Crazy Horse “At Crooked Lake” (1972)

I love this record, it skillfully straddles country rock and (something like) power pop without sounding contrived. The songs are uplifting, driving, downright sweet and packed full of harmonies…the album is worth it alone for the lead track “Rock and Roll Band”! And, honestly, for all the Neil Young and Crazy Horse collaborations considered canon, I’d play this before any Neil Young (and Crazy Horse) record. Take a second to swallow/regain your composure…I KNOW, right!? Don’t hate me…but…it’s true!! Crooked Lake is that good. Unfortunately, with member Danny Whitten locked into a downward spiral of booze and pills, from which he would die soon after, this was the last of Crazy Horses LPs before they faded back into their other bands for a bit…Nils Lofgren back to Grin, Nitzsche, back in to production work…and the other core Crazies back with Mr. Young. Crazy Horse wouldn’t reassemble, without Young, until 1978’s Crazy Moon. –Nipper