News of the reunion between Neil Young and Crazy Horse was received with a degree of excitement in the White Room, however the revelation that the subsequent album 'Americana' would feature American folk classics such as 'Oh Susanna', 'This Land is Your Land', 'She'll be Coming Round the Mountain' and 'Clementine' made my heart sink somewhat. OK they may well be nice songs, but hardly suited to the clattering, feedback-drenched grunge that we would normally expect from 'The Horse'. I decided I would reserve judgement until I had heard the album but I was not anticipating rushing out to buy it when it is eventually released on June 5th.
Today it came to my attention that 'Oh Susanna' had been released as the first single and was now available to hear online. Curiosity drove me to check it out. It begins with Young's trademark Gibson Les Paul picking out seemingly random notes with the distortion turned to high. Drummer Ralph Molina joins in with a few rolls and fills but no discernible rhythm. This continues for about 50 seconds until eventually they seem to find a groove. It is almost as if the band haven't played together for 16 years (they haven't) and are struggling to get to know each other again. Almost a full minute has passed before we hear the band chanting the song title and then Young's distinctive voice telling us he 'had a dream the other night'.
The verses as written around 1847 by Stephen Foster are still there but appear to be sung in random order. As for the melody, it is hard to relate to the original, or any other version I have heard. This is Neil Young & Crazy Horse treating us to their own unique interpretation. I am not sure what Stephen Foster would have made of this and folk purists might be somewhat put out, but if this track is anything to go by, fans of Neil Young should have no cause for concern. The Horse are back!
Roll on June 5th!
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