Neil Young - Fork in the Road Review

Posted by Jesse Coy on 04.20.2009

Veteran roots rocker returns with a loosely conceptual release about the road, recession, and some automotive innovations.

Neil Young
Fork in the Road
Reprise Records
April 2009



1: When Worlds Collide
2: Fuel Line
3: Just Singing A Song
4: Johnny Magic
5: Cough Up The Bucks
6: Get Behind The Wheel
7: Off The Road
8: Hit The Road
9: Light A Candle
10: Fork In The Road


First, my fair 411Mania friends, this is my final five countdown, a review-a-day marathon before disappearing into the backwoods of SE Asia for several months. So here we go. And what a great what to begin with Neil Young.

All you need to do is take a gander at some of those song titles to realize that something is going on here. “Road, road, road… wheel and fuel.” There are some obvious dots just begging to be connected. Not paying any attention to the back story on this one until after I listened to it, I let it play for what it was. The end result is a very relevant look at the current U.S. situation, with a half nostalgic, half progressive and hopeful look to driving, the road, and automobiles. This is coupled with a fair dose of government cynicism.

Not too long ago I reviewed Ministry’s latest live release that summarized three albums worth of anti-Bush material. Some groaned about those albums. Three albums of anti-George Bush rants? So some might pause and think the same thing here. “A whole album about cars, fuel alternatives, and the economy?” the skeptic questions. “I don’t even like cars, and I wish this problem would just go away.”

And by the way, I know to illustrate the comparison, I’m making a bit of a stretch here, thinking there are fans out there equally enjoying both Ministry and Neil Young, which all things considered, were it not for Ministry’s retirement, wouldn’t a Neil Young, Ministry tour be interesting?

Yeah.

The point with albums with a message is that there’re two ways to do it. There’s the “beat you over the head with a lecture” route. Such an approach is tiresome at best. And then there’s the approach whereby questions are put forth to ponder. Some possible answers are given, but more questions are provided, the solutions not so easy. Different perspectives or voices are brought up leaving the listener the luxury of… thinking, and not having someone do the thinking for them.

Happily, Neil’s new release takes the latter road (I just could not avoid throwing a road in there, could I?). Ample evidence of this approach is provided in the third song, “Just Singing a Song,” which puts the album in proper perspective. Only singing a song won’t change the world, as the song proclaims. It’s got great female harmonizing on the chorus, a nice guitar sound, and easily fits into Neil’s vast cannon. It’s classic Neil Young. And it’s a smart statement about the album.

Okay, onto the other songs, and let’s divide them in two ways… cars and government.


CARS

Why did Optimus Prime just sound in my head, saying, “Autobots, roll!” I’m talking the old cartoons, which I grew up on, not the movie, which I’ve yet to see. And speaking of movies, has anyone seen Tucker: The Man and His Dream? How about Who Killed the Electric Car? I’m not saying I buy both entirely. I’m just saying I buy them 90%. It doesn’t take too much imagination to envision the auto industry buying up patents for better vehicles, batteries, and other fuel economy innovations, and shelving them… permanently.

Neil presents to you “Johnny Magic,” one of those automotive engineering wizards… you know, the ones who the auto industry used to buy off, burying their innovations. The difference with Johnny is the current world state and the state of the auto industry. A happy rocker of a tune, Johnny, “the motor head messiah,” is going to Washington. It’s a great slice of modern-day Americana and engineering know-how.

“Fuel Line” has nearly an industrial drum sound, very interesting for Neil, and fitting for the song. With “Get Behind the Wheel,” is it just me, or could this be equally about a woman as it could a car? And now we begin to get into some songs loosely conceptual. If you replace a woman with a car here, you have a pretty racy jaunt. It’s a fun rocker. As for “Off the Road,” this mellow tune is also only loosely related because it addresses the road. It could be the quiet moments of touring fatigue, or the exhaustion of a trucker. It’s really about mood, not so much something specific. “Hit the Road” is a bit more pointed, traffic congestion limiting freedom and the love of the drive.

GOVERNMENT

Fork in the Road is book-ended by government or “state of the world” songs, nicely relevant. It all begins with “When Worlds Collide,” and ends with the title track. “When Worlds Collide” sounds to me close to Neil’s own voice or perspective. It’s this notion of him getting out there, hearing what regular folks are saying and thinking. It’s Neil collecting perspectives. It’s a solid opening track.

By the time we close the album out, we have a voice via “Fork in the Road.” We have a trucker. He’s a Middle America everyman. He has a potbelly. He knows things are changing. He sees the fork in the road, but is unsure of which way to go, as are many folks. He’s hopeful, but he’s also aware that the bailout isn’t for him. It’s for the fat cats, as far as he sees it. All of this is framed in an up-tempo style. It’s yet another rocker, where you need to take a moment to hear what’s being said. You’re having a good time soaking this one in musically speaking.

“Cough Up the Bucks” is for me one of the three best tracks on the release. The sentiment is clear. It’s placed midway in the album. Conceptual wise, maybe you have the voice from the first track out on the road, and now judgment is rendered. “Where did all the money go?” the song asks, the tune peppered with the “cough up the bucks, cough up the bucks” refrain.

As a counterbalance, the second to last song, “Light a Candle” (you KNOW if and when this is done live, there will be an ocean of lighters or cell phones lighting up the crowd) is a quietly hopeful track. It’s mostly Neil and his guitar. And there you have it…

See you again with some Meatmen reissues.

The 411: Relevant, nicely conceptual in that it’s loosely conceptual, and the song arrangement, so important for an album like this, is on the mark… most of the albums I have by Neil Young are from the 70’s. This is the first time I’ve heard some recent material by him, and I like what I hear.

Final Score:  8.5   [ Very Good ]