Customer Reviews

American Stars N Bars

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(21)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

For the longest time, I did not add Neil Young's "American Stars 'N Bars" to my CD collection, because I had read and heard so much intense critcism of this album. But, I found a copy at my local 'used CD' store around the corner and decided to take a chance on this so called "oddities" album. Instantly, I fell in love with this crazy-quilt of both acoustic and electric music. I seem to love this CD for the very reasons that others disparage it. Yes, I know it's disparate, hodge-podge of songs. But, it's also raw and alive and seems to have a goofy, not-to-serious charm of it's own. On this album, Neil is no longer in the "middle of the road" ("Harvest"), but he isn't in the now infamously quoted "ditch" either ("Tonight's the Night", "On the Beach"). Young is sort of doing a balancing act in the middle, creating an album thats' sort of a warped, Frankenstein-like version of his classic, "Harvest". But it's a Frankenstein, that can tap it's toes and sort of dance. I love songs like the rustic "The Old Country Waltz" or the pulp Western tale, "Saddle Up the Palimono". I in particular, like the contributions of singers Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris & Nicolette larson. They really work well with Young giving, that perfect '70s era country-rock feeling (especially Harris, who shines on "Star of Bethlehem"). According to one tale I've heard, the ladies thought they were just doing some 'practice, run throughs' of the songs. Much to their chagrin, they later learned that Neil was using these sessions as the final takes, hence the raw feeling of the songs.The electric portions of the CD are wonderful as well. "Like a Hurricane" is of course a classic and Young has played this long & Winding song for many years in his concert repertoire. I love the song's lyrical imagery and to be blunt, the guitar soloing just kicks some rock n' roll (...)! One of my favorites on this CD is the final track, "Homegrown", a funny little ode to small farms or the joys of harvesting 'weed' (you can take your choice). It's a bouncy tune that totally gives me a case of the giggles. No, "American Stars 'N Bars" is never going to be in the cannon of the "Great, Neil Young Albums". All I can say is I don't think it deserves it's bad rep. I liked it and highly recommend it!

Most hard-core Neil Young fans know that the man usually produces his best work when he's mired in dispair and depression. This was evident on classic gems like "Tonight's the Night" and "On the Beach."

But "American Stars & Bars" shows that the brigther side of Neil can be just as entralling. Cobbled together from a variety of recording sessions in the mid-70s, AS&B features up-tempo countrified songs filled with caustic humor and sly insights into subjects such infidelity. (On "Saddle Up The Palemino," Young sings, 'There's no reward in your conscience, Lord, when your sleepin' with another man's wife...' And notes that 'It's a cold bowl of chili when life lets you down...')

Many of these songs feature outstanding back-up vocals from Linda Ronstadt and Nicolette Larson -- giving the tunes a joyous, raucous feel: this includes the aforemention 'Palemino,' along with the lilting, light-as-air 'Old Country Waltz,' and the jaunty 'Hey Babe.'

The album is not without its rockers: "Bite the Bullet," also featuring Ronstadt and Larson, is a scorching tune, loud and boisterous filled with leering sexual innuendo ('She's Carolina dream, A walkin' love machine, and I like to make her scream, When I - bite the bullet'). AS&B is also the album that gave us the all-time classic epic rocker 'Like a Hurricane.' Clocking in at just under 10 minutes, 'Hurricane' features one of Neil's signature guitar riffs accompanied by dreamy, surreal lyrics about a chance encounter:

"Once I thought I saw you in a crowded hazy bar
Dancing on the lights from star to star..."

However, one of the tracks that really stands out on AS&B the most is the enigmatic acoustic ballad, "Will to Love." Young recorded this one all by himself at his ranch home in central California. You can actually hear the fire in his fireplace crackling away in the background along with an array of odd effects Young dubbed in along the way.

"Will to Love" is one of the few somber songs on AS&B, but it's also the most intriquing. Young sings in a mumblely, otherworldly voice, using the migration of a fish as a metaphor for the perials of searching for human connection and love.

The album, however, ends on a humorous note with "Homegrown," another country/rock ditty, clocking it at an efficient 2 1/2 minutes, where Young extols the virtue of growing your own:

"Homegrown's all right with me
Homegrown is the way it should be
Homegrown -- it's a good thing
Plant that bell and let it ring."

Crazy Horse accompanies Young on many of these tunes, giving the overall album a harder-edged garage feel, saving it from otherwise being swallowed up by its more maudlin aspects.

"American Stars & Bars" is quintessential Neil Young. Why it took so long to put this out in CD format is beyond me. But now that it is (and it sounds terrific), no Neil Young collection should be without it.

OK, "Like A Hurricane" and "Star Of Bethlehem" have been available on CD for years ("Decade"), and "American Stars & Bars" is sort of a Frankenstein effort, combining material from the aborted "Homegrown" album and featuring a mish-mash of Crazy Horse & Stray Gators with Emmylou, Linda and Nicolette thrown in. However, forget all that. The three essential "Lost CD Tracks" are: 1). "Hey Babe"...Nice easygoing Neil that would have sounded perfectly at home on the "Comes A Time" album, 2). "Bite The Bullet"...He must have been channeling BB King when he recorded the solo on this, because it is atypical of his "spray the air with random notes and feedback for ten minutes" style: brief (30 seconds or so), precise, and it stings like a big ol' mother bee. Plenty of bad attitude whammy bar vibrato being squeezed out of his beloved "Old Black" on this one, folks. Nicolette (and particularly Linda) shout / chant "Bite The Bullet" like a crazed mantra as Neil and the band slash and burn through three and a half minutes of the toughest, loudest, cleanest music he's ever recorded. EVER. Listen to it and you'll know why some people use the words "Neil Young" and "Lou Reed" in the same sentence. Finally, 3). "Hold Back The Tears"...which backs off a bit in intensity from "Bullet" but still features many of the dynamics that make that track great (Linda and Nicolette, and a memorable chorus). Legendary stuff that still smolders 26 years later.

First, I'd like to thank Neil for finally consenting to re-release this album. It's still hard for me to believe that I'm holding it in my hand. This has been a favorite of mine since it first came out. The album kicks off with a gentle waltz. "The Old Country Waltz" is a classic crying in your beer weeper about the demise of a relationship. "Saddle Up The Palomino" plugs in, while name dropping "Carmelita, the daughter of the wealthy banker" and Neil's horse Melody. "It's a cold bowl of chili when love lets you down and it's the neighbor's wife I'm after". "Hey Babe" is a pretty love song with just the right amount of pedal steel and violin thrown in. "Hold Back The Tears reverts back to the subject of lost love. The difference is this time Neil urges the person he's comforting to "keep on trying, just around the next corner may be waiting your true love". "Bite The Bullet" does away with love in favor of lust. Plugged in again, Neil sings "she's a rockin love machine, I like to make her scream when I bite the bullet". You can just use your imagination there. "Star of Bethelehem" features a pretty guest turn from Emmylou Harris. "Will To Love" is just Neil and his guitar, the only classic love song I can think of with salmon in it. I could be wrong. Everybody knows the next one. "Like A Hurricane" is a demented guitar freakout that shows why Neil is always mentioned when the subject of greatest rock and roll guitar players comes up. We end with "Homegrown" which might be a tribute to tomatoes like the Guy Clark song "Homegrown Tomatoes" but I doubt it. I think we're talking herb garden here. Go out and buy this sucker. Much has been made about Neil's influence on the grunge scene of the early 1990's. Very few mention the fact that his forays into "power twang" pre-date the entire "No Depression" movement.

This is my favorite Neil Young album (of course I had it on vinyl many years ago!) along with Zuma, On the Beach, Tonight's the Night, After the Gold Rush, oh hell, all of them... I love the country-style songs but then it starts rockin' too. Not to mention the album has awesome backup vocals (Linda Ronstat, Emmylou Harris, N. Larson?) Neil is the master of all rock, bow down! One other thing, his electric guitar tone is searing!

Most hard-core Neil Young fans know that the man usually produces his best work when he's mired in dispair and depression. This was evident on classic gems like "Tonight's the Night" and "On the Beach."

But "American Stars & Bars" shows that the brigther side of Neil can be just as entralling. Cobbled together from a variety of recording sessions in the mid-70s, AS&B features up-tempo countrified songs filled with caustic humor and sly insights into subjects such infidelity. (On "Saddle Up The Palemino," Young sings, 'There's no reward in your conscience, Lord, when your sleepin' with another man's wife...' And notes that 'It's a cold bowl of chili when life lets you down...')

Many of these songs feature outstanding back-up vocals from Linda Ronstadt and Nicolette Larson -- giving the tunes a joyous, raucous feel: this includes the aforemention 'Palemino,' along with the lilting, light-as-air 'Old Country Waltz,' and the jaunty 'Hey Babe.'

The album is not without its rockers: "Bite the Bullet," also featuring Ronstadt and Larson, is a scorching tune, loud and boisterous filled with leering sexual innuendo ('She's Carolina dream, A walkin' love machine, and I like to make her scream, When I - bite the bullet'). AS&B is also the album that gave us the all-time classic epic rocker 'Like a Hurricane.' Clocking in at just under 10 minutes, 'Hurricane' features one of Neil's signature guitar riffs accompanied by dreamy, surreal lyrics about a chance encounter:

"Once I thought I saw you in a crowded hazy bar
Dancing on the lights from star to star..."

However, one of the tracks that really stands out on AS&B the most is the enigmatic acoustic ballad, "Will to Love." Young recorded this one all by himself at his ranch home in central California. You can actually hear the fire in his fireplace crackling away in the background along with an array of odd effects Young dubbed in along the way.

"Will to Love" is one of the few somber songs on AS&B, but it's also the most intriquing. Young sings in a mumblely, otherworldly voice, using the migration of a fish as a metaphor for the perials of searching for human connection and love.

The album, however, ends on a humorous note with "Homegrown," another country/rock ditty, clocking it at an efficient 2 1/2 minutes, where Young extols the virtue of growing your own:

"Homegrown's all right with me
Homegrown is the way it should be
Homegrown -- it's a good thing
Plant that bell and let it ring."

Crazy Horse accompanies Young on many of these tunes, giving the overall album a harder-edged garage feel, saving it from otherwise being swallowed up by its more maudlin aspects.

"American Stars & Bars" is quintessential Neil Young. Why it took so long to put this out in CD format is beyond me. But now that it is (and it sounds terrific), no Neil Young collection should be without it.

Any album that has a song like "Like A Hurricane" is probably worth 4 stars, but in all honesty, the rest here doesn't have a lot to recommend it. Except for one remarkable song, "Will To Love", that is. Unlike "Like A Hurricane", "Will To Love" did not appear on the "Decade" compilation, or on any of Neil's live albums. So if you don't have "American Stars 'N Bars" on CD, you don't have "Will To Love" on CD, and if you're a Neil Young fan, you should (unless your vinyl is still pristine after all these years, and you don't need to listen to it in the car). For those unfamiliar with the song, it's a startlingly quiet, spare, and beautiful 7-minute gem with the central metaphor of spawning salmon fighting their way upstream representing the overwhelming need to find somebody to love. It was recorded in front of a fireplace, with the audible crackling of the fire lending the song a remarkable intimacy. There are a couple of other reasonably interesting tracks, such as the jokey rocker "Homegrown", and the pretty country song "Hold Back The Tears". The rest is pretty disposable. "American Stars 'N Bars" is one of Neil's more inconsistent albums, but the highlights make it an essential item anyway.

AMERICAN STARS 'N' BARS is Neil Young's most underrated album ever. Not even the artist himself has made any grand claims for it, and, given the low-key performances that make up much of the album, it's easy to see why. However, it does feature two of Neil's best rockers of the 1976-78 period, "Bite The Bullet" and "Like A Hurricane", both of which sound like a mutant hybrid of hippie-country-folk-rockers Buffalo Springfield and pro-law-enforcement hard rocker Ted Nugent, with a huge helping of Montrose (another band featuring a pro-law-enforcement member, Sammy Hagar), thrown in. This CD deserves a wider hearing than the original album got.

Great to finally have this on CD! Most of the songs have a real 'bar band' kind of feel, albeit a bar band with backing vocals by Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt. A pleasant groove to be in, and "Like A Hurricane" is a striking Crazy Horse rocker with a tenderness hidden in the lyrics; Neil's version on "Unplugged" I feel is the definitive one. Another highlight is "Star of Bethlehem," an introspective shuffler about the loneliness of memories past that just dares to be taken as a bona fide Christmas song.

However, the genuine overlooked masterpiece on the album is the moody, haunting "Will To Love." Neil recorded a demo version on a casette deck one night in front of the fireplace with his guitar, and then bumped it up to multi-track where he overdubbed instruments and vocals for several hours until he was finished. The result is an amazing bit of narcotic psychedelia that predates both the low-fi glitch folk of the Microphones (you can still hear the crackling fireplace on the track) and the surreal imagery of the Flaming Lips. This amazing track alone would be reason enough to buy this CD, but as a bonus the rest of the songs on here are great too!

Please check out "On The Beach" if you haven't already.

Being Neil means that release dates are usually somewhat ethereal.We all remember waiting for "Archives' as we fell in love, married,raised our families and eventually became grandparents.
"Stars and Bars" took its time getting to a digital format,apparently because Mr.Young didn't like the way it sounded on CD.After a technological breakthrough(?),it sounds great.
A nice set,eclectic to the point of weirdness.'Side one'has MVP Linda Ronstadt on backing vocals,witty lyrics,and very nice work from the band.
Then..
A reverie on the spawning ritual of Salmon,recorded in front of a crackling fire;
The studio version of concert staple 'Like a Hurricane';
and finally a song about Pot,in the spirit of 'Cripple Creek Ferry' and other Neil throwaways that refuse to leave your brain,decades later.
Much more accesible than the Geffen Bunch,and crucial in the canon.