Neil Young - Rockin' in the Free World

Neil Young is another ornery, contrary artist, seemingly taking great delight in frequently bemusing fans, as he flits between mellow acoustic, grungey power, rockabilly, synth-pop, or ecological concept albums. The only time I saw him live consisted of almost two hours of the yet unreleased "Greendale" and a few hits at the end. Unusual, maybe not what we wanted, but certainly mesmerising 

Young's 80's albums particularly frustrated, but 1989's "Freedom" was a definite return to form, with ravishing ballads, corrosive rockers, all bookended by different versions of "Rockin' in the Free World" (he did the same trick with "Hey Hey, My My"). 

After potential Soviet Union concert dates fell through, guitarist "Poncho" Sampedro made a remark that they would have to "keep rocking in the free world". This inspired Young to pen a searing state of the world address. The jingoistic title, like Springsteen's "Born in the USA",  misleads casual  listeners who misconstrue the real meaning (like Donald Trump).

He skilfully encompasses homelessness, the Iranian Ayatollah's condemnation of the USA ("Don't feel like Satan, but I am to them"), the impact of drugs in society, before reserving  his  real scorn for George H Bush. Taking his quote a "thousand points of light" he adds "for the homeless man", and his  "kinder, gentler" is followed by  "Machine gun hand". Bush should consider himself lucky, Young devoted an entire album ("Living with War") to his son !

The two versions are significantly different, but both contain the same power and outrage.  The opener, an acoustic live solo is bolstered by his harmonica and the crowd's cheers. The closer recorded with his band in the studio, amplifies the dynamic riff, with a throbbing  intensity.

It is a favourite in his concerts, massed tributes / benefits, or guesting with Pearl Jam, where the raucous chorus, and the extended guitar break can last forever.

Perhaps "Rockin' in the Free World" is the quintessential Neil Young, reflecting his true dichotomy -  an acoustic troubadour extolling his political beliefs, but also a rampant rock 'n roll mythologizing guitar hero.  

Hear Now - The acoustic version - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3q751WgE2RI and the electric version) -   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvxxdZpMFHg  

Hear Next -  "Freedom" is the most accessible of his 1980s releases, but newcomers should start with "Decade", an assembly of his earlier classics.

** The book of "Song from a Quarantine" is now available  on all Amazon sites in paperback and ebook formats - https://tinyurl.com/y43mbr2b