October 28, 2005
Zuma, Reprise Records, 1975
Do you know how insulting it is to be named Zuma? Have you heard that album? Such aimless coke-addled pap. They played it for me once, telling me very excitedly that this was my namesake. Unfortunately this was during a road trip. I tried to avoid the noisome thing by sticking my head out the window, but even at 75 mph the sound was inescapable.
Neil Young is able to convince thousands of people that he is a profound musical genius, simply by turning his guitar up loud, beating on it aimlessly, and muttering juvenile couplets about girls he can't get along with in the voice of a drowning cat.
I sought to ameliorate my discomfort by making small bets with myself. Such as: what will happen first, a coherent lyric or a full measure of well-executed 4/4 time? In the end, neither came to pass, but the album's saving virtue is its brevity.
Although sometimes they let it play twice.
Posted by FLOG at October 28, 2005 10:48 AM