Neil Young and Crazy Horse have made a climate record that sounds like it was recorded in a room with the windows open, and that is mostly a compliment. World Record, released in 2022, was produced with Rick Rubin, and it leans into the raw, live-off-the-floor sound that has defined their late-period work. The songs are short, direct, and worried about the planet, with the exception of one 15-minute epic that breaks the pattern entirely.
Rick Rubin’s Raw Production
The production here is muscular and often barnstorming. The guitars are thick, the drums are loose, and Young’s voice sits right on top of the mix, cracked and urgent. There is no polish, no sheen, no attempt to make this sound like a careful studio record. It sounds like four people playing in a room, which is exactly what the material needs.
The production is muscular and often barnstorming.
The opening track, “Love Earth,” sets the tone with a simple, chugging riff and a chorus that spells out the mission statement. It is not subtle, but it does not need to be. “Overhead” follows with a more wandering melody, and “I Walk With You (Earth Ringtone)” is exactly what its title suggests — a short, looping phrase that feels like a phone notification stretched into a song.
The Middle Stretch Carries the Weight
The strongest material sits in the middle of the record. “This Old Planet (Changing Days)” is a brief, folk-tinged plea that gets in and out in under three minutes, and “The World (Is in Trouble Now)” is the most direct statement of intent, with a chorus that does not waste a single word. “Break the Chain” is the most muscular track here, with a groove that locks in and refuses to let go.
- “Love Earth” — the mission statement, plain and effective
- “This Old Planet (Changing Days)” — short, sweet, and pointed
- “The World (Is in Trouble Now)” — the clearest lyric on the record
- “Break the Chain” — the heaviest riff, the best hook
- “Walkin’ on the Road (To the Future)” — a road song with purpose
“The Long Day Before” and “Walkin’ on the Road (To the Future)” are lesser entries, but they serve as connective tissue rather than dead weight. “The Wonder Won’t Wait” picks the pace back up, and then the record does something strange.
The Long One Changes the Game
“Chevrolet” runs 15 minutes and 16 seconds, which is more than a third of the entire album. It is a slow, sprawling jam that does not have a traditional structure — it just keeps going, with Young and the band digging into a groove and letting it breathe. It can be messy and often unfocused, but that is the point. It is a thrilling ride through some admittedly familiar pastures, and it gives the record a sense of scale that the short songs never could.
The closing “This Old Planet (reprise)” brings back the earlier melody for a final 79 seconds. It is a quiet, gentle ending to an album that spends most of its time loud.
A Record That Knows What It Is
World Record is not a perfect album. Some of the lyrics are simple to the point of being obvious, and the middle tracks can blur together on first listen. But it is an honest record, made by a band that has been doing this for decades and still sounds like it means every word.
The production is raw, the chemistry is real, and the environmental message is delivered without irony or distance. It is not a masterpiece, but it does not need to be. It is a solid, committed rock record from a band that knows exactly what it is doing.
- Love Earth4:04
- Overhead3:41
- I Walk With You (Earth Ringtone)3:58
- This Old Planet (Changing Days)2:31
- The World (Is in Trouble Now)3:16
- Break the Chain4:07
- The Long Day Before2:18
- Walkin’ on the Road (To the Future)2:57
- The Wonder Won’t Wait3:18
- Chevrolet15:16
- This Old Planet (reprise)1:19
