NEIL YOUNG + PROMISE OF THE REAL
Noise & Flowers (Warner)
Neil Young has been labelled as the awkward man of rock since David Geffen tried to sue him for producing music “uncharacteristic of previous [acoustic] recordings.” Playing gigs of entirely new, proto-grunge material and baiting the crowd with, “Here’s one you’ve heard before,” to reintroduce the first song of the night as an encore probably didn’t help.
But all that was a few decades ago, and Young’s live album Noise & Flowers is a deliberate and successful step toward fusing his two catalogues of country-inspired acoustic songs (a stunning version of Helpless) and the Crazy Horse noise wanderings of tracks like Rockin’ In The Free World.
Capturing his extremes perfectly, with backing from highly versatile, comparative youngsters Promise Of The Real, Noise & Flowers is both a brilliant introduction to Young’s music with modern production and a treat for completists who can be guaranteed something special from Young every time he takes to the stage.
words JOHN-PAUL DAVIES
