OUT OF THE RED, AND INTO THE BLUE. In the current issue of Rolling Stone, Neil Strauss writes that Bruce Springsteen gets a �Neil Young pass� for Springsteen�s quirky homage to classic folk, We Shall Overcome: The Pete Seeger Session. Now, I consider myself a huge Neil Young fan. To me, albums do not get much better than Zuma or On the Beach. As I see it the man can do no wrong, but I presume Strauss� dig was in reference to some of Young�s, er, �concept albums� like Re-act-tor and Everybody�s Rockin�.
Having just listened to Living With War, I can say with all the authority of a Neil Young fan who was born in the 1980s that he needs no pass. This is no quirky concept album. It is at once gritty, scathing, and wonderfully sonorous. Dig in.
--Mark Leon Goldberg
