''Fuckin' Up'' (also censored as ''Fu##in' Up'') is a live album by Canadian singer-songwriter
Neil Young
Neil Percival Young (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian-American singer and songwriter. After embarking on a music career in Winnipeg in the 1960s, Young moved to Los Angeles, joining Buffalo Springfield with Stephen Stills, Richie Fu ...
and his band
Crazy Horse
Crazy Horse ( lkt, Tȟašúŋke Witkó, italic=no, , ; 1840 – September 5, 1877) was a Lakota war leader of the Oglala band in the 19th century. He took up arms against the United States federal government to fight against encroachment by ...
under the name Neil & the Horse, released on April 26, 2024, through the Other Shoe Productions and
Reprise Records
Reprise Records is an American record label founded in 1960 by Frank Sinatra. It is owned by Warner Music Group, and operates through Warner Records, one of its flagship labels.
Artists currently signed to Reprise Records include Enya, Michael ...
. It is a live recording of their 1990
grunge album ''
Ragged Glory
''Ragged Glory'' is the 18th studio album by Canadian / American singer-songwriter Neil Young, and his sixth album with the band Crazy Horse. It was released by Reprise Records on September 9, 1990.
Recording
The ''Ragged Glory'' sessions took ...
'', with each track retitled with a phrase taken from the lyrics (with the exception of the cover version of "
Farmer John
Smithfield Foods, Inc., is an American pork producer and food-processing company based in Smithfield, Virginia, in the United States, and an independent subsidiary of WH Group. Founded in 1936 as the Smithfield Packing Company by Joseph W. Lut ...
"). The final song on ''Ragged Glory'', "Mother Earth (Natural Anthem)", was not performed.
The album was recorded at a private birthday party for businessman
Dani Reiss
Dani Reiss (born November 7, 1973) is a Canadian businessman, best known for his role as president & CEO of Canada Goose Inc.
Early life
Reiss is the son of Malca (née Tick) and David Reiss. His maternal grandfather is Samuel Tick, who in 19 ...
held at
the Rivoli
The Rivoli is a bar, restaurant and performance space, established in 1982, on Queen Street West in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
The club originally earned a reputation as one of Canada's hippest music clubs, and many major Canadian comedy and mus ...
in
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most pop ...
, Canada on November 4, 2023.
''Fuckin' Up'' received positive reviews from critics.
Critical reception
''Fuckin' Up'' received a score of 81 out of 100 on review aggregator
Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...
based on five critics' reviews, which the website categorised as "universal acclaim".
''
Mojo
Mojo may refer to:
*Mojo (African-American culture), a magical charm bag used in voodoo
Arts, entertainment and media Film and television
* MOJO HD, an American television network
* ''Mojo'' (play), by Jez Butterworth, made into a 1997 film
* '' ...
'' commented that there is an "undeniable zip" to the tracks, while ''
Uncut
Uncut may refer to:
* ''Uncut'' (film), a 1997 Canadian docudrama film by John Greyson about censorship
* ''Uncut'' (magazine), a monthly British magazine with a focus on music, which began publishing in May 1997
* '' BET: Uncut'', a Black Enter ...
'' felt that the album "captures Young and the Horse on blazing form", noting that Nelson is "a capable duelling partner for Young" and "Lofgren's honky-tonk piano lends a shimmying quality to these craggy, elemental songs".
''
PopMatters
''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, f ...
'' Christopher J. Lee said that it "highlights Neil Young and Crazy Horse at their best – loose, loud, and long-lasting, but without being long-winded".
A staff review from
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the dat ...
stated that the tracks are "refram
d ...in a live setting that's somehow even more ragged, and just as glorious" and "stretche
out a little more than on record
..as Young tries new tricks with his guitar tones and the band injects some exploration into the jammier sections of the tunes".
Nick Seip of ''
Slant Magazine
''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New Yo ...
'' felt that the live setting adds "even more grit and grime" as "it's truer to the spirit of the material, as the messier mix captures the energy of a one-and-done performance".
Stuart Berman of ''
Pitchfork
A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves.
The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to ...
'' commented that "the lack of contextual detail puts the focus squarely on Crazy Horse's incandescent noise and slack yet unfailingly steady momentum" and the album "makes a convincing case for ''Ragged Glory'' as the definitive Crazy Horse album, showcasing the group in their purest, crudest state".
Track listing
Personnel
Neil & the Horse
*
Neil Young
Neil Percival Young (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian-American singer and songwriter. After embarking on a music career in Winnipeg in the 1960s, Young moved to Los Angeles, joining Buffalo Springfield with Stephen Stills, Richie Fu ...
– lead vocals, guitar, harmonica,
production
Production may refer to:
Economics and business
* Production (economics)
* Production, the act of manufacturing goods
* Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services)
* Production as a stati ...
*
Ralph Molina
Ralph Molina (born June 22, 1943) is an American musician, best known as the drummer for Neil Young's backing band Crazy Horse.
Born in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth o ...
– drums, backing vocals
*
Billy Talbot
William Hammond Talbot (born October 23, 1943) is an American singer-songwriter and musician, best known as the bassist of Crazy Horse (band), Crazy Horse.
Music career
Born in New York City, Talbot started his musical career singing on street c ...
– bass, backing vocals
*
Nils Lofgren
Nils Hilmer Lofgren (born June 21, 1951) is an American rock musician, recording artist, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. Along with his work as a solo artist, he has been a member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band since 1984, a membe ...
– guitar, piano, backing vocals
* Micah Nelson – guitar, piano, backing vocals
Additional contributors
*
Niko Bolas
Niko Bolas is an American music producer, sound engineer, and consultant and business developer in the fields of virtual reality and Internet radio. In 1989, Bolas founded Fakespace Music with Mark Bolas, Ian McDowall and Christian Greuel, which, ...
– production
* John Hanlon –
mixing
* Tim Mulligan –
engineering
Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...
* Mark Humphries –
monitor
Monitor or monitor may refer to:
Places
* Monitor, Alberta
* Monitor, Indiana, town in the United States
* Monitor, Kentucky
* Monitor, Oregon, unincorporated community in the United States
* Monitor, Washington
* Monitor, Logan County, West ...
engineering
* Dani Reiss – presenter
Charts
References
{{Authority control
2024 live albums
Albums produced by Neil Young
Neil Young live albums
Reprise Records live albums