Crazy Horse is something of a folk rock, country rock, and southern rock band, best known for backing Neil Young on multiple occasions. By the time this record came out, this group had already released a record under the band name, The Rockets, and had backed Neil Young on a couple occasions on records. This album features Danny Whitten on guitars and vocals, Nils Lofgren on guitars and vocals, Jack Nitzsche on piano and vocals, Billy Talbot on bass and backing vocals, and Ralph Molina on drums and backing vocals, with Ry Cooder playing slide guitar on a few songs and Gib Guilbeau on violin on a song. I’m super excited to give this album a listen, so with that said I’m going to jump on into the music.
“Gone Dead Train” starts out with some steady, slowly building groovy southern rock instrumentation, with some super slick guitar work that slides around the soundscape with a really tasty distortion. Oh wow, I really dig the bass line, which sort of bops along in a really groovy and tasty way with some great syncopation. The beat of the drums keeps this tune steady grooving along really well. The southern country twang in the singer’s voice has a really nice little howl that sort of shows up from time to time. Oh wow, those chorus vocals have a really nice feel to them that sort of puts the soundscape at ease in a certain manner while the lead guitar really goes in during the outro. Great intro.
Oh wow, “Dance, Dance, Dance” starts out with some super tasty fiddle from Guilbeau with the rest of the instrumentation forming something of a square dance type of tune with a great backbeat and the electric instrumentation gently decorating the sides of the soundscape with some slippery guitar work and jangling sounds. Really interesting tune.
“Look At All the Things” starts out with some absolutely delicious piano, which is promptly joined by some super sweet southern rock style instrumentation from the drums, bass, and guitars. Oh wow, that vocal chorus was incredibly interesting and super sweet in how they’re mixed into the soundscape. Oh wow, this electric guitar solo is dripping with absolutely delicious southern rock flavor with some great twang. Wow, that solo was awesome. Holy smokes, the chorus vocals bring a super great flavor. Wow, awesome track.
“Beggars Day” starts out with a super interesting, nearly funk like groove between the drums, bass, and interesting guitar work. The guitars sound like they’re nearly fed through some sort fan or oscillating tube. Holy smokes, this tune is awesome and the guitar work has me listening closer and closer. The bass notes on the piano do a super sweet job of accentuating the beat from the drums and bass. Oh wow, the grit in the vocal performance is super tasty. The bass notes in the piano and lead guitar seem to slide back and forth and trade licks with each other. Wow, this song is awesome. Holy smokes, this slow building outro jam from the band is insanely tasty. Great song.
“I Don’t Want to Talk About It” starts out with some sort of melancholic acoustic guitar work, which is joined by other acoustic guitars and a heavy, slow bass that rocks the tune along while the acoustic guitars decorate the sides of the soundscape. Holy smokes, the slide guitar has so much flavor in it. Wow, this tune has such emotion in it, filled to the brim with a nearly tangible sadness combined with some southern country soul. Holy smokes, the amount of flavor in the chorus of guitars is staggering. Oh wow, the guitar work is making me audibly gasp at the amount of feeling and flavor. Absolutely excellent track.
“Downtown” starts out with some heavy southern rockin’ sounds right away with the relatively quick beat and guitar work. Oh wow, the little accentuations from the piano adds a bunch of great, patient flavor. Holy smokes, the flavor from the instrumentation is massive – this track is awesome. I really dig the nearly celebratory clapping that joins into the beat in a syncopated fashion to further emphasize certain notes and add flavor. The chorus style vocals have a great flavor to them too. Wow, all the instruments play together and off each other so well. Great track.
“Carolay” starts out with a soft and bright sort of sort with some gentler percussion and bright piano to introduce the relatively quick moving sweet tune. Oh wow, this tune changes up big time to a bit heavier and more patient sound compared to the intro, but is completely filled with great southern roots rock flavor the whole time. Really sweet tune
“Dirty, Dirty” starts out with some tune befitting the title, with some really groovy, deep, and earthy sounds from the piano, bass, and electric guitars with some great distortion, digging further into the soundscape. Holy smokes, the slide guitar on this one is absolutely nasty in a really great way – I’m making a bunch of different faces listening to it that really coincide with that sound. Holy smokes, another guitar came on with some super tasty delicate playing to accentuate the slide guitar for a moment at the outro. Great tune.
“Nobody” has a super groovy, interesting beat to it with a sort of choppy, southern rock groove to this tune. Oh wow, the tune sort of breaks through the choppiness and resolves to some great, flavorful notes as the piano comes in to get the tune flowing a bit more. The tune sort of returns a bit back to the choppiness again, but the piano sort of helps fill the void compared to the introduction. Oh wow, it returns to that super flavorful, seemingly more melodic part for a moment – really awesome. I really dig the distant background vocals at the outro. Sweet track.
“I’ll Get By” starts out with some super interesting mixtures of tones from a fuzzy guitar combined with some earthy acoustic guitars, and a some heavy piano notes that sort of fall between and bridge the two types of guitars. Meanwhile, the bass serves as the connective tissue between the piano and the drums, which keep this tune grooving forward really nicely. Holy smokes, I’m not sure what this effect on the guitar is for the solo, but it’s like the guitar is played through some sort of tube with a fan in the middle and distortion on either end. Really sweet tune.
“Crow Jane Lady” starts out with a great rollicking southern rock sound between the drums, bass, and guitars. Holy smokes, this tune is super sweet. The piano sort of sits even lower than the bass in the soundscape, giving a great platform for the drums and bass to play off of. Oh wow, there’s a little drum break as the vocals drop out, signaling a second sort of progression in the song. Oh wow, the piano gets super flavorful. Holy smokes, this tune switches up nearly completely with a bit more of a softer country sounding tune, though it’s not without some of that grit from the beginning part of the tune. The slide guitar really brings that super tasty country sound to the soundscape nicely. Oh wow, the song gets even softer as it progresses, with the guitar work getting even sweeter. The vocals sort of envelop you as the instrumentation begins to fade out even more. Wow, this extended outro is super pleasant, and wraps up both the song and album super nicely. Great tune.
Wow, this album was awesome. I couldn’t believe I was already on the last track when I was – time passed by in the blink of an eye as I listened to this one. It’s been a while since I really played a southern rock sort of album, and it was a super tasty listening experience. The instrumentation throughout the album demonstrates a band really working as a whole unit, playing off one another in super complementary and tasty ways. If you dig southern rock at all, you might want to give this album a listen. The album is filled with great playing, songwriting, and a slew of country, southern, roots, and folk rock flavors. If you do decide to give this one a listen, I sincerely do hope that you enjoy the listening experience at least as much as I did.
-A