Neil Young and Bob Dylan have had a lengthy reciprocal creative relationship. The Canadian-born artist was compelled to write after hearing Dylan’s early work, cutting his teeth on the folk scene. For his part, Dylan was spurred into action by Young’s ‘Heart Of Gold’, recognising a true talent when he heard one.
The two iconic names have shared a stage from time to time, while Neil Young’s 1990 song ‘Days That Used To Be’ – originally titled ‘Letter To Bob’ – contained an explicit message to his peer and competitor.
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Neil Young’s mighty 1991 live album ‘Weld’ however finds the songwriter utilising Dylan’s work as a lens for his own emotions. Working with long-time compatriots Crazy Horse, he attempts to mirror the heaviness of the Gulf War – then dominating the headlines as the band wove a path across North America.
A return to the rock music sound that dominated his 70s work, it was given a super-charged overhaul with Neil Young acting as a godfather to the then-emerging grunge generation.
‘Weld’ contains numerous high points across its weighty span, but few are as affecting as his take on ‘Blowin’ In The Wind’. The original is a simple arrangement – guitar chords, voice, and harmonica – but this ‘Gulf War version’ opens with air raid sound effects before crunching into a Crazy Horse aided explosion of sound.
He would later recall: “We were there all the way through it, and to me, that’s what ‘Weld’ is about. It’s very brutal, especially the songs with the big endings. I was trying to create the sound of violence and conflict, heavy machinery, outright destruction.”
“We were watching CNN all the time, watching this shit happen, and then going out to play, singing these songs about conflict. It was a hard thing. And I feel there was nothing else I could do. Whatever could bring people together was more important than me playing a new song. We couldn’t go out there and just be entertainment…”
Revisit the performance below.
Related: Neil Young – Oceanside Countryside
