We’ve been hearing previews of their highly anticipated record for a few weeks, but now Neil Young & Crazy Horse’s reunion LP, Americana, has arrived to stream in full. Young and most of the original Crazy Horse lineup reworked traditional tunes dating back to the 1800s for the record, proving once and for all that these guys can not only create timeless cuts, but they can revitalize the music from past centuries as well. Neil himself put it best:
Neil Young
Neil Young and Crazy Horse: God Save the Queen
The new week brings more previews from Neil Young & Crazy Horse’s reunion record, Americana, this time jumping ahead in the tracklist to the closing cut, “God Save the Queen.” Seemingly culled from the same loose jam session that brought us “Oh Susannah,” “Clementine,” and “She’ll Be Coming Round the Mountain,” we’ve got yet another unhinged interpretation of a traditional tune as only the Godfather of Grunge could conjure. There’s an official video featuring vintage footage once more, as well. Here’s Neil himself with a description of the 300-year-old tune’s origins:
Written in the 18th century with possible melodic roots in the 17th century, this anthem has been sung throughout the British Commonwealth and may have been sung in North America before the American Revolution and Declaration of Independence in 1776, which rejected British sovereignty. The Americana arrangement draws from the original melody and changes some melody and lyrics in the folk process, also adding lyrics of the same melody taken from “My Country ’Tis Of Thee”, in recognition of the war of Independence and America’s transition to freedom.
Without further ado, rock out to a multi-national show of patriotism below:
Neil Young Memoir, Film, and Crazy Horse News
Film, music, and literary worlds collide for Neil Young this year, as he prepares to release a new autobiography in October, the final film in his Jonathan Demme-directed trilogy this summer, and a record with the reformed Crazy Horse lineup in just two weeks. There have been lots of updates on these projects in recent days, so let’s get caught up…
“Clementine,” our third taste of the forthcoming Americana LP with Crazy Horse, just arrived in vintage video form following previews of “Oh Susannah” and “Jesus’ Chariot (She’ll Be Coming Round the Mountain).” As with all of the set’s 11 cuts, Young has provided vital liner notes to describe the origins and angles of interpretation for each traditional tune. Here’s the new video for “Clementine” along with Neil’s caption and a corresponding illustration by Shepard Fairey, who provided visual art for each song: