Album Review: “World Record” By Neil Young

Neil Young in an interview, 2005 - Team Coco / Youtube
A consistent persona for Neil Young practically from the beginning of his career has been that of an environmentalist rocker. He has been cleaning out his archives, reviving nearly a dozen forgotten studio and concert projects, and releasing three albums in quick succession with his longtime, on-and-off backing group Crazy Horse during this pandemic.
Recorded in a relatively short amount of time, the World Record album seems like a natural continuation of both the preceding few years and Youngโs entire professional career, and it deals with environmental concerns more than youโd expect.
As a whole, World Record can be chaotic and diffuse. As a result of their dedication to the subject matter and each other, Young and Crazy Horse perform as they always have: by tuning in, following the lead, and having a great time for the next half hour.
The information in World Record is superficial at best. The albumโs opening lyrics, โLove Earth, such an easyย thing to do,โ sum up its fundamental message. Young also makes the proclamations on โWalkinโ on the Road (To the Future)โ (lyrics: No more war, only love) and โThis Old Planet (Changing Days)โ (lyrics: Youโre not alone on this old planet). These are straightforward messages from Young, Nils Lofgren, Ralph Molina, and Billy Talbot. Although Rick Rubinโs voice may be heard at the beginning of several tracks during setup, he often stays out of the way as the producer. In โChevrolet,โ a 15-minute epic, the quartet gets to let loose as like before.
Songs of love are kept this time for the planet, making this CD more focused than previous pandemic albums Colorado and Barn. A shaky pump organ joins Crazy Horseโs customary mix on โThe World (Is in Trouble Now),โ and the album opens with a collective โfeeling outโ on โLove Earthโ before settling into a groove. Youngโs vocals have a relaxed simplicity that fits the projectโs mood, despite being occasionally shaky.
Although there is a lot of optimism throughout the record, there is also a pervasive feeling of anxiety. Heโs doing his lot, with the record, to convey the same philosophy heโs actively campaigning for the previous half a century โ a kind of artistic expression of his.