Neil Young

[NeilYoungIsBack]

13. Americana (2012). For a long time (after 2003) it seemed there would never be another NY + Crazy Horse album, but then in 2012 we got two in quick succession. The first was Americana, an album containing covers of traditional songs (plus, oddly, a rocked-up version of God Save the Queen - the British Anthem, not the Sex Pistols song). The songs are fine but especially enjoyable are some of the videos made for the songs, which were all made using silent movie era film clips and/or depression-era documentary footage.

12. Storytone (deluxe, 2014). This is the acoustic version of the album ranked last. I like this a lot better but it is still not his best recent song-writing effort.

11. The Visitor (2017). The second of two studio album collaborations with Promise of the Real. A much stronger crop songs compared to Monsanto, with stand-outs including Already Great and Fly by Night Deal. My favourite though is Carnival (a song that seems to divide opinion as I have heard that others hate it). Children of Destiny is the weakest track - when Neil wheels in a choir the results are seldom good.

10. Peace Trail (2016). A largely acoustic album from 2016. Some good songs here, especially the title track and Show Me. I also like My New Robot (with maybe the first use of a vocoder since Trans?).

9. Chrome Dreams II (2007). The in-joke here is that Chrome Dreams (I) is one of those never-released albums from the 1970s that fans have been clamouring for years. (As of 2020 it still hasn't happened.) Most of the best stuff on CDII is also older material, e.g. Ordinary People and Boxcar, both dating from the Bluenotes era. Allegedly, Beautiful Bluebird was supposed to be included on the original version of the Old Ways album that got shelved by Geffen in 1983. However, my favourite track is No Hidden Path, an extended rocker that sounds like it should really be on the Broken Arrow album from the mid-90s.
Unfortunately the album is spoiled slightly by the final song The Way, a syrupy track backed by children's choir.

 

[NeilYoungIsBack]

Moving now into albums that are recommended for regular listening (albums 17-14 are for the most part bombs, whilst 13-9 are ‘occasional listens’ from my point of view):

8. Fork in the Road (2008). A concept album largely about converting a 1950s luxury car into an electric vehicle probably doesn’t sound too promising but this one is surprisingly good (mind you, there are also a few songs that cover the 2008 financial crash and bailouts). There’s a 5 episode documentary being released on the Archives website (2 episodes up already with 3 to come) that covers the conversion of Neil’s Lincoln Continental gas-guzzler into an electric powered vehicle, and which provides useful background to the songs along with some great road-trip footage from around 10 years ago. Light a Candle is the standout track on the album.

7. Psychedelic Pill (2012). The long-awaited Crazy Horse reunion album, the first ‘proper’ one since 1996. It actually feels a lot like 1996’s Broken Arrow album, both being dominated by extended jams. Whilst some of the tracks are over long (Driftin’ Back is around 28 minutes!) it is the short songs (Ontario; Twisted Road) that feel a bit superfluous. Indeed, both of these were originally considered for and ultimately left out from the 2010 solo album Le Noise, and they probably should have stayed in the outtake bin.

6. Greendale (2003). Neil’s version of a Rock Opera. Most of the 10 songs are good and a couple (Bandit especially) are great. But 10 songs aren’t really enough to communicate properly the complex story that Neil would like to narrate. It works OK as a collection of stand-alone songs though. Although this is billed as a Crazy Horse collaboration, Neil decided that a rhythm guitar wasn’t needed, so Poncho sat this one out.

5. Le Noise (2010). Solo album dominated by electric guitar play. The main concept here is nostalgia and loss, with Neil recently suffering from the deaths of two of his closest friends and collaborators. Apart from generally good songs the album benefits from great production and unusual restraint (compared to other recent efforts) when it comes to song duration.

 

[Bill Walker]

I'm enjoying this mate, thanks for your efforts.
I'm basically a fan of very early Neil Young so a lot of these albums I've never even heard.

 

[NeilYoungIsBack]

I'm enjoying this mate, thanks for your efforts.
I'm basically a fan of very early Neil Young so a lot of these albums I've never even heard.

Cheers mate. Today is a great day for 'classic period' stuff as today is the day that Archives Volume 2 is finally released.

All 10 discs are available to listen to now on the NYA website if you subscribe ($20/year, bargain!).

 

[NeilYoungIsBack]

OK, these are my most recommended listens for the albums appearing since Year 2000:

4. A Letter Home (2014). An album of cover songs using primitive recording equipment from the 1940s may be a surprising choice as a highly ranked ablum, but I really love this collection. Artists covered include Dylan, Springsteen, Phil Ochs, Willie Nelson (x2) and Gordon Lightfoot (x2). The cover of Needle of Death (Bert Jansch) is particularly interesting as this was the song that was a ‘source of inspiration’ for The Needle and the Damage Done.

3. Prairie Wind (2005). This album is the closest you are going to get to a modern version of a Harvest or Harvest Moon. I was perhaps slightly unsure about it when it first came out, but it has really grown on me over the years and I listen to it quite a lot. The back-up band includes regulars such as Ben Keith and Rick Rosas, plus other frequent collaborators with a Nashville heritage. Emmylou Harris provides vocals support, especially prominent on tracks such as This Old Guitar.

I found it hard to choose between the final two albums, but here we go…

2. Silver and Gold (2000). This album contains a very strong set of acoustic songs written mainly at various times in the 1990s when Neil was more focused on his ‘Godfather of Grunge’ renaissance. However, the title track is actually an even older song that originates from the early 80s. Stand-out tracks include the title track, Razor Love and (my personal favourite from this album) Without Rings. It would have been even better if he could have found space to include Interstate on this album, my candidate for the best remaining unreleased NY song…

1. Living with War (2006). Neil usually writes good songs when he’s pissed off about something (e.g. Ohio) and back in 2006 he was pissed off with George W Bush. So here we have a set of well-written high energy songs about Gulf War and the homeland security situation, with apparently the whole album written and recorded in slightly more than a week. There’s even a song with a choir I like…

 

[NeilYoungIsBack]

I'm basically a fan of very early Neil Young...

Just a head's up: NY's 1971 live performance on the BBC is being shown on the NYA Archives site for the first time this weekend.

Also, Archives Volume 2 has been streaming since last weekend in case you haven't heard it yet. It's all great, but disc 6 The Old Homestead and disc 8 Dume are especially enjoyable I think.

 

[Bill Walker]

Just a head's up: NY's 1971 live performance on the BBC is being shown on the NYA Archives site for the first time this weekend.

Also, Archives Volume 2 has been streaming since last weekend in case you haven't heard it yet. It's all great, but disc 6 The Old Homestead and disc 8 Dume are especially enjoyable I think.

Thanks for that mate.
I've enjoyed reading your reviews of albums I've never heard.
I actually do know Prairie wind as I have the DVD of the concert at Ryman Hall where he played whole of that album.
I do enjoy watching that from time to time.
I think the most recent album I actually bought of his was Old Ways. I went off him a bit when he produced albums like Landing on Water and Trans.

 

[Mike N]

Thanks for that mate.
I've enjoyed reading your reviews of albums I've never heard.
I actually do know Prairie wind as I have the DVD of the concert at Ryman Hall where he played whole of that album.
I do enjoy watching that from time to time.
I think the most recent album I actually bought of his was Old Ways. I went off him a bit when he produced albums like Landing on Water and Trans.

I regularly get the Ryman Hall concert DVD out. It’s a great disk and I absolutely love Four Strong Winds.

I’ve recently started listening to Greendale again. I bought it when it came out but haven’t listened to it for years. I think I like more now than ever.

 

[Bill Walker]

I regularly get the Ryman Hall concert DVD out. It’s a great disk and I absolutely love Four Strong Winds.

I’ve recently started listening to Greendale again. I bought it when it came out but haven’t listened to it for years. I think I like more now than ever.

Yes I agree about Ryman Hall it's a lovely concert very very country in fact Neil at his most countrified I feel.
I'm sad that he left Peggy after all those years to shack up with that floozy.
Peggy seemed like a wonderful lady to me very sincere and honest. Sadly now passed away.
I will give Greendale a listen until you what I think.

 

[Onholiday(somemightsay)]

Yes I agree about Ryman Hall it's a lovely concert very very country in fact Neil at his most countrified I feel.
I'm sad that he left Peggy after all those years to shack up with that floozy.
Peggy seemed like a wonderful lady to me very sincere and honest. Sadly now passed away.
I will give Greendale a listen until you what I think.

Wil try and give this a listen tomorrow as I commute into Cumbria..........