I'm guessing that the majority of you are familiar with Crazy Horse's
story, so I'm not going to go into great detail describing their
origins. Of course, they are best known for their work with Neil Young
and as the backing band who, in my opinion, brought out the best in that
particular musician. Although they will forever be linked to ol'
Shakey, their own material holds up rather well in its own right as
"Scratchy: The Complete Reprise Recordings" convincingly demonstrates.
This first-rate collection compiles their phenomenal eponymous debut LP,
the underrated followup, Loose, previously unreleased material, and an
early 1960s 45 from pre-Crazy Horse vocal group, Danny & the
Memories. While the rest of the band's ouevre has its merits, these
performances from 1971-1973 are the most definitive and essential.
Prior
to joining forces with Young for the masterpiece "Everybody Knows this
Is Nowhere," guitarist Danny Whitten, bassist Billy Talbot, and drummer
Ralph Molina had provided the core to aggregations such as the
aforementioned white doo-wop group and scuzzy Los Angeles rock band the
Rockets. Unlike other musical outfits, these guys learned to sing before
becoming proficient with their respective instruments. Thus, in
contrast to many other groups, they could rock hard and belt out killer
harmony vocals at the same time. "Crazy Horse" came about in the wake of
"This Is Nowhere" and "After the Gold Rush" and should have been huge.
However, in spite of the superb contributions from guitarist Nils
Lofgren (who was playing hooky from his band Grin during the recording
sessions), pianist-producer Jack Nitzsche, guitarist Ry Cooder, and
fiddler Gib Gilbeau, it failed to make a significant commercial impact.
Crazy Horse's sound was unique: roots-based country rock filtered
through a drug-addled, post-1960s perspective of lost innocence. Prewar
blues even shows its influence in songs such as the awesome opening
track "Gone Dead Train" (although it sounds like the band only borrowed
the title of King Solomon Hill's best 78) and the lovely "Carolay"
(which contains verses lifted from Robert Johnson's "I Believe I'll Dust
My Broom"). "Dance, Dance, Dance" is a fine bit of ersatz Cajuniana
from the pen of mentor Neil Young, while the anthemic "Downtown"
inexplicably never became the massive hit that it could have been in a
more just world. The phase shifter featured on the melancholy "Look at
All the Things" and the rocking "Beggars Day" give both songs an early
1970s psychedelic sheen. Cooder's exquisite slide guitar is the icing on
the cake for the heartfelt and beautiful "I Don't Want to Talk About
It," which stands in stark contrast to the menacing and tough "Dirty
Dirty." "Nobody" sounds more upbeat in tone as does "I'll Get By," which
also features some enchanting group vocals. And finally, Nitzsche takes
a rare turn handling lead singing duties on the Rolling Stones-like
"Crow Jane Lady."
"Crazy Horse" was a tough act to follow,
especially considering that Whitten's heroin problems led to his
departure from the group after its release. Nitzsche and Lofgren also
bailed out, leaving Talbot and Molina to recruit former Rockets bandmate
George Whitsell to fill one of the guitar slots. Keyboardist John
Blanton and guitarist Greg Leroy rounded out the lineup that recorded
"Loose." Unfairly slagged by many, the band's second album does pale in
comparison to their debut but only because its predecessor is so
thoroughly excellent. Had "Loose" been a privately pressed LP released
by a more obscure country rock band, I can guarantee you that it would
be more highly regarded in certain record collecting circles. Yes,
Whitten's distinct guitar and vocals are noticeably absent, but that
does not mean the listener cannot derive enjoyment from rockers and
blues-influenced numbers like "Move," "All the Little Things," "I Don't
Believe It," and "One Sided Love." Tracks such as "Hit and Run," "Try,"
"Fair Weather Friend," "You Won't Miss Me," and "And She Won't Even Blow
Smoke in My Direction" have a more palpable country influence and are
all good performances if sometime a bit too laid back for their own
good. "One Thing I Love" features a nice combination of instrumentation
and vocal harmonies making it my favorite track on this album. While
"All Alone Now" has a nice good-time vibe to it, the ballads "Going
Home" and "Kind of Woman" are a bit too soft for my tastes.
With
these two albums being squeezed onto this set's first CD, the second
disc contains some interesting supplementary material from the recording
sessions for "Crazy Horse" including an alternate take of "Dirty,
Dirty" and a stretched-out version of "Downtown" that clocks in at
nearly 11 minutes. "Dear Song Singer" is a moving solo piece from
Whitten, while "Scratchy" is an unfinished instrumental whose main riff
seems to have been recycled for "Move" on the second LP. "Susie's Song"
simply sounds like Lofgren messing around on the piano and does not
amount to much. "When You Dance You Can Really Love" is a Neil Young
song recorded in 1973 by the "Loose" lineup as a possible single but
was never released. I've always been a fan of radio spots, and the one
included here is pretty cool. "Can't Help Loving that Girl" and "Don't
Go" represent the lone single recorded by the previously mentioned Danny
& the Memories in 1962, with the latter being the more interesting
of these two tracks. Although neither song bears any similarities to the
material Whitten, Talbot, and Molina would later record in Crazy Horse,
they give the listener an opportunity to hear how far these musicians
had come from their vocal group origins.
