Listening to Neil Young: Homegrown

A screen shot of the cover.  Great album art.  Due to delays, my CD won't arrive for another couple of weeks.

Back in 1975, Neil Young had a decision to make.  He was close to completing a new folk rock album called Homegrown.  Many of the tracks were written as a result of his recent break-up with Carrie Snodgress.  He was feeling down about how that relationship turned out, among other things from “the ditch” period of his life.  So down that he didn’t feel like playing any of the material on his new album for his upcoming live tours.

So, instead, he decided to shelve the new music and release another album he had shelved back in 1973 for similar reasons of remorse minus the love break-up.  That is how Tonight’s the Night was released two years late and why Homegrown would have to wait until well into the 21st century to see the light of day.

Actually, as of this post, it still has not seen the light of day in CD format.  Due to production challenges (I guess), that disc won’t be available on amazon until July 8, although it is currently available on vinyl and MP3 download.  So, while I wait for my CD, I turned to YouTube to hear the new material, a lot of which really is not new material at all.
 
Most reviews are favorable to Neil’s Homegrown release.  “Instant classic” is a phrase I read more than once.  It is considered a “unheard bridge between Harvest and Comes A Time.”  Indeed, Homegrown is strongly in the tradition of the folk-rock “flavor” of Neil which also includes Harvest Moon and Prairie Wind.

I can appreciate the support for the album.  The folk-rock Neil is probably my favorite of the many styles of Neil.  “Heart of Gold,” the popular “crown” of that tradition, was a great song from my youth that introduced me to his incredible talent.  So, I was (and still am until my CD arrives) looking forward to hearing Homegrown.

First off, a lot of the best material from Homegrown is not new to me or anyone else familiar with Neil.  Several the tunes made it on to other albums Neil later released.  The exact same studio recording of “Little Wing” was featured on Hawks and Doves.  “Star of Bethlehem” appeared on Decade and also joined “Homegrown” on American Stars 'n Bars.  “Love is a Rose” was also in Decade and, of course, became a hit song by Linda Ronstadt.  “White Line” was one of the highlights on Ragged Glory.

Having been a Rusty since about 1978 (which was before there were any “Rusties” technically speaking, that term didn’t apply until 1979) let me run through Homegrown track by track and give you my impressions.

The album starts with a song that represents the break-up of the Neil-Carrie relationship.  “Separate Ways” is a bit of a downer in terms of the lyrics but the sound is, indeed, classic in the folk-Neil tradition.  Sounds like it’s right off Harvest.  It is easy to listen to, as long as you don’t listen too deeply.  It is kind of a post-relationship anthem that could apply to a lot of us at one point or another in our lives.  It is actually a pretty good tune - wild for me to hear such good quality Neil fresh for the first time, from 45 years ago.

“Try” is something else Neil likes to do, incorporate an early country rock vibe.  But we’ve all heard something like this before (from Neil and many others).  This tune is more cliché than anything else, not one of the stronger parts of the album.  This is followed by “Mexico” which is nothing more than a song fragment.  Nice solo piano though.

I always thought “Love is a Rose” sounded great.  This tune is, in turn, an evolution of a much earlier Neil song entitled “Dance, Dance, Dance” which he used to perform in his early solo shows.  Definitely worth repurposing, it is a tribute to Neil’s genius that he constantly reframes his older music with new ideas.  It is also highly indicative of his restless, tinkering nature.  

The title track is fun.  It emerges out of chaos to become a country rocker with an amusing, toe-tapping vibe to it though it is more of a trinket than a fully fleshed out tune.  Then come “Florida” and “Kansas” two places that could not be more different.  The same can be said for the songs.  While “Kansas” is an easy-going Neil that reminds me of stuff he wrote in the late 1960’s, the spoken word “Florida” is pure filler without much redeeming quality.  The best I can say about “Florida” is that Neil has written worse songs, but not that many are below it.

“We Don’t Smoke It No More” is a fun full-on blues number.  It has a slow build up.  The song emerges out of a roaring harmonica joined in by great bass and piano into a unified rhythm that definitely puts a smile on my face.  I love the interplay of electric guitar and piano on this one.  A party tune.  

As I mentioned, “White Line” was on 1990's Ragged Glory and was one of the better tunes on that album.  The performance here is even better and is probably the best song on Homegrown.  I prefer this wonderfully acoustic version to the electric rocking version.  This is a real gem, well worth listening to whether you’re a Rusty or not.

“Vacancy” is sort on the order of “Kansas,” listenable but just mediocre.  I have tried to like this country rock song but all I can come up with is feeling that Neil couldn’t figure out what to do with it other than sort of imitate himself circa 1975.  This might be a good example of the oxymoron “original copy.”  That’s what “Vacancy” feels like to me.  But, maybe that’s the point.  The song is its own vacancy.  That would be cool.

“Little Wing” and “Star of Bethlehem” finish off Homegrown.  Both are wonderful acoustic expressions.  The first is slow and smooth, giving the listener a feeling of comfort and tranquility.  The performance and lyrics of the last tune on the album are impressive.  It is certainly one of the stronger songs on Homegrown which is probably why it surfaced back when the rest of album did not. Good harmony with Emmylou Harris.

Homegrown is uneven.  But that is true of a lot of Neil’s albums, so it isn’t exactly a criticism so much as an observation.  It is deserving of being placed alongside Neil’s other four “Harvest-like” albums and there are several songs on here worthy of owning.  So I am grateful Neil decided to do the work it took to get it out to us.  Well, get it out eventually in my case, along with everyone else waiting for the CD.

Considering Homegrown (1975) as a whole and comparing it to Harvest (1972), Comes A Time (1978), Harvest Moon (1992), and Prairie Wind (2005), I have to say it is the weakest link in that chain.  All of these other albums are better records.  But enjoying Homegrown does not require such comparisons.  It contains several tunes, particularly the version of “White Line,” that more than merits its pre-posthumous release.