Sleeps with Angels

by

Neil Young and Crazy Horse

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This is a definite candidate for Neil Young's best album ever; it is, quite simply, a beautiful, haunting melancholy masterpiece. It came as quite a surprise to everyone after the raging, upbeat Ragged Glory, did this gloomy series of death odes. Inspired no doubt in part by the suicide of Kurt Cobain - which occurred during the recording of this album; at least two songs (the title track and Change Your Mind) seem to be about the fallen rocker, who quoted one of Neil's songs in his suicide note - this album is a series dark, moving, extremely powerful vignettes that rank it among the most moving and amazing albums I have ever heard. This is surely the most diverse record from Neil to feature Crazy Horse: it's not the endless heavy jamming that you may well expect. The album is fairly musically diverse: the bookend tracks on the album feature beautiful, moving tack piano playing from Neil, and Prime of Life even features him performing on the flute. Tough-as-nails guitarist Frank "Poncho" Sampedro even turns in delicate performances on the piano on more than a handful of tracks. The set features one of Neil's most moving and harrowing set of lyrics ever - on par with Tonight's The Night, but perhaps even gloomier. Most all of the songs are overtly concerned with death (the light filler track Piece of [Junk] (undoubtedly included to lighten the mood after nearly an hour's worth of heavy listening) nonwithstanding), and Neil turns in some of his most beautiful, delicate vocals ever here. The vocal melodies from the band are quite great as well. Most all of the songs have haunting, beautiful arrangements and fine melodies. However, although the lyrics, vocals, and vocal melodies on this album are almost universally outstanding, the music matches the mood precisely, and is often great as well. Smack dab in the middle of the album is the 14-minute masterpiece Change Your Mind, featuring some of Neil and Crazy Horse's best soloing ever. This song is absolutely stunningly beautiful. Blue Eden is a harowing blues jam. Many songs feature soft, touching piano passages, and many other feature excellent soloing on the guitar in an emotional, moving way. Some of Neil's best songs ever are here as well. Aside from the ones already mentioned, there are others: the slow, spooky build-up of Trans Am, the wonderful ballad Train of Love, and the absolutely stunning closer, A Dream That Can Last. In a very dark, harrowing, and moving way, this is perhaps Neil's most beautiful album ever; it features a wonderfully moving melancholy beauty - on par, beauty-wise, with such wonderful acoustic work as Harvest. Quite simply, this is an essential purchase for any who calls themselves a Neil Young fan - or, indeed, of great music at all.