While Young’s Unplugged is essentially another episode of “Neil, the Enigmatic Folkie,” Zevon’s collection functions more purely as a career overview. Although Learning to Flinch is easily Zevon’s sharpest since his Sentimental Hygiene (1987), its finest moments are drawn from his oldest material. Of three new songs, only “The Indifference of Heaven” matches his most compelling work. Alternating between keyboards and crisp 12-string guitar, Zevon delivers acoustic renderings of everything from smartass anthems like “Lawyers, Guns and Money” to the unsettling “Boom Boom Mancini.” Although most of the fresh instrumental flourishes click, 13 minutes of “Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner” is simply exhausting. Not only is it my favorite live album, it’s my favorite Neil Young album. Of those three live albums I’ve always loved, Neil Young’s MTV Unplugged is the one I cherish the most. Zevon’s set, culled from his 1992 solo tour, sports a better sense of humor and a stronger sense of irony but still reeks of recycling. Nirvana’s MTV Unplugged in New York album is great, sure, but I don’t really find myself listening to it as much as I did, say, when I was still in high school. Yet overall, it feels like Young’s coasting: The music has the relaxed aura of a friendly fireside folk sing that could use a shot of ragged glory.Įveryone Mourned Snoop Dogg's Smoking Days for Nothing - And He's Laughing His Way to the Bank A beguiling acoustic reworking of “Transformer Man” and a pipe-organ take on “Like a Hurricane” are both revelations. For the last seven songs he’s backed by the current incarnation of the Stray Gators (bolstered by Nils Lofgren) and leans on softer folk, ranging from “Helpless” to three repeats from Harvest Moon. Soul” and the plaintive “Stringman,” a previously unreleased gem. Young’s set is neatly divided into halves: The first seven tunes are strictly solo, tapping darker material like his Buffalo Springfield touchstone “Mr.

Records since 1963 and now part of the Warner Music Group. Through his career most of Youngs work has been recorded for and distributed by Reprise Records, a company owned by Warner Bros. But if you’re going to peddle new versions of songs your fans already own, you should try to transcend the increasingly empty “unplugged” trend.Įven within the spare context of his appearance on Unplugged, Young flashes both sides of his musical personality: the earnest folkie and the edgy heretic. The discography and filmography of Neil Young contains both albums and films produced by Young. After being adrift (Young) or absent (Zevon) for much of the ’80s, both are now basking in midlife renaissances. Although both men are approaching 50, they remain defiant originals, mainstream exiles, amiable cynics. Neil Young and Warren Zevon share a deeper kinship than might be immediately obvious.

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