„Weld“

(Reprise, 1991)

The cover says it all right there: Neil Young and his everlasting backup-rock band Crazy Horse[1] between two gigantic stacks of Fender amplifiers ablaze on rock guitars and the shadow of a crowd in the front applauding. Rarely ever will you find a cover so directly showing what a record contains: the ultimate praise of the Fender / Gibson deity of rock’n’roll, waving the old ragged glory of the amplifier feedback, wallowing drunkenly in the big sound of a big stack. It is a mass for and of sound for the true worshippers of rock as big as the mountains ranging from the canadian woods to the deserts in the Southwest.

Neil Young has always been the guitar hero. From the re-enlisting of the most prominent Keith Richards-riff for „Mr. Soul“ when he still was with Hippie-faves Buffalo Springfield to the epitome of guitar solos around „Everybody knows this is nowhere“ (I know, fans would argue, but that is my Young favorite album of that time) down to rock-anthems such as „Rocking in a free world“ two years before „Weld“. The latter song especially becoming emblematic, a deft statement and a rethoric question demanding an answer along the lines of „well, of course. What else?“. Yes, rocking in a free world – and that was what’s to come. The year after „Freedom“ brought „Ragged Glory“ with Crazy Horse and a small glimpse of what was to come live. Distorted sounds of the most typical rockband set up including the instruments and the instrumentation but rather than riffing or rocking out more interested in laying chords over each other in a big wave of sound. And the stage shows were big. Not in effects, not in big as in video walls, choreography or design. There were just four men between middle-aged and old, flannel shirts, longish hair, with bad shaves and the look and feel of too many hangovers and too little sleep. Until they turn on the amplifiers. Then it starts to burn.

The first sound on the record are some scratches on the guitar, probing the echo, seeing if it is really turned on, and these are already big. Like in really really big. Then the opening notes of „Hey hey, my my“ and the fans starting to applaud. A simple riff, drums big in the back, second guitar and bass on and the sound nothing but massive. A good opener, starting with the lines „rock’n’roll will never die“. The guitars sound so distorted you think the recording level on the tape was too high, which is impossible of course. Means it was intended that way. Out of the blue and into the black.

As a live double album „Weld“ has all the hits of course. There is your „Cinnamon Girl“ and „Cortez the Killer“, there’s your „Like a hurricane“ as well as „Hey hey, my my“ and so on. There are also some cover versions, but neither these nor the hits are the main focus. Record one ends on the rather non descript „F*!#in Up“ and record two on the equally non-legendary „Roll another number“. Because the true star of the album is the killer guitar sound. It is here from the beginning and stays untill the end. It reaches its first climax in the intro of „Blowin’ in the wind“ with solo guitar sounds ranging from fire siren, machine guns to fighter jet. A big monolith of distortion and destruction. And it goes on like that, with the true highlighits in this respect during moments in the non-hits. Shining gold, melted and blinding like the sun.

And in between all that the ragged and dusty voice of Neil Young, who admittedly never was much of a singer. Vocals, lyrics and singing were always rather a necessary addition to the vision of song Young obviously had in mind. Ten years earlier he hid a few lines here and there between quarter hour guitar solos, here now he tried to hide them underneath crashing waves of sound.

What should not be missed is the importance of self restraint and experience you need for rockmusic. If one part of the band starts to freak out and go wild then the whole thing breaks apart. So in trite and superficial bands there is usually a set up with defined places for members to go wild, usually on a solo. Neil Young and Crazy Horse are a different breed altogether. They know each other, they know their songs, what will happen and when. Amidst all the burning chaos and distortion they know their path and the plan, which is amazing, and they stick to it. Like any good fusion powerplant a lot of control is needed. So they can check into that weird little waltz-section during „Crime in the City“.