People often think that the man on the cover of this album is Neil Young himself. It's actually Danny Whitten, a longtime friend and rhythm guitarist for Crazy Horse, one of Neil's bands. He died of a drug overdose a few months before these songs were written. In order to capture exactly how he felt, Neil recorded all of these songs within one day in the studio, keeping a raw and passionate feel throughout the record. There really isn't a record quite like this one in Neil's discography, and the dark and gloomy atmosphere has a lot to do with that. Here, we see Neil at his most vulnerable, his most stripped-down, his most angry, and his most sad. You can tell just by his vocals that he's troubled, and at this point in his discography, they are the roughest by a nice margin. Bookended by part 1 and part 2 of the title-track, the album follows a clear concept of grief, introspection, loss, and hope. His fifth essential album in a row, Neil turns in a truly incredible performance in honor of his late friends.
1 Bumps | Bump |
