Neil has called together the quality talent of Crazy Horse with which to create the album. Musically, Crazy Horse is essential to it's success. I'm not sure that it could have had the import that it carries without their inclusion. It's their concentrated efforts that add to the overall effect of Greendale.
Greendale highlights the lives of several characters, Grandpa and The Green Family with Sun Green and other lesser characters. They live just outside the town in a ranch. As more characters introduce into the story, the complexities and metaphors flesh out the daily lives and coalesce into an event that completes the tale. The structure of the story is girded by the diversity of the family.
Each member of the family brings to the story an awareness of thought processes that translate into something important enough for Neil to have woven it into the tale. Having inspected the story from an outward angle rather than re-tell it, which would rob the reader of discovery, I will now dwell on the music.
The music on the album is lit by the fires of Neil's extraordinary musical prowess and highlighted by Crazy Horse. Neil performs these songs solo outside this album, as seen on the included DVD solo renditions of the same songs, which causes it to lose the impact that the album generates. The solo aspect is relegated to acoustic guitar which strips away the sheen that the album contains. Electric Greendale is definitely superior.
There is nothing on this album that stands out like Young's "Like a Hurricane" or even "Heart of Gold", although "Sun Green" with it's use of a very noticeable megaphone bullhorn stands out, but then Greendale might have paled for it. "Sun Green" also brings to mind old 60s rock music as well. What Greendale is is a complete collection of observations that thrives on the music.
When I stated that Greendale is Neil's Berlin*, I meant it as a collective dark look at humanity. Although never as dark as Reed's Berlin, it approaches the same thrust with a happy exterior and unrest just underneath where Berlin was 'in your face' evil. Additionally, the drive of the music takes the lyrics and infuses them with pulse.
Filled to bursting, the nearly 80 minutes length of Greendale might appear plodding for some. And maybe it isn't for everybody. The music is essentially the same, track to track. Of course, changes occur but only subtly and is necessary to the telling of the story. However, to ignore it would be to reject the greatness of Neil Young who has created more classics than many.
The set comes with a bonus DVD that contains the entire album as a solo concert in Dublin, Ireland. The delivery is sparse and stripped. It does provide a story teller's enhancement in commentary but never achieves the power of the album itself. But I'm repeating myself profusely here. The DVD is presented in Stereo, Dolby Digital Surround and DTS 5.1. The booklet is a beefy affair designed to give you a sense of tale with the insights to writing the songs. The sad thing is that there are no inclusion of lyrics, almost a crime given the intent of Greendale. Instead, you must download them off the internet. I realize that internet saturation is at a high but not everyone has the luxury. Who gets deprived? Everyone, simply because of the lack of inclusion hampers the following of the story.
If you're standing on a fence wondering whether to visit Greendale, I can recommend the trip.
