Pip's Invitation
Footballguy
I have been a Neil Young fanatic almost since birth -- CSNY and Neil were among the few non-classical artists whose albums my parents owned, and things steamrolled from there, greatly helped by my college years coinciding with his late 80s/early 90s renaissance.
In May, while I was bored during lockdown, I made a list of my top 100 Neil songs. It's now a top 101 because a few weeks after I made the list, Neil put out an archival release with a song I hadn't heard before that would have been in the top 100 if I'd known about it at the time.
I have been posting one a day on Facebook and on another site where I did a Neil song draft in 2011. @krista4 and @Man of Constant Sorrow encouraged me to post it here as well, so I will. I hit the halfway mark today, so if I average two per day here, I'll be done everywhere at the same time.
This is not an exhaustive effort like krista's Beatles project. I went back to the Neil song draft I did in 2011 and used that as a rough guide -- what did I pick and when, how did I value other people's picks, what I would have taken had the draft kept going (at the time the draft finished, I posted the songs that hadn't been taken but were still on my board). I'd already heard all those songs a bajillion times, even the rare ones, so I didn't do a massive re-listen. I didn't factor in Neil's post-2011 stuff much because frankly most of it hasn't been very good. I excluded covers but included songs he co-wrote with others.
Since I'm not an expert on the technical/production side of music, I don't really go into that at all (and most of Neil's stuff is pretty simple, so there isn't as much to say there). In some entries I go into recording and performance history because I geek out about stuff like that, and sometimes I mention if I witnessed a live performance of a song that really made an impact. Counting CSNY I've seen Neil 13 times. Setlists and mini-reviews of the shows I've seen can be found here.
I should probably say something about where I got the anecdotes about writing/recording history, Neil's attitude toward things at a given time, etc. Some of them you won't see corroborated online. I have read various books and articles about Neil over the years, and corresponded with a number of people who are even more die-hard about Neil than I am. A lot of this stuff comes from that. Here's a list of what material has been burned into my brain; the first two sources should be considered the most definitive.
Waging Heavy Peace: A Hippie Dream by Neil Young (Neil's autobiography)
Shakey: Neil Young's Biography by Jimmy McDonough (the only biography that Neil has ever cooperated with, though he disavowed some of it later on, which is standard for him whenever a major interview of his comes out)
A Dreamer of Pictures: Neil Young -- The Man and His Music by David Downing
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young: The Visual Documentary by Johnny Rogan
Neil Young: The Visual Documentary by John Robertson
Numerous Rolling Stone articles and interviews, most memorably "The Ego Meets the Dove," an account of the 1974 CSNY reunion tour by Ben Fong-Torres. A lot of these are collected in Neil Young - The Rolling Stone Files: The Ultimate Compendium of Interviews, Articles, Facts, and Opinions from the Files of "Rolling Stone"
The Rust List, an e-mail list for fans of Neil Young. I was active on it from 1998 to 2005-ish. It's not very active anymore, I presume Reddit killed it.
Live performance history comes from sugarmtn.org, some of which is based on a book called Ghosts on the Road (which I have not read).
For each entry in the top 101, I've linked the officially released version (if there is one) and at least one live version (if there is one.) As I got further in the countdown, I started putting more links per entry, of different Neil versions across eras and whatever covers by artists I'd heard of that I could find. It got ridiculous toward the end. I don't expect you to view all the links! They're there 1) because of my OCD and 2) to give you more options as to finding a take that might be up your alley.
So, here we go. Hoping some of you chime in, even if you massively disagree.
The list:
101. Lookout Joe (Tonight's the Night, 1975; written in 1972-ish; first performed in 1973)
100. Ramada Inn (Psychedelic Pill, 2012)
99. Look Out for My Love (Comes a Time, 1978)
98. Get Back to the Country (Old Ways, 1985)
97. Homefires (unreleased; written and first performed in 1974)
96. This Old Guitar (Prairie Wind, 2005)
95. Slip Away (Broken Arrow, 1996)
94. This Note's for You (This Note's for You, 1988)
93. Mansion on the Hill (Ragged Glory, 1990)
92. Grey Riders (A Treasure, 2011; written and first performed in 1985)
91. Motion Pictures (for Carrie) (On the Beach, 1974)
90. Downtown (Mirror Ball, 1995)
89. White Line (Ragged Glory, 1990; written in 1974; first performed in 1975)
88. Ride My Llama (Rust Never Sleeps, 1979; written in 1975; first performed in 1978)
87. Windward Passage (unreleased; written and performed in 1977)
86. Albuquerque (Tonight's the Night, 1975; written and first performed in 1973)
85. Everybody's Alone (Archives Vol. 1, 2009; written and first performed in 1969)
84. I've Been Waiting for You (Neil Young, 1969)
83. Winterlong (Decade, 1977; written in 1969; first performed in 1970)
82. Sail Away (Rust Never Sleeps, 1979; written in the mid-70s; first performed in 1977)
81. Vacancy (Homegrown, 2020; written in 1974)
80. When You Dance I Can Really Love (After the Gold Rush, 1970)
79. Lotta Love (Comes a Time, 1978; written and first performed in 1976)
78. I Believe in You (After the Gold Rush, 1970)
77. Through My Sails (Zuma, 1975; written in 1973)
76. LA (Time Fades Away, 1973; written in 1968-ish)
75. Goin' Back (Comes a Time, 1978)
74. Crime in the City (Sixty to Zero) (Freedom, 1989)
73. From Hank to Hendrix (Harvest Moon, 1992)
72. Drive Back (Zuma, 1975)
71. World on a String (Tonight's the Night, 1975; written in 1973)
70. Sea of Madness (Woodstock soundtrack, 1970; with CSNY)
69. Razor Love (Silver and Gold, 2000; written and first performed in 1984)
68. On the Way Home (Buffalo Springfield's Last Time Around, 1968)
67. Long May You Run (Stills-Young Band's Long May You Run, 1976; written and first performed in 1974)
66. Like an Inca (Trans, 1982)
65. Interstate (Broken Arrow vinyl version, 1996; written and first performed in 1985)
64. Days That Used to Be (Ragged Glory, 1990; written and first performed in 1988)
63. New Mama (Tonight's the Night, 1975; written in 1972 or 1973; first performed in 1973)
62. Wrecking Ball (Freedom, 1989)
61. Shots (Re*ac*tor, 1981; written and first performed in 1978)
60. Scenery (Mirror Ball, 1995)
59. Live to Ride (unreleased; written and performed in 1993)
58. Prisoners of Rock 'N Roll (Life, 1987)
57. Come on Baby Let's Go Downtown (Tonight's the Night, 1975; written in 1969-ish; first performed in 1970)
56. Too Far Gone (Freedom, 1989; written and first performed in 1976)
55. Natural Beauty (Harvest Moon, 1992)
54. Unknown Legend (Harvest Moon, 1992)
53. Comes a Time (Comes a Time, 1978)
52. Broken Arrow (Buffalo Springfield Again, 1967)
51. No Hidden Path (Chrome Dreams II, 2007)
50. Heart of Gold (Harvest, 1972)
49. Roll Another Number (for the Road) (Tonight's the Night, 1975; written and first performed in 1973)
48. Last Dance (Time Fades Away, 1973)
47. Welfare Mothers (Rust Never Sleeps, 1979)
46. Pushed It Over the End (CSNY 1974, 2014; written and performed in 1974)
45. Harvest Moon (Harvest Moon, 1992)
44. Don't Be Denied (Time Fades Away, 1973)
43. Pardon My Heart (Zuma, 1975)
42. Time Fades Away (Time Fades Away, 1973)
41. Change Your Mind (Sleeps with Angels, 1994)
40. Love and Only Love (Ragged Glory, 1990)
39. Don't Cry No Tears (Zuma, 1975; based on a song written in 1964)
38. Mr. Soul (Buffalo Springfield Again, 1967)
37. Tell Me Why (After the Gold Rush, 1970)
36. The Needle and the Damage Done (Harvest, 1972)
35. Birds (After the Gold Rush, 1970)
34. Silver and Gold (Silver and Gold, 2000; written in 1981; first performed in 1984)
33. Expecting to Fly (Buffalo Springfield Again, 1967)
32. Sedan Delivery (Rust Never Sleeps, 1979; written in 1976-ish; first performed in 1978)
31. Love to Burn (Ragged Glory, 1990)
30. Words (Between the Lines of Age) (Harvest, 1972)
29. Walk On (On the Beach, 1974)
28. Ordinary People (Chrome Dreams II, 2007; written and first performed in 1988)
27. War of Man (Harvest Moon, 1992)
26. Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere (Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, 1969)
25. The Loner (Neil Young, 1969)
24. Ambulance Blues (On the Beach, 1974)
23. Danger Bird (Zuma, 1975)
22. Only Love Can Break Your Heart (After the Gold Rush, 1970)
21. Cinnamon Girl (Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, 1969)
20. Thrasher (Rust Never Sleeps, 1979)
19. Pocahontas (Rust Never Sleeps, 1979; written in 1975-ish; first performed in 1976)
18. On the Beach (On the Beach, 1974)
17. Like a Hurricane (American Stars 'N Bars, 1977; written and first performed in 1975)
16. After the Gold Rush (After the Gold Rush, 1970)
15. Revolution Blues (On the Beach, 1974)
14. No More (Freedom, 1989)
13. Don't Let It Bring You Down (After the Gold Rush, 1970)
12. Old Man (Harvest, 1972)
11. F*!#in' Up (Ragged Glory, 1990)
10. Southern Man (After the Gold Rush, 1970)
9. Cowgirl in the Sand (Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, 1969)
8. Tonight's the Night (Tonight's the Night, 1975; written and first performed in 1973)
7. Powderfinger (Rust Never Sleeps, 1979; written in 1968 as "Big Waves")
6. Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black) / My My, Hey Hey (Out of the Blue) (Rust Never Sleeps, 1979)
5. Helpless (CSNY's Deja Vu, 1970)
4. Ohio (CSNY non-album single, 1970)
3. Down by the River (Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, 1969)
2. Rockin' in the Free World (Freedom, 1989)
1. Cortez the Killer (Zuma, 1975)
After I started posting this, I wrote up my rankings for 102-204 since 204 is a thing here: The 102-204 list
Spotify playlist of the list (minus a few rare songs that aren't available) created by @cap'n grunge: Uncle Neil
Links to the tangents that appeared at various points during this thread:
Why Neil?
My Process Vs. Krista4's
Recipe for Disaster: The Geffen Years
The Members of Crazy Horse 1975-2018
Setlists and Mini-Reviews of My 13 Neil Concerts
Alabama, the Real Source of Inspiration for Sweet Home Alabama
Pegi Young Part 1 Part 2
More Barn
Where my top 101 ranked vs. Rolling Stone's top 100
My top 101 broken down by album
Songs in Rolling Stone's 100 that did not make my 101, writeups of those that did not make my 204
My top 204 broken down by album
Carnival: Neil's Weirdest Song? Courtesy of jwb
Results of the Neil song draft I did in 2011
Notable Covers Neil Has Performed
More Filth: Other Notable Neil Performances
Songs taken in the Neil draft that weren't discussed elsewhere
In May, while I was bored during lockdown, I made a list of my top 100 Neil songs. It's now a top 101 because a few weeks after I made the list, Neil put out an archival release with a song I hadn't heard before that would have been in the top 100 if I'd known about it at the time.
I have been posting one a day on Facebook and on another site where I did a Neil song draft in 2011. @krista4 and @Man of Constant Sorrow encouraged me to post it here as well, so I will. I hit the halfway mark today, so if I average two per day here, I'll be done everywhere at the same time.
This is not an exhaustive effort like krista's Beatles project. I went back to the Neil song draft I did in 2011 and used that as a rough guide -- what did I pick and when, how did I value other people's picks, what I would have taken had the draft kept going (at the time the draft finished, I posted the songs that hadn't been taken but were still on my board). I'd already heard all those songs a bajillion times, even the rare ones, so I didn't do a massive re-listen. I didn't factor in Neil's post-2011 stuff much because frankly most of it hasn't been very good. I excluded covers but included songs he co-wrote with others.
Since I'm not an expert on the technical/production side of music, I don't really go into that at all (and most of Neil's stuff is pretty simple, so there isn't as much to say there). In some entries I go into recording and performance history because I geek out about stuff like that, and sometimes I mention if I witnessed a live performance of a song that really made an impact. Counting CSNY I've seen Neil 13 times. Setlists and mini-reviews of the shows I've seen can be found here.
I should probably say something about where I got the anecdotes about writing/recording history, Neil's attitude toward things at a given time, etc. Some of them you won't see corroborated online. I have read various books and articles about Neil over the years, and corresponded with a number of people who are even more die-hard about Neil than I am. A lot of this stuff comes from that. Here's a list of what material has been burned into my brain; the first two sources should be considered the most definitive.
Waging Heavy Peace: A Hippie Dream by Neil Young (Neil's autobiography)
Shakey: Neil Young's Biography by Jimmy McDonough (the only biography that Neil has ever cooperated with, though he disavowed some of it later on, which is standard for him whenever a major interview of his comes out)
A Dreamer of Pictures: Neil Young -- The Man and His Music by David Downing
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young: The Visual Documentary by Johnny Rogan
Neil Young: The Visual Documentary by John Robertson
Numerous Rolling Stone articles and interviews, most memorably "The Ego Meets the Dove," an account of the 1974 CSNY reunion tour by Ben Fong-Torres. A lot of these are collected in Neil Young - The Rolling Stone Files: The Ultimate Compendium of Interviews, Articles, Facts, and Opinions from the Files of "Rolling Stone"
The Rust List, an e-mail list for fans of Neil Young. I was active on it from 1998 to 2005-ish. It's not very active anymore, I presume Reddit killed it.
Live performance history comes from sugarmtn.org, some of which is based on a book called Ghosts on the Road (which I have not read).
For each entry in the top 101, I've linked the officially released version (if there is one) and at least one live version (if there is one.) As I got further in the countdown, I started putting more links per entry, of different Neil versions across eras and whatever covers by artists I'd heard of that I could find. It got ridiculous toward the end. I don't expect you to view all the links! They're there 1) because of my OCD and 2) to give you more options as to finding a take that might be up your alley.
So, here we go. Hoping some of you chime in, even if you massively disagree.
The list:
101. Lookout Joe (Tonight's the Night, 1975; written in 1972-ish; first performed in 1973)
100. Ramada Inn (Psychedelic Pill, 2012)
99. Look Out for My Love (Comes a Time, 1978)
98. Get Back to the Country (Old Ways, 1985)
97. Homefires (unreleased; written and first performed in 1974)
96. This Old Guitar (Prairie Wind, 2005)
95. Slip Away (Broken Arrow, 1996)
94. This Note's for You (This Note's for You, 1988)
93. Mansion on the Hill (Ragged Glory, 1990)
92. Grey Riders (A Treasure, 2011; written and first performed in 1985)
91. Motion Pictures (for Carrie) (On the Beach, 1974)
90. Downtown (Mirror Ball, 1995)
89. White Line (Ragged Glory, 1990; written in 1974; first performed in 1975)
88. Ride My Llama (Rust Never Sleeps, 1979; written in 1975; first performed in 1978)
87. Windward Passage (unreleased; written and performed in 1977)
86. Albuquerque (Tonight's the Night, 1975; written and first performed in 1973)
85. Everybody's Alone (Archives Vol. 1, 2009; written and first performed in 1969)
84. I've Been Waiting for You (Neil Young, 1969)
83. Winterlong (Decade, 1977; written in 1969; first performed in 1970)
82. Sail Away (Rust Never Sleeps, 1979; written in the mid-70s; first performed in 1977)
81. Vacancy (Homegrown, 2020; written in 1974)
80. When You Dance I Can Really Love (After the Gold Rush, 1970)
79. Lotta Love (Comes a Time, 1978; written and first performed in 1976)
78. I Believe in You (After the Gold Rush, 1970)
77. Through My Sails (Zuma, 1975; written in 1973)
76. LA (Time Fades Away, 1973; written in 1968-ish)
75. Goin' Back (Comes a Time, 1978)
74. Crime in the City (Sixty to Zero) (Freedom, 1989)
73. From Hank to Hendrix (Harvest Moon, 1992)
72. Drive Back (Zuma, 1975)
71. World on a String (Tonight's the Night, 1975; written in 1973)
70. Sea of Madness (Woodstock soundtrack, 1970; with CSNY)
69. Razor Love (Silver and Gold, 2000; written and first performed in 1984)
68. On the Way Home (Buffalo Springfield's Last Time Around, 1968)
67. Long May You Run (Stills-Young Band's Long May You Run, 1976; written and first performed in 1974)
66. Like an Inca (Trans, 1982)
65. Interstate (Broken Arrow vinyl version, 1996; written and first performed in 1985)
64. Days That Used to Be (Ragged Glory, 1990; written and first performed in 1988)
63. New Mama (Tonight's the Night, 1975; written in 1972 or 1973; first performed in 1973)
62. Wrecking Ball (Freedom, 1989)
61. Shots (Re*ac*tor, 1981; written and first performed in 1978)
60. Scenery (Mirror Ball, 1995)
59. Live to Ride (unreleased; written and performed in 1993)
58. Prisoners of Rock 'N Roll (Life, 1987)
57. Come on Baby Let's Go Downtown (Tonight's the Night, 1975; written in 1969-ish; first performed in 1970)
56. Too Far Gone (Freedom, 1989; written and first performed in 1976)
55. Natural Beauty (Harvest Moon, 1992)
54. Unknown Legend (Harvest Moon, 1992)
53. Comes a Time (Comes a Time, 1978)
52. Broken Arrow (Buffalo Springfield Again, 1967)
51. No Hidden Path (Chrome Dreams II, 2007)
50. Heart of Gold (Harvest, 1972)
49. Roll Another Number (for the Road) (Tonight's the Night, 1975; written and first performed in 1973)
48. Last Dance (Time Fades Away, 1973)
47. Welfare Mothers (Rust Never Sleeps, 1979)
46. Pushed It Over the End (CSNY 1974, 2014; written and performed in 1974)
45. Harvest Moon (Harvest Moon, 1992)
44. Don't Be Denied (Time Fades Away, 1973)
43. Pardon My Heart (Zuma, 1975)
42. Time Fades Away (Time Fades Away, 1973)
41. Change Your Mind (Sleeps with Angels, 1994)
40. Love and Only Love (Ragged Glory, 1990)
39. Don't Cry No Tears (Zuma, 1975; based on a song written in 1964)
38. Mr. Soul (Buffalo Springfield Again, 1967)
37. Tell Me Why (After the Gold Rush, 1970)
36. The Needle and the Damage Done (Harvest, 1972)
35. Birds (After the Gold Rush, 1970)
34. Silver and Gold (Silver and Gold, 2000; written in 1981; first performed in 1984)
33. Expecting to Fly (Buffalo Springfield Again, 1967)
32. Sedan Delivery (Rust Never Sleeps, 1979; written in 1976-ish; first performed in 1978)
31. Love to Burn (Ragged Glory, 1990)
30. Words (Between the Lines of Age) (Harvest, 1972)
29. Walk On (On the Beach, 1974)
28. Ordinary People (Chrome Dreams II, 2007; written and first performed in 1988)
27. War of Man (Harvest Moon, 1992)
26. Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere (Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, 1969)
25. The Loner (Neil Young, 1969)
24. Ambulance Blues (On the Beach, 1974)
23. Danger Bird (Zuma, 1975)
22. Only Love Can Break Your Heart (After the Gold Rush, 1970)
21. Cinnamon Girl (Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, 1969)
20. Thrasher (Rust Never Sleeps, 1979)
19. Pocahontas (Rust Never Sleeps, 1979; written in 1975-ish; first performed in 1976)
18. On the Beach (On the Beach, 1974)
17. Like a Hurricane (American Stars 'N Bars, 1977; written and first performed in 1975)
16. After the Gold Rush (After the Gold Rush, 1970)
15. Revolution Blues (On the Beach, 1974)
14. No More (Freedom, 1989)
13. Don't Let It Bring You Down (After the Gold Rush, 1970)
12. Old Man (Harvest, 1972)
11. F*!#in' Up (Ragged Glory, 1990)
10. Southern Man (After the Gold Rush, 1970)
9. Cowgirl in the Sand (Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, 1969)
8. Tonight's the Night (Tonight's the Night, 1975; written and first performed in 1973)
7. Powderfinger (Rust Never Sleeps, 1979; written in 1968 as "Big Waves")
6. Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black) / My My, Hey Hey (Out of the Blue) (Rust Never Sleeps, 1979)
5. Helpless (CSNY's Deja Vu, 1970)
4. Ohio (CSNY non-album single, 1970)
3. Down by the River (Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, 1969)
2. Rockin' in the Free World (Freedom, 1989)
1. Cortez the Killer (Zuma, 1975)
After I started posting this, I wrote up my rankings for 102-204 since 204 is a thing here: The 102-204 list
Spotify playlist of the list (minus a few rare songs that aren't available) created by @cap'n grunge: Uncle Neil
Links to the tangents that appeared at various points during this thread:
Why Neil?
My Process Vs. Krista4's
Recipe for Disaster: The Geffen Years
The Members of Crazy Horse 1975-2018
Setlists and Mini-Reviews of My 13 Neil Concerts
Alabama, the Real Source of Inspiration for Sweet Home Alabama
Pegi Young Part 1 Part 2
More Barn
Where my top 101 ranked vs. Rolling Stone's top 100
My top 101 broken down by album
Songs in Rolling Stone's 100 that did not make my 101, writeups of those that did not make my 204
My top 204 broken down by album
Carnival: Neil's Weirdest Song? Courtesy of jwb
Results of the Neil song draft I did in 2011
Notable Covers Neil Has Performed
More Filth: Other Notable Neil Performances
Songs taken in the Neil draft that weren't discussed elsewhere
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