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Thread: Neil Young

  1. #31
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    Default Re: Neil Young

    Quote Originally Posted by rick endres View Post
    Neil is primal. That's what makes him so popular. Neil and Crazy Horse are a garage band. Lots of guitarists and bands listen and say, "I can do that!"

    But no one does it quite like Neil...
    I agree with this up to a point. Unfortunately the grunge garage band stuff has become self-parodic, in my view. Writing songs with endless guitar solos means you don't have to think so hard about lyrics which used to be his strength. There are only so many Crazy Horse jams an audience can tolerate. As I said earlier he is best when he combines the two sides of his songwriting, and he hasn't done that since Freedom. Since then it has either been country ballads or grunge, not both.

  2. #32
    Out on the Border rick endres's Avatar
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    Default Re: Neil Young

    My favorite Neil is the solo acoustic version, especially early Neil (like the Massey Hall disc set).
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  3. #33
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    Default Re: Neil Young

    I don't have a favorite NY album. My favorites of his though are generally electric songs but I'm more of an electric rock n' roll guy. There was a TV special on a few years back of a solo acoustic thing called "Heart Of Gold" and while it was good, I was waiting for him to grab his Les Paul and plug in and crank up "Cinnamon Girl" or "Ohio".... I love acoustic stuff, but only for so long. Then I want to play loud and proud. Guess it's my classic rock n' roll and hard rock roots showing!
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  4. #34
    Stuck on the Border Jonny Come Lately's Avatar
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    Default Re: Neil Young

    I have been meaning to post in this thread for a while - Neil Young is one of my favourite artists. I love both his guitar jams with Crazy Horse and his acoustic compositions so I enjoy quite a large number of his records. Having said this, I only own about a third of his solo discography (13 albums) so there's plenty more I've yet to discover or add to my collection (although I am well aware that he has a few duds in there).

    The albums in my collection are, in chronological order, with some thoughts on each:
    - Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere - Excellent record, featuring two great Crazy Horse jams (Down By The River and Cowgirl In The Sand) as well as the original NY & CH rocker Cinnamon Girl. The title track is very good too, and the other tracks, while less immediate, have some strong ideas (for instance, the idea of Round And Round is that the song repeats itself, so it really does go round and round!).
    - After The Gold Rush - A great album which is extremely cohesive and greater than the sum of its parts. Although largely acoustic, there are two great rockers, Southern Man and When You Dance I Can Really Love, both of which are enhanced by rocking piano parts. The title track is a classic but I've always loved the opener Tell Me Why, which has a lovely clean acoustic sound and thoughtful lyrics.
    - Harvest - The album containing the classic Heart Of Gold, the country rock tune which became his biggest hit. I think it's one of his strongest albums although not quite his very best. Apart from the big hit, I love the hungover Out On The Weekend and Old Man. The show might be stolen however by the bleak and raw The Needle and The Damage Done, a quietly devastating live acoustic piece. This or After The Gold Rush would be a good place to start if you want to get into his work as it's one of his most accessible albums.
    - Tonight's The Night - A very dark album, written after the deaths of Bruce Berry and former Crazy Horse guitarist Danny Whitten, it is perhaps slightly overrated by critics (and is not really the best introduction to his work either) but there's plenty of great material here, I do really like both versions of the title track, World On A String rocks while Borrowed Tune and Tired Eyes are both moving.
    - Zuma - I love this record. It's mostly rock although with a couple of acoustic tunes. I really like every track but the highlight to me is Cortez The Killer is one of my absolute favourites, I absolutely love the extended intro and the lyrics. I also love Don't Cry No Tears, Danger Bird and Barstool Blues. If you prefer rock to acoustic, this might be a good Neil Young album to get.
    - Rust Never Sleeps - A superlative album, and probably his single finest achievement. Opening with the acoustic My My, Hey Hey (Out Of The Blue) and ending with the absolutely filthy guitar sound of its electric counterpoint Hey Hey, My My (Into The Black) this is a Young tour de force. I love every song here but I think Powderfinger is absolutely brilliant, great lyrics and great guitars.
    - Live Rust - One of my favourite live albums, side one is mostly just Neil with his guitar and harmonica (including an excellent performance of After The Gold Rush), with Crazy Horse later joining in to play Cinnamon Girl, Powderfinger and Like A Hurricane and other rockers. I often play it from start to finish although I sometimes start with side two so I get the rockers first and end with the relaxing Sail Away.
    - Freedom - Interesting album with some very strong material such as the two versions of Rockin' In The Free World, Crime In The City and Wrecking Ball. I've always liked Too Far Gone as well. However I think it's slightly weak in the middle of the album and a couple of songs sound a bit dated in places, Someday being the most obvious (though it's decent nonetheless).
    - Weld - My most recent addition, there's some overlap with Live Rust but it's harder rocking and includes more recent material from Freedom and Ragged Glory. Notable performances include a more aggressive Crime In The City and powerful cover of Bob Dylan's Blowin' in the Wind.
    - Harvest Moon - Very pleasant and likeable country-flavoured album, most of the best songs are early on the record (the gorgeous Unknown Legend, From Hank To Hendrix and the title track). Not the most varied album in his collection, and the closer Natural Beauty is a bit too long, but still enjoyable.
    - Unplugged - A solid set of acoustic performances, notably including an organ-based version of Like A Hurricane. A nice collection of songs including some interesting ones such as the Buffalo Springfield song Mr Soul, Long May You Run from the short-lived Stills-Young Band, and Transformer Man without the weird electronic voice on the original.
    - Sleeps With Angels - Excellent album, my favourite is the near-15 minute centrepiece Change Your Mind (which combines guitar jamming with a memorable and melodic chorus). I also really like Western Hero and Trans Am, which features Neil's lower voice. I think it's another best listened to from start to finish.
    - Greendale - Only listened to this once, I thought it had some good lyrical ideas, if prone to getting a bit samey music-wise, but was quite difficult to follow. I intend to listen to it again when I have time and will read the lyrics carefully while listening (I think there's a website dedicated to this album).

    Overall I'd say my top four studio albums would probably be in descending order:
    1) Rust Never Sleeps
    2) After The Gold Rush
    3) Zuma
    4) Harvest
    Fifth place could go to any one of Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, Tonight's The Night or Sleeps With Angels. If live albums were included, I think I'd put Live Rust third on my list.

    Neil was also my first ever rock concert - I went to see him and Crazy Horse in Liverpool last summer, where they played a fantastic live set. I had never quite experienced anything like the moment when Neil started playing his black Gibson Les Paul at the start. I was especially delighted when he played Rockin' In The Free World although I enjoyed all of the performances. I have seen several videos of this concert on Youtube, here's links to a few of the performances:

    After The Gold Rush (Interesting rearrangement with a Gretsch guitar and harmonica solo)
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uB1WoHCOcLo

    Like A Hurricane (warning: long)
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6ZehsMOw0k

    Heart Of Gold
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0uRgOjnu18

  5. #35
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    Default Re: Neil Young

    An interesting point about Round And Round, Johnny Come Lately. Never thought of that.
    My favorite on Tonight's The Night is Albuquerque. IMO Safeway Cart on Sleeps With Angels is a real gem. Not necessarily the best song on the album, but something Neil has never done before or since. It's a very hypnotic song. I LOVE it!

  6. #36
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    Default Re: Neil Young

    Quote Originally Posted by rick endres View Post
    Neil is primal. That's what makes him so popular. Neil and Crazy Horse are a garage band. Lots of guitarists and bands listen and say, "I can do that!"

    But no one does it quite like Neil...
    I laughed out loud when I read this. Not because it's dumb, but because you said it so well. You really nailed it.

  7. #37
    Stuck on the Border Jonny Come Lately's Avatar
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    Default Re: Neil Young

    One song I have to admit I do enjoy (although really I shouldn't) is T-Bone from the Re-ac-tor album.

    For those of you unfamiliar with this song - understandable given that Re-ac-tor is not one of Neil's better known or more acclaimed albums - the song is over 9 minutes in length and combines a guitar jam with the following lyrics, among the deepest every penned: 'Got mashed potatoes' and 'Ain't got no T-Bone', repeated several times each throughout the song and set against a repetitive guitar riff. By all accounts this song should be absolutely terrible, but I love it! I guess it's my sick and twisted sense of humour showing again.

    The Youtube video of it I've been watching has a picture of Neil with the quote 'You don't make a 10 minute song about having mashed potatoes and not having T-bone without making a few enemies'.

  8. #38
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    Default Re: Neil Young

    Quote Originally Posted by Jonny Come Lately View Post
    One song I have to admit I do enjoy (although really I shouldn't) is T-Bone from the Re-ac-tor album.

    For those of you unfamiliar with this song - understandable given that Re-ac-tor is not one of Neil's better known or more acclaimed albums - the song is over 9 minutes in length and combines a guitar jam with the following lyrics, among the deepest every penned: 'Got mashed potatoes' and 'Ain't got no T-Bone', repeated several times each throughout the song and set against a repetitive guitar riff. By all accounts this song should be absolutely terrible, but I love it! I guess it's my sick and twisted sense of humour showing again.

    The Youtube video of it I've been watching has a picture of Neil with the quote 'You don't make a 10 minute song about having mashed potatoes and not having T-bone without making a few enemies'.
    I applaud you for admitting to liking it. I remember it with horror. It's the song that summed up the self-parody into which the Crazy Horse/grunge stuff had brought a once great songwriter.

    There were a couple of tracks from that album that weren't actually too bad; Southern Pacific & Opera Star.

  9. #39
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    Default Re: Neil Young

    I have a friend who ADORES T-Bone. It's not among my Neil favorites, but I like it. Of course it's not a fantastic song, but it's a nice performance. I like some parts of that album, although it's certainly not one of his best ones!

  10. #40
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    Default Re: Neil Young

    A couple of my absolute favourites are Cortez The Killer & El Dorado because of their Mexican setting & some very incisive lyrics:

    And his subjects
    gathered 'round him
    Like the leaves around a tree
    In their clothes of many colors
    For the angry gods to see.

    In El Dorado town
    There lives a great bullfighter
    His eyes are screaming blue
    His hair is red as blood
    And when the gate goes up
    The crowd gets so excited
    And he comes dancin' out
    Dressed in gold lamé
    He kills the bull
    and lives another day.

    The atmosphere in these songs is reminiiscent of what I call Bob Dylan's 'border songs' from the Desire album, specifically Romance In Durango & Isis. When I first read Joseph Conrad I could see where both men may have obtained some ideas.

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