Freedom (Neil Young album) 453716 224654303 2008-07-09T20:50:05Z 81.154.55.188 {{Infobox Album | <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Albums --> | Name = Freedom | Type = album | Artist = [[Neil Young]] | Cover = Neil_Young_Freedom.jpg | Released = [[October 10]] [[1989]] | Recorded = [[July 25]] [[1988]] - [[July 10]] [[1989]], The Barn-Redwood Digital, California; [[Jones Beach State Park|Jones Beach, N.Y.]] (track 1); [[The Hit Factory]], N.Y. (tracks 3 5 8) | Genre = [[Rock music|Rock]]<br>[[Hard rock]] | Length = 61:11 | Label = [[Reprise Records|Reprise]] | Producer = Neil Young, [[Niko Bolas]] | Reviews = * [[Allmusic]] {{rating-5|4.5}} [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:0rkxikz6bbo9 link] *[[Robert Christgau]] (A) [http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?name=neil+young link] *''[[Rolling Stone]]'' {{Rating-5|5}} [http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/neilyoung/albums/album/153132/review/5943373/freedom link] | Last album = ''[[Eldorado (EP)]]'' <br /> (1989) | This album = '''''Freedom''''' <br /> (1989) | Next album = ''[[Ragged Glory]]'' <br /> (1990) }} '''''Freedom''''' is an album by [[Neil Young]]. ''Freedom'' relaunched Neil Young's career, after a mostly unsuccessful [[1980s|decade]]. After many arguments (and a lawsuit), Young left [[Geffen Records]] and returned to his original label, [[Reprise]], in 1988 with [[This Note's for You]]. ''Freedom'', however, brought about a new, critical and commercially successful album in the mold of his 1979 classic album, ''[[Rust Never Sleeps]]''. Both albums consist of live songs with the audience track mainly removed. ''Freedom'' also contains one song, "[[Rockin' in the Free World]]", bookending the album in acoustic and electric variants, a stylistic choice previously featured on ''[[Rust Never Sleeps]]''. "Rockin' in the Free World" became, despite its anti-[[George H. W. Bush]] lyrics ("we got a thousand points of light") and intentions, the ''de facto'' anthem of the collapse of communism (specifically the Fall of the [[Berlin Wall]]) due to its repeated chorus of 'Keep on Rockin' in the Free World'. An edited cut of the electric version of "Rockin' in The Free World" was also used over the final credits of [[Michael Moore]]'s film ''[[Fahrenheit 9/11]],'' and the song was rereleased as a single at the time of the film's release. Stylistically the album was one of Young's most diverse records, ranging from acoustic love songs to raging rockers. Three of the songs on ''Freedom'' ("Don't Cry," "Eldorado" and "On Broadway") had previously been released on the [[Japan]] and [[Australia]]-only [[extended play|EP]] ''[[Eldorado (EP)|Eldorado]]'', and in a way represented Young's reaction to the [[Grunge]] movement, featuring heavy waves of thundering distortion and feedback (often strangely juxtaposed with quieter sections). Two songs featured a brass section, an unusual stylistic departure for Young, but one he had embraced fully on his previous album [[This Note's For You]]. ==Track listing== All songs written by [[Neil Young]], except as noted. <ref name="Album">Neil Young. ''Freedom.'' Reprise Records, 1989.</ref> # "[[Rockin' in the Free World]]" (Live Acoustic) – 3:38 # "Crime in the City (Sixty to Zero Part I)" – 8:45 # "Don't Cry" – 4:14 # "Hangin' on a Limb" – 4:18 # "Eldorado" – 6:03 # "The Ways of Love" – 4:29 # "Someday" – 5:40 # "[[On Broadway]]" ([[Barry Mann]], [[Cynthia Weil]], [[Jerry Leiber]], [[Mike Stoller]]) – 4:57 # "Wrecking Ball" – 5:08 # "No More" – 6:03 # "Too Far Gone" – 2:47 # "Rockin' in the Free World" (Electric) – 4:41 ==Personnel== * [[Neil Young]] - [[vocals]], [[guitar]], [[piano]] on 9 * [[Chad Cromwell]] - [[drum]]s * Rick Rosas - [[bass guitar|bass]] * [[Frank Sampedro]] - guitar on 2 5 (as "Poncho Villa") 9 12, [[keyboards]] on 5 7, [[mandolin]] on 11, vocals on 12 * [[Ben Keith]] - [[alto saxophone]] on 2 7, [[pedal steel guitar]] on 11, keyboards on 10 12, vocals on 11 ===Additional personnel=== * [[Linda Ronstadt]] - vocals on 4 & 6 * Tony Marsico - bass on 10 * Steve Lawrence – [[tenor saxophone]] on 2 7 * Larry Cragg – [[baritone saxophone]] on 2 7 * Claude Cailliet – [[trombone]] on 2 7 * [[John Fumo]] – [[trumpet]] on 2 7 * Tom Bray – trumpet on 2 7 ===Technical personnel=== * Neil Young – producer, mixing engineer * Niko Bolas – producer, recording engineer except on tracks 1 4, mixing engineer except on tracks 1 4 * Tim Mulligan – digital engineer, recording engineer on 4 * Harry Sitam – senior technical engineer * Dave Collins – digital editor * Doug Sax – digital mastering engineer * Dave Hewitt – recording engineer on 1, mixing engineer on 1 ==Charts== '''Album''' {| class="wikitable" border="1" cellspacing="2" cellpadding="2" !align="left"|Year !align="left"|Chart !align="left"|Position |- |align="left"|1989 |align="left"|The [[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] 200 ([[U.S.]]) |align="left"|35 |- |} '''Single''' {| class="wikitable" border="1" cellspacing="2" cellpadding="2" !align="left"|Year !align="left"|Single !align="left"|Chart !align="left"|Position |- |align="left"|1989 |align="left"|"No More" |align="left"|Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks |align="left"|7 |- |align="left"|1989 |align="left"|"Rockin' in the Free World" (Electric) |align="left"|Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks |align="left"|2 |- |align="left"|1990 |align="left"|"Crime in the City" (Electric version) |align="left"|Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks |align="left"|34 |- |} ==Certifications== {| class="wikitable" border="1" cellspacing="2" cellpadding="2" !align="left"|Organization !align="left"|Level !align="left"|Date |- |align="left"|[[British Phonographic Industry|BPI]] – [[UK]] |align="left"|Silver |align="left"|[[December 2]] [[1989]] |- |align="left"|[[Canadian Recording Industry Association|CRIA]] – [[Canada]] |align="left"|Gold |align="left"|[[February 19]] [[1990]] |- |align="left"|[[Recording Industry Association of America|RIAA]] – [[U.S.]] |align="left"|Gold |align="left"|[[February 21]] [[1990]] |- |} ==External links== * [http://www.thrasherswheat.org/fot/ritfw.htm Analysis of "Rockin' in the Free World" lyrics] ==Notes== {{Reflist|2}} {{Neil Young}} [[Category:Neil Young albums]] [[Category:1989 albums]] [[it:Freedom (album Neil Young)]] [[pl:Freedom (album Neila Younga)]]