Countdown of my top 101 Neil Young songs. Now with entries 102-204, notable covers and other stuff (5 Viewers)

Btw, "Too Lonely" would have made my top 40.   Just saying.

The Future Champs said:

Btw, "Too Lonely" would have made my top 40.   Just saying.

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There’s a 102-204 list coming in a few days, stay tuned...

@Morton Muffley Nope! 

2. Rockin' in the Free World (Freedom, 1989)
The date was September 30, 1989. I was a freshman in college. After an evening of drinking, I headed to one of the common areas with a TV near my room to catch Saturday Night Live with host Bruce Willis and musical guest Neil Young. I don't even remember if I tuned in because Neil was scheduled to be on; I had his most famous albums in my collection thanks to exposure from my parents and what we now call classic rock radio, but I hadn't paid much attention to his recent work because it seemed weird and, until the This Note's for You video made waves, was dismissed in the media as irrelevant. In the past 7 years, he'd experimented with vocoders, rockabilly, country, synth-driven "modern rock" and blues, often adopting a new persona with each new album, so I had no idea what gimmick he was going to bring this time. 

This time, he was Neil Young. The guy who made all those songs from the '60s and '70s that I fell in love with. Dressed in casual clothes, with Old Black strapped in and a configuration of backing musicians that were only together for this one night (Frank "Poncho" Sampedro from Crazy Horse and Steve Jordan and Charlie Drayton from Keith Richards' X-Pensive Winos). 

The whole Godfather of Grunge rebirth thing? It started on that night, with this song. 

Neil launched into the first notes of this new song and my intoxicated mind was blown. He was back. The guy that created Cinnamon Girl, Down by the River, Cortez the Killer, Like a Hurricane and side 2 of Rust Never Sleeps was back with something that was every bit as good as those songs. Playing with unbelievable power and passion, Neil jumped around the stage like a madman, creating a live-from-a-war-zone feel as the cameras desperately tried to follow him. (I later learned that this was because he had refused to participate in blocking sessions, so the director and camera operators had no idea where he was going to be from second to second. This probably explains why Neil's only subsequent appearances on SNL occurred when he was promoting an acoustic album). The rock was fierce and the song was instantly memorable. "Keep on rockin' in the free world" from the getgo was every bit as much an anthem as "Hey hey, my my, rock and roll will never die." 

Neil's second performance on that show was also amazing (there was more on that in entry #14), and after everything was over, I left literally shaking with excitement. I had to let people know that Neil was back.

As soon as I got back to my dorm room (this was about 1 AM), I felt the need to call a high school buddy to triumphantly announce Neil's renaissance to him. The problem was, I was still intoxicated and the dorm rooms had rotary phones (remember those?) The alcohol prevented me from remembering his number correctly (remember when we had to remember phone numbers?) and from getting my fingers to dial the phone correctly. When I finally connected with him after 2 AM, the call went something like this:

Me: He's back!
Him: What?
Me: Neil is back!
Him: Oh my God! What is wrong with you? Go to bed!

That was the immediate impact Rockin' in the Free World made on me. The reaction from others was less idiotic but equally favorable. FM radio put the song in heavy rotation as soon as it was made available, the Freedom album received rave reviews upon its release soon after the SNL appearance, and the song quickly joined the ranks of Neil's most iconic. A year and a half later when I saw Neil for the first time on the Weld tour, his first national electric tour since the release of Freedom and Ragged Glory, there were high school kids in front of us who had come just to hear this song live. They sat for the whole show but stood up and pumped their fists when Neil closed the regular set with it. It was cemented in the Gen-X pantheon when Neil performed it with Pearl Jam at the 1993 MTV Music Awards. 

Borrowing a device Neil used on Rust Never Sleeps (see entry #6), an acoustic version of Rockin' in the Free World (recorded live at Jones Beach on his summer 1989 solo tour) opens Freedom and the searing studio electric version closes it. This was a sign that Neil considered the song to be every bit as important as his young Gen-X fans did. It has received prominent placement in setlists of almost every electric tour since 1991 and is his only song released after 1979 that is in the top 10 of known live performances. Even CSNY adopted it for the baby boomers; it was the set closer or encore at all three of their shows I saw. 

Despite its status as an anthem, Rockin' in the Free World may be the most misinterpreted rock song this side of Born in the USA. Neil came up with the title as a lark (when informed a tour of the Soviet Union was being cancelled, Sampedro told Neil, "guess we'll have to keep on rockin' in the free world") and fleshed out the lyrics with references to volatile situations around the time, including George H.W. Bush's "thousand points of light" and "kinder, gentler nation" campaign slogans and the ayatollah of Iran's calling the U.S. "the Great Satan." There is indeed an embrace of the free-world spirit that many think the song is about, but there are also chilling references to homelessness, military and police intimidation, drug addiction, reckless consumerism and socioeconomic disadvantages. There's a reason why right-wing politicians often try to use this song and a reason why Neil objects every time.
This song is where it is on my list because it kicked my Neil fanaticism into overdrive. An encounter with #1 took it even higher. 

Studio electric version that closes Freedom: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvxxdZpMFHg

Live acoustic version that opens Freedom: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3q751WgE2RI

Live version from Weld: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hX3MAEX3JSQ

Rehearsal version of the fateful SNL performance from 1989; the actual thing was even more powerful: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHs_f063EzQ

Live version with The Alarm in 1989 (Neil on guitar, Mike Peters on vocals; From what I can tell, The Alarm were the first major act to cover this): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCDfUjxG4KI

Live with Pearl Jam at the MTV Music Awards in 1993: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWRwD886m90 

Live version from the Voters for Choice benefit in 2004 with Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, John Fogerty and Michael Stipe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54Bmq56zI7M 

Live version from Live 8 Canada in 2005 with The All-Star Ensemble: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sosV81uJ0ug

Live version from 2009 with the Electric Band: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFw7q-BLxLA 

Live acoustic version with Crazy Horse and the entire bill from Bridge School Benefit 2012: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KaUoX1rEwVg 

Live version from 2012 with Crazy Horse, Dave Grohl, The Black Keys, N'Naan and Band of Horses: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqX4mcGlE0A 

Live acoustic version with Promise of the Real, Dave Matthews, My Morning Jacket, Willie Nelson and others from Bridge School Benefit 2016: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-YpvGBf2YU

Live version from 2016 with Stephen Stills, Kenny Wayne Shepherd and others: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIpwEGIFsVo 

Live verison from 2019 with Promise of the Real: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RXSgLI7zuk 

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony 2017 cover, sung by Eddie Vedder, with members of Pearl Jam, Rush, Journey and Yes, as well as George Harrison's son Dhani (at 4:23, Geddy Lee shows up, so Jeff Ament switches from bass to acoustic guitar): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFdemFi-zJw 

Pearl Jam's MTV Unplugged cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvVUs3OinF8 

U2/Pearl Jam cover (Bono makes up lyrics because of course he does): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amfLOO_Geoo 

Pearl Jam with Jack White cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SgV2ckpIN0 

Pearl Jam with Donna Grantis cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKoRLOCeQ8s

Pearl Jam cover with Dave Grohl on drums: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwDPBwBB25E 

John Fogerty/Keith Urban/Booker T. Jones cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9PXrAAvmok

The Alarm cover (studio): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jtb0e1kbIeQ 

Bon Jovi cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SlTkH-cm_Tc 

David Byrne cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDjTDbZyHVg 

Patti Smith cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BvXgJ0uMHM 

Gov't Mule/Lukas Nelson cover (segues into Hendrix' Machine Gun): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXdA_Ous8C0 

The Rides (Stephen Stills, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Barry Goldberg) cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgMbwl-_TsQ 

Krokus cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-Uvheo5S7Q 

Simple Minds cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMk957AJOf8

Lucinda Williams cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0z3k1b133lU 

Big Country cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-K9m85_W9Mk 

Drive by Truckers cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hW_LClDKdlA 

Suzi Quatro cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzKQjESWnFw 

Maroon 5 cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMao6h1RiE8 

Lukas Nelson cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEypS-V-gAM 

The Brookridge Boys (members of Ween) cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bl8FI_mC5dM 

Lilly Hiatt cover (starts at 3:10): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-F-0Kk-BIeA 

And the athletes dig it too:

Bronson Arroyo cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MuFyd9xnMTQ

Next: The #1 entry begins with a drunk text to me from my friend that I drunk dialed in 1989. I guess turnabout is fair play.  

Rockin in the Free World Is the first Neil song that i fell in love with.   It got my attention when Neil played it with PJ on that awards show in the 90s.  I remember the moment vividly.  I was alone living in my apt in CT and was memorized.   

This isn’t what I would consider to be a typical Neil song but it certainly served as great gateway into his music for me.  I am by no means a big Neil fan but a few dozen of his songs really hit me.  

Thank you Pip for a great thread.  I appreciate all of you that put forth such effort with these music threads.  

I've heard the studio version of Rockin' In The Free World, but never seen it live. The SNL rehearsal is something ####### else.

Pip's Invitation said:

3. Down by the River (Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, 1969)

Buddy Miles cover (studio): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5_5ik5ZM6M 
 

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Love Buddy Miles. Never heard this cover before - it's awesome.

I haven't been as active in the FFA during the last few months as I had been in past years - going through a lot right now. This thread is my favorite in the FFA right now and makes me happy. Thanks Pip.

Ya, that's one of a small # of songs that I can remember exactly where and when I heard it for the first time.  

"After The Gold Rush" is another.

DocHolliday said:

Rockin in the Free World Is the first Neil song that i fell in love with.   It got my attention when Neil played it with PJ on that awards show in the 90s.  I remember the moment vividly.  I was alone living in my apt in CT and was memorized.   

This isn’t what I would consider to be a typical Neil song but it certainly served as great gateway into his music for me.  I am by no means a big Neil fan but a few dozen of his songs really hit me.  

Thank you Pip for a great thread.  I appreciate all of you that put forth such effort with these music threads.  

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Thanks! There is no such thing as a typical Neil song. 

rockaction said:

I've heard the studio version of Rockin' In The Free World, but never seen it live. The SNL rehearsal is something ####### else.

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All live versions are worth hearing. At the very least, in addition to SNL, the one on Weld.

dickey moe said:

Love Buddy Miles. Never heard this cover before - it's awesome.

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It is, and the live version may be even better. His version was released as a single and made the lower rungs of the Hot 100.

Not sure where he got the idea to interject “Sha-la-la-the weather”

The Future Champs said:

Ya, that's one of a small # of songs that I can remember exactly where and when I heard it for the first time.  

"After The Gold Rush" is another.

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Was it SNL for you too?

What’s your ATGR story?

Pip's Invitation said:

Was it SNL for you too?

What’s your ATGR story?

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"Rockin' in the Free World" - first heard this one afternoon in a dive bar, having a beer with some old high school friends.    (We were all Neil fans, of course.)  They'd already heard it, and both of them were pretty entertained by my reaction.   My first stop after leaving the bar was the nearest record store.

ATGR - another friend played the full album for me while we were hanging out playing video games in his basement, around 10 years of age.  Definitely a watershed moment for me.

Pip's Invitation said:

Thanks! There is no such thing as a typical Neil song. 

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That is true.  I have really just scratched the surface of Neil’s music

Thanks to all of you for sticking this out with me. In this post is a rundown of the post-countdown material I'll be sharing in the next few days, work permitting. Without further ado, here is my favorite Neil Young song of all time.

1. Cortez the Killer (Zuma, 1975)
About 2 months ago, I had this FB messenger exchange with a friend (the same one from entry #2):

Him: "Either I'm f*!#in' hammered, or Cortez is the greatest song ever recorded."
Me: "It can be two things!"

To me, this is Neil's greatest song, which in my book means it's indeed probably the greatest song ever recorded. Its sound is monumentally influential; its pacing and repeating chords have been replicated at some point or another by almost every rock band worth its salt that's been formed since 1975. (Neil did it himself on Scenery, entry #60.)

It begins with nearly three and a half minutes of creeping rhythms and mesmerizing guitar passages before we even get to the words. Neil's solos get more intense as the song goes on, and then everything fades out around the 7:30 mark. That was not by design. During the fateful recording, an electrical circuit blew and all power to the console was shut off. The remainder of the jamming and a final verse were lost. When informed of this by producer David Briggs, Neil said "I never liked that verse anyway" and decided to put the magical take on the album with the fadeout. The lost verse has never resurfaced -- but who knows what might turn up on Archives Vol. 2, which will be released before the end of the year and will cover the mid-70s.

The lyrics are ambitious, convoluted and at times incredibly sad. One of many songs Neil has written about the atrocities committed against the Indians, this delves into the Spanish conquest of the New World. Neil has claimed he began the lyrics after sitting through a history class in high school. In any case, it should not be analyzed for historical accuracy. As Neil said to biographer Jimmy McCollough, "What the f**k am I doing writing about Aztecs in 'Cortez the Killer' like I was there, wandering around? 'Cause I only read about it in a few books. A lotta s**t I just made up because it came to me." And the final verse jumps to the present day, perhaps referencing the topic that dominated his lyrics in 1974 and 1975, his breakup with the mother of his first child:

And I know she's livin' there
And she loves me to this day
I still can't remember when
Or how I lost my way

&

The legend of this song is really cemented in concert, however. It is the template for many of Neil's wildest and most passionate explorations on guitar. The version from my first Neil show, 2/5/91 at the now-torn-down Philadelphia Civic Center, is, quite simply, the greatest live performance I have ever witnessed, despite the venue's awful sound system. Neil's final solo, after the "I still can't remember when/Or how I lost my way" passage, was an otherworldly outpouring of sonic emotion that was the mental equivalent of a knockout blow. (My reaction at the time was OH MY GOD!) I have never encountered anything like it, even on the other live versions of Cortez that I have seen and heard. When I joined a Neil discussion group after getting internet access, I was able to trade for a cassette recording (with poor sound quality) of the show that confirmed I was not delusional; that performance really happened the way I remembered it. I don't have access to the cassette anymore, so now it lives on in my memory. (If any of you ever happen to come across a recording of this show, let me know.)

In the years since 1991, if you count my friends' bands playing in bars, I have been to more than 1,000 rock concerts, and I suspect a lot of that was driven by wanting to recapture in some form the high that Cortez the Killer gave me on that fateful night. The version I saw at my last Neil show in 2015 with Promise of the Real (linked in the comments) came very close. My life would not be what it is if not for this song and the first show where I witnessed it.

And there we have it. Thank you all for following along and giving me a reason to indulge in organizing my thoughts about my favorite musician.

Studio version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uX9k9aoX6gk

Live Rust version (I don't really care for the turn into reggae at the end): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3t1K7dw2uj0

Weld version (awesome, but not as good as what I saw on that tour): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j04HRm_9yYA

Live version from 1976 with Crazy Horse:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8yQ4z9TKIo   

Live version from 1986 with Crazy Horse: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jf1qiwWRisM  

Live version from 1995 with Pearl Jam (21 minutes): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aotn2GFMJeo  

Live version from 1996 with Crazy Horse: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9y2kFYaRBY  

Live acoustic version from Bridge School Benefit 1999: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjptgWBr2n8   

Live version with the Dave Matthews Band from Bridge School Benefit 2000: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2tJkdL5CB4  

Live version with Crazy Horse from 2001 (22 minutes): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_rKwI-spz4  

Live version with Poncho and the MGs from 2002: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQQ9-kf8QzU 
 
Live acoustic version from 2003: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29eltVuft0w 

Live version with Crazy Horse from 2003: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1V-Abxw1ac 

Live version from 2008 with The Electric Band: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGiVErPEec0 

Live solo electric version from 2011: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1zNKwSReFI  

Studio jam from 2012 with Crazy Horse that Neil streamed on his website (18 minutes): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzZ1KYaZHhA 

Live version with Crazy Horse from 2014 (not with Old Black, which is unusual for an electric version): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2NBNxWsa6k 

The live version I saw in 2015 with Promise of the Real: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9ntt9j99VY 

Live version with Promise of the Real from Farm Aid 2017: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHU2CbKC6uU 

Live version with Crazy Horse from 2019: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOkggmn_-14 

Dave Matthews Band with Warren Haynes cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yiO13jTsBdQ 

Dave Matthews Band with Susan Tedeschi cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHz9GAXLtsc   

Dave Matthews Band with Warren Haynes and Tim Reynolds cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9eNeUQv2TU   

Matthew Sweet / Indigo Girls  cover:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fpSJWPyPPA

Indigo Girls cover (from 2016, but I saw them play this in 1995): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksGs2Oi6YOI

Built to Spill cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zeT--v1X8vM   

Gov't Mule cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIp3ajc4CYI   

Gov't Mule with members of Blackberry Smoke cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsReAC-hx2E 
 
Gov't Mule / Dave Matthews cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ikHbFaJ8pA  

The Church cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8PnwfQqyAE   

J. Mascis (Dinosaur Jr.) and the Fog cover:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9hPFvdDxhY   

Dinosaur Jr. / Lee Ranaldo (Sonic Youth) / Fred Armisen cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnq93nbu2mI  

Grace Potter and the Nocturnals cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5UoPWpjeBA  

Grace Potter / Joe Satriani / Steve Kimock / Reed Mathis / Willy Waldman / Stephen Perkins cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=paeNnR33i5Q 

Los Lobos cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUBn-K_AK5w  

Slint cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQlTesaKJr4 

Prong cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qYs3I4vOIo  

David Rawlings / Gillian Welch cover (starts at 5:45): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxPTQDP2bRQ

Jason Isbell / Dawes cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLjBSAsu25U 

Anders Osbourne with Warren Haynes cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBAoqfpUBNA 

Mercury Rev cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6wXy4Ra40g 

Bottle Rockets cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5Isq-qsedU  

Davy Knowles cover (filmed in Philly; woot!): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_akfP_mVYA

Jerry Joseph cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_l6ipYy53Q  

Marissa Nadler cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5dLn971_QI  

Screaming Females cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pi77WkVgvxA

Jim Jarmusch / Bradford Cox (Deerhunter) / Randy Randall (No Age) cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1ZTpPfJmN8

Felice Brothers cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFIN7iscqXY

Elliott Murphy / The Rainy Season cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVccwcB6T0k

Carrie Rodriguez cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jg0pFVGYIwY

Next: Sugar Mountain lives here somewhere, but where? 

I'm going to skip to the J. Mascis cover. If anyone can virtuoso on electric guitar with Neil, it would be Mascis.

rockaction said:

I'm going to skip to the J. Mascis cover. If anyone can virtuoso on electric guitar with Neil, it would be Mascis.

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In the clip with Mascis and Ranaldo, they said that DJ and SY used to jam on that song when they toured together in the mid 80s. But I couldn’t find any of those.

@cap'n grunge Your playlist is going over very well with my Facebook friends.

Pip's Invitation said:

Thanks to all of your for sticking this out with me. In this post is a rundown of the post-countdown material I'll be sharing in the next few days, work permitting. Without further ado, here is my favorite Neil Young song of all time.

1. Cortez the Killer (Zuma, 1975)
About 2 months ago, I had this FB messenger exchange with a friend (the same one from entry #2):
 

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Love it! This would be my #2.

lardonastick said:

Love it! This would be my #2.

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Did you ever state your #1? My brain is fried after a long day of work so if you did, I forgot.

Pip's Invitation said:

In the clip with Mascis and Ranaldo, they said that DJ and SY used to jam on that song when they toured together in the mid 80s. But I couldn’t find any of those.

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Wow. Sonic Youth and Dino Jr. jamming it out. I'd love to have seen that.

Pip's Invitation said:

Did you ever state your #1? My brain is fried after a long day of work so if you did, I forgot.

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Powderfinger

Great job. Need some time to absorb everything. Cortez is truly a ####### killer of a song.

My personal favorites:

• Like a Hurricane - I was 14, I was high
  
• Cinnamon Girl - Several hundred times this song has randomly popped into my conscious.
  
• Heart of Gold - one of those songs that sorta stopped me in my tracks the first time I heard it.  I was maybe 9, 10.
  

Bravo.

Another song that bubbles up from my subconscious every once in a while.

Motorcycle Mama

Red Hot Tamales said:

Another song that bubbles up from my subconscious every once in a while.

Motorcycle Mama

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Uh, you might not want to read my Pegi Young tangent part 1 post. 

Pip's Invitation said:

Uh, you might not want to read my Pegi Young tangent part 1 post. 

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I get it, but this thread made me realize how many background notes of my life are attributable to Neil; Motorcycle Mama was a note for me.

Red Hot Tamales said:

I get it, but this thread made me realize how many background notes of my life are attributable to Neil; Motorcycle Mama was a note for me.

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Oh yeah. Obviously that goes for me too. 

Hell, does my life turn out differently if my parents didn't play their So Far cassette all the time from as early as I can remember? If they didn't buy Rust Never Sleeps in 1979? 

Pip's Invitation said:

Oh yeah. Obviously that goes for me too. 

Hell, does my life turn out differently if my parents didn't play their So Far cassette all the time from as early as I can remember? If they didn't buy Rust Never Sleeps in 1979? 

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I had a friend, still do. We met in the third grade. Through his older brothers, he introduced me to Rush, the Grateful Dead and Phish, and to a lesser extent Duran Duran, J. Geils, and others. If I never knew him, I may be a very different person.

⚡DEADHEAD⚡ said:

If I never knew him, I may be a very different person.

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...with a different username. 

Forgot to complete the playlist. Done.

KORITFW

Pip's Invitation said:

4. Ohio (CSNY non-album single, 1970)

The passion and anger that sparked Neil to write the song can be heard in every second of the recording. If you like immediacy and emotion in your rock and roll, this is the song for you. It never fails to move me deeply. 

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It is the greatest protest song ever and that is saying a lot considering with the utmost respect to Woody Guthrie.

Congratulations on a lovely job, Pip. Neil Young is the kind of musician i would like personally, but i find his music either heartbreaking beautiful or dentist-drill annoying with heavy emphasis on the latter. Plus, my i'll put my people-who-don't-like-Neil vocal imitation of him up against anybody's. A girl once broke up with me in the 80s (literally kicked me out of her car on the Palisades Parkway) because i'd sing along like Neil Young to every Journey song that came on the radio. In addition, my best friend has been in a weekend band for 20 yrs with a topflight alcoholic guitar player (as crunchy on an SG as anyone i've ever heard) who, once he gets hammered, makes EVERY song - from the Beatles to Counting Crows - sound like a Neil Young jam. So i'm too comfortable being desultory to your favorite artist to have kept from making my participation a ridicule loop. But' i've audited your course here and learned a lot and will refer back and learn more. Thank you.

Pip's Invitation said:

Built to Spill cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zeT--v1X8vM 

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Heard this cover one night on satellite radio, which got me to listen to more BTS, and they have become one of my favorites over the years.

Edit to add: Should also note this is always requested from the audience at Built to Spill shows, "FREEBIRD!!" style.

A very nice list; good work indeed.   

Neil Young with the Pretenders was one of the best concerts I've seen.

FairWarning said:

Neil Young with the Pretenders was one of the best concerts I've seen.

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2000 tour? Where did you see them? I was at the second show of the tour in Camden. 

Here we go with the post-countdown content.

Here is the final comparison of how the Rolling Stone top 100 list compared to my top 101. We shared 6 songs in the top 10, but none had the exact same placement. Things got more divergent after that. 

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)
10. Southern Man (RS #19)
9. Cowgirl in the Sand (RS #17)
8. Tonight's the Night (RS #5)
7. Powderfinger (RS #1)
6. Hey Hey My My / My My Hey Hey (RS #12)
5. Helpless (RS #6)
4. Ohio (RS #9)
3. Down by the River (RS #4)
2. Rockin' in the Free World (RS #16)
1. Cortez the Killer (RS #3)

great job pip

Red Hot Tamales said:

Another song that bubbles up from my subconscious every once in a while.

Motorcycle Mama

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For me this is “Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere.”  Just at totally random times it gets stuck in my head even if I haven’t heard it in years.  I just love that song so much but I don’t know exactly why.

Bracie Smathers said:

It is the greatest protest song ever and that is saying a lot considering with the utmost respect to Woody Guthrie.

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Still the greatest protest song of all-time, imho.

Really loved the countdown.

Pip's Invitation said:

Thanks to all of you for sticking this out with me. In this post is a rundown of the post-countdown material I'll be sharing in the next few days, work permitting. Without further ado, here is my favorite Neil Young song of all time.

1. Cortez the Killer (Zuma, 1975)

Gov't Mule cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIp3ajc4CYI   

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Love this song.

And the Mule crushes it here. Absolutely crushes it.

Fantastic list. Two exceptions. You heard about Sugar Mountain. There's one more for me that's top 30-ish material. Heard it for the first time on CSNY 74. We'll see if it's in your next list.

jwb said:

Love this song.

And the Mule crushes it here. Absolutely crushes it.

Fantastic list. Two exceptions. You heard about Sugar Mountain. There's one more for me that's top 30-ish material. Heard it for the first time on CSNY 74. We'll see if it's in your next list.

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Mule always does a great job with the epic-rock-song covers but this one is truly exceptional.

So I’ve found the world’s only fan of “Goodbye ****”?

jwb said:

Love this song.

And the Mule crushes it here. Absolutely crushes it.

Fantastic list. Two exceptions. You heard about Sugar Mountain. There's one more for me that's top 30-ish material. Heard it for the first time on CSNY 74. We'll see if it's in your next list.

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I think I’ve narrowed your mystery song to two choices. One is on the next list and one is not.

Pip's Invitation said:

Thanks to all of you for sticking this out with me.

1. Cortez the Killer (Zuma, 1975)

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F uck Yeah

Great countdown.  Thanks Pip.

flranger said:

Hoping Cortez the Killer makes the Top 10!

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fatguyinalittlecoat said:

For me this is “Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere.”  Just at totally random times it gets stuck in my head even if I haven’t heard it in years.  I just love that song so much but I don’t know exactly why.

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Entry 48 got stuck in my head tonight so I'm listening to it now.