Comments for Young, Neil, Trans

This is by far Neil`s most misunderstood and under ratedrecord. Alongside three more traditional rock numbers thatwere slotted in from an earlier, rejected album, "LittleThing Called Love, Hold On To Your Love" and "Like An Inca",Neil experiments with synthesisers, drum machines, and avocoder on his vocals. The result is a fascinating andvalid representation of both sci-fi modernism as perceivedin the early 1980s, and also a deeply personal commentaryon the therapy programme which Neil had started hiscerebal-palsy afflicted son Ben on; "Transfomer Man" waswritten as a comment on the technological aids which Benhad been given in order to help him communicate. Neil alsosays that the theme of the album in general, and the useof vocoder, was a comment on his frustrations in attemptingto communicate with his son. Overall, the album is Neil`ssecond-most-radical departure from his traditionalroots-rock/folky sound (the other, "Landing On Water", ispatchier, less realised, and generally very dull) and assuch stands as a brave excursion into the unknown whichmany fans found unlistenable at the time. Discovering ittoday, it`s still a very difficult listen at first, butvery rewarding once it`s grown on you.

All I can say is I do not have this album and I wish I did. I've only read the reviews on it and it's made me feel very desperate to have it, which is the original LP version, especially since I am a devoted fan. *Ron Haynes, Jr. Age:26