In an interview in the Boston Globe in 1990, when asked about the Tribute for The Bridge School album, Young said:
Young: "Great songs in there. I listen to them in my bus and they knock me out. Rolling down the freeway . . . it's great to hear my songs done that way by those people because that's the way they feel. We don't sound like that, because we're 40 now. "
Subject: The Bridge Tribute Album
Hiya
Rust-Units,
I'd been planning to write a song-by-song review of
this album for some
time, but it seems that some eager Rustie has beat me
to it. Well, I'm not
going to let that dissuade me, so here are my
impressions.
NOTE: I decided to give my opinions in an upfront
and honest way. What this
means is that I'm about to trash some these
songs. Please pepper the following
text with "IMHO's" as needed,
it is not intended to offend.
Soul Asylum: Barstool Blues
- This is one of the
best songs
on the album, and an all around solid reworking. It's a pretty
standard
version, but very decent.
Victoria Williams: Don't Let it Bring
You Down
- There is really nothing
wrong with this cover except that I just
can't seem to take a liking to
it. Somehow when Victoria sings this song
the lyrics seem really pretentious.
I know they're the same words that
Neils sings, but somehow this version
is more bland.
Flaming
Lips: After the Goldrush
- I like the new slant that FL puts on
this song.
I can't say its as good as the original, but I'm glad that they
put their
own stamp on it. And, by golly, it works.
Loop: Cinnamon Girl
- A
pretty standard CG. I like the heavy guitar sound
a lot, but the vocals not
so much. Every time I hear it I wonder if they
used a drum machine. It's
almost Cinnamon Girl ala TRANS.
Nick Cave: Helpless
- If every
person has their own personal hell, mine
would be having to listen to this
cover for all eternity. It's impossible
to relate to any of you how much I
hate this version. It could very well
serve as a new and inhumane form of
torture. We are talking bad! The music
is bland, the vocals are horrid, and
even the lyrics are ridiculously wrong.
Just the memory of the song is
making me cringe!
Bongwater: Mr. Soul
- This one starts with a
pretty cool intro. The actual
song is pretty good even though the lyrics
are muddied and bland. The guitars
and drums are really the saving grace,
they salvage this one.
Pixies: Winterlong
- The first full-blown
success on the album. Neil Young
Pixified! This song rocks. Kim Deal's and
Frank Black's vocals work perfectly
on this song and that signature
Pixie-guitar sound works great as well.
Man, I wish this group had never
broken up.
- Sonic Youth has always
been a hit or miss band
for me. Either their songs work well, or they fail
bitterly. This one works
as well as anything they've ever done. A definite
must hear if you're one
of those persons who never understood what Neil saw
in these guys.
Psychic TV: Only Love Can Break Your Heart
-
Another pretty standard cover.
I don't think they take this song anywhere
new. Not bad, but nothing to
write home about.
Dinosaur Jr: Lotta
Love
- Was this a joke? I seriously can't make it through
this entire song
without leaving the room. If it is a joke, its not funny
(or good). These
may be the worst vocals ever.
Henry Kaiser: The Needle and the
Damage Done / Tonight's the Night
- Yes,
that's right... a medley! And a
good one too. One of the strongest tracks
on the album. It lacks some of
the intense emotion that Neil manages to
pack into these songs, but it is
so listenable that you have to love it
anyways.
b.a.l.l.: Out of
the Blue
- This version is pretty 'out there'. It's a kind
of Punk version
which, of course, fits this song pretty well. I even like
the Dennis Hopper
lyric. Not bad at all.
Henry Kaiser: Words
- A good version, but
somehow it didn't seem to work
as well as Henry's other track. Solid butnot
super. I do like the big-finish
ending though.
Well, there you
go. My opinion of the songs on the Bridge Album. Remember
that these are
just my opinions, nothing more. All in all, not a must have
but a solid buy
especially if you are willing to overlook some (really)
low points, or are
a completest.
Bridge School Concerts
Thrasher's Wheat - A Neil Young Archives
Neil Young Album Reviews