Crazy Horse (1971)

Listening to the most recent Neil Young Archives compilation Early Daze made Crazy Horse's debut my inevitable next target. I don't know why I hadn't gotten around to this one before, but to be fair it's a solemnly talked about record. Unlike the snarling cover art that immediately draws your attention, Crazy Horse's first record isn't nearly as off the rails as I thought it would be. In fact it seems decently polished, with the band enlisting the help of producer Jack Nitzsche and human toolbox Nils Lofgren to fill out the sound. Thankfully the "oomph" behind the music isn't lost, it's just not the off-the-cuff jammy experience of their debut with Young.

This is apparent from the very first cut, "Gone Dead Train", where we hear much tighter playing coming from the band than before. Bassist Billy Talbot and drummer Ralph Molina are locked into a hard groove, and the riffs feel more practiced than the spontaneously hammered sound Young was looking for. More attention is also given to thickening the mix; overdubbing guitars, vocals, and percussion. Compare this record's version of "Downtown" to the one from Tonight's The Night and you get a clearer picture of what the band is trying to achieve.

As for the songs themselves, there are a few standouts. "Carolay" is a great original featuring contributions from Russ Titleman and some soaring backing vocals. Danny Whitten's lead vocals are generally a pleasure as his nasally tone is quite unique compared to hard rock singers of the time. His standout moments are the hypnotic chorus on "Look At All The Things" as well as his quieter cut, "I Don't Want To Talk About It". In terms of guitar I'm not really sure what's going on as Whitten was preoccupied with heroin at times and had to be replaced with Ry Cooder of all people. The guitar work is fine with the occasional great Lofgren lick; on the whole I do feel like it lacks the unique emotion that Young was able to squeak out of his instrument.

At this point it seems like I don't have much to say about this record, unfortunately that's true. Crazy Horse is a good album, better if you like their work with Neil Young. It's just not the sound I crave from them. I think they're best backing someone with consistently great tunes, and I don't think Danny or the other boys really had that yet. This record is closer to something like Grand Funk Railroad than the loose and shaky Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, and that's not a preference I'm going to gain anytime soon. Funny how stuff gets more potent the more you take away and the less you try. A big part of me wishes we could get a live compilation of these tunes.