As a backup band bashing out hard rock & roll for Neil Young's edge-of-reasonings, Crazy Horse's primitivism comes across as inspired anarchy. But without Young's eccentric visions at the center, the group's three-chord songs, extended two-note guitar solos and nasal nonvocals don't seem compelling, just sloppy. Billy Talbot, Frank Sampedro and Ralph Molina's songwriting is stunted at the I-sure-like-you-honey-but-I-got-to-ramble stage. Which would be okay, if these guys could evoke some of the emotional complexities inherent in such a situation. Instead, the best they can manage is a series of maudlin lines like "I'm in the middle of livin' and it ain't very nice."

Neil Young adds his trademark telegraph-key lead guitar to several cuts (he coproduced five of Crazy Moon's tracks, then split for another project while Richard Heenan and Kirby Johnson finished up), but his presence serves only as a nagging reminder of how good Crazy Horse can be when they have a focal point. Minus Young's spiritual guidance and lyrical intelligence, this band sounds like three horsemen blindly searching for an apocalypse. (RS 286)

DAISANN MCLANE