Landing on the Water

Landing on Water may not be Neil Young's worst album, but it's probably the least noteworthy collection he's assembled. For what turned out to be his penultimate Geffen album, Young rebuffed his regular set of co-producers in favor of West Coast journeyman Danny Kortchmar--seemingly in the interest of honing a more radio-friendly sound. As a result, the singer finds himself bobbing his way through layers of synthesizer fills and Steve Jordan's strident drumming; the whole thing feels like a bland '80s rock soundtrack. None of these songs have even become concert salvage projects--evidence that their composer doesn't hold them in high regard. The one standout here is "Hippie Dream," a scathing death-of-the-counterculture screed inspired by David Crosby's then-life-threatening drug problems: "Another flower child goes to seed / In an ether-filled room of meat hooks / It's so ugly" Young wails, and one can't help but wish the music had half as much bite as the lyrics. --Steven Stolder