Neil Young Ragged Glory CD

Neil Young and Crazy Horse came roaring into the 1990s astride a powerful beast named RAGGED GLORY. During this time, Young was being heralded as the "Godfather of Grunge," and this album went a long way towards reinforcing this moniker. Never before had heavy guitar crunch swung in such a melodic and forceful way.

With the slightest hint of a twang and some relaxed harmonizing, "Country Home" chugs confidently along, in contrast to the slash-and-burn explosiveness of "F*#in' Up." Subtle country flourishes abound on this record, whether it's Young borrowing the title to the psychedelic hideaway "Mansion on the Hill" from a Hank Williams song, or "White Line" giving an idea of what Williams might sound like if he had a stack of Marshalls. Having developed a solid chemistry from playing together for almost 20 years, Young and Crazy Horse's penchant for extended jams is reflected on the opuses "Love to Burn" and "Love and Only Love," both of which rank alongside such other tours de force as "Cowgirl in the Sand." This muscular 10-song set ends with "Mother Earth (Natural Anthem)," an environmental tribute that is essentially a choral soundscape recorded live at the Hoosier Dome.

Live Recording

Neil Young & Crazy Horse: Neil Young (vocals, guitar, harmonica); Frank Sampedro (guitar); Billy Talbot (bass); Ralph Molina (drums).

Producers: Catherine Smith, Billy Poveda, Darrin Scott.Rolling Stone (9/20/90) - 4.5 Stars - Excellent Plus - "...It's loose and wild, and God knows it's loud, and it soars gloriously from one raving cut to the next....an exhilarating album of hard guitar rock. RAGGED GLORY is a great one, from one of the greats."
Rolling Stone (5/13/99, p.55) - Included in Rolling Stone's "Essential Recordings of the 90's."
Spin (9/99, p.148) - Ranked #55 in Spin Magazine's "90 Greatest Albums of the '90s."
Entertainment Weekly - "...songs with substance" - Rating: A-
Q (4/02, p.142) - "...Robust and lovably dumb..."
Mojo (Publisher) (11/01, p.151) - "...Features the raw volume, guitar work outs and great songs...absent from much of his '80s output..."
New York Times (Publisher) (12/30/90) - Rated #6 of the Top 10 Recordings for 1990.
New York Times (Publisher) (11/4/90) - "On this extraordinary album, Mr. Young takes a trip into the land of the guitar with his greatest collaborators, Crazy Horse."