Mirror Ball

( 2 )

Editorial Reviews

All Music Guide - William Ruhlmann
Neil Young uses Pearl Jam on Mirror Ball much as he has used his perennial backup band Crazy Horse, looking for feel and spontaneity. At the start of the record, he can be heard instructing them: "No tuning, nothing," and the take of "I'm the Ocean" is an obvious run-through that became a master take. But Pearl Jam is not Crazy Horse; in place of the latter's primitive, nonswinging sound, the former boasts spirited rhythms and dense guitar interplay that Young makes excellent use of in a series of songs built out of simple, melodic rifts. Those songs come mostly in pairs: "Song X" and "Act of Love," the first two tracks, both seem to be about abortion, especially in ...
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Editorial Reviews

All Music Guide - William Ruhlmann
Neil Young uses Pearl Jam on Mirror Ball much as he has used his perennial backup band Crazy Horse, looking for feel and spontaneity. At the start of the record, he can be heard instructing them: "No tuning, nothing," and the take of "I'm the Ocean" is an obvious run-through that became a master take. But Pearl Jam is not Crazy Horse; in place of the latter's primitive, nonswinging sound, the former boasts spirited rhythms and dense guitar interplay that Young makes excellent use of in a series of songs built out of simple, melodic rifts. Those songs come mostly in pairs: "Song X" and "Act of Love," the first two tracks, both seem to be about abortion, especially in its religious aspect, each containing a reference to "the holy war"; "What Happened to Yesterday" and "Fallen Angel" are song fragments on which Young plays the pump organ; and "Downtown" and "Peace and Love" find Young addressing the musical and philosophical concerns of hippies and contain name checks of Jimi Hendrix, John Lennon, and Led Zeppelin. The songs also share highly imagistic lyrics that are allusive and frequently just obscure. At their best, notably on "I'm the Ocean" and "Scenery," they provide intriguing portraits of the artist -- "People my age/They don't do the things I do," Young sings in "Ocean" -- while "Scenery" is one of his bitter denunciations of celebrity. Such subject matter is not new for Young, and Mirror Ball is typically uneven. But it is always interesting musically, suggesting that he has found another catch-up that works. Probably due to the commercial power of Pearl Jam, the album became Young's highest charting record since Harvest 23 years earlier, though it had a relatively short chart life.
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Product Details

  • Release Date: 6/27/1995
  • Label: Warner Bros / Wea
  • UPC: 093624593447
  • Catalog Number: 45934

Tracks

Disc 1
  1. 1 Song X (4:40)
  2. 2 Act of Love (4:54)
  3. 3 I'm the Ocean (7:05)
  4. 4 Big Green Country (5:08)
  5. 5 Truth Be Known (4:39)
  6. 6 Downtown (5:10)
  7. 7 What Happened Yesterday (0:46)
  8. 8 Peace and Love (7:02)
  9. 9 Throw Your Hatred Down (5:45)
  10. 10 Scenery (8:50)
  11. 11 Fallen Angel (1:15)
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Album Credits

Performance Credits
Neil Young Primary Artist, Organ, Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Vocals, Pump Organ
Jeff Ament Bass, Bass Guitar
Stone Gossard Electric Guitar
Jack Irons Drums, Snare Drums
Mike McCready Electric Guitar
Brendan O'Brien Piano, Electric Guitar, Background Vocals
Eddie Vedder Background Vocals
Technical Credits
Gary Burden Art Direction
Nick DiDia Engineer
Brett Eliason Engineer
Joe Gastwirt Digital Editing
Tim Mulligan Digital Editing
Brendan O'Brien Producer
Emek Logo Art
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Customer Reviews

Average Rating 3.5
( 2 )
Rating Distribution

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(1)

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Sort by: Showing all of 2 Customer Reviews

  • Posted October 1, 2010

    more from this reviewer

    A Disappointing Super Session

    At the time both Young and Pearl Jam were hot items but the result was far less than what it could have been. Neil's vocals often are buried in the mix so that you stain to hear them. Pearl Jam plays hard and fast but something Crazy Horse brings to a Neil Young album is missing here. The songs also seem a bit sub-par for such a good songwriter. Only the loopy, epic I'm The Ocean would possibly make an all-time NY best of although Downtown is not too bad either. Young toured briefly with Pearl Jam and then moved on to other projects.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Posted October 1, 2010

    more from this reviewer

    No real hits but a real rocker

    Neil with Pearl Jam and Crazy Horse makes a rocking album even if it is missing any real hits.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.
Sort by: Showing all of 2 Customer Reviews