There are certain albums that have an aura around them. It can't really be planned, but there is something in the way all the music performances and material comes together to set them on their own plateau. The interesting part of that equation is that there is no way to plan on the results, or even predict. They often come together as they are being recorded, and that is the start of a wonderful journey. FU##IN’ UP, recorded in 2023, is truly a work unto itself, to be released on Record Store Day April 20, 2024.
These nine songs from Young's ever-growing catalog are injected with the kind of audio attack that Young and Crazy Horse have been playing since they started performing in the late 1960s. It has been a constant capturing of what rock & roll is really capable of, and one that shows no sign of stopping. The Crazy Horse lineup on FU##IN’ UP includes Billy Talbot (bass, vocal), Ralph Molina (drums, vocal), Micah Nelson (guitar, vocal, piano), Nils Lofgren (guitar, vocal, piano) and Neil Young (guitar, vocal, harmonica). The sounds these five musicians achieve cannot be predicted, and allow an element of sonic surprise that is a definition of how the boundaries of bands are always up for revision, and supply the music to march into the future with an unparalleled power.
The old songs of this new Neil Young & Crazy Horse album break-through in all their ragged glory as a brand-new release. As time passes and musicians achieve new prowess in their playing, it gives Young and the band a way to approach what they have done in the past as something they're now able to go far beyond with an exciting approach that can only be seen as totally new. The best music never stands still, and allows the players a wide-open field to explore now. The past is gone, but offers a road into the future.