Various Artists: The Bridge School Concerts 25th Anniversary Edition

Various Artists: The Bridge School Concerts 25th Anniversary Edition
The Bridge School is a non-profit organization whose mission is to ensure that individuals with severe speech and physical impairments achieve full participation in their communities. Like many non-profits with noble goals, the school does not get much press save for its annual concert. Spearheaded by Neil Young and his wife in 1986, the yearly concert has drawn a who’s who of musical talent and is the Bridge School’s largest fundraiser. Celebrating 25 years of Bridge School concerts is this two CD, three DVD set.
Even though the Bridge School concerts are generally considered Neil Young’s show, Young only appears twice on the album: once with the accompaniment of Crazy Horse for a rousing rendition of “Love and Only Love” and once accompanying R.E.M. for a legendary version of “Country Feedback.” The rendition of “Country Feedback” has been a much traded bootleg amongst R.E.M. fans but this is the first time it has been commercially available.
For fans of heavier music, the compilation boasts a glimpse at a rare acoustic performance by Metallica. The rendition of “Disposable Heroes” from the band’s legendary third album, Master of Puppets makes for an interesting listen.
For the hipsters, the compilation features tracks from Fleet Foxes, Sonic Youth, Band of Horses, and Thom Yorke.
For the most part though, The Bridge School Concerts 25th Anniversary Edition is probably meant for your parents. The best performances on the album come from the likes of Bruce Springsteen with his stripped down performance of “Born in the USA,” Sir Paul McCartney‘s country take on the Beatles‘ classic “Get Back,” Tony Bennett‘s “Maybe This Time,” and Brian Wilson‘s acoustic rendition of “Surfin’ USA.” Sadly not one of those performers is under 60 and my guess is not many owners of this compilation will be either.
Rating: 7.9/10
MP3: R.E.M. featuring Neil Young “Country Feedback”
Buy: iTunes or Insound!