Mirror Ball - Young, Neil (CD 1995)

"Mirror Ball" finds Pearl Jam filling the role usually occupied by Crazy Horse as Neil Young's backing band. The two came together to record the album over the course of four days in 1995. The result was a great album showcasing the talents of artists whose careers had begun years apart.
This was an excellent tribute to the longevity of Neil Young. Many of his contemporaries from the 60's and 70's are either out of music or doing a reunion tour based on their one or two hits from 20 years ago. This album finds Neil still making relevant music with the very musicians who have credited him as having an influence on their work.
Musically this album has an unpolished and raw sound. Bits of studio chatter can be heard before some of the songs. This is to be expected since the two came together, learned the songs, and recorded them in such a short time. Some may prefer a more produced and sleek sound, but I think this captures the intensity of the music in all its 'ragged glory'.
There are some great songs on this album. "Song X" sounds like a sea shanty with a chorus that makes you want to sing along. "Downtown" and "I'm the Ocean" are two other favorites of mine. "Scenery" and "Truth be Known" are both long slower tempo songs that are full of feeling and intensity. They are the kinds of songs that can mesmerize you and make you miss your exit when you're on the highway.
Lyrically Neil Young seems to be able to find a good mix of interesting, if somewhat unclear, imagery and clear expressions of his feelings. "I'm The Ocean" is a perfect example. Much of the songs contains random and seemingly unconnected lines. Mixed in, however, are references to his wife and children.
When I first heard about this album I was very excited since these are two of my favorite performers. I had expected more of a collaboration between the two and was somewhat disappointed to see that Pearl Jam was more or less just the backing band. They do a great job in that capacity, but this is really Neil Young's album. He wrote the music and lyrics. Eddie Vedder appears to sing the lyrics he wrote for parts of "Peace & Love". Pearl Jam released two songs to accompany this disc called "Merkinball". It contains two songs, "I Got Id" and "Long Road", written and sung by Eddie with accompaniment by Neil. I would love to hear what these musicians could create if given a little more time.
Overall this is a great album combining great musicians. The book "The Essential Neil Young" by Steve Grant quotes a 'Musician' magazine article that said '...Young seemed to find in Pearl Jam a spark of his younger self, and Pearl Jam might have found in Young a star to steer by'. I think that sums this up much better than I could have.