seems to be a story about cowboys and indians which turns up in several songs ("I'm the Ocean", "Big Green Country", "Scenery"). There's also an obvious reference to that night when Led Zeppelin and Neil Young were inducted into the Rock'n'roll hall of fame and jammed on stage together:
"Jimi's playing in the back room
Led Zeppelin on stage
There's a mirror ball twirling
And a note from Page"

"Act of Love" deals with the abortion question without taking sides, and is a great display of the power of this group. "I'm the Ocean" is marvellous, with Neil sketching short stories for over six minutes before reaching the chorus at the end - no guitar solos, just lyrics for six minutes. "Downtown" is hilarious. I could have done without "Truth Be Known" and "Throw Your Hatred Down" which are nowhere near the standard of the other songs here, but what the hell.

In short, this is a powerful display of what can happen when generations meet. For the most part, it's great.