OK, let me get this clear from the start. I've never been a huge fan of Neil Young. He's written a couple of good songs in his long career, but he's (to my mind) written a lot of junk, too. I have bought one of his albums – ever – and that was On The Beach. His last effort, Prairie Wind, did exactly what the prairie wind does. (I'm sure you can fill in the blanks). I know that because, sadly, the channels I listen to on XM play it a lot. Which means I get to change the channels a lot, but no matter.
Neil Young got his fame during the 60's when he (I never figured this one out) became a member of the Crosby, Stills and Nash group. CSN did some great songs, CSN&Y did some fair songs, but mostly went political. They really didn't last long. (Aside: Frank Zappa made quite a lot of fun of CSN&Y in the song, Do you like my new car?). Also, Neil Young is Canadian. Now I lived for a lot of years very close to the Canadian border and have known a pretty fair number of Canadians over the years (including several government employees). And I can state, with a bit of authority, that Canadians, as a rule, don't much care for Americans.
So now, Neil Young whips out an album that pretty well denounces the US, according to the press. It includes a song with the catchy title, "Let's Impeach The President". It appears to be getting some rave reviews from a few people at least. I read the lyrics and wasn't really impressed. It's pretty much a laundry list of the tedious lefty refrain. Sadly, I think I'll get to hear it on XM….
So, given Young's history and his politics and upbringing, why is it a big, newsworthy story that he's come out with a political album? Oh well, I just hope the music is better than the silly, repetitive crap on the last album. Since I'm quite sure the XM people will play it….
