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Marco
07-27-2007, 11:19 AM
Harvest - This is my favorite Neil Young`s album, What You think of that?
Out on the Weekend, Old man and Heart Of Gold are great but my favorite is Harvest.

Freypower
07-27-2007, 07:46 PM
Great album, although my favourite album from this era is actually After The Gold Rush. Like you, I love the title track.

So many critics rave on about Tonight's The Night because it was about 'drugs' and it's 'real'. Tonight's The Night is OK but I honestly think that most of Neil Young's best work was when he was doing straightforward acoustic stuff. Having said that, my all time favourite Neil Young album is Rust Never Sleeps.

A tentative top ten albums and songs (I love doing this)!

Albums:

1. Rust Never Sleeps
2. Freedom
3. After The Gold Rush
4. Harvest
5. Comes A Time
6. American Stars'n'Bars
7. Zuma
8. Prairie Wind
9. Ragged Glory
10. Harvest Moon

Songs:

1. Like A Hurricane
2. Cortez The Killer
3. My My, Hey Hey (Out Of The Blue)
4. Hey Hey, My My (Into The Black)
5. Powderfinger
6. Thrasher
7. After The Gold Rush
8. Harvest
9. Heart Of Gold
10. Four Strong Winds
Rockin' In The Free World (acoustic) - (tie)

Brooke
07-28-2007, 01:39 PM
I have several of Neil's songs on a compilation cd, but only 1 album (Harvest) and it's vinyl. Therefore, it never gets played!

My all time fave song is Heart of Gold. Brings back good memories! I also love Like a Hurricane, Cinnamon Girl, and Harvest Moon.

EaglesFanatic
11-11-2010, 01:34 PM
http://www.spin.com/articles/neil-youngs-warehouse-destroyed-more-news
http://myq105.radio.com/2010/11/10/neil-youngs-warehouse-damaged-in-fire/
This is pretty sad. It's horrible that he lost artifacts from his whole musical career.

tequila girl
11-11-2010, 01:52 PM
Oh, that's awful...he must be devastated! :-(

Brooke
11-11-2010, 05:50 PM
Terrible, but it did say about 70% was salvaged.

MikeA
11-11-2010, 06:38 PM
70% of material value....old cars and stuff. But I wonder about the intangibles like original recordings...masters...private sessions he'd recorded...home videos. Those things wouldn't be worth much when stacked up against a 1970 Barracuda he might have restored materially, but in value to Neil.... irreplaceable! I wonder if the value of THOSE artifacts were considered by the media and fire department?

Heartfelt regrets go out to you Neil.

Freypower
11-11-2010, 07:43 PM
It's his birthday today as well (for me anyway, November 12). Not a good way to spend it.

jdubfan
11-11-2010, 11:09 PM
Neil's had a tough time lately, losing long-time friends Ben Keith and his Bernard Shakey film co-producer Larry Johnson within the last little while.

They're thinking it's the charging system for his Lincvolt car that started it.

The Damage Done according to Neil:
1-despite the damage, most everything of real value survived.
2-the archives are safe and not there.
3-some video and film was onsite and is ok.
4- Lincvolt was parked over night there and did not fare well in the fire.
5-no precious guitars were on site.
6- I foresee a yard sale in our future and imagine that you will hear abut it thru me or other official channels.
7- everyone is ok

Too bad it happened, but could have been a lot worse, the archives were saved, that's great.

MikeA
11-12-2010, 07:33 AM
Thanks Jdubfan. That's about the best way I could have imagined to have awakened this rainy, dreary Friday morning!

Yard Sale....Hmmmmm!

TimothyBFan
11-12-2010, 09:04 AM
Thanks for the update Deb!! Glad to hear!!

Ive always been a dreamer
11-13-2010, 12:43 PM
Wow - what a shame about the fire, but it's a huge relief to know that none of Neil's valuable archives or instruments were lost.

Troubadour
11-21-2010, 07:58 PM
Great update, Deb - thanks!

Outlawman13
03-05-2013, 06:27 PM
I have always loved Neil Young's music. He is an awesome singer and my favvie c.d. would be Harvest Moon. I always enjoyed that song (Harvest Moon). I've been a fan of his older stuff as well (Crazy Horse). Rocking in the Free World is my favourite song from him. I find myself singing out every so often. LOL

carol7lynn
02-20-2014, 09:03 PM
Neil Young is playing two solo dates at the renamed Kodak Theater here in L.A. Just got front row center for March 30th show through his web site. No password needed-Neil Rocks!

Here is the pre-sale link: http://tix.concertmaps.com/neilyoung/

Tickets go on sale to general public on Monday.

Carol-Lynn

sodascouts
02-20-2014, 09:37 PM
Congrats on your great seat!

Freypower
02-22-2014, 05:08 PM
I meant to post in this topic when it was revived & will do so now.

I have mixed feelings about Neil Young. When I was in my 20s I worshipped him. I thought he was the greatest songwriter I had ever heard, better than Dylan. When I saw him in 1985 & was front row centre & he literally played every song that had made him famous it was one of the highlights of my life.

He has always been contradictory, however. For the most part the music he makes with Crazy Horse consists of interminable guitar jams with mostly uninsipired lyrics. At first I thought this had novelty value (the Ragged Glory album) but by the time it got to Mirror Ball it all sounded the same. Even Living With War, which for the most part is full of anti Bush Jr polemic, is just more of the same.

But the softer, 'folkie' albums he interspersed with the 'grunge' stuff aren't particularly memorable either because again he sounds the same on each song (this is albums like Silver & Gold & Prairie Wind). The songs on these albums tend to be about his Canadian childhood or paens to Mother Nature.

If only he could go back to the glory days of Rust Never Sleeps & Freedom where he combined the two styles of music in the most exhilarating way. RNS contains the title track done in both styles as well as the hard rock Powderfinger & the introspective Thrasher, while Freedom again gives us the two versions or Rockin' In The Free World along with ballads like Wrecking Ball & superb rockers like Crime In The City.

His music is very important to me but I sometimes think that like Dylan & Morrison he is too much a law unto himself.

carol7lynn
02-25-2014, 09:26 AM
Third show was added yesterday. All three shows are virtually sold out. Wouldn't be surprised if he adds a 4th show. Stay Tuned!

Well what do you know! They just added a fourth show for Wednesday April 2nd. Pre-sale tickets via his web-site for Price Level 1 ($426 all in) go on sale tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. PST.

Here is the link: http://tix.concertmaps.com/neilyoung/

It is surprising how many tickets scalpers managed to grab and forget about the prices.

Carol-Lynn

rick endres
03-06-2014, 10:19 PM
This is cool - to see a Neil thread. This kind of pertains to it.

I played a little coffeehouse last weekend. The guy who owns it is a Neil Young fanatic. I know that and liberally sprinkled some Neil songs throughout the night.

As I was packing up to leave, he approached me with a couple of CD jewel cases.

Inside were plain discs. One was a CD and one was a DVD. They were identified with little hand-written strips of masking tape. They read:

"Neil Young - Live at the Ludlow Garage - 1970"

"Thanks for all the Neil Young tunes," he said."You strike me as a guy who would appreciate these."

YA THINK?!?!?!?!

The CD was burned direct from analog reel-to-reel tape, and the DVD transferred from film. The coffeehouse owner was part of the sound crew at Ludlow. Neil played there, Allman Bros. played there, Pure Prairie League (a group with Cincinnati ties) played there, Grand Funk Railroad played there. Even Van Halen made a stop.

Oh...and a little group called The James Gang played there...

I didn't get to see Neil, much as I had wanted to.

Now I get to go.

The sound quality of the CD was excellent. Even if it wasn't it's priceless as an historical document. I'm going to watch the DVD this weekend.

Ah, yes - good ol' 1970 - when the GOOD seats to see James Taylor at Music Hall were $3.50...

rick endres
03-06-2014, 10:33 PM
Here's a link to Ludlow Garage on Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludlow_Garage

Brooke
03-07-2014, 10:55 AM
Wow, Rick! What treasures to be able to see and hear, let alone have in your possession! Sounds like you will enjoy both of those!

rick endres
03-07-2014, 11:20 AM
Kind of like getting in a time machine.

chaim
03-11-2014, 02:48 PM
Oh, I love Neil. I love his book, "Waging heavy peace". The most "egoless" book by a celebrity I've ever come across. He spends more time talking about other people's cool cars than himself!

I can't describe what I love about him. Something about the spirit. I love "Fuckin' up" as much as I love "Peace of mind". He manages to move my soul with a lot of different material. Sometimes he makes me laugh with his hilarious lyrics ("Good times are comin'. But they sure comin' slow"), sometimes he makes me cry (check out "Peace of mind"). Usually he just makes me feel good. A brilliant writer.

Oh, Harvest. Yes, I hadn't listened to it in years and I remembered it as an album I'm not that fond of. I actually listened to it today and found myself enjoying every song! I did remember the songs, but actually hearing again them was different. Everybody hates "There's a world". I don't understand why. I LOVE it.

Freypower
03-11-2014, 04:56 PM
I don't hate There's A World but it isn't a favourite of mine. I'm surprised you love Peace Of Mind so much; that one tends to drift by me to some extent.

chaim
03-11-2014, 04:59 PM
I don't hate There's A World but it isn't a favourite of mine. I'm surprised you love Peace Of Mind so much; that one tends to drift by me to some extent.

It just gets to me. There's this idiotic pride that men might often feel. But they can't get over the fact that they really felt good when they were honest with the woman. I said "they". Maybe I should have said "we". But there's this beauty (and serenity) about sincerity and warmth, and I think this song captures it. It really does make me cry. It made me feel the same way even before I met the woman of my life, so it isn't personal.

Freypower
03-11-2014, 05:10 PM
I feel a bit that way about Wrecking Ball which was something of a theme song for myself & my husband when we first met.

chaim
03-11-2014, 05:15 PM
I feel a bit that way about Wrecking Ball which was something of a theme song for myself & my husband when we first met.

That's a wonderful song! I don't remember the lyric. I seem to remember a line that goes something like "my life's an open book", which makes me think it's a song about a celebrity, and how he/she may find it difficult to find genuine relationships. I must check the lyrics, I haven't heard this song in years. The melody is divine, and I remember it well.

chaim
03-11-2014, 05:59 PM
By the way, I didn't mean to say that "There's a world" is a special favorite of mine. I just wonder why it's always mentioned as an inferior song I think it's a great song among other great songs. On that album "Old man" is my favorite. Neil has said that his father thought it was about him, and Neil never told him otherwise! It was, of course, inspired by the caretaker in the farm Neil bought.

rick endres
03-13-2014, 10:47 PM
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...

Brooke
03-14-2014, 10:21 AM
I saw a bit about this on tv the other day and I wonder how it will go:

http://www.npr.org/blogs/allsongs/2014/03/12/289435279/hear-neil-young-explain-his-pono-music-player-at-sxsw

Freypower
03-15-2014, 08:55 PM
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.

rick endres
03-18-2014, 09:12 AM
My favorite Neil is the solo acoustic version, especially early Neil (like the Massey Hall disc set).

WalshFan88
03-18-2014, 11:20 AM
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! :hilarious:

Jonny Come Lately
01-25-2015, 05:50 PM
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

chaim
01-27-2015, 04:33 PM
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!

chaim
01-27-2015, 04:38 PM
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.8)

Jonny Come Lately
01-30-2015, 07:53 PM
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'. :hilarious:

Freypower
01-30-2015, 11:03 PM
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'. :hilarious:

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.

chaim
01-31-2015, 06:14 AM
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!

Freypower
01-31-2015, 05:34 PM
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.

Jonny Come Lately
02-01-2015, 06:16 PM
I do like El Dorado, but I consider Cortez The Killer to be one of his greatest songs without question. I love the quoted lyrics (in fact, make that all the lyrics) and also love the introduction, it gives the song a really epic cinematic feel.

Other lyrical favourites of mine, off the top of my head, include Thrasher ('The aimless blade of science slashed the pearly gates'), The Needle and The Damage Done ('Every junkie's like a setting sun') and pretty much all of the lyrics from Crime In The City and Powderfinger.