great topic. so many incredible Neil Young records.

Lately I've really been feeling Silver & Gold. I know that alot of NY fans don't consider it one of his better works, but I think it's a beautiful record.

But I added the 3 Looking Forward tracks and burned a "extended" version of S&G. Looking Forward... Out of Control.... Slowpoke. Those are the best 3 songs of that era, in my opinion.


Bandit is another song that I've been in love with recently. One of his best vocal performances.

Sleeps with Angels.... AH, what a great album. Especially Driveby - so haunting. And Trans Am. Trans Am, if I had to pick one, might be my favorite Neil tracks.

And that's just a few faves from the more recent stuff... old-skool Neil... probably Zuma is my favorite album. It is just rock solid, start to finish.

He's himself, no one can ever hold him, change him; he exists in a world unto himself. He doesn't even seem to know he's a rock star, much less care, a man who will rock till the day he dies

Although his voice is nasal and his guitar playing isn't all that

He's cool (and so are his songs)
I love "Like A Hurricane"

Neil is such a cool artist! Been a huge fan for years.

My favorite from him is On The Beach...this album is so great! Revolution Blues, For the Turnstiles, Walk On, Motion Pictures. I still find it hard to believe that he just released it on CD last year. I was forced to listend to my old cassette for years.

Also like After the Gold Rush, Tonights the Night, and Live Rust.

I love the fact that he does what HE wants to do. in that respect, he reminds me of another artist I listen to a lot.

Dewrede said:

Are you saying he's a good guitarist ?
Those solos are ...well , surely not great

lilgish said:

Right on. The fact that he just does his thing and doesn't seem to care is what makes him great. And I don't think he is all full of himself either. He seems cool and down to earth. His music, voice and lyrics are all so compassionate and yet when his pissed, watch out! I should really get into his discorgraphy more.

Dewrede said:

As far as expressing something on the guitar, and I mean other than just "look how fast I can blaze dude," he's in the top ranks. Listen to the pain he whips up in minimal notes of the "Southern Man" solo. It's not always about virtuosity.

Dewrede said:

Oh, no no no...

Listen to Country Home (track #1 on Ragged Glory) - LISTEN TO IT RIGHT NOW, DAMN YOU!!! You wouldn't dare have the audacity to say such a thing if you'd ever really listened that track.

He's a phenomenal electric guitar player - a primitivist, to be sure, but an excellent one.

I agree that's it's not always about virtuosity
Just meant to say he isn't really a vertuoso
[Edited 2/20/05 23:34pm]

Neil Young is one of the great ones. My favourite albums are (in order of preference):

Harvest Moon
On The Beach
Tonight's The Night
Rust Never Sleeps
Broken Arrow
Lucky 13

One of his greatest ever songs is the unreleased "Ordinary People" which I recommend to all of you who haven't heard it and don't have it. Track it down. You'll thank me in the morning.

Neil Young is great but too inconsistent on his albums

Only Harvest and Rust Never Sleeps are perfect

Like a Hurricane is my favourtite song of his

kinaldo said:

I agree that sometime around "American Stars & Bars" this became true, but I think a lot of his earlier albums are perfect.

Aside from the 2 you named, "Everybody Knows This is Nowhere," "After the Gold Rush," "Tonight's the Night," and "Time Fades Away" to name a few.

kinaldo said:

Neil's made plenty of consistent albums:

Tonight's The Night
After the Goldrush
On The Beach
Zuma
Comes A Time
Freedom
Ragged Glory
Harvest Moon
Sleeps With Angels
Broken Arrow


He's also made one consistently bad one:

Give it up for the God-awful snoozefest that was .... Greendale (ok, Bandit is a great song, but the rest sucks a biggun).

Shapeshifter said:

I really liked Greendale... eventually. it took me the LONGEST time to get into it, but when I finally did, I loved it. But yeah, Bandit is an amazing song.

As for bad Neil albums.... American Stars N Bars, Hawks and Doves, Re-actor, Old Ways, Everybody's Rockin' all are pretty limited in their appeal w/ me. Although each has good moments.

JonSnow said:

All of those albums you mentioned are better than Greendung. Apart frrom Everybody's Rockin', which is pretty dire.

Shapeshifter said:

I think "Greendale" is better than "Are You Passionate." I liked the sound of "Passionate," but unfortunately, Neil didn't sound very passionate about his lyrics at all.

i guess Greendale is an acquired taste. Much like a fine wine

So WHEN is his box set coming out????

And is the Freedom gonna be remastered anytime soon?

Neil is about as unpretentious as one can get.

Shapeshifter said:

I love Stars n Bars! Bite the Bullet, Homegrown, Like a Hurricane...even Old Country Waltz! Will to Love's kinda icky though, huh?

MendesCity said:

I love Like a Hurricane and Star of Bethlehem.... but the rest I can't really listen to that much. And yeah, Will to Love... "icky" is a good word for it, LOL.

Supernova said:

"Freedom"!!?? He's got an entire catalog of 60s and 70s stuff that still sounds like crap. We'll get to "Freedom."

The only remastered thing we've got so far is "Harvest" on DVD-audio. And DVD-audio can lick my ass. It's not practical. You enjoy it at home and nowhere else. But people probably do the majority of their music listening on the road. I dig the SACD-hybrid. Plays on anything.

And a boxset is long overdue.

JACKAL said:

But Freedom is the last truly GREAT album I've heard from Neil.

Supernova said:

It's the last truly great album that ANYONE has heard from Neil.

No, I take that back. "Ragged Glory" is. And "Harvest Moon" is awfully damn close. But that was it. I haven't been able to call any of his albums following those great. And regardless of all of the praise it got, I thought "Sleeps With Angels" was a bit underwelming.

theres a new one comin

JACKAL said:

Neil's last great album was BROKEN ARROW.