Neil Young's Psychedelic Pill

The last week or so my soundtrack has been Neil Young and Crazy Horse's "Psychedelic Pill." I  heard Jim Derogatis totally trash it on the radio.  Luckily I didn't listen to him.  He insisted he's a big fan but he was quite dismissive of the new record.  I have learned to be skeptical of critics, I tend to listen when they are advocating an artist or record, it's helped me discover stuff I might not have necessarily found on my own, and I tune them out when they knock or trash a record.  Too often I have found that a bad review does not mean that the work is "bad."

A good friend had texted me that Neil's new record was "incredible."  I pretty much agree with that description.  Lots of great music, two discs worth.  The music is superb and Neil's lyrics are simple and straightforward.  Of course, in my book Crazy Horse is one of the all-time great "garage" bands.  Big thundering, majestic.  And that's the case with the new record.  And Neil's guitar playing is superb.  Lots of long jams on this record.

There are a couple clunky lyrics.  I wish Neil would have turned the microphone off during parts of "Drifting Back."  The lyrical clunkiness kinds of mars some of the track, but it's really a minor quibble, not a major flaw.  Neil is Neil.  And on this disc Neil is being Neil to the max.  It's exquisite and fun and powerful and great.

Some of these tracks have already embedded themselves into my consciousness.  Neil has a way of writing a haunting, line, a haunting melody. And I love "Walk Like a Giant." Towards the end of the song you hear Neil's Black Beauty Les Paul Guitar provide the sonic testimony of a Giant, maybe a wooly mammoth, dying a violent, and brutal, feedback-laced death.  It's grungy and noisy and great. Breath-takingly good! Highly recommended! Derogatis can go suck a lemon!

BTW - I heard that Derogatis likes to collect little army men. A major collector of little army men.  Goes to conventions and stuff. That's says something about the guy... not sure what... but something...