I Don't Know Which Way I'm Gonna Turn

Artist: Neil Young
Album: Fork In The Road
Year: 2009
Grade: 3 pretzels

"So all you critics sit alone
You’re no better than me from what you’ve shown"
-Neil Young, “Ambulance Blues”, 1974

Neil Young has made his feelings about critics abundantly clear over the years. This isn’t surprising, since critics on the whole aren’t fans of artists who rapidly veer from one genre to another without warning. Young has had many albums (most of them in the 80s) that were utterly disemboweled by critics. He’s responded by consistently lambasting critics in interviews and press releases. The liner notes of 1975’s Tonight’s The Night even included a full reprint of a particularly nasty Dutch review…written entirely in Dutch, mind you. He felt that the negative review described that album better than anything else written about it. So, anyway, if you’re out there reading, Mr. Young, let me take a moment and assure you that I’m not writing criticism here. I’m writing…umm…a series of constructive personal observations. That sounds much better, doesn’t it?

In many ways, Fork In The Road is a critic-proof album. It already claims the moral high ground by having all its songs themed around Young’s current project to create a working electric engine for cars. Young has taken an ancient 1959 Lincoln Continental and converted it into something wonderful and eco-friendly. How can you say something bad about an aging hippie trying to create green cars? On pure conceptual grounds, Young gets full points. Many artists these days are speaking about the environment, but few are actually driving across the country in prototype electric cars…of their own design. You rock, Neil.

That said, as an album of songs, Fork In The Road leaves a great deal to be desired. Young’s over-earnest tendencies as a songwriter are well-known by now and can be forgiven, especially since he’s so passionate about the issue at hand. However, that’s no excuse for the ten forgettable, routine driving-rock songs here. It’s not that the music is bad; it’s just boring. Aside from a bit of choppy, distorted guitar here and there (“Fuel Line” particularly), Fork In The Road sounds surprisingly toothless for a Neil Young rock album. I assume he’s not playing with Crazy Horse (their name doesn’t appear in the credits or on the album cover) and that might be why the power seems lacking. I’m used to Neil melting amps when he plays guitar and that never happens here.

Fork In The Road seems like a much better idea in theory than in practice. I commend Young for the work he’s doing for environmentalism and for creating this album to draw attention to the issue. I only wish he could have recorded a stronger album to do so. However, after reading Jimmy McDonough’s excellent biography, Shakey (see previous post), I can understand why Neil Young released this album. He’s a man who throws himself fully into anything he’s interested in and it consumes his life for a time. In the mid-90s, it was model trains. Now, it appears to be electric cars and his obsession is permeating everything, especially his music. More power to him, I say, and as Neil himself says on a song here, “just singing a song won’t change the world.” Neil Young may have released a sloppy, awkward record this year, but at least he’s putting his money/actions where his mouth is.

(Note: Nothing from the album seems available on YouTube, so instead, I suggest you watch this video for the album's title track on Neil's website. It's absolutely hilarious.)