The Official Neil Young Thread

[E.H. Ruddock]

FYI, Fork in the Road is much better than people give credit for. Yes, it is about an electric car, but I actually am enjoying most of these songs individually.

I fucking love that it is about that car. It is such a Neil thing to do.

[Strat]

Yea I actually enjoy fork in the road quite a bit. That tour was also one of my favorite Neil shows. Great band. Even a horrible song like cough up the bucks is saved by a weird as fuck riff

[liebzz]

Yea I actually enjoy fork in the road quite a bit. That tour was also one of my favorite Neil shows. Great band. Even a horrible song like cough up the bucks is saved by a weird as fuck riff

Yeah. I probably heard it once when it first came out and paid little attention to it. It is much better than I remember but that could also be because I remember it being panned when it came out.

Le Noise I never ended up hearing back when it came out because I was probably focusing on other things. It is what reverb is to the synthesizer in Trans. I much prefer Le Noise.

Next up are two albums I played a lot when they came out: Americana and Psychedelic Pill. I know both are great so I am excited for them.

[liebzz]

I got a few more to go, but whoa is the best term to use for 2012 as the Year of Neil. I have heard both albums a bunch of times but in the context it’s truly impressive how good Americana and Psychedelic Pill are.

I thought Fork in the Road and Le Noise were both very good, but these are monsters of albums (even if the former is really a covers album).

[Birds in Hell]

I love Americana so much.

One of my most-listened to Neil Young albums.

[Strat]

Yea it’s great. It now doesn’t even feel like a covers album because it’s such a crazy horse record.

[liebzz]

Storytone is so weird as an album. The songs actually sound pretty good, but juxtaposing orchestral arrangements against what could best be described as big band blues is an interesting choice.

[Strat]

Another new one up on NYA.

Great harmonies. Not bad at all.

[liebzz]

First clunker for me in a while: The Monsanto Years. There’s plenty of space for good music here, but even I as a liberal cringed at the constant barrage of liberal potshots. A little vagueness lyrically would have gone a long way, and instead plays like Living With War, even if it isn’t out of date yet.

[Strat]

First clunker for me in a while: The Monsanto Years. There’s plenty of space for good music here, but even I as a liberal cringed at the constant barrage of liberal potshots. A little vagueness lyrically would have gone a long way, and instead plays like Living With War, even if it isn’t out of date yet.

Monsanto is awful. Moving forward i feel most of his records are similar in vein. No vagueness in the lyrics. Off putting to me.

[Kevin Davis]

Storytone is so weird as an album. The songs actually sound pretty good, but juxtaposing orchestral arrangements against what could best be described as big band blues is an interesting choice.

I think Storytone is fantastic; a mix of arrangements from the orchestral disc and stripped-down disc could be one of his best latter-day albums. Neither collection individually is as satisfying, but I think across the board the songwriting is really strong.

And I'll echo the love for Americana. I'll go so far as to say it's my favorite Neil album post-2000.

Monsanto and Peace Trail were a 1-2 of misfires for me; I've skipped everything since (I think there have been 2 or 3 since maybe?). I'll definitely be back for the new Horse album though.

[Strat]

Storytone is so weird as an album. The songs actually sound pretty good, but juxtaposing orchestral arrangements against what could best be described as big band blues is an interesting choice.

I think Storytone is fantastic; a mix of arrangements from the orchestral disc and stripped-down disc could be one of his best latter-day albums. Neither collection individually is as satisfying, but I think across the board the songwriting is really strong.

And I'll echo the love for Americana. I'll go so far as to say it's my favorite Neil album post-2000.

Monsanto and Peace Trail were a 1-2 of misfires for me; I've skipped everything since (I think there have been 2 or 3 since maybe?). I'll definitely be back for the new Horse album though.

It's really too bad because Promise of the Real is a helluva backing band for him. They are a young Crazy Horse.

[liebzz]

Storytone is so weird as an album. The songs actually sound pretty good, but juxtaposing orchestral arrangements against what could best be described as big band blues is an interesting choice.

I think Storytone is fantastic; a mix of arrangements from the orchestral disc and stripped-down disc could be one of his best latter-day albums. Neither collection individually is as satisfying, but I think across the board the songwriting is really strong.

And I'll echo the love for Americana. I'll go so far as to say it's my favorite Neil album post-2000.

Monsanto and Peace Trail were a 1-2 of misfires for me; I've skipped everything since (I think there have been 2 or 3 since maybe?). I'll definitely be back for the new Horse album though.

It's really too bad because Promise of the Real is a helluva backing band for him. They are a young Crazy Horse.

I think Peace Trail is a step up from The Monsanto Year’s. The politics is there but not nearly as jarring or distracting from the music. Also, The Monsanto Years doesn’t quite use The Promise of the Real as well as maybe he could have since I thought the music was mostly unmemorable and instead only remember being bombarded with liberal tropes.

I would say my favorite 2000s album has to be Psychedelic Pill, but Americana is a close second.

[Birds in Hell]

Another new one up on NYA.

Great harmonies. Not bad at all.

Rainbow of Colours isn’t hitting the spot for me at all on first listen, unlike Milky Way.

[Kevin Davis]

Rainbow of Colours

Is there any other kind of rainbow?

[liebzz]

Alright. I got to the end. What a great journey through the studio albums. This would truly be impossible and silly to try any sort of realistic ranking, but I think others notes categories, and for that I can say many are essential and very few were outright bad (Promise of the Real stuff I am talking to you!). If I had to pick five, I would imagine those would be Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, After the Goldrush, On the Beach, Zuma, and Rust Never Sleeps

Essential listening (albums): Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, After the Goldrush, Harvest, On the Beach, Tonight’s the Night, Zuma, Rust Never Sleeps, Ragged Glory, Mirrorball, Broken Arrow, Silver & Gold, Americana, Psychedelic Pill

Also solid: Neil Young, Time Fades Away, American Stars n Bars, Comes a Time, Re-Ac-Tor, Everybody’s Rockin’ (controversial!), This Note’s For You, Harvest Moon, Greendale, Prairie Wind, Chrome Dreams II, Fork in the Road, Le Noise, A Letter Home, Hitchhiker, Freedom, Storytone

Okay: Sleeps With Angels, Living With War, Peace Trail, Trans

I didn’t care for it: Hawks & Doves, Old Ways, Landing On Water, Life, Are You Passionate?, The Monsanto Years, The Visitor

Okay, I think I got them all. It was seriously a huge pleasure. I mean who could have that many great albums and still keep going with strong music!?

[Strat]

Alright. I got to the end. What a great journey through the studio albums. This would truly be impossible and silly to try any sort of realistic ranking, but I think others notes categories, and for that I can say many are essential and very few were outright bad (Promise of the Real stuff I am talking to you!). If I had to pick five, I would imagine those would be Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, After the Goldrush, On the Beach, Zuma, and Rust Never Sleeps

Essential listening (albums): Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, After the Goldrush, Harvest, On the Beach, Tonight’s the Night, Zuma, Rust Never Sleeps, Ragged Glory, Mirrorball, Broken Arrow, Silver & Gold, Americana, Psychedelic Pill

Also solid: Neil Young, Time Fades Away, American Stars n Bars, Comes a Time, Re-Ac-Tor, Everybody’s Rockin’ (controversial!), This Note’s For You, Harvest Moon, Greendale, Prairie Wind, Chrome Dreams II, Fork in the Road, Le Noise, A Letter Home, Hitchhiker, Freedom, Storytone

Okay: Sleeps With Angels, Living With War, Peace Trail, Trans

I didn’t care for it: Hawks & Doves, Old Ways, Landing On Water, Life, Are You Passionate?, The Monsanto Years, The Visitor

Okay, I think I got them all. It was seriously a huge pleasure. I mean who could have that many great albums and still keep going with strong music!?

That was fun to watch you go through it!

[tragabigzanda]

[liebzz]

I am sure I will! Basically I think everything in the top 2 categories are regular repeat listens.

[Birds in Hell]

Enjoyed reading your journey through the catalogue - despite having listened to Neil for years, there's still plenty of his records I've yet to get around to.

I'd definitely rank Sleeps with Angels much higher, though. Some of my all time favourites on there, particularly Safeway Cart, Trans Am (!), Prime of Life and the title track.