The Golden Age of Tribute Albums: The Bridge: A Tribute to Neil Young

The late 80s into the early ’90s tribute albums were always a great way to learn about new underground bands as well as the artists they are paying tribute to. A few posts here and there I want to focus on a few for me pretty vital ones.

 Sometimes the artist being paid homage are bands you know and like and you want to hear newer band's interpretations of their music. Sometimes the artists being paid tributes are classic bands or artists you the listener may not be familiar with and hearing a band you know to do their songs serves as a good introduction to the artists.  

1989's The Bridge: A Tribute to Neil Young for me fell on the latter. 

 A few of the artists on the album were new to me. At this point, I had never heard of Flaming Lips, Nikki Sudden, and the French Revolution or his many bands, as well as the vital Swell Maps he and his brother, were in. 

Loop, Psychic TV, and had barely heard Nick Cave. Originally I owned the album cassette, so I did not hear B.A.L.L.’s “Out of the Blue” until years later when I upgraded to the CD 

 

Some bands do the covers in their own style, Soul Asylum, and the Pixies, two of the bands who made me seek out the tribute, do this at the beginning of each side of the tape.  Soul Asylum’s “Barstool Blues” would have been right at home on their album Hangtime from the year before. The Pixies “Winterlong” at home on Doolittle.  

For a long time, I thought Sonic Youth’s version of “Computer Age” was adapted to their style. Years later when I finally heard the original Neil Young version of his “experimental” album Trans, the Sonic Youth version was very true to the original. In retrospect, though I am very glad Sonic Youth decided not to use the computerized effects on the vocals of the chorus like Neil did in his version. Neil actually used the vocoder on a few songs on that album, something I've read many fans were not happy with.

 

Some bands totally changed the song, which most of the time I would not find out until years later. Nikki Sudden and his band at the time The French Revolution did a fully electric and rockin' version of the more subdued folky acoustic version of “Captain Kennedy” of Neil Young’s album.  

 

The UK’s droney band Loop did not have to adapt too much. I would say Neil's song “Cinnamon Girl” was almost written for the band if I had not come out years before.  

Nick Cave has the real showstopper in his take on “Helpless”. Accompanying slide

Loop

 guitar by Kid Congo Powers with The Bad Seed's Mick Harvey on the bass and drums. It was a pretty blown-away experience. I think at that point I had only really heard Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds' song “Mercy Seat”, a much louder but equally intense song. I picked up a few Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds albums shortly after. 

I’m also pretty sure this may have been the first time I knowingly heard the Flaming Lips. Sounds shocking now but at this point, the band had only released three albums. The Awesome In A Priest Driven Ambulance, the band's "masterpiece", as well as the only album I really love by the band., would not be released until a year later.  

 

A couple experimental songs. New York City band Bongwater, featuring Shimmy Disc Records owner Kramer on bass and actress/performance artist Anne Magnuson on vocals makes “Mr. Soul”, a song originally by Neil Young’s early band Buffalo Springfield, even more, psychedelic than the already very psychedelic song.  

The late Geneses P. Orridge’s band Psychic TV does a pretty stripped-down version of “Only Love Can

Psychic TV

Break Your Heart” with guitars, guitar, drums, and some strings. I’d file this under the experimental side of the spectrum since in their own Psychic TV material would have so much more noise and effects going on. This would soon be found out when I picked up some of the earlier stuff a little after hearing them on this album. But Psychic TV fans please don’t get too let down. The band does add some of what sounds like a theremin in the end.  

Dinosaur Jr, probably the most Neil Young-influenced band on the tribute, totally makes “Lotta Love” off Young's Comes A Time a whole new animal. J and Lou attack their instruments while “Special guest vocalist” Artie “Are You Ready” Sinatra screams the lyrics along. To me, it kind of sounds like Neil Young covering “Don’t” off of Dinosaur Jr’s Bug Album.  

 

Musician Henry Kaiser closes out the LP/Tape with a medley of “Needle and the Damage Done” and

Dinosaur Jr circa 1989

“Tonight's the Night”. The medley is rockn'. Also, straightforward sounding. A bit odd for a musician I would later find out is mostly known for his “sonic diversity” 

The only song on the album I usually skip over is Victoria Williams's version of "Don't Let It Get You Down". This isn't because it's a bad song or Neil's original or Victoria's cover. I am just not a fan of Victoria's voice. 

The album is out of print but you can listen to it on youtube or even download it right here:https://www14.zippyshare.com/v/D3xZv7tR/file.html