Article summary

If Everybody Knows This is Nowhere and Ragged Glory are the two finest studio albums Neil Young recorded with Crazy Horse, Zuma certainly qualifies as a close third. Recorded in 1975, Zuma exudes both a sense of focus and a tentative optimism, two qualities that were completely MIA from the bleak Time Fades Away/Tonight's the Night/On the Beach trilogy that preceded it. "Barstool Blues", "Don't Cry No Tears" and "Drive Back" are terse, punchy rockers, while "Danger Bird" and "Cortez the Killer" are extended guitar work-outs in the grand Crazy Horse tradition. And the two acoustic entries--"Pardon My Heart" and "Through My Sails" (the latter was recorded with Crosby, Stills & Nash)--are absolutely gorgeous. Ignore the terrible cover art, and treat yourself to one of Young's most underrated records. --Dan Epstein

Customer's review

Stands the test of time.

I bought this album when it came out, on vinyl. Neil Young had been only partly known to me - i tended to think "acoustic" and "folky", which were not the kind of words i was into at that age. John Peel said that "nothing before had prepared him for the magnificence of Zuma" or words to that effect. As a keen JP listener and admirer, i thought I'd give it a go. Fabulous! It was as rock-y and discordant in places as you could wish. The guitaring was a revelation. Great songs, love-it-or-hate-it voice/singing - which i did love. The acoustic numbers and gentler tracks were great songs too, and perfect to sing when you were having a drink with your mates. "I've been looking for a lover, but I haven't met her yet - she'll be nothing like i picture her to be." My pals all bought it too. And i haven't even mentioned "Cortez the Killer". I have listened to this track maybe 100 times. It still feels like it ends too soon and I want it to go on longer. I love the way the lyrics shift from historical/abstract to personal/love. It is quite simply a classic - yeah, I know they say that about "Stairway to Heaven", too - but this is the real deal. For me, at least. I still listen to this, after 30 years. There are only a handful of such albums.

Quintessential Neil Young...

Heralded on its release in 1975 as a long awaited "return to form" by those yearning for another "Harvest", "Zuma" is a much richer and wilder album which, on the way, showcases Neil Young's music in all its mercurial, often brilliant but rambling glory. Veering from the heavy metal grunge of "Drive Back", through the searingly powerful, wonderfully controlled guitar-work on "Cortez the Killer", the bizarrely addled incantations of "Barstool Blues", the foot-tapping country of "Lookin' for a Love", to the perfect MOR harmonies of "Through My Sails", it exemplifies what's made him so good but so frustratingly difficult to follow. And, up there with any of his better recordings, it's not only essential for any Neil Young fan but an excellent "next step" for anyone wanting to explore beyond "After The Goldrush", "Harvest" or his "Greatest Hits" albums.

Four stars then? Well yes, but not enough, because in here is a hidden gem... an outstanding, perfectly formed track that sums up what makes Neil Young worth the effort. Rarely played and missing from virtually all of the "Best of" lists of his songs it is, for me at least, one of the most quietly beautiful, ecstatically reflective and unforgettable pieces of acoustic music ever made. "Pardon My Heart"... worth the price of the album on its own.

Is this perfection?

This masterpiece is stacked next to my Pearl Jam and NIN nails CD's like bread and butter. Emotional, edgy, dark and melodic are a few words that best describe Zuma. An acquired taste which gets under your skin - i've found after listening to this CD that it gets better with every fix. You got some up-tempo stomp along numbers like the two singles, "Don't Cry No Tears" and "Lookin' For A Love" and deep melancholy on the bluesy "Danger Bird" and the effortlessly cool "Cortez The Killer" I'm 19, which leaves me with little scope on classic rock but i know one thing. Neil Young and Crazy Horse are the only ones i care about.

****1/2

One of Neil Young's "classic" albums, "Zuma" is named after Zuma Beach, California, where Young had acquired a house at the time.
He is backed by his legendary touring band Crazy Horse on seven of these nine songs, and their costumary gritty, crunchy sound has something of a "live" feel to it.

Neil Young has always been something of an acquired taste, sort of like Bob Dylan. Even his most accessible albums aren't THAT accessible, an even though he has crafted a number of radio-friendly hit singles, Young has always been more of an album artist.
"Zuma" is a musically varied record, ranging from the very low-key acoustic "Pardon My Heart" to the thumping riff-rocker "Drive Back". "Don't Cry No Tears" is an upbeat, lively song with an instantly memorable hook. "Looking For A Love" is an almost Willie Nelson-like country rock song, simple and melodic, while the venomous seven-minute epic "Cortez the Killer" serves as a vehicle for some smouldering guitars solos by Neil Young.

Oh, and "Through My Sails", by the way, is actually a Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young recording. It is quite rare, at least in connection with CSN&Y, and it doesn't even appear on the Crosby, Stills & Nash box set. Very nice vocal harmonies, not a major song otherwise, but it's okay.
And all in all, "Zuma" is much better than okay. Fans of Neil Young will not want to miss this one.

The most gorgeous record Young ever made.

All of you music experts can stuff your opinions. This is my favourite. Of all of his, even Tonight's The Night, this is the one I never get tired of.

Zuma

Article summary

Customer's review

Stands the test of time.

Quintessential Neil Young...

Is this perfection?

****1/2

The most gorgeous record Young ever made.

Related article

Tonight's the Night

Everybody Knows This is Nowhere

After the Gold Rush

On the Beach

Rust Never Sleeps

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