Neil Young - Re-ac-tor

Almost a year after the release of Hawks & Doves, in late October 1981, Neil Young got back together with his old sparring partners Crazy Horse for his first real album of the decade, Re-ac-tor, an LP that straddles the line between the past and the future — and, more significantly, his past and future as an artist and performer.

In a way, Re-ac-tor was a reaction to Hawks & Doves, a guitar-fronted assault on the folk and country niceties of the earlier record. It was also Young's first tentative step into a new era, specifically the New Wave one he'd explore more enthusiastically on his next album, 1982's Trans.

As it stands, Re-ac-tor falls somewhere between those two records, lacking the comforting familiarity of Hawks & Doves but nowhere near as polarizing as the electronics-enhanced Trans. In other words, Young made better albums in the '80s (not many, though) and he certainly made worse.

Side 1

Opera Star

Surfer Joe and Moe the Sleaze

T-Bone

Get Back On It

Side 2

Southern Pacific

Motor City

Rapid Transit

Shots

Be the first to write a review for this item OR just rate it