Neil Young
Time Fades Away

THE REVIEW

“Time Fades Away” constitutes one of the best-hidden gems in the vast production of Neil Young. Released in 1973, in the wake of the incredible success of “Harvest,” it is generally considered a significant work not so much for its intrinsic value but for what it represents within the Canadian's career – the end of the west coast era and the entry into the abyss of drugs and despair of the 70s that would lead to his masterpieces “On The Beach” and “Tonight’s The Night.” Although it does not reach the artistic zenith of those albums, "Time Fades Away" is nonetheless a work that deserves to be rediscovered. For one, it is one of the very few cases in which an artist releases unreleased live material. The eight tracks presented here were almost all recorded on the tour following that of “Harvest.” But the sound is light years away from the celestial sound that made that album the pinnacle of the country-rock season. Although there are moments that connect to the recent past, such as the stunning piano ballads “Love In Mind” and “The Bridge” which recall the dreamlike atmospheres of “After The Gold Rush,” the sound that envelops "Time Fades Away" is a distorted and hallucinatory rock, a fundamental premise to that "Tonight’s The Night" which Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers recently described as “the greatest dirty rock record ever”.

The Canadian loner begins to exorcise his demons – an intoxicating success that overwhelms him, the drug problems of his friends, the failures of the Woodstock generation – and he does so on stage, in front of fans who came to see him hoping to hear the sweet melodies of "Heart Of Gold" or "Old Man." The resulting music reflects the mood of its author, who often went on stage at the time drunk. The initial title track is emblematic in this sense: on a corrosive and almost garage-like soundbed, punctuated by a bouncing piano that seems to parody country-rock clichés, Neil starts singing “Fourteen junkies too weak to work/One sells diamonds for what they're worth /Down on pain street, disappointment lurks”. "Yonder Stands The Sinner" and "L.A." unfold in the same register, the latter slightly softened by a crystalline melody in the refrain. "Don't Be Denied" is one of the most poignant pieces in Young's entire repertoire. Retracing the story of his life and the saving importance that music had in it, the piece is grounded on a curare riff that perfectly forges its urgency. Worthy closure comes with "Last Dance," the first of the famous youngian tirades against everything and everyone. A harsh and desperate ride, the soundtrack of Neil's entry into the tunnel of the 70s, as he seems to bid farewell to the fans urging "You can live your own life, making it happen, working on your own time".

Ultimately, "Time Fades Away" is perhaps the first punk record, in which an artist publicly bares himself, letting you hear the noise of breaking glass. I don't think a better compliment could be paid to an album.