Neil Young - A Letter Home

Is Neil Young taking the piss?

Albums of cover songs are all well and good as long as the artist adds something to the original. Much as I admire Patti Smith, I found that listening to her 2007 album, 'Twelve' simply made me want to go back and listen to the original versions of 'Are You Experienced?', 'Smells Like Teen Spirit', 'Gimme Shelter' and Neil Young's 'Helpless'. So on the subject of Neil Young, I report that he has now released his own album of cover versions in which he tackles among others, Gordon Lightfoot's 'Early Morning Rain', Dylan's 'Girl From The North Country', Tim Hardin's 'Reason To Believe and the Bert Jansch song 'Needle Of Death' which inspired his own 'The Needle And The Damage Done'. All great songs I must confess.

However, not only does Young not add anything to the original versions (or the scores of other covers that have been done of these songs), but through the quality of the recording, he actually takes an awful lot away from the enjoyment of hearing them.

Let me jump back to previous posts I have written on the subject of Neil Young pontificating about the quality of modern day digital recording techniques and particularly of compressed music files. So strongly does he feel about this, that he has released his own Pono music player which he claims retains the original sound quality laid down at the recording sessions. 

Yet despite voicing these feelings, for 'A Letter Home', Young has recorded all twelve tracks at Jack White's refurbished 1947 Voice-O-Graph recording booth. Consequently the sound replicates recordings made in that era complete with crackles and clicks. The experience is akin to listening to a very old and worn 78 RPM record. In fact I have some recordings made in the early 1920's that actually sound better!

Please don't misunderstand me as I am not against such sounds in the right context. The music on the 'Harry Smith Anthology of American Folk Music' and the more recent 'Rise and Fall of Paramount Records'  actually benefits from the authentic early 20th century sound. In my view it just would not sound right any other way. But the songs included in Young's collection have all be recorded elsewhere in fine quality and I really see no need for him to make them sound like something they are not.

Could Neil Young possibly be trying to make a point, or is he just taking the piss?

Here he is performing 'Needle of Death'. You be the judge.

As a postscript I should just add that it is not all bad. One of the songs is the bittersweet 'Changes' which originally appeared in the 1966 album 'Phil Ochs in Concert' and anything that pushes the music of the late Phil Ochs into the limelight is OK by me.

Regarding cover versions, if you do want to hear some well known songs that have been uniquely interpreted, look no further than 'Cover Version' a collection put together by Steven Wilson in which he offers totally new takes on tracks by Prince, Abba, Alanis Morissette, Momus, The Cure and Donovan. Now that's how cover albums should be!

Here  is his version of the Alanis Morissette song 'Thank You'

Beautiful and dare I say better than the original?.