Customer Reviews

Life

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I've had this CD since it was first released in the late eighties. While this is not even close to Neil's best it was a step back in the right direction. Alot of this has to do with Crazy Horse. Neil seems to be energized with them. "Mideast vacation" is a excellent social statement and a good rock & roll number. "Inca Queen" takes "Cortez the Killer" further south and into a more mellow setting. While "Prisoners of Rock & Roll" is a no excuses Crazy Horse number. Lastly,the CD closes with "We never danced", a number that just as easliy could have been on AFTER THE GOLDRUSH some seventeen years earlier. Sure their has been better Neil since this, ie. Ragged Glory, Weld, Unplugged, and Mirror Ball come to mind, but to fans of Neil Young and Crazy Horse this is a step in the right direction. Now if only Reprise would release ON THE BEACH and JOURNEY THROUGH THE PAST, all would be right with the world.

A strange one for sure. Contains a few of Neil's lesser known classics (Mideast Vacation, Too Lonely, Prisoner of Rock n Roll) as well as one of his all-time worse songs, Inca Queen, which still manages to have a gorgeous melody. Around the World is sung with great passion & anger. Very much a mixed bag. But if you're a fan, you'll have to own it eventually.

Bob Rixon, WFMU-FM

A strange one for sure. Contains a number of very good songs - Mideast Vacation, We Never Danced, Too Lonely, Prisoner of Rock n Roll - as well as one of his worst - Inca Queen, which still manages to have a gorgeous melody. Around the World is sung with great passion & anger - & sunk by an annoying synth & a recitative that may or may not be sarcastic. Yes, very much a mixed bag, but like Neil's other albums for David Geffen, the misdirections are stories unto themselves, & the disguises are used to evade & filter out the deeply personal emotions Neil finally vented on "Freedom" & "Ragged Glory." Only two of these cuts show up on "Lucky Thirteen," which makes "Life" essential for Neil Young devotees, I should think.

Bob Rixon

Ok, I'll admit it. I actually like most of Neil's 80s stuff. Dunno what that says about me! Life isn't like a normal crazy horse record because the loud guitars aren't always present. However, the tunes are good which is what matters. The reason I took a star off was the 80s production where the drums sound totally flat and synthesisers are in most of the tracks. Sometimes this can be good but not always. Mideast Vacation is a good track and Around The World has the kind of savage guitars next seen on 'Don't Cry' off Freedom. Inca Queen is a bit slow but still quite cool. The rest of the tracks go along without really making a fuss. It does sound as though the album is there because one was needed. However, if you ignore the fact that this is Neil Young and put it next to other 80s records, it does come out looking good. It's just that we're used to something a bit more immediate from Neil. As another reviewer said, if you are a fan, you'll get this sooner or later, and I don't think that you'll totally regret it.

Neil Young - Life (1987)

Many of the more one-dimensional Neil Young fans dislike LIFE because they can't handle the 80's stylings and the synths. For those willing to give it a chance, though, there's some fantastic music here and not a dud in the bunch. It's a huge improvement over the so-bad-it's-depressing LANDING ON WATER which was completely drenched in synths and totally uninspired.

Anyone who accuses Young's music of sounding too same-y should check this one out. It combines killer guitar rock with 80's modern production and some weird sensibilities which contribute to its personality. Any open-minded Young fan will find a hell of a lot to enjoy here, and there's plenty of squealing guitar for the meat-and-potatoes Young fan as well.

Breakdown:

"Mideast Vacation" - Neil manages to finally pull off a great, powerful song in a pulsing New Wave style. Listen for Neil's metallic guitar attack toward the end. *****

"Long Walk Home" - the opening mouth-harp signals an abrupt shift in style. This one is a placid piano-based beauty even as it's being viciously battered with sounds of war. ****

"Around the World" - a very interesting song - the contrast between light 'n' airy synths with crunching Crazy Horse riffage is striking. At one point, a wild guitar solo bleeps like a dying computer. *****

"Inca Queen" - why is this beauty being overlooked by so many other reviewers? "Inca Queen" is surely one of Neil's more gorgeous acoustic guitar ballads. Presented with luscious orchestra and some tasty sound effects, it could've filled a whole album side without wearing out its welcome, way past its 8 minute length. A classic musical epic from Neil. *****

"Too Lonely" - coming up for air with some good ole rock 'n' roll, crunchy and nasty. This one provides a glimpse into some of Neil's sharp-edged sense of humor. ****

"Prisoner of Rock N Roll" - a swinging diss on record companies that addresses the practice of releasing crappy material to get out of a recording contract. But the song itself is by no means weak, plus it has a spacey, zen-like "concert-style" climax which lasts nearly a minute. Maybe not everyone's cup of tea, but I think it sounds kick-ass! ****

The beginning of "Cryin' Eyes" vaguely suggests Neil may have actually been listening to "Just Like Heaven" by the Cure which came out this same year, 1987. Don't tell me he hasn't looked like Robert Smith from time to time! (in particular, see the ARC cover). There's also some strange, Cure-ish alt-rock guitar textures on this one too. Actually, although it's basically a cool, straight-up Crazy Horse rocker, the guitar solos are very strange and completely unique. ***1/2

"When Your Lonely Heart Breaks" - is an amazingly effective and soulful ballad - a deeply moving masterpiece! *****+

"We Never Danced" - effective if dated space-age production decorates this shimmering, beautiful love song. *****

Anyone who admires Neil Young for his fearless, occasionally reckless diversity and can handle an album that ranges from tender ballads to free-wheeling guitar freak-outs should definitely pick this one up!

This album ROCKS where it needs to and gets mellow where it needs to. Aint his best... aint his worst- (I have them all)
No over-extended jams here (sometimes Neil/Frank/Billy/Ralph sometimes don't know when to end a song). The songs here are efficient and striking.

As I listen to this CD again after about 20 years I find myself siding with those who regard this as another 1980's misstep by the great Neil Young rather than a welcome return to form (That arrived with Freedom in 1989). I'm not too fond of some of the lyrics (politically we were at opposite ends of the spectrum). However, I could live with the simplistic jingoism if the music were more to my taste. Unfortunately, many songs on Life sound too much like the over-produced drek that epitomized the 1980's. I particularly dislike the incessant in your face and pedantic drumming. Life is not a total failure (see Landing on Water). There are glimpses, here and there, of the real Neil Young, hiding beneath the surface. Inca Queen, sans the boring and intrusive drumming, has the makings of a nice song. Long Walk Home is a good song tarnished by sound affects - we just don't need them - Young's voice is all that is required. We Never Danced is another commendable effort spoiled by over-production.

Both before the eighties and thereafter Neil Young made music that distinguished him from his musical competition. He was and is a unique talent. Trans was an interesting, if not totally successful, venture into the unknown. Life is an unusual record for Neil Young. It is not in any way experimental. It isn't a reprise of the country folk of Harvest. It isn't loud driving guitar-driven rock. It is, for the most part, I'm sad to say, ordinary, bland, and generic. Fortunately, in just two years the real Neil Young returned to us with Freedom and then Ragged Glory and then Weld. It was nice to have him back!

Neil Young's "Life" album is by far the best album he recorded on Geffen Records. This CD is out of print, but well worth it if you buy it from a seller. It is classic Neil Young with his band Crazy Horse. There is no hit single on here, but for all Neil Young fans this one is a must!

OK, this isn't one of Neil's masterpieces, but it's a pretty good effort. Those who say it's weak, or lacks emotion just don't get it. This cd is packed with emotion, it's just more subtle than his casual fans expect. One listen to "Prisoners of Rock-n-Roll" should confirm his state of mind. Of course, most of the schleps who want "Hey Hey, My My" on every cd won't like this one. This cd is pure Neil.

most poeople who listen to this record like the ballads, cause they are standard neil in most ways, i, on the other hand love this record for the first three tracks. ambitious and interesting, dated yet good.

i recomend this over reactor or landing on water anyday.