100 Favorite Albums: #51 Neil Young & Crazy Horse’s “Live Rust”
Why It’s Good: “Hey hey/my my/ rock n roll can never die.” With these lyrics, Neil Young delivers a definitive statement and a true one about rock music as we know. Live Rust stands as a tribute to Young as both artist and performer, capturing the immensity of his music so perfectly. Driven by an extreme guitar sound, mixing distortion and a gentle touch, Young takes his voice to extremes making bold statements about what music is and can be. Songs like “Cortez the Killer” and “Like a Hurricane” sound so much larger than life and makes you feel like you’re there yourself, under the spotlight wailing on the guitar. Then you have a song like like “Lotta Love” with its gentle tone and the beautiful lyrics: “it’s gonna take a lotta love/ to change the way things are.” The statement is so simple, but so endearing, as gentle back-up vocals drift in to really give the lyrics some beautiful confirmation. One of the more refreshing about this live album is that you occasionally hear mistakes, which may seem troubling but really takes you to the place the music was being made at. I’ve heard Neil Young described as the “Godfather of Grunge,” but this album makes him so much more than that; it makes him an artist of the highest caliber.
Is It Guitar Pornography?: I was shocked to hear this the first time, as Neil Young is an amazing guitarist. His main lines great and some of his solos are very interesting and well put together.
Favorite Track: Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black)
