Neil Young Tribute for The Bridge School

Album Review

Bridge School Concert Reviews

News on Neil


In an interview in the Boston Globe in 1990, when asked about the Tribute for The Bridge School album, Young said:

Subject: The Bridge Tribute Album

Hiya Rust-Units,

I'd been planning to write a song-by-song review of this album for some time, but it seems that some eager Rustie has beat me to it. Well, I'm not going to let that dissuade me, so here are my impressions.

NOTE: I decided to give my opinions in an upfront and honest way. What this means is that I'm about to trash some these songs. Please pepper the following text with "IMHO's" as needed, it is not intended to offend.


Soul Asylum: Barstool Blues

- This is one of the best songs on the album, and an all around solid reworking. It's a pretty standard version, but very decent.

Victoria Williams: Don't Let it Bring You Down

- There is really nothing wrong with this cover except that I just can't seem to take a liking to it. Somehow when Victoria sings this song the lyrics seem really pretentious. I know they're the same words that Neils sings, but somehow this version is more bland.

Flaming Lips: After the Goldrush

- I like the new slant that FL puts on this song. I can't say its as good as the original, but I'm glad that they put their own stamp on it. And, by golly, it works.

Loop: Cinnamon Girl

- A pretty standard CG. I like the heavy guitar sound a lot, but the vocals not so much. Every time I hear it I wonder if they used a drum machine. It's almost Cinnamon Girl ala TRANS.

Nick Cave: Helpless

- If every person has their own personal hell, mine would be having to listen to this cover for all eternity. It's impossible to relate to any of you how much I hate this version. It could very well serve as a new and inhumane form of torture. We are talking bad! The music is bland, the vocals are horrid, and even the lyrics are ridiculously wrong. Just the memory of the song is making me cringe!

Bongwater: Mr. Soul

- This one starts with a pretty cool intro. The actual song is pretty good even though the lyrics are muddied and bland. The guitars and drums are really the saving grace, they salvage this one.

Pixies: Winterlong

- The first full-blown success on the album. Neil Young Pixified! This song rocks. Kim Deal's and Frank Black's vocals work perfectly on this song and that signature Pixie-guitar sound works great as well. Man, I wish this group had never broken up.

Sonic Youth: Computer Age

- Sonic Youth has always been a hit or miss band for me. Either their songs work well, or they fail bitterly. This one works as well as anything they've ever done. A definite must hear if you're one of those persons who never understood what Neil saw in these guys.

Psychic TV: Only Love Can Break Your Heart

- Another pretty standard cover. I don't think they take this song anywhere new. Not bad, but nothing to write home about.

Dinosaur Jr: Lotta Love

- Was this a joke? I seriously can't make it through this entire song without leaving the room. If it is a joke, its not funny (or good). These may be the worst vocals ever.

Henry Kaiser: The Needle and the Damage Done / Tonight's the Night

- Yes, that's right... a medley! And a good one too. One of the strongest tracks on the album. It lacks some of the intense emotion that Neil manages to pack into these songs, but it is so listenable that you have to love it anyways.

b.a.l.l.: Out of the Blue

- This version is pretty 'out there'. It's a kind of Punk version which, of course, fits this song pretty well. I even like the Dennis Hopper lyric. Not bad at all.

Henry Kaiser: Words

- A good version, but somehow it didn't seem to work as well as Henry's other track. Solid butnot super. I do like the big-finish ending though.

Well, there you go. My opinion of the songs on the Bridge Album. Remember that these are just my opinions, nothing more. All in all, not a must have but a solid buy especially if you are willing to overlook some (really) low points, or are a completest.


Bridge School Concerts

Neil Young Album Reviews

Thrasher's Wheat - A Neil Young Archives