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Countdown of my top 101 Neil Young songs. Now with entries 102-204, notable covers and other stuff (1 Viewer)

Pip's Invitation said:
OK, this is the one that some of you will probably think is too low. And I'm serious about my endorsement of the first cover version linked. 

17. Like a Hurricane (American Stars 'N Bars, 1977; written and first performed in 1975)
Swirling and majestic, this is one of Neil's very best guitar jams and is a frequent capper of electric sets/shows. The vibe is a bit different from some of the other epics thanks to Neil's ringing solos and Frank "Poncho" Sampedro of Crazy Horse playing Stringman synthesizer instead of rhythm guitar. And the lyrics evoke the feeling of the music: "a crowded hazy bar," "far across the moonbeam, I know that's who you are," "I am just a dreamer but you are just a dream", "on our foggy trip."
Written in 1975 while Neil was recovering from throat surgery, Like a Hurricane debuted live in late 1975 alongside some of the Zuma songs. Can you imagine this sharing the same album with Cortez the Killer and Danger Bird? Neil planned to include it on the abandoned Chrome Dreams album in 1976, and ended up putting it on ASB; all of side 2 of that record is Chrome Dreams material. An edited version was released as a single because let's face it, there wasn't much else from ASB to pick from. It's been a standard in Crazy Horse sets for 45 years and was the final encore of my first Neil show in 1991. It's also amazing when Neil performs it solo on pump organ. 
That this is "only" #17 shows you just how much incredible material Neil has. I just like the songs ahead of it more, there's no science to it.  
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I don't know Neil's work well enough to join in the "in my top 10" chorus, but I hear you on the "no science to it" part.  Sometimes it's just feel and the way it spoke to you at a particular moment when you needed it (or didn't).  And I don't think anyone could be upset at one of their favorites being "only" #17 anyway.  Given Neil's longevity and output, there are just so many ways to go, and you obviously know his catalog better than, or at least as well as, anyone.

ETA:  Oh yeah, this song is killer.

 
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Pip's Invitation said:
45. Harvest Moon (Harvest Moon, 1992)
Neil doesn't usually write straightforward love songs, but when he does, they are usually gorgeous like this. I suspect that of all the songs Neil has released after 1979, this is one of the two that the average person is most likely to have heard of.
This is also a special song for me because it was my father and stepmother's favorite Neil song. There are elements of their story in it. 

On the original writeup I stopped there and everyone knew why. You guys don't so I'll explain. My father passed away in March. I relate to everything through music, so even writing that was REALLY difficult for me. I was a blubbering mess the day I posted it. All I had to say to my wife was "it's Harvest Moon day" and she knew what was up.

Studio version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2MtEsrcTTs&feature=youtu.be

Live version from Unplugged: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMjDc8MJotU

Live version from Dreamin' Man Live 1992: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPRHW_mScP0

Live version from Heart of Gold concert film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnRz-ARAlT0

Live version from Silver and Gold DVD (filmed in 1999 in Austin): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KF0AVn813g8

Live version with Promise of the Real from Farm Aid 2019: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KF0AVn813g8

Live version with Eddie Vedder sitting in from Bridge School Benefit 2004: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usrl18pdVSg

Live version with My Morning Jacket from Bridge School Benefit 2013: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ucy_9c1ePTg

Live version with Norah Jones sitting in: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-5EM4aqhsY

Pearl Jam cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1DFifr7iYg

Josh Groban cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPDHPxL-rek

Elliott Smith cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DI8nc62CgPg

Ben Gibbard (Death Cab for Cutie) cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJs4LcyyuSU

Andrew Bird cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MqgOBZ7wGPg

Of Montreal cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXjuMFc2BTs

Seth Avett (Avett Brothers) cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAJPKklmKOk

Rufus Wainwright cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjwrDNVUssE

God, there's almost as many versions of this as Yesterday. Including one by a "Ukulele Orchestra": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5vanzPKHbs
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Really like Lord Huron's cover.

 
Pip's Invitation said:
38. Mr. Soul (Buffalo Springfield Again, 1967)
Because those in charge thought his voice was too unconventional, Neil's best songs on Buffalo Springfield's debut album were sung by Richie Furay. But on their second album, Neil grabbed the spotlight and never relinquished it. He earned the most attention with this one, a thunderous rocker patterned after the Stones. Acoustic versions are just as revelatory, as he brings to them a gravitas you'd expect from early 20th-century country blues artists. Despite the band having only one hit under its belt at the time, the lyrics already show Neil to be skeptical of fame and what comes along with it. 
This is also technically the only vocoder song on the list, as for some reason Neil re-recorded it for Trans.

Buffalo Springfield album version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyc0JSd5q7U&feature=youtu.be

Buffalo Springfield single version, which has fewer guitar overdubs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=REfPhwsXIJY

Trans version: https://youtu.be/JJ9clNuelQQ

Um, there was even a dance remix of the Trans version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJtzkKWvuBw

Live version from Live at Canterbury House 1968: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXGBNbFC8-k

Live version from Songs for Judy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbDiegR0vXQ

Live version from Unplugged: https://youtu.be/EMRqN0m5c-M

Live version from Year of the Horse: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7W6pMe_l1g

Buffalo Springfield TV appearance on The Hollywood Palace (medley with For What It's Worth): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3V8VvEzuQ6Y

Buffalo Springfield live version, long and psychedelic, probably during one of the periods Neil had quit (sounds like Stills on vocals): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmTk1IKHjn8

Buffalo Springfield live version, definitely with Neil: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JO5gMGhIar8

Live version from 1982 with Trans Band: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_ocu2bQiCE

Live version from 1986 with Crazy Horse: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpH45svXiYI

Live version from 1993 with Booker T. and the MGs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNqyjwX_8M4

Live version from 1995 with Pearl Jam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HClA77E2HSA

Live version (nearly 7 minutes) from 2012 with Crazy Horse in Philly (woot!): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Dw-a8hdaLM

Live version from 2014 on pump organ: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9sP6BoGAcw

Bridge School Benefit version from 2016 with Metallica: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uiRzGoplTLc

Live version from 2016 with Stephen Stills and Kenny Wayne Shepard: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIM2c0376fI

Live version from 2019 with Promise of the Real: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDWT3X5wFMo

Rush cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWR-t6699tk

Everly Brothers cover (produced by Neil collaborator Jack Nitzsche, with Ry Cooder on slide guitar): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPU9JK5AnEc

Love Battery cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1aau6tVVMI

The Dream Syndicate cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9siPws090pQ

Widespread Panic cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avSQWni_cmI

Stephen Stills cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ff1pZV4GxRg

Kenny Wayne Shepard cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikKMh2mkSew

Cat Power cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQ_zNAK5Mp4

Nils Lofgren cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PiGHIT-aQxU

Iain Matthews cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PtLT8a_io4

Killdozer cover (warning: Cookie Monster vocals): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_LIDgVZqUc

Bongwater cover (warning: this is flippin' weird): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWoyWh7xLu0

Wire Train cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ri83Lzb1klo

The Icicle Works cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmY0jCLptG8

Lime Spiders cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7V2eVzmt4wE

Diesel Park West cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ME5qIajJ-pQ

And...

Cher (!) cover (1975, so it's yacht-rocked up): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oaRmzGebjQM
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Would be in my top 10.  Not that anyone cares, but I'm only commenting because you need to be commended for the amount of work you are doing with these writeups/links.

 
Pip's Invitation said:
19. Pocahontas (Rust Never Sleeps, 1979, written in 1975-ish; first performed in 1976)
Another tune in which Neil takes on the injustices committed against Indians, this is one of his most-beloved acoustic songs. It goes beyond social commentary at the end, where Neil imagines himself camping with Pocahontas and ... Marlon Brando? And talking about the Astrodome?
The briskly paced RNS version is amazing, but the slowed-down versions that sometimes appear in later concerts may be even more compelling.
Wikipedia says this was not taken from the 1978 tour but instead is a 1976 recording, but I'm not sure about that; the link cited doesn't really back that up, and the way Pocahontas sounds on the record doesn't stand out from the rest of RNS side 1, unlike Sail Away, which is obviously a studio outtake. In any case, Pocahontas does predate the 1978 tour, having been recorded for Hitchhiker and making its live debut in November 1976. Before launching into the version that appears on Songs for Judy, Neil says he wrote this on a friend's farm while high. 

RNS version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p13gx9wnNBc

Unplugged version (the prime example of what I said in the second paragraph): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-sQypwS3V08 
 
 
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It always amazes me that this is the same song.  I much prefer the slower version with the heavy use of straight harp.

 
shuke said:
It always amazes me that this is the same song.  I much prefer the slower version with the heavy use of straight harp.
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If you can find it (I couldn't on YouTube), you need to hear the version from May 1, 1999 in Chicago (the same show of the "On the Beach" breakout). It is chillingly good. Every time Neil toured when the Rust List was active, someone would put together a compilation with one version of every song played on that tour. I emailed the guy who was putting the 1999 tour compilation together to request that Pocahontas, and he said quite a few people had lobbied for it -- and it was indeed the one he chose. 

 
krista4 said:
I don't know Neil's work well enough to join in the "in my top 10" chorus, but I hear you on the "no science to it" part.  Sometimes it's just feel and the way it spoke to you at a particular moment when you needed it (or didn't).  And I don't think anyone could be upset at one of their favorites being "only" #17 anyway.  Given Neil's longevity and output, there are just so many ways to go, and you obviously know his catalog better than, or at least as well as, anyone.

ETA:  Oh yeah, this song is killer.
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I’m not upset at all about any of the rankings.   I’m a Neil fan but he’s not one of my favorite artists.  I only know his popular stuff.  However, I recognize his greatness and some of his songs just work.  

Totally agree on the lack of science involved with why some songs are simply killer.  They just are.  

 
16. After the Gold Rush (After the Gold Rush, 1970)
One of Neil's most-beloved songs, the title track of After the Gold Rush is one of the few remnants of Neil's original concept for the album. Dean Stockwell showed Neil a script he had written about California being wiped out by a flood and Neil agreed to provide a soundtrack for it. He wrote a few songs, including this one, with the script in mind before changing direction. (The movie was never made; L.A., which ended up on Time Fades Away, seems to be about the same thing.) Neil being Neil, he told Dolly Parton in 1989 that he couldn't remember what it was about and that each verse must have been "based on whatever I was taking at the time." And more recently, he has said it's an environmental anthem.
It is all of those things. The imagery is so vivid and the tune so compelling that the song has become a lot of things to a lot of people. Even a simple celebration to the intoxicated folks who go crazy when Neil sings "and I felt like getting high" in concert.
The studio version, a piano arrangement with a french horn solo and Neil singing in a high register, is gripping, but the song has become even more resonant in concert over the years. There's a sadness tinging Neil's voice when he sings it these days. You can't go wrong with any incarnation of this, but my favorites are from the 1999 solo tour, in which he started out on piano and, in the middle of song while playing the french horn solo on harmonica, transitioned to pump organ.
It's fun how the lyrics have evolved live. "Look at Mother Nature on the run in the 1970s" turned into "in the 1980s," then "in the 20th century" and now "in the 21st century." 

Studio version: https://youtu.be/d6Zf4D1tHdw

Live at the Cellar Door version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElQ_m79PRL0 

Tuscaloosa version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCZFxPpWLY8 

Songs for Judy version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkQzgg9d1l4 

Live Rust version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wf-Ssugf20w 

Earth version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdyK9CQHNOY 

Live version from 1982: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kd_mXVtjQWQ 

Live version from 1989: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T65BqkX8Jjo 

Live version from VH1 Center Stage in 1992 (the year he introduced the pump organ): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJBtZNRr9_M 

Live version from Farm Aid 1998 on pump organ (I can't find any 1999 piano/pump organ versions): https://youtu.be/d6Zf4D1tHdw

Live electric version with Crazy Horse from 2014: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uB1WoHCOcLo 

Live version from the show I saw in 2015 (this opened the show): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BFKENPSDOo 

Trio (Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris) cover (this was a hit in 1999; "and I felt like getting high" was changed to "and I felt like I could cry" for pop/country radio): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykMzS6ugnPI (studio) and hhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rlLb3_V-c8 (live on Letterman) 

Linda Ronstadt cover (four years before the Trio version, with Emmylou Harris and Valerie Carter): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcoxH9Ip7BM 

Emmylou Harris cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ed5gsXxDaxM 

Radiohead cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xAIAubOPtg 

Thom Yorke cover at Bridge School Benefit 2002: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fAz54YWw6I 

Patti Smith cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32wz7jiMLhM 

Natalie Merchant cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCRmn7Xo-2k 

k.d. lang cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngY5TFwXet8 

The Flaming Lips cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJkH9uhq_jo 

Billy Corgan cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-EVvsCMCq6k 

Emmylou Harris / Ann Wilson (Heart) / Shawn Colvin cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqnNRbkIE0E 

Gary Jules cover (on the Howard Stern Show): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qrNk8lfpR4 

Michael Hedges instrumental cover; the vocal part is played on fretless bass by Michael Manring: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzQ_ftzNdaE 

Jackie Greene cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CgTKo03DOCY 

Prelude cover (this was a hit in 1974; "look at Mother Nature on the run in the 1917"): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXdP3qPDSfc 

Margo Price cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1efiK_ZQrI 

Laïs cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRY-w1zlAnk 

Nana Mouskouri cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pe3Khh8a8Gk 

 
Pip's Invitation said:
16. After the Gold Rush (After the Gold Rush, 1970)
One of Neil's most-beloved songs, the title track of After the Gold Rush is one of the few remnants of Neil's original concept for the album. Dean Stockwell showed Neil a script he had written about California being wiped out by a flood and Neil agreed to provide a soundtrack for it. He wrote a few songs, including this one, with the script in mind before changing direction. (The movie was never made; L.A., which ended up on Time Fades Away, seems to be about the same thing.) Neil being Neil, he told Dolly Parton in 1989 that he couldn't remember what it was about and that each verse must have been "based on whatever I was taking at the time." And more recently, he has said it's an environmental anthem.
It is all of those things. The imagery is so vivid and the tune so compelling that the song has become a lot of things to a lot of people. Even a simple celebration to the intoxicated folks who go crazy when Neil sings "and I felt like getting high" in concert.
The studio version, a piano arrangement with a french horn solo and Neil singing in a high register, is gripping, but the song has become even more resonant in concert over the years. There's a sadness tinging Neil's voice when he sings it these days. You can't go wrong with any incarnation of this, but my favorites are from the 1999 solo tour, in which he started out on piano and, in the middle of song while playing the french horn solo on harmonica, transitioned to pump organ.
It's fun how the lyrics have evolved live. "Look at Mother Nature on the run in the 1970s" turned into "in the 1980s," then "in the 20th century" and now "in the 21st century." 

Studio version: https://youtu.be/d6Zf4D1tHdw

Live at the Cellar Door version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElQ_m79PRL0 

Tuscaloosa version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCZFxPpWLY8 

Songs for Judy version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkQzgg9d1l4 

Live Rust version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wf-Ssugf20w 

Earth version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdyK9CQHNOY 

Live version from 1982: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kd_mXVtjQWQ 

Live version from 1989: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T65BqkX8Jjo 

Live version from VH1 Center Stage in 1992 (the year he introduced the pump organ): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJBtZNRr9_M 

Live version from Farm Aid 1998 on pump organ (I can't find any 1999 piano/pump organ versions): https://youtu.be/d6Zf4D1tHdw

Live electric version with Crazy Horse from 2014: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uB1WoHCOcLo 

Live version from the show I saw in 2015 (this opened the show): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BFKENPSDOo 

Trio (Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris) cover (this was a hit in 1999; "and I felt like getting high" was changed to "and I felt like I could cry" for pop/country radio): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykMzS6ugnPI (studio) and hhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rlLb3_V-c8 (live on Letterman) 

Linda Ronstadt cover (four years before the Trio version, with Emmylou Harris and Valerie Carter): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcoxH9Ip7BM 

Emmylou Harris cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ed5gsXxDaxM 

Radiohead cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xAIAubOPtg 

Thom Yorke cover at Bridge School Benefit 2002: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fAz54YWw6I 

Patti Smith cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32wz7jiMLhM 

Natalie Merchant cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCRmn7Xo-2k 

k.d. lang cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngY5TFwXet8 

The Flaming Lips cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJkH9uhq_jo 

Billy Corgan cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-EVvsCMCq6k 

Emmylou Harris / Ann Wilson (Heart) / Shawn Colvin cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqnNRbkIE0E 

Gary Jules cover (on the Howard Stern Show): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qrNk8lfpR4 

Michael Hedges instrumental cover; the vocal part is played on fretless bass by Michael Manring: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzQ_ftzNdaE 

Jackie Greene cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CgTKo03DOCY 

Prelude cover (this was a hit in 1974; "look at Mother Nature on the run in the 1917"): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXdP3qPDSfc 

Margo Price cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1efiK_ZQrI 

Laïs cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRY-w1zlAnk 

Nana Mouskouri cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pe3Khh8a8Gk 
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My personal favorite Neil song.

 
Pip's Invitation said:
16. After the Gold Rush (After the Gold Rush, 1970)
One of Neil's most-beloved songs, the title track of After the Gold Rush is one of the few remnants of Neil's original concept for the album. Dean Stockwell showed Neil a script he had written about California being wiped out by a flood and Neil agreed to provide a soundtrack for it. He wrote a few songs, including this one, with the script in mind before changing direction. (The movie was never made; L.A., which ended up on Time Fades Away, seems to be about the same thing.) Neil being Neil, he told Dolly Parton in 1989 that he couldn't remember what it was about and that each verse must have been "based on whatever I was taking at the time." And more recently, he has said it's an environmental anthem.
It is all of those things. The imagery is so vivid and the tune so compelling that the song has become a lot of things to a lot of people. Even a simple celebration to the intoxicated folks who go crazy when Neil sings "and I felt like getting high" in concert.
The studio version, a piano arrangement with a french horn solo and Neil singing in a high register, is gripping, but the song has become even more resonant in concert over the years. There's a sadness tinging Neil's voice when he sings it these days. You can't go wrong with any incarnation of this, but my favorites are from the 1999 solo tour, in which he started out on piano and, in the middle of song while playing the french horn solo on harmonica, transitioned to pump organ.
It's fun how the lyrics have evolved live. "Look at Mother Nature on the run in the 1970s" turned into "in the 1980s," then "in the 20th century" and now "in the 21st century." 
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I like this part.  :lol:    It's probably no surprise that I love the French horn in this song.  But maybe it would be surprising that I just don't like the vocal.  Probably the only person on Earth who would say that.  Could be that it's in such a high register that it sounds too female to me.  :bag:  

 
krista4 said:
I like this part.  :lol:    It's probably no surprise that I love the French horn in this song.  But maybe it would be surprising that I just don't like the vocal.  Probably the only person on Earth who would say that.  Could be that it's in such a high register that it sounds too female to me.  :bag:  
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The original Rolling Stone review was very unkind to this song and Neil’s vocal on it.

 
Pip's Invitation said:
16. After the Gold Rush (After the Gold Rush, 1970)
One of Neil's most-beloved songs, the title track of After the Gold Rush is one of the few remnants of Neil's original concept for the album. Dean Stockwell showed Neil a script he had written about California being wiped out by a flood and Neil agreed to provide a soundtrack for it. He wrote a few songs, including this one, with the script in mind before changing direction. (The movie was never made; L.A., which ended up on Time Fades Away, seems to be about the same thing.) Neil being Neil, he told Dolly Parton in 1989 that he couldn't remember what it was about and that each verse must have been "based on whatever I was taking at the time." And more recently, he has said it's an environmental anthem.
It is all of those things. The imagery is so vivid and the tune so compelling that the song has become a lot of things to a lot of people. Even a simple celebration to the intoxicated folks who go crazy when Neil sings "and I felt like getting high" in concert.
The studio version, a piano arrangement with a french horn solo and Neil singing in a high register, is gripping, but the song has become even more resonant in concert over the years. There's a sadness tinging Neil's voice when he sings it these days. You can't go wrong with any incarnation of this, but my favorites are from the 1999 solo tour, in which he started out on piano and, in the middle of song while playing the french horn solo on harmonica, transitioned to pump organ.
It's fun how the lyrics have evolved live. "Look at Mother Nature on the run in the 1970s" turned into "in the 1980s," then "in the 20th century" and now "in the 21st century." 

Studio version: https://youtu.be/d6Zf4D1tHdw

Live at the Cellar Door version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElQ_m79PRL0 

Tuscaloosa version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCZFxPpWLY8 

Songs for Judy version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkQzgg9d1l4 

Live Rust version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wf-Ssugf20w 

Earth version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdyK9CQHNOY 

Live version from 1982: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kd_mXVtjQWQ 

Live version from 1989: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T65BqkX8Jjo 

Live version from VH1 Center Stage in 1992 (the year he introduced the pump organ): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJBtZNRr9_M 

Live version from Farm Aid 1998 on pump organ (I can't find any 1999 piano/pump organ versions): https://youtu.be/d6Zf4D1tHdw

Live electric version with Crazy Horse from 2014: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uB1WoHCOcLo 

Live version from the show I saw in 2015 (this opened the show): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BFKENPSDOo 

Trio (Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris) cover (this was a hit in 1999; "and I felt like getting high" was changed to "and I felt like I could cry" for pop/country radio): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykMzS6ugnPI (studio) and hhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rlLb3_V-c8 (live on Letterman) 

Linda Ronstadt cover (four years before the Trio version, with Emmylou Harris and Valerie Carter): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcoxH9Ip7BM 

Emmylou Harris cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ed5gsXxDaxM 

Radiohead cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xAIAubOPtg 

Thom Yorke cover at Bridge School Benefit 2002: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fAz54YWw6I 

Patti Smith cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32wz7jiMLhM 

Natalie Merchant cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCRmn7Xo-2k 

k.d. lang cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngY5TFwXet8 

The Flaming Lips cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJkH9uhq_jo 

Billy Corgan cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-EVvsCMCq6k 

Emmylou Harris / Ann Wilson (Heart) / Shawn Colvin cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqnNRbkIE0E 

Gary Jules cover (on the Howard Stern Show): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qrNk8lfpR4 

Michael Hedges instrumental cover; the vocal part is played on fretless bass by Michael Manring: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzQ_ftzNdaE 

Jackie Greene cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CgTKo03DOCY 

Prelude cover (this was a hit in 1974; "look at Mother Nature on the run in the 1917"): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXdP3qPDSfc 

Margo Price cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1efiK_ZQrI 

Laïs cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRY-w1zlAnk 

Nana Mouskouri cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pe3Khh8a8Gk 
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I think this will always make my “All Time Favorite Songs” list.

 
krista4 said:
I like this part.  :lol:    It's probably no surprise that I love the French horn in this song.  But maybe it would be surprising that I just don't like the vocal.  Probably the only person on Earth who would say that.  Could be that it's in such a high register that it sounds too female to me.  :bag:  
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I had similar thoughts about the vocals earlier today when I listened to the song.   I don’t really like Neils vocals on this song but the song itself is just beautiful.   Vocals matter a lot to me which is why I struggle with the Stones.  Same with Neil.  On some songs, no matter how lovely the melody is or how interesting the music is, I can’t get past the vocals,   Fortunately for me, this song is so strong that I can live with the vocals and can still enjoy the song a ton.  

So no K4, I don’t think you are alone with your take on this song.  

 
DocHolliday said:
I had similar thoughts about the vocals earlier today when I listened to the song.   I don’t really like Neils vocals on this song but the song itself is just beautiful.   Vocals matter a lot to me which is why I struggle with the Stones.  Same with Neil.  On some songs, no matter how lovely the melody is or how interesting the music is, I can’t get past the vocals,   Fortunately for me, this song is so strong that I can live with the vocals and can still enjoy the song a ton.  

So no K4, I don’t think you are alone with your take on this song.  
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As iconic as this song is, it's not one you'd play for someone if they didn't know much about Neil and asked for a recommendation. There's a song in my top 10 that is perfect for that scenario. 

The 102-204 list and the "Rolling Stone top 100 songs that didn't make my top 204" list will both have a few songs whose vocal performance I find problematic. 

 
15. Revolution Blues (On the Beach, 1974)
This is a fascinating look into Neil's songwriting abilities, and perhaps offers some insights into his psyche at the time that we don't want to know. This song was inspired by Charles Manson's cult and their atrocities. The narrator may be Manson himself, as the song builds up to the concluding lines: "Well I hear that Laurel Canyon is full of famous stars / But I hate them worse than lepers and I'll kill them in their cars." Before then, we hear the narrator's views on wanting to be separate from society but also to disturb it, finally giving in to his delusions: "I got the revolution blues, I see bloody fountains, and 10 million dune buggies comin' down the mountain."
Backed by a rollicking arrangement with David Crosby on rhythm guitar, Rick Danko on bass and Levon Helm on drums, this song is one of the prime examples of the dark, edgy side of Neil. It was his strongest declaration yet that the hippie dream idealized by CSNY and perpetuated by his early '70s solo albums was not real.
Live versions on the 1974 CSNY tour are absolutely monstrous. This despite C, S, and N hating it even more than the other On the Beach songs. Crosby was especially vocal about this, even though he played on the studio version. But sometimes anger makes for the best rock and roll.
This is another one that's all too rare in concert, having only 48 known live performances despite its legendary status among Neil die-hards. (Judging from YouTube, I think Lee Ranaldo has played this live more often than Neil has.) It's another one you'll hear people calling for at shows. 

Studio version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yK504X_wvs&fbclid=IwAR08OHnLZF7NoR_y1leafgOwQIx8mEFBHxlJbIQFAIsnQp7uncKdYBAEbZs

Live debut, from the Bottom Line 1974 solo acoustic set: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGo7WT191kA 

There isn't a version from the CSNY 1974 tour by itself on YouTube. Someone needs to fix that. It's on the CSNY 1974 archival release, which is not on YouTube or Spotify. The only relevant YouTube file is this one with poor sound. Revolution Blues starts at 19:00: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJ_FnU2NUp8

Live version with Promise of the Real from 2016; first performance in 29 years: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oik6kdzEx_o 

Jayhawks / Peter Buck / Scott McConaghey cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNmQfxN2EgU 

Golden Smog cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPE3Sxl5Ois 

Gov't Mule / Jackie Greene cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIb8iYaAeSo

Warren Haynes cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RyfmqGQdadk 

The Waco Brothers cover: hhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqU3USDZfnE 

The Minus 5 cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aevh0RMMZqo 

Bush cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=to9C_S7v0zU

Lee Ranaldo (Sonic Youth) cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9vzDvMZAtc

Meg Baird / Steve Gunn / Lee Ranaldo / Georgia Hubley cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ciz4F0PoqE

Eric Ambel cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIXbfc2b7Hk 

Israel Nash cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqjC2ZAo4gs

Charlie Sexton cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fe_kEXCqGqg 

Jonathan Tyler / Charlie Sexton cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wk12azV_nns

Fruit Bats cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GcSbMrbeQJY 

 
14. No More (Freedom, 1989)
People's lives being ravaged by drug addiction was a theme of Neil's work in the '70s, and he wrote some more songs about it in the late '80s, of which this is the most compelling. The narrator is in recovery and is addressing someone still in the throes of addiction:

I feel the way you feel
Cause not so long ago
It had a hold on me
I couldn't let it go
It wouldn't set me free
It couldn't set me free

&

The rest of the song addresses the desperation addicts feel when they have trouble reaching the high that got them hooked and end up scrambling to get any fix, no matter how bunk or temporary.
This song is significant for me because it was the second new song Neil performed on his amazing SNL appearance in 1989 shortly before Freedom was released, which kick-started his renaissance. Appropriately paired with The Needle and the Damage Done, the performance on this night was jaw-dropping. The full (and very long) story of my reaction to that night will be told in the entry for the other new song he played.
Once I obtained the Freedom record, this quickly became one of my favorites (it was the second single from the album and received regular airplay on FM radio at the time). It seemed like the blank space between Wrecking Ball and this went on forever, and I would get anxious waiting for it. Recorded with the Bluenotes' Chad Cromwell and Rick Rosas and Crazy Horse's Frank "Poncho" Sampedro, the Freedom version is driven by a brisk acoustic guitar line from Poncho and punctuated with passionate electric solos from Neil. The final instrumental passage is a stunner, with Neil's swirling squalls conveying the descent into desperation described in the lyrics. Neil being Neil, he has said the lyrics of this song are "totally ambiguous." 
Unlike the album's other electric guitar showcase, No More never made its way into Crazy Horse setlists and unfathomably has not been played in concert since 1989. Neil has revived some long-dormant favorites in his shows with Promise of the Real; here's another one they should dig up if they ever tour together again.

Studio version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_d2Cc4eFf_U&feature=youtu.be 

Alternate version whose origin is unclear; the uploader thinks it might be the SNL version with overdubs. Notable differences include the addition of backing vocals and a fadeout before the ending instrumental passage really gets going: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAiwQwyxmBU

SNL version with no video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkewfiAKtZw

SNL appearance with video, with The Needle and the Damage Done. The backing band was a one-off: Poncho and two members of Keith Richards' X-Pensive Winos, Steve Jordan and Charlie Drayton. This is labeled as "rehearsal," which makes sense because it's sloppier than the no-video version: https://youtu.be/xiey2l4mLBc

Live version with The Lost Dogs (formerly The Restless, consisting of Poncho and three members of the Bluenotes: Ben Keith, Rick Rosas and Chad Cromwell) from 1989: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_yCOKa2BKI 

Live solo acoustic version from 1989: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PzQuKXwOaA

 
13. Don't Let It Bring You Down (After the Gold Rush, 1970)
Why is this the highest-ranked of the many incredible acoustic songs on After the Gold Rush? Personal history. An amazing live version appears on Four Way Street, which my parents had and which I heard as a young child. I didn't become familiar with much of the rest of the album until my teen years.
One could debate for hours what all the images in the song are supposed to mean, but to me the bottom line is, there's a lot of crazy stuff going on in the world, you can't let it get to you. And this year, we need that message more than ever.

Studio version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVy1h2FcRiM

Four Way Street version (Neil's intro is hilarious): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9t27f9g2EyI

Live at Massey Hall 1971 version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRhNdP6zsAY 

Live at the Cellar Door version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fO_cUSpCdFQ 

Live BBC TV broadcast from 1971: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0LN19bZHec

VH1 Center Stage version from 1992: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SR2HtxYs9J4 

Live version from 1999: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MicGtEEQBD0 

Live version from 2001: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97ADr-a-g08 

Live version from Farm Aid 2004: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CV6h1XbZfcI 

Live version from 2008: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMQyWOTOCvk 

Live version with Guns 'N Roses from Bridge School Benefit 2012: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2R_lrF7RYGg 

Live version with Promise of the Real in 2019: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdmJ4MUbkes 

Annie Lennox cover (used in American Beauty): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwKTZ5ErH8U

Guns 'N Roses cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nByD2aJU40 

Jackson Browne cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMPnXfysgOM 

Seal cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vO6qqsftIPU 

Chris Cornell (Soundgarden, Audioslave) cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEw7Wl23WPc 

Last Exit (Sting's pre-Police band) cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z28pR1_3NIs 

Cowboy Junkies cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTjti9W85zM 

Victoria Williams cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdNgwloIk6s 

The Hold Steady cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAQfMDXXG30 

Jason Isbell cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNTA6layh3w 

David Clayton-Thomas (Blood, Sweat and Tears) cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DP_6qcrevqo 

Manfred Mann's Earth Band cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChKSmiVl_FA 

Wolfmother cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5EvHlaXjqVw 

Sean Nelson (Harvey Danger) cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BsKCLxnUu4 

Tears of Silver (members of The Posies and Mercury Rev) cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7BkoipISrg 

Alexa Ray Joel (daughter of Billy Joel and Christie Brinkley) cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I22JXmkGp14 

Hookfoot (early band of session musicians Caleb Quaye and Roger Pope) cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dpl5SDHYrJs 

Sarah Fimm cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_oweHNsqWE 

Everything Everything cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mswHzlcVnA 

Barr Brothers cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obZCNbZS8rU 

The Small Glories cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7maeaK-wQyg 

Ida Sand cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7eG6ae4c8g8 

Q and Not U cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yE2BqM177Y 

To close it out, we have, respectively, a drone version with sitar, a jazz version, an angst-metal version and a sludge-metal version. 

Alexander Wolfe cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vs1sTSOdYfI 

Brad Mehldau instrumental cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycW3883Q5ek 

Kellermensch cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJkeXuxN-Dc 

Nightstick cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mm7mebJ3zg 

 
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Pip's Invitation said:
14. No More (Freedom, 1989)
People's lives being ravaged by drug addiction was a theme of Neil's work in the '70s, and he wrote some more songs about it in the late '80s, of which this is the most compelling. The narrator is in recovery and is addressing someone still in the throes of addiction:

I feel the way you feel
Cause not so long ago
It had a hold on me
I couldn't let it go
It wouldn't set me free
It couldn't set me free

&

The rest of the song addresses the desperation addicts feel when they have trouble reaching the high that got them hooked and end up scrambling to get any fix, no matter how bunk or temporary.
This song is significant for me because it was the second new song Neil performed on his amazing SNL appearance in 1989 shortly before Freedom was released, which kick-started his renaissance. Appropriately paired with The Needle and the Damage Done, the performance on this night was jaw-dropping. The full (and very long) story of my reaction to that night will be told in the entry for the other new song he played.
Once I obtained the Freedom record, this quickly became one of my favorites (it was the second single from the album and received regular airplay on FM radio at the time). It seemed like the blank space between Wrecking Ball and this went on forever, and I would get anxious waiting for it. Recorded with the Bluenotes' Chad Cromwell and Rick Rosas and Crazy Horse's Frank "Poncho" Sampedro, the Freedom version is driven by a brisk acoustic guitar line from Poncho and punctuated with passionate electric solos from Neil. The final instrumental passage is a stunner, with Neil's swirling squalls conveying the descent into desperation described in the lyrics. Neil being Neil, he has said the lyrics of this song are "totally ambiguous." 
Unlike the album's other electric guitar showcase, No More never made its way into Crazy Horse setlists and unfathomably has not been played in concert since 1989. Neil has revived some long-dormant favorites in his shows with Promise of the Real; here's another one they should dig up if they ever tour together again.
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Great description here, and of course I appreciate the bold ampersand, too.  :lol:  

 
krista4 said:
Great description here, and of course I appreciate the bold ampersand, too.  :lol:  
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Thanks. Most people likely don't have this one quite this high, but it's always been a big one for me because of how I reacted to it when it was new, and it's held up well. 

I don't know why it's not in the pantheon of Neil's best "renaissance" material. Because there was no tour for Freedom (Neil toured in 1989 before its release but not after)? Because it never returned to the live rotation after 1989? Because the best jams on Ragged Glory, released just 1 year later, stole its thunder? I was shocked that there were no covers on YouTube by any artists I'd heard of, and not even very many by Neil tribute bands. 

 
Pip's Invitation said:
Thanks. Most people likely don't have this one quite this high, but it's always been a big one for me because of how I reacted to it when it was new, and it's held up well. 

I don't know why it's not in the pantheon of Neil's best "renaissance" material. Because there was no tour for Freedom (Neil toured in 1989 before its release but not after)? Because it never returned to the live rotation after 1989? Because the best jams on Ragged Glory, released just 1 year later, stole its thunder? I was shocked that there were no covers on YouTube by any artists I'd heard of, and not even very many by Neil tribute bands. 
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There are some that I'm befuddled by with the Beatles solo careers, too.  I do think that whether they play them live can end up having a big effect.

 
It occurred to me that the second verse of No More could also be referring to Neil's songwriting doldrums of the '80s:

Seemed like the easy thing
To let it go for one more day
Like singin' the same old song
And twistin' the words
In a different way
Where did the magic go
I searched high and low
I can't find it no more
I can't get it back
I can't find it no more
I can't find it no more
No more, no more, no more, no more.

&

 
Tomorrow, we'll get a song that is probably also in a lot of people's top 5 (morning post), and the final song that people might be surprised is as high as it is (evening post). All of my actual top 10 are probably in most people's 25-songs-that-would-be-their-top-10. 

 
Live version from the 1999 solo tour added to the On the Way Home entry. Most shows from this tour, the first I followed in "real time" on the internet, opened with Tell Me Why, but if he opened with On the Way Home, it usually meant he had some tricks up his sleeve that night. I couldn't find a version from this tour when I posted the entry, but one was just posted yesterday. 

On this night (3/20/99 in Oakland) he did have a big trick up his sleeve, as he debuted Kansas, a song written for Homegrown whose existence most fans were not aware of. More on that in the 102-204 list. 

 
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Pip's Invitation said:
Live version from the 1999 solo tour added to the On the Way Home entry. Most shows from this tour, the first I followed in "real time" on the internet, opened with Tell Me Why, but if he opened with On the Way Home, it usually meant he had some tricks up his sleeve that night. I couldn't find a version from this tour when I posted the entry, but one was just posted yesterday. 
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Did he have a tour planned before COVID?  Any chances for you to see him again soon, COVID-willing?

 
krista4 said:
Did he have a tour planned before COVID?  Any chances for you to see him again soon, COVID-willing?
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I found an article from February that stated he did not plan to tour in 2020 because he wanted to focus on preparing more archival releases. (We got one already and three more were announced, including the second big box set from the Archives project.) This is fair, as he toured pretty steadily in the 2010s, particularly since 2015. 

As much as I hate to say it, I am not chancing concerts until there is a vaccine or a nearly-foolproof treatment. I have some risk factors associated with bad outcomes if you get COVID and so does my wife. If Neil tours after that happens, I will try to see him if he comes within a reasonable distance of Philly, because who knows how many more chances we might get for that. He's turning 75 this year. 

 
Pip's Invitation said:
13. Don't Let It Bring You Down (After the Gold Rush, 1970).

An amazing live version appears on Four Way Street, which my parents had and which I heard as a young child. I didn't become familiar with much of the rest of the album until my teen years.
 
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"Here's a song that's guaranteed to bring you right down. It's called 'Don't Let it Bring You Down'"....

 
12. Old Man (Harvest, 1972)
This is my favorite song on Neil's most popular album and always has been. It's perfectly constructed in every way, and performed expertly by the Stray Gators with harmonies from Linda Ronstadt and James Taylor (who also played banjo). It's about how we all share many needs regardless of age:

Old man take a look at my life, I'm a lot like you
I need someone to love me the whole day through
Ah, one look in my eyes and you can tell that's true.
&

Neil's vocal brims with emotion and is one of his finest singing performances.
Neil wrote this in 1970 for Louis Avila, the caretaker of his ranch that he had recently purchased. Neil told the story in the Heart of Gold documentary: "Louis took me for a ride in this blue Jeep. He gets me up there on the top side of the place, and there's this lake up there that fed all the pastures, and he says, "Well, tell me, how does a young man like yourself have enough money to buy a place like this?" And I said, "Well, just lucky, Louis, just real lucky." And he said, "Well, that's the darnedest thing I ever heard." And I wrote this song for him."  

Studio version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAtDrFdomN4

Live at Massey Hall 1971 version (with Neil complaining about the photographers): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQE7J3CH1qw
 
Live at the Cellar Door version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0WHHJZAg9Y
  
Tuscaloosa version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHN03JqWCQM  

Heart of Gold concert film version from 2006 (in which he tells the Louis Avila anecdote): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRp6ZKGRBb8
   
Live BBC TV broadcast from 1971 (followed by Heart of Gold): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ycit4OwYPNg
 
Live version from 1983: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8urmPA6j5mA
  
Live version from Austin City Limits in 1985 with the International Harvesters: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFrWlinTA6E
  
Live version from Farm Aid 1998 (followed by Heart of Gold): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBFGkUmVkAs
  
Live version from Bridge School Benefit 1999:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6TSy4M8tcs
  
Live version from 2008: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5D6iHel5Ec
  
Live version from 2010: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEpZGHBMDrU
  
Live version from Farm Aid 2013: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ra-BES2h2Uc
   
Live version from 2014: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkqfG6NLYCo
 
Live version from my 2015 show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySN8KfOwhYQ
 
Live version with Promise of the Real from 2019: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88eLF8QQ5ko  

Bob Dylan cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_HWsP7EeL4  

Lady Gaga cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gh6pDW5Aysk
  
Ryan Adams / Norah Jones cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yfEP5JvrLE
  
Puddle of Mudd cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4C_oAjeE5Bo   

Wilson Phillips cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gaeBQUV0ww  

Redlight King cover (with extended sample from Neil's version; he rarely gives such permission but did here): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGt54Ozo8LQ

Leif Garrett cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0kfWBGJ5OQ
 
Michael Hedges cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABytZCF-SDA
  
City and Colour cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVbzi2P0Yak
 
Lizz Wright cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpC5RiJoZE0
  
James McCartney (son of Paul and Linda) cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-r6vXLbpX5A
  
N'Dea Davenport cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwm4j7YBhMw
   
Whitehorse cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYeB1uG8xCs
  
Blitzen Trapper cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYNPCCTo7Xk
  
The Wailin' Jennys cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QbB8YaiDGU
  
The Sheepdogs cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gyOYf7_wns
 
Brad Mehldau instrumental cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=llb8w5VUjh8 

In case you were wondering, YouTube does not have a full version of Neil Young's version of this song with "Neil Young" (Jimmy Fallon). 

 
Pip's Invitation said:
12. Old Man (Harvest, 1972)

Live at Massey Hall 1971 version (with Neil complaining about the photographers): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQE7J3CH1qw
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This is the version I always point people to to somewhat "get" Neil. He's all by himself, he needs things to be his way, and he really brings it vocally (put some headphones on and crank it - wow!) Even though it's a lonely acoustic number, you can feel the Crazy Horse Neil in there too.

 
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jwb said:
This is the version I always point people to to somewhat "get" Neil. He's all by himself, he needs things to be his way, and he really brings it vocally (put some headphones on and crank it - wow!) Even though it's a lonely acoustic number, you can feel the Crazy Horse Neil in there too.
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The pedal steel is my favorite part of the song. Perfectly subtle.

 
11. F*!#in' Up (Ragged Glory, 1990)
This song slaps you in the brain. A monstrous, crunching riff guides the crowning achievement from Crazy Horse's comeback album, appropriately set to lyrics of anguish and frustration. It musters the kind of energy and power that most younger bands of the time couldn't touch, especially when everything kicks up a notch starting at 3:40. I was obsessed with this song in college and played it at a loud volume constantly.    

NSFW language in all clips, obviously. 

Studio version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKaDCP-wKr8

Weld version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SS3PrUoFb5M 

Live acoustic version from 1992 ("It's a lot like Sugar Mountain, but it's not Sugar Mountain"; "It's Bill Clinton's campaign song!"): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWSVCYbdymU This one is from the same tour in Philly (woot!): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SiWJ1y2HVB8 

Live version from 1995 with Crazy Horse and Pearl Jam at his own Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony (It was VERY Neil for his two selections at this reverent occasion to be a new song (Act of Love) and his most profane song): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TD83A0SGkFU 

Live version from 1996 with Crazy Horse: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1eFC9P6z358 

Live version from 2002 with Poncho and the MGs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVZUF4VTOEI 

Live version from 2012 with Crazy Horse (unusual intro, in Philly (woot!)): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzH-txWoHLc 

Live version from 2013 with Crazy Horse (15 minutes): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95i8zGdB8dM 

Live version from Farm Aid (!) 2017 with Promise of the Real: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=klc8nM12Ots 

Live version from 2018 with Promise of the Real: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTbVp7n7g24 

Live version from 2018 with Crazy Horse: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I02FutfmdMU 

Pearl Jam cover, performed in Philly (woot!): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7EZmEJHeqo 

Pearl Jam acoustic cover from Bridge School Benefit 2014: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-SjP3qXzlI 

Bush cover from Woodstock '99: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxs59U61rFw 

Constantines cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkpi-TBHiTA 

Screaming Females / Wild Rice cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxXEHlTpfS8 

 
As we head into the top 10, here is where my list stands against Rolling Stone's. Six of my top 10 are also in their top 10, but no songs hold the same spot on both lists.

101. Lookout Joe (RS unranked)
100. Ramada Inn (RS #47)
99. Look Out for My Love (RS #55)
98. Get Back to the Country (RS unranked)
97. Homefires (RS unranked)
96. This Old Guitar (RS unranked)
95. Slip Away (RS #86)
94. This Note's for You (RS #42)
93. Mansion on the Hill (RS unranked)
92. Grey Riders (RS unranked)
91. Motion Pictures (for Carrie) (RS unranked)
90. Downtown (RS unranked)
89. White Line (RS unranked)
88. Ride My Llama (RS unranked)
87. Windward Passage (RS unranked)
86. Albuquerque (RS #39)
85. Everybody's Alone (RS unranked)
84. I've Been Waiting for You (RS unranked)
83. Winterlong (RS #45)
82. Sail Away (RS unranked)
81. Vacancy (RS unranked)
80. When You Dance I Can Really Love (RS #83)
79. Lotta Love (RS unranked)
78. I Believe in You (RS unranked)
77. Through My Sails (RS unranked)
76. LA (RS #74)
75. Goin' Back (RS unranked)
74. Crime in the City (Sixty to Zero) (RS #82)
73. From Hank to Hendrix (RS #20)
72. Drive Back (RS #76)
71. World on a String (RS #65)
70. Sea of Madness (RS unranked)
69. Razor Love (RS #60)
68. On the Way Home (RS #46)
67. Long May You Run (RS #32)
66. Like an Inca (RS unranked)
65. Interstate (RS unranked)
64. Days That Used to Be (RS unranked)
63. New Mama (RS unranked)
62. Wrecking Ball (RS unranked)
61. Shots (RS unranked)
60. Scenery (RS unranked)
59. Live to Ride (RS unranked)
58. Prisoners of Rock 'N' Roll (RS #87)
57. Come on Baby Let's Go Downtown (RS unranked)
56. Too Far Gone (RS #48)
55. Natural Beauty (RS unranked)
54. Unknown Legend (RS unranked)
53. Comes a Time (RS #51)
52. Broken Arrow (RS #23)
51. No Hidden Path (RS unranked)
50. Heart of Gold (RS #2)
49. Roll Another Number (for the Road) (RS #54)
48. Last Dance (RS unranked)
47. Welfare Mothers (RS unranked)
46. Pushed It Over the End (RS #61)
45. Harvest Moon (RS #37)
44. Don't Be Denied (RS #38)
43. Pardon My Heart (RS unranked)
42. Time Fades Away (RS unranked)
41. Change Your Mind (RS #40)
40. Love and Only Love (RS unranked)
39. Don't Cry No Tears (RS #21)
38. Mr. Soul (RS #35)
37. Tell Me Why (RS #75)
36. The Needle and the Damage Done (RS #13)
35. Birds (RS unranked)
34. Silver and Gold (RS #78)
33. Expecting to Fly (RS #15)
32. Sedan Delivery (RS #30)
31. Love to Burn (RS #91)
30. Words (Between the Lines of Age) (RS #64)
29. Walk On (RS unranked)
28. Ordinary People (RS #78)
27. War of Man (RS unranked)
26. Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere (RS #72)
25. The Loner (RS #41)
24. Ambulance Blues (RS #33)
23. Danger Bird (RS #24)
22. Only Love Can Break Your Heart (RS #26)
21. Cinnamon Girl (RS #7)
20. Thrasher (RS #56)
19. Pocahontas (RS #25)
18. On the Beach (RS #43)
17. Like a Hurricane (RS #10)
16. After the Gold Rush (RS #8)
15. Revolution Blues (RS #29)
14. No More (RS unranked)
13. Don't Let It Bring You Down (RS #34)
12. Old Man (RS #11)
11. F*!#in' Up (RS #36)

 
I found a 10-minute version of song #10 that has horns on it. And it's not a Bluenotes song/performance. YouTube is a hell of a thing. 

 
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