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Countdown of my top 101 Neil Young songs. Now with entries 102-204, notable covers and other stuff (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Pip's Invitation
- Start date
Pip's Invitation
Footballguy
Breakdown of my top 101 by album:
Rust Never Sleeps 9 (all; 8 entries)
After the Gold Rush 8
Tonight's the Night 8 (7 entries)
Zuma 6
Freedom 6 (5 entries)
Ragged Glory 6
On the Beach 5
Harvest Moon 5
Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere 4
Harvest 4
Time Fades Away 4
Comes a Time 4
Buffalo Springfield Again 3 (all)
Neil Young 2
Mirror Ball 2
Silver & Gold 2
Chrome Dreams II 2
Broken Arrow 2 (1 on vinyl only)
Buffalo Springfield Last Time Around 1
CSNY Deja Vu 1
Stills-Young Band Long May You Run 1
American Stars 'N Bars 1
Re*ac*tor 1
Trans 1 (2 if you also count Mr. Soul)
Old Ways 1
Life 1
This Note's for You 1
Sleeps with Angels 1
Prairie Wind 1
Psychedelic Pill 1
Buffalo Springfield 0
Hawks & Doves 0
Everybody's Rockin 0
Landing on Water 0
CSNY American Dream 0
CSNY Looking Forward 0
Are You Passionate? 0
Greendale 0
Living with War 0
Fork in the Road 0
Le Noise 0
Storytone 0
The Monsanto Years 0
Peace Trail 0
The Visitor 0
Colorado 0
Other (unreleased, compilation/archival/soundtrack release(s) only, non-album singles) 10
Americana and A Letter Home not eligible (all covers)
Your average rock critic/journalist probably has RNS, ATGR and TTN as Neil's three best albums, and I'm with them on that. Freedom and Ragged Glory are very special to me, heralding his renaissance when I was in college and most likely to be obsessed about such a thing, so it makes sense that they are my second tier along with Zuma, the album (along with side 2 of RNS) most responsible for the Godfather of Grunge sound that inspired all sorts of underground bands in the late '80s and early '90s. On the Beach, Harvest Moon, Everybody Knows This is Nowhere, Harvest, Time Fades Away and Comes a Time are all albums that Neil die-hards agree on. EKTIN is notable in that it has 4 songs in my top 26 and none elsewhere in my top 101. It's very much a stars-and-scrubs album. Neil's three contributions to Buffalo Springfield Again are worth noting, as all are incredible and one wonders what a late 1967 or early 1968 album of all Neil songs would have sounded like.
After that, we get into albums that had one or two stellar songs. And then the ones that had none. You'll see these start to be differentiated on my 102-204 list, where some are heavily represented and some aren't.
Everybody's Rockin', Landing on Water, Are You Passionate? and Storytone generally get the most ink in the discussion of worst Neil album, deservedly so, but The Visitor is flying under the radar and it shouldn't. I think I listened to it once upon purchase and when I revisited some of the tracks to see if there was anything worth considering for the 102-204 list, I usually had to peace out less than 2 minutes in. Some of them start off with cool riffage but quickly fly off the rails, and others aren't even that good.
Rust Never Sleeps 9 (all; 8 entries)
After the Gold Rush 8
Tonight's the Night 8 (7 entries)
Zuma 6
Freedom 6 (5 entries)
Ragged Glory 6
On the Beach 5
Harvest Moon 5
Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere 4
Harvest 4
Time Fades Away 4
Comes a Time 4
Buffalo Springfield Again 3 (all)
Neil Young 2
Mirror Ball 2
Silver & Gold 2
Chrome Dreams II 2
Broken Arrow 2 (1 on vinyl only)
Buffalo Springfield Last Time Around 1
CSNY Deja Vu 1
Stills-Young Band Long May You Run 1
American Stars 'N Bars 1
Re*ac*tor 1
Trans 1 (2 if you also count Mr. Soul)
Old Ways 1
Life 1
This Note's for You 1
Sleeps with Angels 1
Prairie Wind 1
Psychedelic Pill 1
Buffalo Springfield 0
Hawks & Doves 0
Everybody's Rockin 0
Landing on Water 0
CSNY American Dream 0
CSNY Looking Forward 0
Are You Passionate? 0
Greendale 0
Living with War 0
Fork in the Road 0
Le Noise 0
Storytone 0
The Monsanto Years 0
Peace Trail 0
The Visitor 0
Colorado 0
Other (unreleased, compilation/archival/soundtrack release(s) only, non-album singles) 10
Americana and A Letter Home not eligible (all covers)
Your average rock critic/journalist probably has RNS, ATGR and TTN as Neil's three best albums, and I'm with them on that. Freedom and Ragged Glory are very special to me, heralding his renaissance when I was in college and most likely to be obsessed about such a thing, so it makes sense that they are my second tier along with Zuma, the album (along with side 2 of RNS) most responsible for the Godfather of Grunge sound that inspired all sorts of underground bands in the late '80s and early '90s. On the Beach, Harvest Moon, Everybody Knows This is Nowhere, Harvest, Time Fades Away and Comes a Time are all albums that Neil die-hards agree on. EKTIN is notable in that it has 4 songs in my top 26 and none elsewhere in my top 101. It's very much a stars-and-scrubs album. Neil's three contributions to Buffalo Springfield Again are worth noting, as all are incredible and one wonders what a late 1967 or early 1968 album of all Neil songs would have sounded like.
After that, we get into albums that had one or two stellar songs. And then the ones that had none. You'll see these start to be differentiated on my 102-204 list, where some are heavily represented and some aren't.
Everybody's Rockin', Landing on Water, Are You Passionate? and Storytone generally get the most ink in the discussion of worst Neil album, deservedly so, but The Visitor is flying under the radar and it shouldn't. I think I listened to it once upon purchase and when I revisited some of the tracks to see if there was anything worth considering for the 102-204 list, I usually had to peace out less than 2 minutes in. Some of them start off with cool riffage but quickly fly off the rails, and others aren't even that good.
Pip's Invitation
Footballguy
These are the songs that made Rolling Stone's list but not mine. Those that made my 102-204 list will be discussed in that post, but those which missed even that are discussed below.
14. Sugar Mountain
18. Tired Eyes
22. Out on the Weekend
27. Human Highway
28. Goin' Home
31. I'm the Ocean
44. Barstool Blues
49. Sample and Hold (really?)
50. Be the Rain (REALLY?)
52. Stringman
53. Campaigner
57. Harvest
58. Borrowed Tune
59. Opera Star
62. A Man Needs a Maid
63. The Old Laughing Lady
66. Journey through the Past
67. Over and Over
68. Will to Love (ReAlLy?)
69. Mellow My Mind
70. Flying on the Ground Is Wrong
71. See the Sky About to Rain
73. Last Trip to Tulsa
77. Hitchhiker
80. It's a Dream
81. Bandit
84. Roger and Out
85. Out of Control
88. Surfer Joe and Moe the Sleaze
89. Eldorado
90. Piece of Crap
92. Throw Your Hatred Down
93. Computer Age (THROWS KEYBOARD AT WALL)
94. The Restless Consumer
95. Old King (really, y'all?)
96. Someday
97. When God Made Me
98. He Was the King
99. Walk Like a Giant
100. Homegrown
Here are the songs from that group that I think are the biggest misfires, as they did not even make my top 204. The biggest issue I have with the RS list is that it prioritizes political/cultural factors over musical ones. There is way too much political/social material from bad albums (Greendale and Living with War, I'm looking at you). I'm sure there would have been egregious misplacements of Monsanto Years material had it existed in 2014. The list also assesses many post-1979 guitar epics in ways I expressly disagree with. Leaving off No More, Love and Only Love and No Hidden Path is inexcusable. In fact, Freedom and Ragged Glory are devalued in general and I don't understand why. And including two vocoder songs from Trans just seems like a desperate attempt to be different for its own sake. Links to studio versions included because maybe you'll think I'm wrong about these.
RS #18. Tired Eyes (Tonight's the Night, 1975; written and first performed in 1973)
This is the key track thematically to Tonight's the Night, providing a grand summation before the reprise of the title song. So I get why RS would rate it so high and why Neil would put it on Decade. But I find it REALLY hard to listen to, mainly because Neil's voice is at its shriek-iest (this and Mellow My Mind are the best examples of why he needed throat surgery). It's also a bit heavy for my liking on the preaching and philosophizing; the other tracks did a better job of conveying the point with stories and imagery. And it may be the first example of a style Neil has embraced wholeheartedly since 2003 that I absolutely can't stand: talking/rambling/shouting over the music instead of singing, making the message overwhelm, even bludgeon, the music. That being said, this was one of the last cuts for the 102-204 list.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPoIRVSLJ2o
RS #49 Sample and Hold (Trans, 1982)
One of the vocoder songs from Trans. I've never understood the appeal, and it goes on too long. (Checks Youtube.) Oh Christ, there's a dance remix?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RufZYJKKbTg
RS #50 Be the Rain (Greendale, 2003)
Ugh. This song is a pox on latter-day Neil. It (and Sun Green from the same album) is where Neil started in earnest the awful trend of using songs as vehicles for delivering a political/social message instead of as, you know, songs. The closer to Greendale, which Neil conceived of as a theatrical performance as much as a musical one, it desperately tries to be an environmentalist anthem, but any achievements by the melody (which is actually pretty good) are derailed by Neil shouting polemics at a rapid pace like a carnival barker. Of COURSE Rolling Stone fell for it hook, line and sinker.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfvabXIlXaw
RS #58 Borrowed Tune (Tonight's the Night, 1975; written in 1972)
RS #66 Journey Through the Past (Time Fades Away, 1973; written in 1970; first performed in 1971)
These are decent piano ballads, he just has others I like better. As with some of the other Tonight's the Night songs and the other two Time Fades Away piano ballads, there are issues with Neil's voice that make for a not-easy listen. BT might be where it is because it name-checks the Rolling Stones ("I'm singin' this borrowed tune I took from the Rolling Stones/Alone in this empty room, too wasted to write my own"). JTTP might be where it is because of the Harvest outtake that surfaced on Archives Vol. 1.
Borrowed Tune: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-f_9GGXxnk
Journey Through the Past: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MStiEeS334
RS #68 Will to Love (American Stars 'N Bars, 1977)
This is either one of Neil's dumbest ideas or one of his most brilliant. I go back and forth on it. Recorded for the abandoned Chrome Dreams album (as was all of side 2 of ASB), this heavily atmospheric 7-minute ballad is about a salmon swimming upstream to mate. Some have interpreted a deeper meaning but they might be full of s--t. (There are not nearly as many Neil individual song entries on Wikipedia as you'd think, but for some reason this has one.) Neil recorded the guitar and vocal in one take in front of his fireplace -- you can hear the firewood crackling in the background -- and added bass, percussion and vibraphone (all played by himself) later.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6p5q8WyUikU
RS #69 Mellow My Mind (Tonight's the Night, 1975; written and first performed in 1973)
One spring day my sophomore year in college, everyone had their windows open and someone in the dorm across the walk was playing early Bob Dylan. His version of "All I Really Want to Do" came on, and after a couple of minutes, someone in the room next to me bellowed out the window, "I HATE BOB DYLAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Bob's voice is an acquired taste, but his vocal on that one is completely out of control. It doesn't HAVE to be that bad. Mellow My Mind is the Neil equivalent. When Neil recorded Tonight's the Night in 1973, he was experiencing some throat issues that would not be resolved until he had surgery in 1975. That he was three sheets to the wind on tequila every night didn't help either. Whatever the reason, Neil's voice on the studio version of Mellow My Mind is so out of control -- frequently cracking altogether -- that it sounds like a parody. And it sounds that way because Neil wanted it to; it didn't have to be that bad. Of course, live versions from 1976 and later, after he had the throat surgery, are really good (I caught ones on the 2000 and 2007 tours). But they can't make me forget ... that.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5seufs8NnGA
RS #80 It's a Dream (Prairie Wind, 2005)
I honestly barely remember anything about this one. And it's not because I've disregarded the album, which is well represented on the 102-204 list. I recall how Neil sings the title phrase and that's it. I have no idea what the RS folks saw in it.
(Checks Youtube.) Oh, Patti Smith covered it. That explains it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oev0jOvVO3w
RS #84 Roger and Out (Living with War, 2006)
One of the few non-strident songs on Living with War, it's a nice look at the personal costs of war, but doesn't stand out enough to crack the top 204. Though electric like the rest of the album, due to its quietness it was actually performed in the acoustic set of the 2006 CSNY tour.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hStkyNEjqbY
RS #85 Out of Control (CSNY's Looking Forward, 1999)
I heard a lot of recordings of the 1999 solo tour and the 2000 CSNY tour. Whenever this song came on, I got bored. The studio version isn't any better. There's a reason Neil cut it from Silver and Gold and gave it to CSN.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=maPbNIdl3r0
RS #93 Computer Age (Trans, 1982)
This vocoder song has gotta be here only because Sonic Youth covered it. Sonic Youth are like catnip to Rolling Stone writers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WoczMhj6bm8
RS #94 The Restless Consumer (Living with War, 2006)
As ham-handed as most of the rest of the record, I guess this got their attention because it's a song about economics on an album otherwise about war.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLksjf5FZHU
RS #95 Old King (Harvest Moon, 1992)
This is so corny that it should have been on Old Ways instead of Harvest Moon. At almost every show of the otherwise brilliant 1999 solo tour, of which I saw two shows and heard recordings of many of the others, Neil played this -- with a long, rambling story to set it up -- smack in the middle of the second set. I really wish he hadn't done that.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O97SYiBA1W8
RS #96 Someday (Freedom, 1989)
This isn't a bad song (nothing on Freedom is), but it sounds too much like Springsteen, whom I don't really care for (sorry, @Eephus), and doesn't transcend its trappings like Ordinary People does. IMO it works better as a solo piano piece live.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aezPgrV7qIM
RS #100 Homegrown (American Stars 'N Bars, 1977; written in 1974; first performed in 1975)
The ASB version, recorded with Crazy Horse, is clunky and dopey. Neil claiming since the late '90s that the song is now about organic/family farming instead of weed hasn't done it any favors. The thing about Homegrown (the abandoned album that was finally released this year) is that it's mostly about Neil's anguish over his breakup with the mother of his oldest child, but also has a few songs, including this one, that reflect the drugs-and-booze-fueled moments he was having to come to grips with it. (This also explains "Florida," the bizarre spoken-word piece in the middle of the record.) In this context, aided by a much better and more fitting country-rock arrangement and performance (with Ben Keith, Tim Drummond and Karl Himmel), the song works well.
Homegrown version (preferred): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0gpr-cdXZE
ASB version (not preferred): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXwReL2JJO0
Tomorrow: We finally learn where Sugar Mountain lives.
14. Sugar Mountain
18. Tired Eyes
22. Out on the Weekend
27. Human Highway
28. Goin' Home
31. I'm the Ocean
44. Barstool Blues
49. Sample and Hold (really?)
50. Be the Rain (REALLY?)
52. Stringman
53. Campaigner
57. Harvest
58. Borrowed Tune
59. Opera Star
62. A Man Needs a Maid
63. The Old Laughing Lady
66. Journey through the Past
67. Over and Over
68. Will to Love (ReAlLy?)
69. Mellow My Mind
70. Flying on the Ground Is Wrong
71. See the Sky About to Rain
73. Last Trip to Tulsa
77. Hitchhiker
80. It's a Dream
81. Bandit
84. Roger and Out
85. Out of Control
88. Surfer Joe and Moe the Sleaze
89. Eldorado
90. Piece of Crap
92. Throw Your Hatred Down
93. Computer Age (THROWS KEYBOARD AT WALL)
94. The Restless Consumer
95. Old King (really, y'all?)
96. Someday
97. When God Made Me
98. He Was the King
99. Walk Like a Giant
100. Homegrown
Here are the songs from that group that I think are the biggest misfires, as they did not even make my top 204. The biggest issue I have with the RS list is that it prioritizes political/cultural factors over musical ones. There is way too much political/social material from bad albums (Greendale and Living with War, I'm looking at you). I'm sure there would have been egregious misplacements of Monsanto Years material had it existed in 2014. The list also assesses many post-1979 guitar epics in ways I expressly disagree with. Leaving off No More, Love and Only Love and No Hidden Path is inexcusable. In fact, Freedom and Ragged Glory are devalued in general and I don't understand why. And including two vocoder songs from Trans just seems like a desperate attempt to be different for its own sake. Links to studio versions included because maybe you'll think I'm wrong about these.
RS #18. Tired Eyes (Tonight's the Night, 1975; written and first performed in 1973)
This is the key track thematically to Tonight's the Night, providing a grand summation before the reprise of the title song. So I get why RS would rate it so high and why Neil would put it on Decade. But I find it REALLY hard to listen to, mainly because Neil's voice is at its shriek-iest (this and Mellow My Mind are the best examples of why he needed throat surgery). It's also a bit heavy for my liking on the preaching and philosophizing; the other tracks did a better job of conveying the point with stories and imagery. And it may be the first example of a style Neil has embraced wholeheartedly since 2003 that I absolutely can't stand: talking/rambling/shouting over the music instead of singing, making the message overwhelm, even bludgeon, the music. That being said, this was one of the last cuts for the 102-204 list.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPoIRVSLJ2o
RS #49 Sample and Hold (Trans, 1982)
One of the vocoder songs from Trans. I've never understood the appeal, and it goes on too long. (Checks Youtube.) Oh Christ, there's a dance remix?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RufZYJKKbTg
RS #50 Be the Rain (Greendale, 2003)
Ugh. This song is a pox on latter-day Neil. It (and Sun Green from the same album) is where Neil started in earnest the awful trend of using songs as vehicles for delivering a political/social message instead of as, you know, songs. The closer to Greendale, which Neil conceived of as a theatrical performance as much as a musical one, it desperately tries to be an environmentalist anthem, but any achievements by the melody (which is actually pretty good) are derailed by Neil shouting polemics at a rapid pace like a carnival barker. Of COURSE Rolling Stone fell for it hook, line and sinker.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfvabXIlXaw
RS #58 Borrowed Tune (Tonight's the Night, 1975; written in 1972)
RS #66 Journey Through the Past (Time Fades Away, 1973; written in 1970; first performed in 1971)
These are decent piano ballads, he just has others I like better. As with some of the other Tonight's the Night songs and the other two Time Fades Away piano ballads, there are issues with Neil's voice that make for a not-easy listen. BT might be where it is because it name-checks the Rolling Stones ("I'm singin' this borrowed tune I took from the Rolling Stones/Alone in this empty room, too wasted to write my own"). JTTP might be where it is because of the Harvest outtake that surfaced on Archives Vol. 1.
Borrowed Tune: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-f_9GGXxnk
Journey Through the Past: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MStiEeS334
RS #68 Will to Love (American Stars 'N Bars, 1977)
This is either one of Neil's dumbest ideas or one of his most brilliant. I go back and forth on it. Recorded for the abandoned Chrome Dreams album (as was all of side 2 of ASB), this heavily atmospheric 7-minute ballad is about a salmon swimming upstream to mate. Some have interpreted a deeper meaning but they might be full of s--t. (There are not nearly as many Neil individual song entries on Wikipedia as you'd think, but for some reason this has one.) Neil recorded the guitar and vocal in one take in front of his fireplace -- you can hear the firewood crackling in the background -- and added bass, percussion and vibraphone (all played by himself) later.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6p5q8WyUikU
RS #69 Mellow My Mind (Tonight's the Night, 1975; written and first performed in 1973)
One spring day my sophomore year in college, everyone had their windows open and someone in the dorm across the walk was playing early Bob Dylan. His version of "All I Really Want to Do" came on, and after a couple of minutes, someone in the room next to me bellowed out the window, "I HATE BOB DYLAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Bob's voice is an acquired taste, but his vocal on that one is completely out of control. It doesn't HAVE to be that bad. Mellow My Mind is the Neil equivalent. When Neil recorded Tonight's the Night in 1973, he was experiencing some throat issues that would not be resolved until he had surgery in 1975. That he was three sheets to the wind on tequila every night didn't help either. Whatever the reason, Neil's voice on the studio version of Mellow My Mind is so out of control -- frequently cracking altogether -- that it sounds like a parody. And it sounds that way because Neil wanted it to; it didn't have to be that bad. Of course, live versions from 1976 and later, after he had the throat surgery, are really good (I caught ones on the 2000 and 2007 tours). But they can't make me forget ... that.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5seufs8NnGA
RS #80 It's a Dream (Prairie Wind, 2005)
I honestly barely remember anything about this one. And it's not because I've disregarded the album, which is well represented on the 102-204 list. I recall how Neil sings the title phrase and that's it. I have no idea what the RS folks saw in it.
(Checks Youtube.) Oh, Patti Smith covered it. That explains it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oev0jOvVO3w
RS #84 Roger and Out (Living with War, 2006)
One of the few non-strident songs on Living with War, it's a nice look at the personal costs of war, but doesn't stand out enough to crack the top 204. Though electric like the rest of the album, due to its quietness it was actually performed in the acoustic set of the 2006 CSNY tour.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hStkyNEjqbY
RS #85 Out of Control (CSNY's Looking Forward, 1999)
I heard a lot of recordings of the 1999 solo tour and the 2000 CSNY tour. Whenever this song came on, I got bored. The studio version isn't any better. There's a reason Neil cut it from Silver and Gold and gave it to CSN.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=maPbNIdl3r0
RS #93 Computer Age (Trans, 1982)
This vocoder song has gotta be here only because Sonic Youth covered it. Sonic Youth are like catnip to Rolling Stone writers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WoczMhj6bm8
RS #94 The Restless Consumer (Living with War, 2006)
As ham-handed as most of the rest of the record, I guess this got their attention because it's a song about economics on an album otherwise about war.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLksjf5FZHU
RS #95 Old King (Harvest Moon, 1992)
This is so corny that it should have been on Old Ways instead of Harvest Moon. At almost every show of the otherwise brilliant 1999 solo tour, of which I saw two shows and heard recordings of many of the others, Neil played this -- with a long, rambling story to set it up -- smack in the middle of the second set. I really wish he hadn't done that.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O97SYiBA1W8
RS #96 Someday (Freedom, 1989)
This isn't a bad song (nothing on Freedom is), but it sounds too much like Springsteen, whom I don't really care for (sorry, @Eephus), and doesn't transcend its trappings like Ordinary People does. IMO it works better as a solo piano piece live.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aezPgrV7qIM
RS #100 Homegrown (American Stars 'N Bars, 1977; written in 1974; first performed in 1975)
The ASB version, recorded with Crazy Horse, is clunky and dopey. Neil claiming since the late '90s that the song is now about organic/family farming instead of weed hasn't done it any favors. The thing about Homegrown (the abandoned album that was finally released this year) is that it's mostly about Neil's anguish over his breakup with the mother of his oldest child, but also has a few songs, including this one, that reflect the drugs-and-booze-fueled moments he was having to come to grips with it. (This also explains "Florida," the bizarre spoken-word piece in the middle of the record.) In this context, aided by a much better and more fitting country-rock arrangement and performance (with Ben Keith, Tim Drummond and Karl Himmel), the song works well.
Homegrown version (preferred): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0gpr-cdXZE
ASB version (not preferred): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXwReL2JJO0
Tomorrow: We finally learn where Sugar Mountain lives.
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Bracie Smathers
Footballguy
I worked with a guy who was so into Neil Young that I thought I had found his biggest fan.
I was wrong and bow to
Pip as the biggest Neil Young fan.
I was wrong and bow to
Pip as the biggest Neil Young fan.
Dr. Octopus
Footballguy
It literally is a borrowed tune from the Rolling Stones as the tune is virtually identical to Lady Jane.
jwb
Footballguy
I agree with most of your takes, but I like Sugar Mountain and this one (I like most of the Trans album).
While I'm not all that enamored with most of the POTR studio stuff, Carnival from The Visitor would make my top 100, just for its weirdness and the fact that it mentions Evel Knievel.
Dr. Octopus
Footballguy
I’m a huge dog lover but Old King really is the suck.
Pip's Invitation
Footballguy
Pip's Invitation
Footballguy
Pip's Invitation
Footballguy
I dunno if biggest is quite the right word. There are people that post thousands of words on the meaning of Ambulance Blues.I worked with a guy who was so into Neil Young that I thought I had found his biggest fan.
I was wrong and bow to
Last edited by a moderator:
DocHolliday
Footballguy
My god this song is beautiful. It’s now one of my favorite NY songs. This is an example of the Neil songs that I was missing out on.
Pip's Invitation
Footballguy
Pip's Invitation
Footballguy
@simey and @Getzlaf15, here's where we find out the fate of Sugar Mountain!
@The Future Champs, your song is here too.
What the heck, I'll tag everyone else I remember participating in this thread (apologies if I missed anyone): @krista4 @Man of Constant Sorrow @Dr. Octopus @cap'n grunge @fatguyinalittlecoat @lardonastick @Morton Muffley @jwb @Big Blue Wrecking Crew @Uruk-Hai @Eephus @Binky The Doormat @shuke @zamboni @MAC_32 @flranger @skycriesmary @shader @rockaction @Gr00vus @Bracie Smathers @dickey moe @Red Hot Tamales @Brownsfan @FairWarning @timschochet (Can't "at" DEADHEAD because his name starts with a symbol I don't know how to make.) Thanks again to you all for joining me on this journey.
As promised, since top 204 is a thing here, this is the list of the Neil songs I've ranked between 102 and 204. The first 20 or so are in the "I wish I had had room for this in the top 101" category. The links are to the studio version unless otherwise noted. This post will be linked in the first post because I don't expect everyone to digest all of this in one sitting.
102. Bite the Bullet (American Stars 'N Bars, 1977)
The last song I cut from the original list, this asskicker is the best song from the country-rock session that comprises side 1 of ASB.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTqwEEgkfJo
103. Country Girl (CSNY's Deja Vu, 1970)
A whirling experience that veers off in many directions, this is actually three songs (two of which Neil wrote in his Springfield days and played in acoustic sets just after their breakup) fused into one. Each section was credited separately, which boosted Neil's share of the album's songwriting royalties and pissed off C, S and N.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=noxlrqCe1vE
104. Barstool Blues (Zuma, 1975)
Another great stomper from Zuma, this one is best heard in a drawn-out live version on Year of the Horse.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1NvxpeAyE64
105. Out on the Weekend (Harvest, 1972)
The opener to Harvest that sets the mellow tone that made Neil millions, this makes great use of Ben Keith's steel guitar.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TuXMQQtcQ_U
106. Nowadays Clancy Can't Even Sing (Buffalo Springfield, 1966)
This is the song that led to Springfield's formation. Neil taught it to Stephen Stills when they met in Toronto. Stills was touring with the Au Go Go Singers and Neil was playing the city's coffeehouse circuit. Stills then taught it to Richie Furay, his AGGS bandmate and roommate. When Neil and bassist Bruce Palmer arrived in LA and ran into Stills and Furay while sitting in traffic, they decided to form a band, and the plan was cinched when Furay played his version of this for Neil. Like some of Neil's other songs on the first album, this was recorded with Furay on lead vocals and would probably have been higher on the list if Neil sang it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0u6xJ8GGseQ
107. The Old Homestead (Hawks & Doves, 1980; written and first performed in 1974)
A deeply weird and fascinating song that feels like an 8-minute dream. Written and recorded for Homegrown (and played once on the CSNY reunion tour), it was shelved until Neil cobbled together random outtakes for side 1 of Hawks & Doves.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tB-Cs_RRLYA
108. Bad News Comes to Town (Bluenote Cafe, 2015; written in 1974; first performed in 1987)
Another then-unreleased song that intrigued me when someone gave me a tape of such stuff in the mid-90s, before I was on the internet (that story is in the Ordinary People entry). It was written with the Homegrown songs in 1974, but didn't see the light until Neil recast it as a slow blues and put it in the Bluenotes' live sets. It didn't make This Note's for You but does appear on Bluenote Cafe, along with a lot of other songs that can't be found anywhere else. He cranked out a ton of material for the Bluenotes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXu-T4tjLlg
109. I Am a Child (Buffalo Springfield's Last Time Around, 1968)
Happy folk song whose message could be a presage to Old Man. Neil's only lead vocal on the final Springfield album.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wzEBuC_NtQ
110. Flying on the Ground Is Wrong (Buffalo Springfield, 1966)
Another Neil song from the Springfield debut that's sung by Richie Furay. The melody is fantastic and Neil and Promise of the Real did a great job with it when I saw them in 2015. The version on A Treasure with the International Harvesters is excellent as well.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_ZvAEfve38
111. Sugar Mountain (Decade, 1977; B-side of "The Loner," 1969, and subsequently other singles; written in 1965)
Arguably the most famous Neil song that didn't make the top 101, I like this well enough but it seems a bit trite compared to his other iconic acoustic material. I mean, it's about being too old to go to an under-20 club. Hey, he wrote over 600 songs, 111 is still a damn good ranking.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0dD0EjPeQ4
112. Little Thing Called Love (Trans, 1982)
Another leftover from the rejected Island in the Sun that made it onto Trans. It's a cool little rocker and at the end of the chorus you can hear a familiar friend -- the main riff of Harvest Moon, 10 years earlier! (First pops up at 1:10.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KADDQE-LCFI
113. Over and Over (Ragged Glory, 1990)
Yet another hot jam from Ragged Glory. This one's a little clunkier in the melody/lyrics than the other big ones from that record, but it's still ... glorious.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhESA55OfhA
114. The Old Laughing Lady (Neil Young, 1969)
A song that sounds like no others in Neil's catalog, the studio version employs electric piano and female singers to create something creepily soulful. Live solo acoustic versions are a bit too yodely for my liking.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xQUOOvbNfA
115. Big Time (Broken Arrow, 1996)
An anthem buried in the haze. "I'm still living the dream we had/For me it's not over" was Neil's mantra in the 90s.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQNK4sVquB4
116. Rock, Rock, Rock (unreleased; written and first performed in 1984)
The best track from Neil's disastrous 1984 sessions with Crazy Horse, I guess it's nice that he didn't ruin it by putting it on Landing on Water, but it would have been cool to see this ode to music and trucking find a home somewhere. The only version on Youtube is from one of his few '84 shows with Crazy Horse.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cX_noO6CW7k
117. Goin' Home (Are You Passionate?, 2002)
The only song on AYP that has much of a reason to exist, this was actually the one song salvaged from an abandoned album called Toast that Neil recorded with Crazy Horse in 2001. A barnburner that wouldn't be out of place on Ragged Glory (it is massively out of place on an album whose other songs were recorded with Booker T. and the MGs), this got a lot of attention from the hardcore fans when Neil played it at shows with CH in 2001. I saw CSNY perform this in 2002.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEClq40fLgA
118. Hangin' on a Limb (Freedom, 1989)
A gorgeous ballad with harmonies from Linda Ronstadt, this was one of many signs that Neil had returned to form with Freedom.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXnH_uk9j_E
119. Country Home (Ragged Glory, 1990; written and first performed in 1975)
Likely a Zuma outtake given when it first surfaced, this opened the electric sets of many shows on Neil's 1976 tour and then remained dormant until revived to be the opener for Ragged Glory, a great way to signal that the old Horse was back.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91XkZ9ZN6fY
120. Driftin' Back (Psychedelic Pill, 2012)
The longest studio recording Neil has ever released (27 minutes, longer than the entire Everybody's Rockin' album), this loses its way occasionally but showed that the magic from Old Black was still there.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNkZF8RpdEE
121. Opera Star (Re*ac*tor, 1981)
Another punk-like blast of fury from Re*ac*tor, this one would have been higher if not for the "oh-oh-ohs" that pop up in the middle of the chorus. They sound like an electronic chicken being strangled.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2-PjDtHWB8
122. Eldorado (Eldorado EP and Freedom, 1989; written and first performed as "Road of Plenty" in 1986)
Buffalo Springfield held one rehearsal in 1986 to see if a reunion might be in the cards. The Neil song they tried was the chunky midtempo rocker Road of Plenty, which he started playing live with Crazy Horse later that year after nothing came of the Springfield gathering. In early 1989 Neil reworked it with some new lyrics and an almost Spanish guitar style as "Eldorado," releasing a noisy version on an EP of the same name and a less-noisy version on Freedom.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkGZRr5suZc
123. Human Highway (Comes a Time, 1978; written and first performed in 1973)
This was supposed to be the title track of the 1974 CSNY reunion album; Neil performed it often on their tour that year to get audiences primed for it. Then it was forgotten for a few years after the reunion album sessions blew up two songs in. The wistful meditation on betrayal with a lovely melody finally got a proper recording for Comes a Time, but that version is weighted down with too many accented harmonies. I prefer the simpler live version on Year of the Horse and the completely solo version on Hitchhiker.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FY4an-1GqwU
124. Do I Have to Come Right Out and Say It? (Buffalo Springfield, 1966)
Another melodic tune written by Neil and sung by Furay for the first Springfield record. I would guess he was influenced by Rubber Soul when penning this.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUn_bdz1TLI
125. Bad Fog of Loneliness (Live at Massey Hall, 2007; written and first performed in 1970)
This plaintive country-tinged lament narrowly missed being on Harvest AND Tonight's the Night. It was recorded at the earliest Harvest sessions with Heart of Gold and Old Man but for some reason left off in favor of orchestral nonsense. It also appeared at Neil's acoustic shows in 1970-71, as its presence on the Massey Hall archival release attests. Then it was one of three older songs Neil attempted at the TTN sessions (the other two were Winterlong and Walk On) but decided not to include because they "weighed the album down." Both versions were on the bootleg CD my high school buddy shared with me in the '80s. Amazingly, I have seen this live three times, in 2000, 2007 and 2015.
The link is to the Harvest outtake that appears on Archives Vol. 1.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYCf44Ugmys
126. Little Wing (Hawks and Doves, 1980; written in 1974; first performed in 1977)
A beautiful little fragment, this was recorded for Homegrown (in 2020 we learned it made the cut) and first released on Hawks & Doves; the two versions are virtually identical. It also appeared in his sets with The Ducks. (A Ducks version is on YouTube and it is VERY different.) This was named after the Jimi Hendrix song.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SN9ppIP7Sg8
127. Piece of Crap (Sleeps with Angels, 1994)
The one SwA song that would fit on Ragged Glory, this is a quintessential Neil "eff it, we're gonna make some noise" tune.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ovum-GjYWKQ
128. Cocaine Eyes (Eldorado EP, 1989)
129. Heavy Love (Eldorado EP, 1989)
These two amped-up noisy rockers were included on a pre-Freedom EP and played live in early 1989, but didn't make the album and have since been forgotten. They are similar in approach to the Crazy Horse stompers but are crisper and cleaner.
Cocaine Eyes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wv2SPpBZSxQ
Heavy Love: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B03XRr1gvEc
130. Harvest (Harvest, 1972)
A perfectly cromulent country rocker with a nice melody and some dated lyrics.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkMQc82RMJw
131. Hippie Dream (Landing on Water, 1986)
The one song on Landing on Water that Neil put real effort into, this is an angry and sad ode to David Crosby, who was in jail and rehab around this time. "Just because it's over for you doesn't mean it's over for me" showed that Neil still believed in their mission, even though "the wooden ships were a hippie dream, capsized in excess if you know what I mean." As with the rest of the album, the production is crap and live versions are better, although the remasters have done a good job of toning down the intrusive synth bass.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pybVRgMG7T0
132. Psychedelic Pill (Psychedelic Pill, 2012)
The best of the short songs on PP, Neil included two versions on the album. This entry covers both but I prefer the alternate mix, which is the one linked.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJYxQhTWrmo
133. Last Trip to Tulsa (Neil Young, 1969)
Neil's most Dylanesque song, this shambling solo acoustic performance contains wild imagery and leaves all kinds of things open to interpretation. It walked so Ambulance Blues could run.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNMjjsFlUas
134. Raining in Paradise (unreleased; written in 1981)
A track from the rejected Island in the Sun album, this is cheesy as hell but I love it, especially the "sun don't come" bridge. The only versions on Youtube have a lot of tape hiss, so apologies for that.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OH5MDpxs5XI
135. Spirit Road (Chrome Dreams II, 2007)
A crunchy rocker with nice harmonies, this was executed very well at shows I saw in 2007 and 2008.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OoBww27Uhds
136. Are You Ready for the Country? (Harvest, 1972)
A true hoedown, this showed Neil could play country music without lapsing into cliche (a skill he sometimes forgot on Old Ways).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wA3u6RgZ0A
137. Stringman (Unplugged, 1993; written and first performed in 1976)
A sad piano ballad about Stephen Stills, who was crumbling under personal and professional pressures at the time, this was slated for the abandoned Chrome Dreams album and then shelved until the Unplugged taping; it was the only previously unreleased song Neil chose to perform that night.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRAlKk03Mr0
138. Inca Queen (Life, 1987)
The most ambitious song on Life (a record that otherwise lacked much ambition), this is another of Neil's songs about Indians and features some cool interludes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDuhru79rUE
139. Everybody I Love You (CSNY's Deja Vu, 1970)
A fun mishmash of fragments from Neil and Stephen Stills, this is the celebratory spike at the end of the wildly successful Deja Vu.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmc6w2k28y8
140. No One Seems to Know (Songs for Judy, 2018; written and first performed in 1976)
Another ballad Neil unveiled in 1976 but never released until many years later, this is a more reflective and less pained take than the Homegrown songs on the breakup that inspired them.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3lTJ7bS2oM
141. Hitchhiker (Le Noise, 2010; written in 1976-ish; first performed in 1992)
As mentioned in the entry for Like an Inca, which borrows the chorus from this, Hitchhiker is a fascinating chronicle of Neil's drug use, and was obviously too personal for him to release at the time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOq93UqN9vU
142. Philadelphia (Philadelphia soundtrack, 1993)
Gorgeous ballad that reminds us not to be ashamed of love, no matter what form it comes in. I am biased but this is much better than the Springsteen tune from the same soundtrack.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHpQFF_Et4s
143. See the Sky About to Rain (On the Beach, 1974; written and first performed in 1970)
Foreboding song with brooding electric piano arrangement that fits in with the apocalyptic material on On the Beach despite being written much earlier.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wuwBy6Hc_l8
144. The Great Divide (Silver and Gold, 2000)
A throwback to the imagery-heavy, open-to-interpretation songs Neil would occasionally crank out in the '60s and early '70s, this is one of the standouts on Silver and Gold.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UiQLnHoN1PA
145. Southern Pacific (Re*ac*tor, 1981)
The most conventional song on -- and single from -- Re*ac*tor, this song reflects how Neil loves trains almost as much as he does cars.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOnESpYhLp4
146. Out of My Mind (Buffalo Springfield, 1966)
Neil wrote (and sang, a rarity for his material on the Springfield debut) this song about paranoia due to fame BEFORE HE WAS FAMOUS. Is he clairvoyant or what? It may also refer to the seizures he frequently had when he was in Springfield.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bSRa8v9fPU
147. Star of Bethlehem (American Stars 'N Bars, 1977; written and first performed in 1974)
On ASB, I always thought this song was just kind of there. Side 2 is a hodgepodge of stuff randomly thrown together. But it shot up my rankings after Homegrown came out. As the closer there, it's revelatory. In that placement, "maybe the star of Bethlehem wasn't a star at all" feels like a grand summation of what Neil was going through at the time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Li3b1kf4GGQ
148. Peace of Mind (Comes a Time, 1978)
Another fine ballad from Comes a Time that could have toned down the strings and accented harmonies.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lY-amK8wdhg
149. I'm the Ocean (Mirror Ball, 1995)
I can be a contrarian sometimes. When Mirror Ball came out, lots of writers said this was the best song on the album and ranked it with some of his best Crazy Horse material. I don't see it. I like it well enough, especially how it builds momentum, but it dwells on the same stuff for too long. So this ranking partly reflects how I feel others overrate it. It's still #3 on the album for me and that's pretty damn good.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvD0wGF0gP8
150. Prairie Wind (Prairie Wind, 2005)
The chorus of this one has always stood out to me, and the vignettes in the lyrics are well-crafted.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6jQhnF6LMw
151. Dance, Dance, Dance / Love Is a Rose (Decade, 1977; written and first performed in 1969)
I'm counting this as the same song because it is except for the lyrics. A country hoedown developed with Crazy Horse (and covered by them on their debut album without Neil), Dance was a popular favorite in concert in the early 70s, then it was repurposed with new lyrics as LIaR (interesting acronym) for Homegrown. That version ended up on Decade and was covered by Linda Ronstadt. Both still occasionally show up in acoustic sets, sometimes together as a medley.
Dance, Dance, Dance (After the Gold Rush outtake included on Archives Vol. 1): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9PFH_kTxVA
Love Is a Rose (Decade): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIkVV2AuEQw
152. Surfer Joe and Moe the Sleaze (Re*ac*tor, 1981)
Another Re*ac*tor rocker, this careens along nicely and appears to be telling a story about nothing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PS2fwz4rhMY
153. Peace and Love (Mirror Ball, 1995)
Eddie Vedder's one appearance on Mirror Ball puts this song ahead of some of the others; the highlight is the end of Eddie's last bridge, when he wails "I GAVE IT BAAAAAACK!" as Neil's guitar explodes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpdoJsOaP6M
154. Red Sun (Silver and Gold, 2000)
This soothing ballad has always felt reassuring to me.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmmvAPbJo1s
155. Traces (CSNY 1974, 2014; written in 1973; first performed in 1974)
I've always liked the melody of this one, which was worked up for the 1974 CSNY reunion tour and appears on the box set from it. An acoustic demo that makes the rounds on bootlegs is also compelling.
Live in Wembley on the CSNY 1974 tour: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yL2nFgw9zvg
156. Give Me Strength (Hitchhiker, 2017; written and first performed in 1976)
Yet another song that might have made Chrome Dreams had Neil gone through with it, it's another reflective ballad about Neil's big mid-70s breakup. Like No One Seems to Know, it appears to have been written after he had enough distance to overcome the self-loathing. A year after Hitchhiker came out, a different version was released on Songs for Judy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2D_pTRftr9g
157. Lookin' for a Love (Zuma, 1975)
Tuneful rocker from Zuma, not as special as the songs that surround it but still pretty flippin' good.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trHlo57sORM
158. Separate Ways (Homegrown, 2020; written in 1974; first performed in 1993)
Homegrown's opener gets right to the point of the whole song cycle: "Now we go our separate ways / Lookin' for better days / Sharin' our little boy / Who grew from joy back then." Another that Neil probably felt was too personal to share, but he did reveal it to the world on the 1993 tour with Booker T. and the MGs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSScq4DI-R8
159. Campaigner (Decade, 1977)
Another song from the 1976 batch that may or may not have ended up on Chrome Dreams, this attracted attention after inclusion on Decade for the chorus "Even Richard Nixon has got soul," though it appears to have little to do with the rest of the obtuse lyrics. Early pressings of Decade include a version with an extra verse, which also appears in the version on Hitchhiker.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jasdnyBpyY4
160. The Ways of Love (Freedom, 1989; written and first performed in 1978)
Unveiled in the 1978 acoustic sets that produced side 1 of Rust Never Sleeps, this country-rock ballad was left behind by Neil until Freedom.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83YwoZlVXZw
161. Cryin' Eyes (Life, 1987; written and first performed in 1977)
You're going to have to trust me on this. This rocker debuted in Neil's 1977 shows with The Ducks. That version is rollicking and exhilarating. But it's not on Youtube. 10 years later, Neil revived it for Life, but this version, while it has glimpses of what made the song great (especially in Neil's solos), is plagued by overproduction (that drum sound, ugh). You'll have to imagine a stripped down and faster take, that's what this ranking is for.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLR7MLp7V8g
162. No Wonder (Prairie Wind, 2005)
Precious and uplifting, this is a highlight from Prairie Wind, especially when the drums kick things up a notch around 1:30. Kudos to anyone who predicted Neil would make a reference to Chris Rock in song.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oz88FadLY3Q
163. Dreamin' Man (Harvest Moon, 1992)
In this light, fun song, Neil describes himself better than anyone else could.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7L-DhkWKfIk
164. Loose Change (Broken Arrow, 1996)
This unstructured, adventurous Crazy Horse jam includes a flub that wasn't edited out because Neil was very much all about the warts-and-all approach at this point.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_Esd97Cn9M
165. Act of Love (Mirror Ball, 1995)
The lyrics are a little preachy but this is a thunderous performance that melds the skills of Neil and Pearl Jam well.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4uJcg-FLQs
166. Born to Run (unreleased; written in 1975)
Yes, this was named after the Bruce song. It's another anthemic Crazy Horse rocker that was an outtake from both the Zuma and Ragged Glory sessions (the link is from the latter). Garage bands would kill for a song like this, but Neil has sat on it for 45 years.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhx87Xfvs_k
167. One of These Days (Harvest Moon, 1992)
I've always loved the sentiment of this one. Neil reflects on all the people who have made his musical and life journeys special and resolves to write to them soon to tell them how much they mean to him. Given the family and friends theme throughout the Heart of Gold documentary, it was appropriate that this closed the concert captured in the film.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XtRTA4u5QkU
168. Yonder Stands the Sinner (Time Fades Away, 1973)
The only electric TFA song that didn't make the top 101, this may be a bit yowly for some but the energy is palpable.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VP-A2NG3HlY
169. Slowpoke (CSNY's Looking Forward, 1999; written and first performed in 1997)
This is a pleasant, compelling song that will always be overshadowed because it sounds like Heart of Gold. A lot.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FQ5wgoyH_U
170. Captain Kennedy (Hawks and Doves, 1980; written in 1976-ish)
A throwback in sound and structure to Neil's folkie days, this Chrome Dreams outtake with a war theme was an obvious choice to round out the tracklist for Hawks & Doves. It also appears on Hitchhiker.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2OaNmIucH78
171. When God Made Me (Prairie Wind, 2005)
Ends Prairie Wind on a solemn and thoughtful note.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKbi6CaBZQc
172. Down to the Wire (Decade, 1977; Buffalo Springfield outtake from 1967)
This march-like rocker was recorded for Stampede, which was supposed to be the second Springfield album until Neil, Stills and Furay came up with songs that progressed way beyond the sound of the debut. It first surfaced as the opener on Decade.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkvavMDrWAM
173. Kansas (Homegrown, 2020; written in 1974; first performed in 1999)
This peaceful interlude amongst the anguish that is Homegrown comes with a fun story of how the public first heard it. As with many Homegrown songs, fans only knew of its existence from a list of songs performed at the sessions. On his solo tour in 1999, Neil kept a book onstage with lyrics for every song he ever wrote. One night, he was flipping through it while deciding what to play next. He started mumbling song titles as he passed them, then he said, "Oh, Kansas. You guys don't know that one." He didn't play it that night, but the Rust List went wild at the news of his tossed-off comment, and people at backstage meet-and-greets started asking him to play it. A few nights later in Oakland, he did.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQft4Oos3Aw
174. Walk Like a Giant (Psychedelic Pill, 2012)
The last of the long songs from PP, there are some thrilling moments, but it would be ranked much higher without the whistling.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5u4aVQKD6Q
175. Bandit (Greendale, 2003)
Greendale was not one of Neil's better ideas. Most tracks are stories or screeds rather than songs. This one has some of the same flaws as the others, but I like the way it progresses to the "someday you'll find everything you're looking for" hook. It's also one of the few Neil songs that sounds like it could have come from Leonard Cohen.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpiJTRmBMvE
176. The Losing End (When You're On) (Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, 1969)
A loping country-rock tune, this is pretty fun (and works well live) but is diminished a bit by the insanely good songs around it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Bd-dDZMoX4
177. Throw Your Hatred Down (Mirror Ball, 1995)
I found it got a little lost in the shuffle on my early listens of Mirror Ball. It went up in my estimation when I heard it done live acoustic. The message of the song has more gravitas that way, and the melody shines through better. The Farm Aid 2019 version with Promise of the Real, included on a compilation from that show that aired on AXS TV, is blistering.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DtmDyRfUZo
178. Changing Highways (Broken Arrow, 1996; written in 1976-ish)
When Broken Arrow came out, I only knew that this song had existed long before from one of those books I mentioned in the first post. I had put each of Neil's unreleased songs mentioned in those books on an index card (I didn't have internet access then), and lo and behold, there was a card for this. To my knowledge, the song in its 70s form has never leaked out, but I can't imagine it's much different from the low-fi grinder on Broken Arrow.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQ2JhtgWZKU
179. Safeway Cart (Sleeps with Angels, 1994)
This is a more adventurous arrangement than what we usually get with Crazy Horse, and you learn something new with each listen.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljeQo8t50CE
180. If I Don't Know (The Monsanto Years, 2015)
The Monsanto Years is by far Neil's best album of new songs since Psychedelic Pill -- musically. Promise of the Real do their best Crazy Horse impersonation and play with more power and precision than the Horse is capable of at this point. Lyrically, it's a hot mess. For this concept album about agribusiness, Neil didn't write lyrics, he wrote dialetics. And frequently spoke or yelled them instead of singing them. The storytelling/structural problems that began with Greendale exploded here (and got worse on the next POTR collaboration, 2017's The Visitor, which has no songs in the top 204). If I Don't Know, the album's closer, is one of the exceptions, in which Neil lets the music and lyrics breathe and shows some much-needed humility after 8 songs of "I know best and screw the rest of you."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbYBYd6wl7A
181. Try (Homegrown, 2020; written in 1974; first performed in 2007)
The music for this Homegrown song seems like it belongs with a shaggy-dog story, but the lyrics are a passionate plea to reunite with the woman who left him. Neil even throws in a phrase his ex's mom used to say ("s--t, Mary, I can't dance.") The public first heard this in Neil's 2007-08 acoustic sets. This has already been covered by Jeff Tweedy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5zxOWgCVbA
182. Too Lonely (Life, 1987)
The last of the hard rockers from Life, this was fantastic on the 1986 tour with Crazy Horse but overproduction sucked the life out of the studio version. Neil must realize this himself, as he has a live version on his Youtube channel (linked), which he usually doesn't do for songs that aren't on one of the officially released live albums. Now put Cryin' Eyes from 1977 up!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnIpwFcfRxE
183. For the Turnstiles (On the Beach, 1974)
A series of vignettes which vaguely fit in to OtB's apocalyptic theme, this features Neil on banjo and Ben Keith on dobro. Many Neil fans would have this higher, but I have a tough time digesting Neil's vocal on this one.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z34HMyOmljQ
184. He Was the King (Prairie Wind, 2005)
A fun tribute to Elvis, recorded in his home state.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSi8_NSHRhs
185. After the Garden (Living with War, 2006)
Living with War suffers from the same problems of hectoring and smothering a song with his message as Greendale and Neil's other environmental concept albums, except that it's about, well, war. It was necessary at the time but hasn't aged well. That being said, this song, which opens the album, mostly avoids those problems and boasts a strong melody and solid support from Crazy Horse.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrtEyed7so8
186. Round and Round (It Won't Be Long) (Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, 1969)
This acoustic song with female harmonies (from Robin Lane of the Chartbusters) set the stage for Neil's future collaborations with Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris, Nicolette Larson, etc.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dh5KHaNkIv0
187. Wonderin' (Everybody's Rockin', 1983; written and first performed in 1969)
As I said in the post where I broke down the Geffen years, Everybody's Rockin' is donkey poo. It's tossed-off rockabilly, about half covers, with no feel for the style or care put into the material. (At least they sound like they're having fun, unlike with Landing on Water.) The exception is this song, which was recast from discarded Crazy Horse material. The CH version, which was played on the 1970 tour and appears on Crazy Horse Live at the Fillmore 1970, is clearly better, but at least the rockabilly version has some interesting bass playing (from Tim Drummond) and doo-*** harmonies.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dh5KHaNkIv0
188. Distant Camera (Silver and Gold, 2000)
A pensive highlight from Silver and Gold. Neil's response to a chaotic world is "all I want is a song of love to sing to you."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihkYJroTW4A
189. Stupid Girl (Zuma, 1975)
Another hard rocking triumph, this song is only this low (Binky: high) because the lyrics are dated, to say the least.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBReyFSYCWs
190. Touch the Night (Landing on Water, 1986)
The other Landing on Water song that's worth a repeat listen, this one, originally attempted in 1984 with Crazy Horse, tries a little too hard to be Like a Hurricane part 2, and was never going to succeed in that while saddled with the Landing on Water production. At least it's done well live.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbJgfX840jg
191. War Song (Archives Vol. 1, 2009; non-album single credited to Neil Young and Graham Nash, 1972)
This oddity is basically a campaign song for George McGovern. (Even odder, I don't think Neil and Nash were eligible to vote in US elections yet.) Ignore the lyrics, tune in for the power chords and Young/Nash harmonies.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R26jaSf38h8
192. Ten Men Workin' (This Note's for You, 1988)
The Bluenotes manage to swing pretty well on this one. This opens the album and the title track is second, you don't really need to proceed after that.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5nxqNP9Jes
193. Shock and Awe (Living with War, 2006)
This one's pretty didactic like most of the rest of the album, but the powerful music carries the message, not vice versa.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrmDtj-kfB4
194. Prime of Life (Sleeps with Angels, 1994)
Flute solos! By Neil! (Notably absent from the video version on Neil's channel; the link is to the album version on the Crazy Horse channel.) The vocal arrangements remind me a bit of Slip Away from 2 years later.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4bHzfarK0w
195. Peace Trail (Peace Trail, 2016)
The only good song on an album otherwise consisting of thoroughly unmemorable ones. The vocal arrangement is pretty unique for Neil.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhkzwdOpKC4
196. Soldier (Journey through the Past soundtrack, 1972)
Neil made a strange impressionistic movie in 1972 which was only released so a soundtrack could be put out as well (which is not what Neil wanted). The soundtrack is not worth hearing as it mostly consists of talky outtakes and rehearsals, plus some orchestral stuff. However, this is its one original song, and it's a pretty good piano ballad. Luckily, it also appears on Decade, meaning there is absolutely no reason to own the soundtrack. (The song Journey through the Past does not appear on the soundtrack; it's on Time Fades Away.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWyynvynKRM
197. California Sunset (Old Ways, 1985; written and first performed in 1983)
A brisk country workout which Neil had workshopped for 2 years, as it was part of the first version of Old Ways.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SyVn56ZcyhU
198. A Man Needs a Maid (Harvest, 1972)
This is probably my lowest-ranked Neil song that the stereotypical soccer mom would have heard of. And it's not mostly because of the title and chorus, which indeed have terrible optics and for which points were deducted -- mainly for prompting nearly 50 years of misinterpretations by douchebags. It's because the orchestral arrangement just doesn't work. It's too jarring. The solo piano live versions from the early '70s are SO much better, as is the suite on Live at Massey Hall 1971 in which this is combined with Heart of Gold.
About the misinterpretations. Neil is not saying women should be subservient. The song is really about him and his vulnerabilities at the time; he was laid up with back problems for much of the period between After the Gold Rush and Harvest. It's also the period in which he fell in love with actress Carrie Snodgress (referred to directly in one of the verses), who became the mother of his oldest son Zeke. She took care of him while he was unable to do so himself because of his back. Much of the song describes Neil's internal conflict of whether he can trust anyone enough to make them a true partner in his life, or whether he's better off with something more temporary. "I was thinking that maybe I'd get a maid ... just someone to keep my house clean, cook my meals and go away" is balanced with "when will I see you again?" "It's just the idea that anyone would think enough to say something like that would show that something else was happening," Neil said in 1971. "So don't take it personally when I say it. I don't really want a maid."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5_hCAqGa4g
199. Let It Shine (Stills-Young Band's Long May You Run, 1976)
The only track on the Stills-Young album without "layered b------t" (though the 2016 remaster has discernably less of it), this song was probably a Zuma outtake -- it appeared in some setlists of Neil's early 1976 tour with Crazy Horse. It's a ragtag blues rocker that gently pokes fun at religious zealots and throws in some more car references because why not?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y993IQlHn_w
200. Light a Candle (Fork in the Road, 2009)
An uplifting ballad, this is the only song from Fork in the Road worth hearing more than once.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dh3y2GyQxog
201. Love in Mind (Time Fades Away, 1973; written in 1970; first performed in 1971)
The three piano ballads on TFA are rough, especially vocally. Neil's voice got raspier in 1973 (the shouting he did on the TFA and Tonight's the Night tours didn't help) until he had throat surgery in 1975, but these recordings are actually from 1971, so inclusion of these specific renditions is another troll job by Neil. I've always liked this one best because of how it transitions from mellowness to intensity and back again so quickly.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mp0URt_o0YU
202. Workin' Man (The Monsanto Years, 2015)
This is another song from The Monsanto Years that overcomes the dialectics, mainly because the hard rocking arrangement just plows right through them. No, it's not a cover of the Rush song.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNSmukCl1oc
203. Walk with Me (Le Noise, 2010)
This is where to find the best riffage on Le Noise.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUGej_ofcAQ
204. She Showed Me Love (Colorado, 2019)
The longest song on Neil's most recent outing with Crazy Horse, this veers between "what the hell are they doing?" and "this is amazing!" In other words, it sums up Neil's output in the 21st century quite fittingly.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LaaJCJvFP9M
@The Future Champs, your song is here too.
What the heck, I'll tag everyone else I remember participating in this thread (apologies if I missed anyone): @krista4 @Man of Constant Sorrow @Dr. Octopus @cap'n grunge @fatguyinalittlecoat @lardonastick @Morton Muffley @jwb @Big Blue Wrecking Crew @Uruk-Hai @Eephus @Binky The Doormat @shuke @zamboni @MAC_32 @flranger @skycriesmary @shader @rockaction @Gr00vus @Bracie Smathers @dickey moe @Red Hot Tamales @Brownsfan @FairWarning @timschochet (Can't "at" DEADHEAD because his name starts with a symbol I don't know how to make.) Thanks again to you all for joining me on this journey.
As promised, since top 204 is a thing here, this is the list of the Neil songs I've ranked between 102 and 204. The first 20 or so are in the "I wish I had had room for this in the top 101" category. The links are to the studio version unless otherwise noted. This post will be linked in the first post because I don't expect everyone to digest all of this in one sitting.
102. Bite the Bullet (American Stars 'N Bars, 1977)
The last song I cut from the original list, this asskicker is the best song from the country-rock session that comprises side 1 of ASB.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTqwEEgkfJo
103. Country Girl (CSNY's Deja Vu, 1970)
A whirling experience that veers off in many directions, this is actually three songs (two of which Neil wrote in his Springfield days and played in acoustic sets just after their breakup) fused into one. Each section was credited separately, which boosted Neil's share of the album's songwriting royalties and pissed off C, S and N.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=noxlrqCe1vE
104. Barstool Blues (Zuma, 1975)
Another great stomper from Zuma, this one is best heard in a drawn-out live version on Year of the Horse.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1NvxpeAyE64
105. Out on the Weekend (Harvest, 1972)
The opener to Harvest that sets the mellow tone that made Neil millions, this makes great use of Ben Keith's steel guitar.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TuXMQQtcQ_U
106. Nowadays Clancy Can't Even Sing (Buffalo Springfield, 1966)
This is the song that led to Springfield's formation. Neil taught it to Stephen Stills when they met in Toronto. Stills was touring with the Au Go Go Singers and Neil was playing the city's coffeehouse circuit. Stills then taught it to Richie Furay, his AGGS bandmate and roommate. When Neil and bassist Bruce Palmer arrived in LA and ran into Stills and Furay while sitting in traffic, they decided to form a band, and the plan was cinched when Furay played his version of this for Neil. Like some of Neil's other songs on the first album, this was recorded with Furay on lead vocals and would probably have been higher on the list if Neil sang it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0u6xJ8GGseQ
107. The Old Homestead (Hawks & Doves, 1980; written and first performed in 1974)
A deeply weird and fascinating song that feels like an 8-minute dream. Written and recorded for Homegrown (and played once on the CSNY reunion tour), it was shelved until Neil cobbled together random outtakes for side 1 of Hawks & Doves.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tB-Cs_RRLYA
108. Bad News Comes to Town (Bluenote Cafe, 2015; written in 1974; first performed in 1987)
Another then-unreleased song that intrigued me when someone gave me a tape of such stuff in the mid-90s, before I was on the internet (that story is in the Ordinary People entry). It was written with the Homegrown songs in 1974, but didn't see the light until Neil recast it as a slow blues and put it in the Bluenotes' live sets. It didn't make This Note's for You but does appear on Bluenote Cafe, along with a lot of other songs that can't be found anywhere else. He cranked out a ton of material for the Bluenotes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXu-T4tjLlg
109. I Am a Child (Buffalo Springfield's Last Time Around, 1968)
Happy folk song whose message could be a presage to Old Man. Neil's only lead vocal on the final Springfield album.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wzEBuC_NtQ
110. Flying on the Ground Is Wrong (Buffalo Springfield, 1966)
Another Neil song from the Springfield debut that's sung by Richie Furay. The melody is fantastic and Neil and Promise of the Real did a great job with it when I saw them in 2015. The version on A Treasure with the International Harvesters is excellent as well.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_ZvAEfve38
111. Sugar Mountain (Decade, 1977; B-side of "The Loner," 1969, and subsequently other singles; written in 1965)
Arguably the most famous Neil song that didn't make the top 101, I like this well enough but it seems a bit trite compared to his other iconic acoustic material. I mean, it's about being too old to go to an under-20 club. Hey, he wrote over 600 songs, 111 is still a damn good ranking.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0dD0EjPeQ4
112. Little Thing Called Love (Trans, 1982)
Another leftover from the rejected Island in the Sun that made it onto Trans. It's a cool little rocker and at the end of the chorus you can hear a familiar friend -- the main riff of Harvest Moon, 10 years earlier! (First pops up at 1:10.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KADDQE-LCFI
113. Over and Over (Ragged Glory, 1990)
Yet another hot jam from Ragged Glory. This one's a little clunkier in the melody/lyrics than the other big ones from that record, but it's still ... glorious.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhESA55OfhA
114. The Old Laughing Lady (Neil Young, 1969)
A song that sounds like no others in Neil's catalog, the studio version employs electric piano and female singers to create something creepily soulful. Live solo acoustic versions are a bit too yodely for my liking.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xQUOOvbNfA
115. Big Time (Broken Arrow, 1996)
An anthem buried in the haze. "I'm still living the dream we had/For me it's not over" was Neil's mantra in the 90s.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQNK4sVquB4
116. Rock, Rock, Rock (unreleased; written and first performed in 1984)
The best track from Neil's disastrous 1984 sessions with Crazy Horse, I guess it's nice that he didn't ruin it by putting it on Landing on Water, but it would have been cool to see this ode to music and trucking find a home somewhere. The only version on Youtube is from one of his few '84 shows with Crazy Horse.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cX_noO6CW7k
117. Goin' Home (Are You Passionate?, 2002)
The only song on AYP that has much of a reason to exist, this was actually the one song salvaged from an abandoned album called Toast that Neil recorded with Crazy Horse in 2001. A barnburner that wouldn't be out of place on Ragged Glory (it is massively out of place on an album whose other songs were recorded with Booker T. and the MGs), this got a lot of attention from the hardcore fans when Neil played it at shows with CH in 2001. I saw CSNY perform this in 2002.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEClq40fLgA
118. Hangin' on a Limb (Freedom, 1989)
A gorgeous ballad with harmonies from Linda Ronstadt, this was one of many signs that Neil had returned to form with Freedom.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXnH_uk9j_E
119. Country Home (Ragged Glory, 1990; written and first performed in 1975)
Likely a Zuma outtake given when it first surfaced, this opened the electric sets of many shows on Neil's 1976 tour and then remained dormant until revived to be the opener for Ragged Glory, a great way to signal that the old Horse was back.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91XkZ9ZN6fY
120. Driftin' Back (Psychedelic Pill, 2012)
The longest studio recording Neil has ever released (27 minutes, longer than the entire Everybody's Rockin' album), this loses its way occasionally but showed that the magic from Old Black was still there.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNkZF8RpdEE
121. Opera Star (Re*ac*tor, 1981)
Another punk-like blast of fury from Re*ac*tor, this one would have been higher if not for the "oh-oh-ohs" that pop up in the middle of the chorus. They sound like an electronic chicken being strangled.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2-PjDtHWB8
122. Eldorado (Eldorado EP and Freedom, 1989; written and first performed as "Road of Plenty" in 1986)
Buffalo Springfield held one rehearsal in 1986 to see if a reunion might be in the cards. The Neil song they tried was the chunky midtempo rocker Road of Plenty, which he started playing live with Crazy Horse later that year after nothing came of the Springfield gathering. In early 1989 Neil reworked it with some new lyrics and an almost Spanish guitar style as "Eldorado," releasing a noisy version on an EP of the same name and a less-noisy version on Freedom.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkGZRr5suZc
123. Human Highway (Comes a Time, 1978; written and first performed in 1973)
This was supposed to be the title track of the 1974 CSNY reunion album; Neil performed it often on their tour that year to get audiences primed for it. Then it was forgotten for a few years after the reunion album sessions blew up two songs in. The wistful meditation on betrayal with a lovely melody finally got a proper recording for Comes a Time, but that version is weighted down with too many accented harmonies. I prefer the simpler live version on Year of the Horse and the completely solo version on Hitchhiker.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FY4an-1GqwU
124. Do I Have to Come Right Out and Say It? (Buffalo Springfield, 1966)
Another melodic tune written by Neil and sung by Furay for the first Springfield record. I would guess he was influenced by Rubber Soul when penning this.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUn_bdz1TLI
125. Bad Fog of Loneliness (Live at Massey Hall, 2007; written and first performed in 1970)
This plaintive country-tinged lament narrowly missed being on Harvest AND Tonight's the Night. It was recorded at the earliest Harvest sessions with Heart of Gold and Old Man but for some reason left off in favor of orchestral nonsense. It also appeared at Neil's acoustic shows in 1970-71, as its presence on the Massey Hall archival release attests. Then it was one of three older songs Neil attempted at the TTN sessions (the other two were Winterlong and Walk On) but decided not to include because they "weighed the album down." Both versions were on the bootleg CD my high school buddy shared with me in the '80s. Amazingly, I have seen this live three times, in 2000, 2007 and 2015.
The link is to the Harvest outtake that appears on Archives Vol. 1.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYCf44Ugmys
126. Little Wing (Hawks and Doves, 1980; written in 1974; first performed in 1977)
A beautiful little fragment, this was recorded for Homegrown (in 2020 we learned it made the cut) and first released on Hawks & Doves; the two versions are virtually identical. It also appeared in his sets with The Ducks. (A Ducks version is on YouTube and it is VERY different.) This was named after the Jimi Hendrix song.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SN9ppIP7Sg8
127. Piece of Crap (Sleeps with Angels, 1994)
The one SwA song that would fit on Ragged Glory, this is a quintessential Neil "eff it, we're gonna make some noise" tune.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ovum-GjYWKQ
128. Cocaine Eyes (Eldorado EP, 1989)
129. Heavy Love (Eldorado EP, 1989)
These two amped-up noisy rockers were included on a pre-Freedom EP and played live in early 1989, but didn't make the album and have since been forgotten. They are similar in approach to the Crazy Horse stompers but are crisper and cleaner.
Cocaine Eyes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wv2SPpBZSxQ
Heavy Love: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B03XRr1gvEc
130. Harvest (Harvest, 1972)
A perfectly cromulent country rocker with a nice melody and some dated lyrics.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkMQc82RMJw
131. Hippie Dream (Landing on Water, 1986)
The one song on Landing on Water that Neil put real effort into, this is an angry and sad ode to David Crosby, who was in jail and rehab around this time. "Just because it's over for you doesn't mean it's over for me" showed that Neil still believed in their mission, even though "the wooden ships were a hippie dream, capsized in excess if you know what I mean." As with the rest of the album, the production is crap and live versions are better, although the remasters have done a good job of toning down the intrusive synth bass.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pybVRgMG7T0
132. Psychedelic Pill (Psychedelic Pill, 2012)
The best of the short songs on PP, Neil included two versions on the album. This entry covers both but I prefer the alternate mix, which is the one linked.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJYxQhTWrmo
133. Last Trip to Tulsa (Neil Young, 1969)
Neil's most Dylanesque song, this shambling solo acoustic performance contains wild imagery and leaves all kinds of things open to interpretation. It walked so Ambulance Blues could run.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNMjjsFlUas
134. Raining in Paradise (unreleased; written in 1981)
A track from the rejected Island in the Sun album, this is cheesy as hell but I love it, especially the "sun don't come" bridge. The only versions on Youtube have a lot of tape hiss, so apologies for that.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OH5MDpxs5XI
135. Spirit Road (Chrome Dreams II, 2007)
A crunchy rocker with nice harmonies, this was executed very well at shows I saw in 2007 and 2008.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OoBww27Uhds
136. Are You Ready for the Country? (Harvest, 1972)
A true hoedown, this showed Neil could play country music without lapsing into cliche (a skill he sometimes forgot on Old Ways).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wA3u6RgZ0A
137. Stringman (Unplugged, 1993; written and first performed in 1976)
A sad piano ballad about Stephen Stills, who was crumbling under personal and professional pressures at the time, this was slated for the abandoned Chrome Dreams album and then shelved until the Unplugged taping; it was the only previously unreleased song Neil chose to perform that night.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRAlKk03Mr0
138. Inca Queen (Life, 1987)
The most ambitious song on Life (a record that otherwise lacked much ambition), this is another of Neil's songs about Indians and features some cool interludes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDuhru79rUE
139. Everybody I Love You (CSNY's Deja Vu, 1970)
A fun mishmash of fragments from Neil and Stephen Stills, this is the celebratory spike at the end of the wildly successful Deja Vu.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmc6w2k28y8
140. No One Seems to Know (Songs for Judy, 2018; written and first performed in 1976)
Another ballad Neil unveiled in 1976 but never released until many years later, this is a more reflective and less pained take than the Homegrown songs on the breakup that inspired them.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3lTJ7bS2oM
141. Hitchhiker (Le Noise, 2010; written in 1976-ish; first performed in 1992)
As mentioned in the entry for Like an Inca, which borrows the chorus from this, Hitchhiker is a fascinating chronicle of Neil's drug use, and was obviously too personal for him to release at the time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOq93UqN9vU
142. Philadelphia (Philadelphia soundtrack, 1993)
Gorgeous ballad that reminds us not to be ashamed of love, no matter what form it comes in. I am biased but this is much better than the Springsteen tune from the same soundtrack.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHpQFF_Et4s
143. See the Sky About to Rain (On the Beach, 1974; written and first performed in 1970)
Foreboding song with brooding electric piano arrangement that fits in with the apocalyptic material on On the Beach despite being written much earlier.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wuwBy6Hc_l8
144. The Great Divide (Silver and Gold, 2000)
A throwback to the imagery-heavy, open-to-interpretation songs Neil would occasionally crank out in the '60s and early '70s, this is one of the standouts on Silver and Gold.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UiQLnHoN1PA
145. Southern Pacific (Re*ac*tor, 1981)
The most conventional song on -- and single from -- Re*ac*tor, this song reflects how Neil loves trains almost as much as he does cars.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOnESpYhLp4
146. Out of My Mind (Buffalo Springfield, 1966)
Neil wrote (and sang, a rarity for his material on the Springfield debut) this song about paranoia due to fame BEFORE HE WAS FAMOUS. Is he clairvoyant or what? It may also refer to the seizures he frequently had when he was in Springfield.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bSRa8v9fPU
147. Star of Bethlehem (American Stars 'N Bars, 1977; written and first performed in 1974)
On ASB, I always thought this song was just kind of there. Side 2 is a hodgepodge of stuff randomly thrown together. But it shot up my rankings after Homegrown came out. As the closer there, it's revelatory. In that placement, "maybe the star of Bethlehem wasn't a star at all" feels like a grand summation of what Neil was going through at the time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Li3b1kf4GGQ
148. Peace of Mind (Comes a Time, 1978)
Another fine ballad from Comes a Time that could have toned down the strings and accented harmonies.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lY-amK8wdhg
149. I'm the Ocean (Mirror Ball, 1995)
I can be a contrarian sometimes. When Mirror Ball came out, lots of writers said this was the best song on the album and ranked it with some of his best Crazy Horse material. I don't see it. I like it well enough, especially how it builds momentum, but it dwells on the same stuff for too long. So this ranking partly reflects how I feel others overrate it. It's still #3 on the album for me and that's pretty damn good.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvD0wGF0gP8
150. Prairie Wind (Prairie Wind, 2005)
The chorus of this one has always stood out to me, and the vignettes in the lyrics are well-crafted.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6jQhnF6LMw
151. Dance, Dance, Dance / Love Is a Rose (Decade, 1977; written and first performed in 1969)
I'm counting this as the same song because it is except for the lyrics. A country hoedown developed with Crazy Horse (and covered by them on their debut album without Neil), Dance was a popular favorite in concert in the early 70s, then it was repurposed with new lyrics as LIaR (interesting acronym) for Homegrown. That version ended up on Decade and was covered by Linda Ronstadt. Both still occasionally show up in acoustic sets, sometimes together as a medley.
Dance, Dance, Dance (After the Gold Rush outtake included on Archives Vol. 1): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9PFH_kTxVA
Love Is a Rose (Decade): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIkVV2AuEQw
152. Surfer Joe and Moe the Sleaze (Re*ac*tor, 1981)
Another Re*ac*tor rocker, this careens along nicely and appears to be telling a story about nothing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PS2fwz4rhMY
153. Peace and Love (Mirror Ball, 1995)
Eddie Vedder's one appearance on Mirror Ball puts this song ahead of some of the others; the highlight is the end of Eddie's last bridge, when he wails "I GAVE IT BAAAAAACK!" as Neil's guitar explodes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpdoJsOaP6M
154. Red Sun (Silver and Gold, 2000)
This soothing ballad has always felt reassuring to me.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmmvAPbJo1s
155. Traces (CSNY 1974, 2014; written in 1973; first performed in 1974)
I've always liked the melody of this one, which was worked up for the 1974 CSNY reunion tour and appears on the box set from it. An acoustic demo that makes the rounds on bootlegs is also compelling.
Live in Wembley on the CSNY 1974 tour: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yL2nFgw9zvg
156. Give Me Strength (Hitchhiker, 2017; written and first performed in 1976)
Yet another song that might have made Chrome Dreams had Neil gone through with it, it's another reflective ballad about Neil's big mid-70s breakup. Like No One Seems to Know, it appears to have been written after he had enough distance to overcome the self-loathing. A year after Hitchhiker came out, a different version was released on Songs for Judy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2D_pTRftr9g
157. Lookin' for a Love (Zuma, 1975)
Tuneful rocker from Zuma, not as special as the songs that surround it but still pretty flippin' good.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trHlo57sORM
158. Separate Ways (Homegrown, 2020; written in 1974; first performed in 1993)
Homegrown's opener gets right to the point of the whole song cycle: "Now we go our separate ways / Lookin' for better days / Sharin' our little boy / Who grew from joy back then." Another that Neil probably felt was too personal to share, but he did reveal it to the world on the 1993 tour with Booker T. and the MGs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSScq4DI-R8
159. Campaigner (Decade, 1977)
Another song from the 1976 batch that may or may not have ended up on Chrome Dreams, this attracted attention after inclusion on Decade for the chorus "Even Richard Nixon has got soul," though it appears to have little to do with the rest of the obtuse lyrics. Early pressings of Decade include a version with an extra verse, which also appears in the version on Hitchhiker.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jasdnyBpyY4
160. The Ways of Love (Freedom, 1989; written and first performed in 1978)
Unveiled in the 1978 acoustic sets that produced side 1 of Rust Never Sleeps, this country-rock ballad was left behind by Neil until Freedom.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83YwoZlVXZw
161. Cryin' Eyes (Life, 1987; written and first performed in 1977)
You're going to have to trust me on this. This rocker debuted in Neil's 1977 shows with The Ducks. That version is rollicking and exhilarating. But it's not on Youtube. 10 years later, Neil revived it for Life, but this version, while it has glimpses of what made the song great (especially in Neil's solos), is plagued by overproduction (that drum sound, ugh). You'll have to imagine a stripped down and faster take, that's what this ranking is for.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLR7MLp7V8g
162. No Wonder (Prairie Wind, 2005)
Precious and uplifting, this is a highlight from Prairie Wind, especially when the drums kick things up a notch around 1:30. Kudos to anyone who predicted Neil would make a reference to Chris Rock in song.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oz88FadLY3Q
163. Dreamin' Man (Harvest Moon, 1992)
In this light, fun song, Neil describes himself better than anyone else could.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7L-DhkWKfIk
164. Loose Change (Broken Arrow, 1996)
This unstructured, adventurous Crazy Horse jam includes a flub that wasn't edited out because Neil was very much all about the warts-and-all approach at this point.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_Esd97Cn9M
165. Act of Love (Mirror Ball, 1995)
The lyrics are a little preachy but this is a thunderous performance that melds the skills of Neil and Pearl Jam well.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4uJcg-FLQs
166. Born to Run (unreleased; written in 1975)
Yes, this was named after the Bruce song. It's another anthemic Crazy Horse rocker that was an outtake from both the Zuma and Ragged Glory sessions (the link is from the latter). Garage bands would kill for a song like this, but Neil has sat on it for 45 years.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhx87Xfvs_k
167. One of These Days (Harvest Moon, 1992)
I've always loved the sentiment of this one. Neil reflects on all the people who have made his musical and life journeys special and resolves to write to them soon to tell them how much they mean to him. Given the family and friends theme throughout the Heart of Gold documentary, it was appropriate that this closed the concert captured in the film.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XtRTA4u5QkU
168. Yonder Stands the Sinner (Time Fades Away, 1973)
The only electric TFA song that didn't make the top 101, this may be a bit yowly for some but the energy is palpable.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VP-A2NG3HlY
169. Slowpoke (CSNY's Looking Forward, 1999; written and first performed in 1997)
This is a pleasant, compelling song that will always be overshadowed because it sounds like Heart of Gold. A lot.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FQ5wgoyH_U
170. Captain Kennedy (Hawks and Doves, 1980; written in 1976-ish)
A throwback in sound and structure to Neil's folkie days, this Chrome Dreams outtake with a war theme was an obvious choice to round out the tracklist for Hawks & Doves. It also appears on Hitchhiker.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2OaNmIucH78
171. When God Made Me (Prairie Wind, 2005)
Ends Prairie Wind on a solemn and thoughtful note.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKbi6CaBZQc
172. Down to the Wire (Decade, 1977; Buffalo Springfield outtake from 1967)
This march-like rocker was recorded for Stampede, which was supposed to be the second Springfield album until Neil, Stills and Furay came up with songs that progressed way beyond the sound of the debut. It first surfaced as the opener on Decade.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkvavMDrWAM
173. Kansas (Homegrown, 2020; written in 1974; first performed in 1999)
This peaceful interlude amongst the anguish that is Homegrown comes with a fun story of how the public first heard it. As with many Homegrown songs, fans only knew of its existence from a list of songs performed at the sessions. On his solo tour in 1999, Neil kept a book onstage with lyrics for every song he ever wrote. One night, he was flipping through it while deciding what to play next. He started mumbling song titles as he passed them, then he said, "Oh, Kansas. You guys don't know that one." He didn't play it that night, but the Rust List went wild at the news of his tossed-off comment, and people at backstage meet-and-greets started asking him to play it. A few nights later in Oakland, he did.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQft4Oos3Aw
174. Walk Like a Giant (Psychedelic Pill, 2012)
The last of the long songs from PP, there are some thrilling moments, but it would be ranked much higher without the whistling.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5u4aVQKD6Q
175. Bandit (Greendale, 2003)
Greendale was not one of Neil's better ideas. Most tracks are stories or screeds rather than songs. This one has some of the same flaws as the others, but I like the way it progresses to the "someday you'll find everything you're looking for" hook. It's also one of the few Neil songs that sounds like it could have come from Leonard Cohen.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpiJTRmBMvE
176. The Losing End (When You're On) (Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, 1969)
A loping country-rock tune, this is pretty fun (and works well live) but is diminished a bit by the insanely good songs around it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Bd-dDZMoX4
177. Throw Your Hatred Down (Mirror Ball, 1995)
I found it got a little lost in the shuffle on my early listens of Mirror Ball. It went up in my estimation when I heard it done live acoustic. The message of the song has more gravitas that way, and the melody shines through better. The Farm Aid 2019 version with Promise of the Real, included on a compilation from that show that aired on AXS TV, is blistering.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DtmDyRfUZo
178. Changing Highways (Broken Arrow, 1996; written in 1976-ish)
When Broken Arrow came out, I only knew that this song had existed long before from one of those books I mentioned in the first post. I had put each of Neil's unreleased songs mentioned in those books on an index card (I didn't have internet access then), and lo and behold, there was a card for this. To my knowledge, the song in its 70s form has never leaked out, but I can't imagine it's much different from the low-fi grinder on Broken Arrow.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQ2JhtgWZKU
179. Safeway Cart (Sleeps with Angels, 1994)
This is a more adventurous arrangement than what we usually get with Crazy Horse, and you learn something new with each listen.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljeQo8t50CE
180. If I Don't Know (The Monsanto Years, 2015)
The Monsanto Years is by far Neil's best album of new songs since Psychedelic Pill -- musically. Promise of the Real do their best Crazy Horse impersonation and play with more power and precision than the Horse is capable of at this point. Lyrically, it's a hot mess. For this concept album about agribusiness, Neil didn't write lyrics, he wrote dialetics. And frequently spoke or yelled them instead of singing them. The storytelling/structural problems that began with Greendale exploded here (and got worse on the next POTR collaboration, 2017's The Visitor, which has no songs in the top 204). If I Don't Know, the album's closer, is one of the exceptions, in which Neil lets the music and lyrics breathe and shows some much-needed humility after 8 songs of "I know best and screw the rest of you."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbYBYd6wl7A
181. Try (Homegrown, 2020; written in 1974; first performed in 2007)
The music for this Homegrown song seems like it belongs with a shaggy-dog story, but the lyrics are a passionate plea to reunite with the woman who left him. Neil even throws in a phrase his ex's mom used to say ("s--t, Mary, I can't dance.") The public first heard this in Neil's 2007-08 acoustic sets. This has already been covered by Jeff Tweedy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5zxOWgCVbA
182. Too Lonely (Life, 1987)
The last of the hard rockers from Life, this was fantastic on the 1986 tour with Crazy Horse but overproduction sucked the life out of the studio version. Neil must realize this himself, as he has a live version on his Youtube channel (linked), which he usually doesn't do for songs that aren't on one of the officially released live albums. Now put Cryin' Eyes from 1977 up!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnIpwFcfRxE
183. For the Turnstiles (On the Beach, 1974)
A series of vignettes which vaguely fit in to OtB's apocalyptic theme, this features Neil on banjo and Ben Keith on dobro. Many Neil fans would have this higher, but I have a tough time digesting Neil's vocal on this one.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z34HMyOmljQ
184. He Was the King (Prairie Wind, 2005)
A fun tribute to Elvis, recorded in his home state.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSi8_NSHRhs
185. After the Garden (Living with War, 2006)
Living with War suffers from the same problems of hectoring and smothering a song with his message as Greendale and Neil's other environmental concept albums, except that it's about, well, war. It was necessary at the time but hasn't aged well. That being said, this song, which opens the album, mostly avoids those problems and boasts a strong melody and solid support from Crazy Horse.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrtEyed7so8
186. Round and Round (It Won't Be Long) (Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, 1969)
This acoustic song with female harmonies (from Robin Lane of the Chartbusters) set the stage for Neil's future collaborations with Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris, Nicolette Larson, etc.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dh5KHaNkIv0
187. Wonderin' (Everybody's Rockin', 1983; written and first performed in 1969)
As I said in the post where I broke down the Geffen years, Everybody's Rockin' is donkey poo. It's tossed-off rockabilly, about half covers, with no feel for the style or care put into the material. (At least they sound like they're having fun, unlike with Landing on Water.) The exception is this song, which was recast from discarded Crazy Horse material. The CH version, which was played on the 1970 tour and appears on Crazy Horse Live at the Fillmore 1970, is clearly better, but at least the rockabilly version has some interesting bass playing (from Tim Drummond) and doo-*** harmonies.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dh5KHaNkIv0
188. Distant Camera (Silver and Gold, 2000)
A pensive highlight from Silver and Gold. Neil's response to a chaotic world is "all I want is a song of love to sing to you."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihkYJroTW4A
189. Stupid Girl (Zuma, 1975)
Another hard rocking triumph, this song is only this low (Binky: high) because the lyrics are dated, to say the least.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBReyFSYCWs
190. Touch the Night (Landing on Water, 1986)
The other Landing on Water song that's worth a repeat listen, this one, originally attempted in 1984 with Crazy Horse, tries a little too hard to be Like a Hurricane part 2, and was never going to succeed in that while saddled with the Landing on Water production. At least it's done well live.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbJgfX840jg
191. War Song (Archives Vol. 1, 2009; non-album single credited to Neil Young and Graham Nash, 1972)
This oddity is basically a campaign song for George McGovern. (Even odder, I don't think Neil and Nash were eligible to vote in US elections yet.) Ignore the lyrics, tune in for the power chords and Young/Nash harmonies.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R26jaSf38h8
192. Ten Men Workin' (This Note's for You, 1988)
The Bluenotes manage to swing pretty well on this one. This opens the album and the title track is second, you don't really need to proceed after that.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5nxqNP9Jes
193. Shock and Awe (Living with War, 2006)
This one's pretty didactic like most of the rest of the album, but the powerful music carries the message, not vice versa.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrmDtj-kfB4
194. Prime of Life (Sleeps with Angels, 1994)
Flute solos! By Neil! (Notably absent from the video version on Neil's channel; the link is to the album version on the Crazy Horse channel.) The vocal arrangements remind me a bit of Slip Away from 2 years later.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4bHzfarK0w
195. Peace Trail (Peace Trail, 2016)
The only good song on an album otherwise consisting of thoroughly unmemorable ones. The vocal arrangement is pretty unique for Neil.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhkzwdOpKC4
196. Soldier (Journey through the Past soundtrack, 1972)
Neil made a strange impressionistic movie in 1972 which was only released so a soundtrack could be put out as well (which is not what Neil wanted). The soundtrack is not worth hearing as it mostly consists of talky outtakes and rehearsals, plus some orchestral stuff. However, this is its one original song, and it's a pretty good piano ballad. Luckily, it also appears on Decade, meaning there is absolutely no reason to own the soundtrack. (The song Journey through the Past does not appear on the soundtrack; it's on Time Fades Away.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWyynvynKRM
197. California Sunset (Old Ways, 1985; written and first performed in 1983)
A brisk country workout which Neil had workshopped for 2 years, as it was part of the first version of Old Ways.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SyVn56ZcyhU
198. A Man Needs a Maid (Harvest, 1972)
This is probably my lowest-ranked Neil song that the stereotypical soccer mom would have heard of. And it's not mostly because of the title and chorus, which indeed have terrible optics and for which points were deducted -- mainly for prompting nearly 50 years of misinterpretations by douchebags. It's because the orchestral arrangement just doesn't work. It's too jarring. The solo piano live versions from the early '70s are SO much better, as is the suite on Live at Massey Hall 1971 in which this is combined with Heart of Gold.
About the misinterpretations. Neil is not saying women should be subservient. The song is really about him and his vulnerabilities at the time; he was laid up with back problems for much of the period between After the Gold Rush and Harvest. It's also the period in which he fell in love with actress Carrie Snodgress (referred to directly in one of the verses), who became the mother of his oldest son Zeke. She took care of him while he was unable to do so himself because of his back. Much of the song describes Neil's internal conflict of whether he can trust anyone enough to make them a true partner in his life, or whether he's better off with something more temporary. "I was thinking that maybe I'd get a maid ... just someone to keep my house clean, cook my meals and go away" is balanced with "when will I see you again?" "It's just the idea that anyone would think enough to say something like that would show that something else was happening," Neil said in 1971. "So don't take it personally when I say it. I don't really want a maid."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5_hCAqGa4g
199. Let It Shine (Stills-Young Band's Long May You Run, 1976)
The only track on the Stills-Young album without "layered b------t" (though the 2016 remaster has discernably less of it), this song was probably a Zuma outtake -- it appeared in some setlists of Neil's early 1976 tour with Crazy Horse. It's a ragtag blues rocker that gently pokes fun at religious zealots and throws in some more car references because why not?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y993IQlHn_w
200. Light a Candle (Fork in the Road, 2009)
An uplifting ballad, this is the only song from Fork in the Road worth hearing more than once.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dh3y2GyQxog
201. Love in Mind (Time Fades Away, 1973; written in 1970; first performed in 1971)
The three piano ballads on TFA are rough, especially vocally. Neil's voice got raspier in 1973 (the shouting he did on the TFA and Tonight's the Night tours didn't help) until he had throat surgery in 1975, but these recordings are actually from 1971, so inclusion of these specific renditions is another troll job by Neil. I've always liked this one best because of how it transitions from mellowness to intensity and back again so quickly.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mp0URt_o0YU
202. Workin' Man (The Monsanto Years, 2015)
This is another song from The Monsanto Years that overcomes the dialectics, mainly because the hard rocking arrangement just plows right through them. No, it's not a cover of the Rush song.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNSmukCl1oc
203. Walk with Me (Le Noise, 2010)
This is where to find the best riffage on Le Noise.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUGej_ofcAQ
204. She Showed Me Love (Colorado, 2019)
The longest song on Neil's most recent outing with Crazy Horse, this veers between "what the hell are they doing?" and "this is amazing!" In other words, it sums up Neil's output in the 21st century quite fittingly.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LaaJCJvFP9M
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jwb
Footballguy
Traces was the one I was referring to earlier. It would make my top 30. When I first heard it on CSNY74, I couldn't believe it was never released, because it's really good. I did find the acoustic "studio" version you mention, and it's nowhere near as good, so maybe that's why it never really got released. But this version you linked to (which I'm guessing is where they got it for the box set, because it sounds identical) is just a great song.
edit: This (same) video is a little better quality: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-O1Re9E1mk0
side note: Goodness Graham, eat a sandwich.
Forgot all about Dreamin' Man - love that song.
Neil is sooooo good.
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fatguyinalittlecoat
Footballguy
Some really fantastic songs in the second hundred. I’m a sucker for the folksy catchy melodies so my favorites are probably “I am a Child”, “Love is a Rose” and “One of these Days”. But so many good ones to choose from.
simey
Footballguy
That isn't what the song is about. Neil not being able to get into a club he used to play at when he was under 20 is what inspired the song, but it isn't what the song is about. Sugar Mountain is that place of innocence in childhood when everything is carefree. He sings about things many young people experienced in their youth, and then leaving it behind to go out on your own and realizing it can be tough, and wishing you could go back to that time of innocence.
Pip's Invitation
Footballguy
I actually came across the acoustic studio version of Traces first. It was on a bootleg CD of random rarities that a high school friend had. This is also where I first heard Pushed It Over the End, Bad Fog of Loneliness, War Song and Love/Art Blues, the latter of which was the other song I had your teaser narrowed down to.
I like the acoustic Traces just as much as the CSNY version.
The CSNY 74 tour and the fallout from the subsequent attempt at a reunion album left Neil so bitter that he ditched a lot of things associated with it, from songs* to CSN themselves.
* - even the On the Beach songs. They don’t appear in his set lists much after 1974.
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Pip's Invitation
Footballguy
FairWarning
Footballguy
Piece of Crap always reminded me of a mid-70's Stones song. It would have fit in on Some Girls.
Pip's Invitation
Footballguy
jwb
Footballguy
skol asylum
Footballguy
Just won this in a raffle in a vinyl facebook group I recently joined:
http://neilyoungnews.thrasherswheat.org/2016/11/neil-youngs-official-release-series.html?m=1
Complete newb to vinyl. Bought a turntable, bookshelf speakers, and a few albums but have n't set it up yet.
http://neilyoungnews.thrasherswheat.org/2016/11/neil-youngs-official-release-series.html?m=1
Complete newb to vinyl. Bought a turntable, bookshelf speakers, and a few albums but have n't set it up yet.
skol asylum
Footballguy
Just listened to this from Neil for the first time. I also recognized the cover but didn't know it was his.
skol asylum
Footballguy
Neil, you dirty dog...
In the field of opportunity
It's plowin' time again.
There ain't no way of telling
Where these seeds
will rise or when
I'll just wait
around 'til springtime
And then, I'll find a friend
In the field of opportunity
It's plowin' time again.
Don't think that one was on your list @Pip's Invitation
In the field of opportunity
It's plowin' time again.
There ain't no way of telling
Where these seeds
will rise or when
I'll just wait
around 'til springtime
And then, I'll find a friend
In the field of opportunity
It's plowin' time again.
Don't think that one was on your list @Pip's Invitation
Pip's Invitation
Footballguy
Pip's Invitation
Footballguy
Breakdown of my top 204 by album:
Zuma 9 (all)
Rust Never Sleeps 9 (all; 8 entries)
Freedom 9 (8 entries)
After the Gold Rush 8
Harvest 8
Tonight's the Night 8 (7 entries)
Ragged Glory 8
On the Beach 7
Harvest Moon 7
Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere 6
Time Fades Away 6
Comes a Time 6
Mirror Ball 6
Broken Arrow 5 (1 on vinyl only)
Silver & Gold 5
Prairie Wind 5
Psychedelic Pill 5 (4 entries)
Buffalo Springfield 4
Neil Young 4
Re*ac*tor 4
Life 4
Sleeps with Angels 4
Buffalo Springfield Again 3 (all)
CSNY Deja Vu 3 (all)
American Stars 'N Bars 3
Hawks & Doves 3
Chrome Dreams II 3
Buffalo Springfield Last Time Around 2
Stills-Young Band Long May You Run 2
Trans 2 (3 if you also count Mr. Soul)
Old Ways 2
Landing on Water 2
This Note's for You 2
Living with War 2
Le Noise 2
The Monsanto Years 2
Everybody's Rockin 1
CSNY Looking Forward 1
Are You Passionate? 1
Greendale 1
Fork in the Road 1
Peace Trail 1
Colorado 1
CSNY American Dream 0
Storytone 0
The Visitor 0
Other (unreleased, compilation/archival/soundtrack release(s) only, non-album single/EP tracks) 31
Americana and A Letter Home not eligible (all covers)
Here's where we reward depth as opposed to peaks. All of Zuma is here; as with RNS, there's not a single song that's even mediocre. Freedom is only missing its noise experiments (which aren't bad, but aren't as good as Cocaine Eyes and Heavy Love, and one is a cover and thus not eligible) and its too-Bruce song, which wouldn't have been left waiting much longer had the list kept going. Tonight's the Night picks up no new selections. The remaining 4 songs, while meritorious, are quite difficult to listen to, especially in terms of Neil's vocals. On the Beach has 7 of its 8 songs represented. The 8th is widely considered a throwaway, but I do find it amusing and it probably would have showed up if I'd taken this to 300. EKTIN has 6 of its 7 songs represented; unfortunately I find the 7th annoying. Time Fades Away is now only missing two of its rough piano ballads. Far better represented on this list than in the top 101 are Psychedelic Pill, Mirror Ball, the Buffalo Springfield debut (4 of his 5 songs there), Broken Arrow, Prairie Wind and Silver & Gold. Aside from a CSNY reunion album that Neil phoned in, the only shutouts belong to Storytone and The Visitor, both of which have no tracks I have any desire to hear again (pending review of that one @jwb talked about).
ETA: That Visitor thing is 8 minutes long? Dude, you're killin' me.
Zuma 9 (all)
Rust Never Sleeps 9 (all; 8 entries)
Freedom 9 (8 entries)
After the Gold Rush 8
Harvest 8
Tonight's the Night 8 (7 entries)
Ragged Glory 8
On the Beach 7
Harvest Moon 7
Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere 6
Time Fades Away 6
Comes a Time 6
Mirror Ball 6
Broken Arrow 5 (1 on vinyl only)
Silver & Gold 5
Prairie Wind 5
Psychedelic Pill 5 (4 entries)
Buffalo Springfield 4
Neil Young 4
Re*ac*tor 4
Life 4
Sleeps with Angels 4
Buffalo Springfield Again 3 (all)
CSNY Deja Vu 3 (all)
American Stars 'N Bars 3
Hawks & Doves 3
Chrome Dreams II 3
Buffalo Springfield Last Time Around 2
Stills-Young Band Long May You Run 2
Trans 2 (3 if you also count Mr. Soul)
Old Ways 2
Landing on Water 2
This Note's for You 2
Living with War 2
Le Noise 2
The Monsanto Years 2
Everybody's Rockin 1
CSNY Looking Forward 1
Are You Passionate? 1
Greendale 1
Fork in the Road 1
Peace Trail 1
Colorado 1
CSNY American Dream 0
Storytone 0
The Visitor 0
Other (unreleased, compilation/archival/soundtrack release(s) only, non-album single/EP tracks) 31
Americana and A Letter Home not eligible (all covers)
Here's where we reward depth as opposed to peaks. All of Zuma is here; as with RNS, there's not a single song that's even mediocre. Freedom is only missing its noise experiments (which aren't bad, but aren't as good as Cocaine Eyes and Heavy Love, and one is a cover and thus not eligible) and its too-Bruce song, which wouldn't have been left waiting much longer had the list kept going. Tonight's the Night picks up no new selections. The remaining 4 songs, while meritorious, are quite difficult to listen to, especially in terms of Neil's vocals. On the Beach has 7 of its 8 songs represented. The 8th is widely considered a throwaway, but I do find it amusing and it probably would have showed up if I'd taken this to 300. EKTIN has 6 of its 7 songs represented; unfortunately I find the 7th annoying. Time Fades Away is now only missing two of its rough piano ballads. Far better represented on this list than in the top 101 are Psychedelic Pill, Mirror Ball, the Buffalo Springfield debut (4 of his 5 songs there), Broken Arrow, Prairie Wind and Silver & Gold. Aside from a CSNY reunion album that Neil phoned in, the only shutouts belong to Storytone and The Visitor, both of which have no tracks I have any desire to hear again (pending review of that one @jwb talked about).
ETA: That Visitor thing is 8 minutes long? Dude, you're killin' me.
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Pip's Invitation
Footballguy
0:40. We've got to the Evel Knievel reference already and they're clearly high as balls.
1:10. Why is Neil singing like a dude who does voiceovers for Westerns?
1:30. The song changes abruptly for no reason, but I guess it would have been aggravating if they had just done Western voiceovers plus "Carnivaaaaaal, Carnivaaaaaal" for all 8 minutes.
1:50. Hey, they actually gave the POTR bongo player something to do. Except for Like an Inca, I can barely even tell he's there when they play together live.
2:20. Back to the Western voiceovers with a Spanish tint plus "Carnivaaaaaal, Carnivaaaaaal". I keep waiting for a Neil soliloquy on rich Corinthian leather.
2:45. Neil has developed a kind of growl in his voice at this point. Did I mention they're high as balls?
3:10. Back to the slow part. Is that a xylophone or a toy piano or something?
3:45. Now they're laughing -- because they're high as balls.
3:50. Neil's vocal on the "girl with the flaming red hair" verse sounds like a Dylan parody.
4:30. OK, he's supposed to sound like a carnival barker. Only now, halfway through the song, was that coherent enough to come through. "Eating fire and swallowing snakes/A potpourri of nature's mistakes" is kind of clever.
5:25. More laughing. But sounds forced this time.
6:00. As this progresses, it reminds me more and more of Ween's "The Stallion Part 3." The passage around here recalls the "I do declare/I can float in the air" part of that song. However, I doubt Neil has ever listened to Ween. (Though they love him and have covered him.)
6:15. Now I'm getting "Monster Mash" vibes.
7:30. "Nothing safe about the greatest show on earth." Uh-oh, is this one of his latter-day message songs?
8:15. They hold the last note too long because, yup, they're high as balls.
Congrats, I think you've found Neil's weirdest song. (There's another contender I'll discuss in the covers post if I can find it; it's a rarity.)
Link for anyone who dares: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mVxKSTrgGQ
jwb
Footballguy
Pip's Invitation
Footballguy
I’ve linked it in the first page because I’m definitely gonna want to find that again.
Yeah, that was epic.
Pip's Invitation
Footballguy
Results of the Neil draft I did on my other sports/music geek board in 2011:
1.01. DMT - Heart of Gold (Harvest, 1972) (Pip rank: #50)
1.02. Mith - Powderfinger (Rust Never Sleeps, 1979) (Pip rank: #7)
1.03. Johnny - Old Man (Harvest, 1972) (Pip rank: #12)
1.04. Pip - Cortez the Killer (Zuma, 1975) (Pip rank: #1)
1.05. Overkill - Like a Hurricane (American Stars 'N Bars, 1977) (Pip rank: #17)
1.06. Cobain - Hey, Hey, My, My (Into the Black) (Rust Never Sleeps, 1979) (Pip rank: #6 (shared))
1.07. Foot - A Man Needs a Maid (Harvest, 1972) (Pip rank: #198)
1.08. Lucky - After the Gold Rush (After the Gold Rush, 1970) (Pip rank: #16)
2.01. Lucky - The Needle and the Damage Done (Harvest, 1972) (Pip rank: #36)
2.02. Foot - Pocahontas (Rust Never Sleeps, 1979) (Pip rank: #19)
2.03. Cobain - Down by the River (Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, 1969) (Pip rank: #3)
2.04. Overkill - Harvest Moon (Harvest Moon, 1992) (Pip rank: #45)
2.05. Pip - Rockin' in the Free World (Freedom, 1989) (Pip rank: #2)
2.06. Johnny - Cinnamon Girl (Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, 1969) (Pip rank: #21)
2.07. Mith - Welfare Mothers (Rust Never Sleeps, 1979) (Pip rank: #47)
2.08. DMT - Southern Man (After the Gold Rush, 1970) (Pip rank: #10)
3.01. DMT - Cowgirl in the Sand (Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, 1969) (Pip rank: #9)
3.02. Mith - Love and Only Love (Ragged Glory, 1990) (Pip rank: #40)
3.03. Johnny - Only Love Can Break Your Heart (After the Gold Rush, 1970) (Pip rank: #22)
3.04. Pip - Ohio (CSNY non-album single, 1970) (Pip rank: #4)
3.05. Overkill - Broken Arrow (Buffalo Springfield Again, 1967) (Pip rank: #52)
3.06. Cobain - Helpless (CSNY's Deja Vu, 1970) (Pip rank: #5)
3.07. Foot - Tell Me Why (After the Gold Rush, 1970) (Pip rank: #37)
3.08. Lucky - For the Turnstiles (On the Beach, 1974) (Pip rank: #183)
4.01. Lucky - F*!#in' Up (Ragged Glory, 1990) (Pip rank: #11)
4.02. Foot - When You Dance I Can Really Love (After the Gold Rush, 1970) (Pip rank: #80)
4.03. Cobain - Thrasher (Rust Never Sleeps, 1979) (Pip rank: #20)
4.04. Overkill - Four Strong Winds (Comes a Time, 1978) (Pip rank: ineligible because cover)
4.05. Pip - Sedan Delivery (Rust Never Sleeps, 1979) (Pip rank: #32)
4.06. Johnny - Revolution Blues (On the Beach, 1974) (Pip rank: #15)
4.07. Mith - Tonight's the Night (Tonight's the Night, 1975) (Pip rank: #8)
4.08. DMT - Ambulance Blues (On the Beach, 1974) (Pip rank: #23)
5.01. DMT - Mr. Soul (Buffalo Springfield Again, 1967) (Pip rank: #38)
5.02. Mith - Hawks & Doves (Hawks & Doves, 1980) (Pip rank: not in top 204)
5.03. Johnny - Sugar Mountain (B-side of "The Loner," 1969) (Pip rank: #111)
5.04. Pip - On the Beach (On the Beach, 1974) (Pip rank: #18)
5.05. Overkill - My, My, Hey, Hey (Out of the Blue) (Rust Never Sleeps, 1979) (Pip rank: #6 (shared))
5.06. Cobain - Crime in the City (Sixty to Zero pt. 1) (Freedom, 1989) (Pip rank: #74)
5.07. Foot - Natural Beauty (Harvest Moon, 1992) (Pip rank: #55)
5.08. Lucky - Country Girl (CSNY's Deja Vu, 1970) (Pip rank: #103)
6.01. Lucky - Love to Burn (Ragged Glory, 1990) (Pip rank: #31)
6.02. Foot - The Loner (Neil Young, 1969) (Pip rank: #25)
6.03. Cobain - Unknown Legend (Harvest Moon, 1992) (Pip rank: #54)
6.04. Overkill - Campaigner (Decade, 1977) (Pip rank: #159)
6.05. Pip - Words (Between the Lines of Age) (Harvest, 1972) (Pip rank: #30)
6.06. Johnny - Ordinary People (Chrome Dreams II, 2007; written and first performed in 1988) (Pip rank: #28)
6.07. Mith - Look Out for My Love (Comes a Time, 1978) (Pip rank: #99)
6.08. DMT - See the Sky about to Rain (On the Beach, 1974) (Pip rank: #143)
7.01. DMT - Don't Let It Bring You Down (After the Gold Rush, 1970) (Pip rank: #13)
7.02. Mith - Dangerbird (Zuma, 1975) (Pip rank: #23)
7.03. Johnny - Too Far Gone (Freedom, 1989; written and first performed in 1976) (Pip rank: #56)
7.04. Pip - Silver and Gold (Silver and Gold, 2000; written in 1981 and first performed in 1984) (Pip rank: #34)
7.05. Overkill - Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere (Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, 1969) (Pip rank: #26)
7.06. Cobain - Eldorado (Eldorado EP & Freedom, 1989) (Pip rank: #122)
7.07. Foot - Come on Baby Let's Go Downtown (Tonight's the Night, 1975) (Pip rank: #57)
7.08. Lucky - I Am a Child (Buffalo Springfield's Last Time Around, 1968) (Pip rank: #109)
8.01. Lucky - War of Man (Harvest Moon, 1992) (Pip rank: #27)
8.02. Foot - Comes a Time (Comes a Time, 1978) (Pip rank: #53)
8.03. Cobain - No More (Freedom, 1989) (Pip rank: #14)
8.04. Overkill - Harvest (Harvest, 1972) (Pip rank: #130)
8.05. Pip - Birds (After the Gold Rush, 1970) (Pip rank: #35)
8.06. Johnny - Oh, Lonesome Me (After the Gold Rush, 1970) (Pip rank: ineligible because cover)
8.07. Mith - Captain Kennedy (Hawks & Doves, 1980) (Pip rank: #170)
8.08. DMT - Alabama (Harvest, 1972) (Pip rank: not in top 204)
9.01. DMT - I Believe in You (After the Gold Rush, 1970) (Pip rank: #78)
9.02. Mith - Days That Used to Be (Ragged Glory, 1990) (Pip rank: #64)
9.03. Johnny - Motion Pictures (for Carrie) (On the Beach, 1974) (Pip rank: #91)
9.04. Pip - Pushed It Over the End (Unreleased at the time; written and first performed in 1974) (Pip rank: #46)
9.05. Overkill - One of These Days (Harvest Moon, 1992) (Pip rank: #167)
9.06. Cobain - From Hank To Hendrix (Harvest Moon, 1992) (Pip rank: #73)
9.07. Foot - Hold on to Your Love (Trans, 1982) (Pip rank: not in top 204)
9.08. Lucky - Are You Ready for the Country? (Harvest, 1972) (Pip rank: #136)
10.01. Lucky - Last Dance (Time Fades Away, 1973) (Pip rank: #48)
10.02. Foot - Pardon My Heart (Zuma, 1975) (Pip rank: #43)
10.03. Cobain - Someday (Freedom, 1989) (Pip rank: not in top 204)
10.04. Overkill - Lookin' for a Love (Zuma, 1975) (Pip rank: #157)
10.05. Pip - Change Your Mind (Sleeps with Angels, 1994) (Pip rank: #41)
10.06. Johnny - Piece of Crap (Sleeps with Angels, 1994) (Pip rank: #127)
10.07. Mith - Drive Back (Zuma, 1975) (Pip rank: #72)
10.08. DMT - Winterlong (Decade, 1977) (Pip rank: #83)
11.01. DMT - Lookout Joe (Tonight's the Night, 1975) (Pip rank: #101)
11.02. Mith - Love Is a Rose (Decade, 1977) (Pip rank: #151 (shared))
11.03. Johnny - Running Dry (Requiem for the Rockets) (Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, 1969) (Pip rank: not in top 204)
11.04. Pip - Walk On (On the Beach, 1974) (Pip rank: #29)
11.05. Overkill - A Dream That Can Last (Sleeps with Angels, 1994) (Pip rank: not in top 204)
11.06. Cobain - Train of Love (Sleeps with Angels, 1994) (Pip rank: not in 204)
11.07. Foot - Rapid Transit (Re*ac*tor, 1981) (Pip rank: not in top 204)
11.08. Lucky - Wrecking Ball (Freedom, 1989) (Pip rank: #62)
12.01. Lucky - Don't Be Denied (Time Fades Away, 1973) (Pip rank: #44)
12.02. Foot - Lotta Love (Comes a Time, 1978) (Pip rank: #79)
12.03. Cobain - Don't Cry (Eldorado EP & Freedom, 1989) (Pip rank: not in top 204)
12.04. Overkill - Mellow My Mind (Tonight's the Night, 1975) (Pip rank: not in top 204)
12.05. Pip - Time Fades Away (Time Fades Away, 1973) (Pip rank: #42)
12.06. Johnny - The Old Country Waltz (American Stars 'N Bars, 1977) (Pip rank: not in top 204)
12.07. Mith - Over and Over (Ragged Glory, 1990) (Pip rank: #113)
12.08. DMT - Country Home (Ragged Glory, 1990; written and first performed in 1976) (Pip rank: #119)
13.01. DMT - Philadelphia (Philadelphia soundtrack, 1993) (Pip rank: #142)
13.02. Mith - If I Could Have Her Tonight (Neil Young, 1969) (Pip rank: not in top 204)
13.03. Johnny - Sail Away (Rust Never Sleeps, 1979) (Pip rank: #82)
13.04. Pip - No Hidden Path (Chrome Dreams II, 2007) (Pip rank: #51)
13.05. Overkill - Star of Bethlehem (American Stars 'N Bars, 1977) (Pip rank: #147)
13.06. Cobain - Barstool Blues (Zuma, 1975) (Pip rank: #104)
13.07. Foot - Wonderin' (Everybody's Rockin', 1983; written and first performed in 1970) (Pip rank: #187)
13.08. Lucky - The Ways of Love (Freedom, 1989; written and first performed in 1978) (Pip rank: #160)
14.01. Lucky - T-Bone (Re*ac*tor, 1981) (Pip rank: Definitely not in top 204)
14.02. Foot - Southern Pacific (Re*ac*tor, 1981) (Pip rank: #145)
14.03. Cobain - Slip Away (Broken Arrow, 1996) (Pip rank: #95)
14.04. Overkill - Downtown (Mirror Ball, 1995) (Pip rank: #90)
14.05. Pip - Prisoners of Rock 'N Roll (Life, 1987) (Pip rank: #58)
14.06. Johnny - Out on the Weekend (Harvest, 1972) (Pip rank: #105)
14.07. Mith - Mansion on the Hill (Ragged Glory, 1990) (Pip rank: #93)
14.08. DMT - Expecting to Fly (Buffalo Springfield Again, 1967) (Pip rank: #33)
15.01. DMT - Let's Impeach the President (Living with War, 2006) (Pip rank: not in top 204)
15.02. Mith - What Did You Do to My Life? (Neil Young, 1969) (Pip rank: not in top 204)
15.03. Johnny - Albuquerque (Tonight's the Night, 1975) (Pip rank: #86)
15.04. Pip - Live to Ride (Unreleased, written and first performed in 1993) (Pip rank: #59)
15.05. Overkill - Like an Inca (Trans, 1982) (Pip rank: #66)
15.06. Cobain - Stringman (Unplugged, 1993, but written and first performed in 1976) (Pip rank: #137)
15.07. Foot - Soldier (Journey Through the Past soundtrack, 1972) (Pip rank: #196)
15.08. Lucky - Angry World (Le Noise, 2010) (Pip rank: not in top 204)
Highest-ranking song on Pip list that went undrafted: Roll Another Number (for the Road) (#49)
Highest-drafted song eligible for Pip list that is not in the top 204: Hawks & Doves (5.02)
Of note, Long May You Run, whose placement was debated when I posted it on the site where I did the draft, was undrafted. Its biggest defender did not participate in this draft.
This went pretty well for me given that I got 3 of my top 4 with my first 3 picks. I didn't have a formal list at the time, but my general preferences weren't much different then than they are now. Sedan Delivery was a scarcity thing -- I had to have something from side 2 of Rust Never Sleeps and that was all that was left. Tonight's the Night was still on the board and I would have taken it if there was no RNSs2 variable in play. All of my picks from this draft are no lower (Binky: higher) than 59 on my top 101 list of today. Of the 120 songs selected, 45 were not on my top 101 list, including two (Four Strong Winds and Oh, Lonesome Me) ineligible for my list because they are covers; we'll get to them in the covers post. 15, including the two covers, did not make my top 204.
1.01. DMT - Heart of Gold (Harvest, 1972) (Pip rank: #50)
1.02. Mith - Powderfinger (Rust Never Sleeps, 1979) (Pip rank: #7)
1.03. Johnny - Old Man (Harvest, 1972) (Pip rank: #12)
1.04. Pip - Cortez the Killer (Zuma, 1975) (Pip rank: #1)
1.05. Overkill - Like a Hurricane (American Stars 'N Bars, 1977) (Pip rank: #17)
1.06. Cobain - Hey, Hey, My, My (Into the Black) (Rust Never Sleeps, 1979) (Pip rank: #6 (shared))
1.07. Foot - A Man Needs a Maid (Harvest, 1972) (Pip rank: #198)
1.08. Lucky - After the Gold Rush (After the Gold Rush, 1970) (Pip rank: #16)
2.01. Lucky - The Needle and the Damage Done (Harvest, 1972) (Pip rank: #36)
2.02. Foot - Pocahontas (Rust Never Sleeps, 1979) (Pip rank: #19)
2.03. Cobain - Down by the River (Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, 1969) (Pip rank: #3)
2.04. Overkill - Harvest Moon (Harvest Moon, 1992) (Pip rank: #45)
2.05. Pip - Rockin' in the Free World (Freedom, 1989) (Pip rank: #2)
2.06. Johnny - Cinnamon Girl (Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, 1969) (Pip rank: #21)
2.07. Mith - Welfare Mothers (Rust Never Sleeps, 1979) (Pip rank: #47)
2.08. DMT - Southern Man (After the Gold Rush, 1970) (Pip rank: #10)
3.01. DMT - Cowgirl in the Sand (Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, 1969) (Pip rank: #9)
3.02. Mith - Love and Only Love (Ragged Glory, 1990) (Pip rank: #40)
3.03. Johnny - Only Love Can Break Your Heart (After the Gold Rush, 1970) (Pip rank: #22)
3.04. Pip - Ohio (CSNY non-album single, 1970) (Pip rank: #4)
3.05. Overkill - Broken Arrow (Buffalo Springfield Again, 1967) (Pip rank: #52)
3.06. Cobain - Helpless (CSNY's Deja Vu, 1970) (Pip rank: #5)
3.07. Foot - Tell Me Why (After the Gold Rush, 1970) (Pip rank: #37)
3.08. Lucky - For the Turnstiles (On the Beach, 1974) (Pip rank: #183)
4.01. Lucky - F*!#in' Up (Ragged Glory, 1990) (Pip rank: #11)
4.02. Foot - When You Dance I Can Really Love (After the Gold Rush, 1970) (Pip rank: #80)
4.03. Cobain - Thrasher (Rust Never Sleeps, 1979) (Pip rank: #20)
4.04. Overkill - Four Strong Winds (Comes a Time, 1978) (Pip rank: ineligible because cover)
4.05. Pip - Sedan Delivery (Rust Never Sleeps, 1979) (Pip rank: #32)
4.06. Johnny - Revolution Blues (On the Beach, 1974) (Pip rank: #15)
4.07. Mith - Tonight's the Night (Tonight's the Night, 1975) (Pip rank: #8)
4.08. DMT - Ambulance Blues (On the Beach, 1974) (Pip rank: #23)
5.01. DMT - Mr. Soul (Buffalo Springfield Again, 1967) (Pip rank: #38)
5.02. Mith - Hawks & Doves (Hawks & Doves, 1980) (Pip rank: not in top 204)
5.03. Johnny - Sugar Mountain (B-side of "The Loner," 1969) (Pip rank: #111)
5.04. Pip - On the Beach (On the Beach, 1974) (Pip rank: #18)
5.05. Overkill - My, My, Hey, Hey (Out of the Blue) (Rust Never Sleeps, 1979) (Pip rank: #6 (shared))
5.06. Cobain - Crime in the City (Sixty to Zero pt. 1) (Freedom, 1989) (Pip rank: #74)
5.07. Foot - Natural Beauty (Harvest Moon, 1992) (Pip rank: #55)
5.08. Lucky - Country Girl (CSNY's Deja Vu, 1970) (Pip rank: #103)
6.01. Lucky - Love to Burn (Ragged Glory, 1990) (Pip rank: #31)
6.02. Foot - The Loner (Neil Young, 1969) (Pip rank: #25)
6.03. Cobain - Unknown Legend (Harvest Moon, 1992) (Pip rank: #54)
6.04. Overkill - Campaigner (Decade, 1977) (Pip rank: #159)
6.05. Pip - Words (Between the Lines of Age) (Harvest, 1972) (Pip rank: #30)
6.06. Johnny - Ordinary People (Chrome Dreams II, 2007; written and first performed in 1988) (Pip rank: #28)
6.07. Mith - Look Out for My Love (Comes a Time, 1978) (Pip rank: #99)
6.08. DMT - See the Sky about to Rain (On the Beach, 1974) (Pip rank: #143)
7.01. DMT - Don't Let It Bring You Down (After the Gold Rush, 1970) (Pip rank: #13)
7.02. Mith - Dangerbird (Zuma, 1975) (Pip rank: #23)
7.03. Johnny - Too Far Gone (Freedom, 1989; written and first performed in 1976) (Pip rank: #56)
7.04. Pip - Silver and Gold (Silver and Gold, 2000; written in 1981 and first performed in 1984) (Pip rank: #34)
7.05. Overkill - Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere (Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, 1969) (Pip rank: #26)
7.06. Cobain - Eldorado (Eldorado EP & Freedom, 1989) (Pip rank: #122)
7.07. Foot - Come on Baby Let's Go Downtown (Tonight's the Night, 1975) (Pip rank: #57)
7.08. Lucky - I Am a Child (Buffalo Springfield's Last Time Around, 1968) (Pip rank: #109)
8.01. Lucky - War of Man (Harvest Moon, 1992) (Pip rank: #27)
8.02. Foot - Comes a Time (Comes a Time, 1978) (Pip rank: #53)
8.03. Cobain - No More (Freedom, 1989) (Pip rank: #14)
8.04. Overkill - Harvest (Harvest, 1972) (Pip rank: #130)
8.05. Pip - Birds (After the Gold Rush, 1970) (Pip rank: #35)
8.06. Johnny - Oh, Lonesome Me (After the Gold Rush, 1970) (Pip rank: ineligible because cover)
8.07. Mith - Captain Kennedy (Hawks & Doves, 1980) (Pip rank: #170)
8.08. DMT - Alabama (Harvest, 1972) (Pip rank: not in top 204)
9.01. DMT - I Believe in You (After the Gold Rush, 1970) (Pip rank: #78)
9.02. Mith - Days That Used to Be (Ragged Glory, 1990) (Pip rank: #64)
9.03. Johnny - Motion Pictures (for Carrie) (On the Beach, 1974) (Pip rank: #91)
9.04. Pip - Pushed It Over the End (Unreleased at the time; written and first performed in 1974) (Pip rank: #46)
9.05. Overkill - One of These Days (Harvest Moon, 1992) (Pip rank: #167)
9.06. Cobain - From Hank To Hendrix (Harvest Moon, 1992) (Pip rank: #73)
9.07. Foot - Hold on to Your Love (Trans, 1982) (Pip rank: not in top 204)
9.08. Lucky - Are You Ready for the Country? (Harvest, 1972) (Pip rank: #136)
10.01. Lucky - Last Dance (Time Fades Away, 1973) (Pip rank: #48)
10.02. Foot - Pardon My Heart (Zuma, 1975) (Pip rank: #43)
10.03. Cobain - Someday (Freedom, 1989) (Pip rank: not in top 204)
10.04. Overkill - Lookin' for a Love (Zuma, 1975) (Pip rank: #157)
10.05. Pip - Change Your Mind (Sleeps with Angels, 1994) (Pip rank: #41)
10.06. Johnny - Piece of Crap (Sleeps with Angels, 1994) (Pip rank: #127)
10.07. Mith - Drive Back (Zuma, 1975) (Pip rank: #72)
10.08. DMT - Winterlong (Decade, 1977) (Pip rank: #83)
11.01. DMT - Lookout Joe (Tonight's the Night, 1975) (Pip rank: #101)
11.02. Mith - Love Is a Rose (Decade, 1977) (Pip rank: #151 (shared))
11.03. Johnny - Running Dry (Requiem for the Rockets) (Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, 1969) (Pip rank: not in top 204)
11.04. Pip - Walk On (On the Beach, 1974) (Pip rank: #29)
11.05. Overkill - A Dream That Can Last (Sleeps with Angels, 1994) (Pip rank: not in top 204)
11.06. Cobain - Train of Love (Sleeps with Angels, 1994) (Pip rank: not in 204)
11.07. Foot - Rapid Transit (Re*ac*tor, 1981) (Pip rank: not in top 204)
11.08. Lucky - Wrecking Ball (Freedom, 1989) (Pip rank: #62)
12.01. Lucky - Don't Be Denied (Time Fades Away, 1973) (Pip rank: #44)
12.02. Foot - Lotta Love (Comes a Time, 1978) (Pip rank: #79)
12.03. Cobain - Don't Cry (Eldorado EP & Freedom, 1989) (Pip rank: not in top 204)
12.04. Overkill - Mellow My Mind (Tonight's the Night, 1975) (Pip rank: not in top 204)
12.05. Pip - Time Fades Away (Time Fades Away, 1973) (Pip rank: #42)
12.06. Johnny - The Old Country Waltz (American Stars 'N Bars, 1977) (Pip rank: not in top 204)
12.07. Mith - Over and Over (Ragged Glory, 1990) (Pip rank: #113)
12.08. DMT - Country Home (Ragged Glory, 1990; written and first performed in 1976) (Pip rank: #119)
13.01. DMT - Philadelphia (Philadelphia soundtrack, 1993) (Pip rank: #142)
13.02. Mith - If I Could Have Her Tonight (Neil Young, 1969) (Pip rank: not in top 204)
13.03. Johnny - Sail Away (Rust Never Sleeps, 1979) (Pip rank: #82)
13.04. Pip - No Hidden Path (Chrome Dreams II, 2007) (Pip rank: #51)
13.05. Overkill - Star of Bethlehem (American Stars 'N Bars, 1977) (Pip rank: #147)
13.06. Cobain - Barstool Blues (Zuma, 1975) (Pip rank: #104)
13.07. Foot - Wonderin' (Everybody's Rockin', 1983; written and first performed in 1970) (Pip rank: #187)
13.08. Lucky - The Ways of Love (Freedom, 1989; written and first performed in 1978) (Pip rank: #160)
14.01. Lucky - T-Bone (Re*ac*tor, 1981) (Pip rank: Definitely not in top 204)
14.02. Foot - Southern Pacific (Re*ac*tor, 1981) (Pip rank: #145)
14.03. Cobain - Slip Away (Broken Arrow, 1996) (Pip rank: #95)
14.04. Overkill - Downtown (Mirror Ball, 1995) (Pip rank: #90)
14.05. Pip - Prisoners of Rock 'N Roll (Life, 1987) (Pip rank: #58)
14.06. Johnny - Out on the Weekend (Harvest, 1972) (Pip rank: #105)
14.07. Mith - Mansion on the Hill (Ragged Glory, 1990) (Pip rank: #93)
14.08. DMT - Expecting to Fly (Buffalo Springfield Again, 1967) (Pip rank: #33)
15.01. DMT - Let's Impeach the President (Living with War, 2006) (Pip rank: not in top 204)
15.02. Mith - What Did You Do to My Life? (Neil Young, 1969) (Pip rank: not in top 204)
15.03. Johnny - Albuquerque (Tonight's the Night, 1975) (Pip rank: #86)
15.04. Pip - Live to Ride (Unreleased, written and first performed in 1993) (Pip rank: #59)
15.05. Overkill - Like an Inca (Trans, 1982) (Pip rank: #66)
15.06. Cobain - Stringman (Unplugged, 1993, but written and first performed in 1976) (Pip rank: #137)
15.07. Foot - Soldier (Journey Through the Past soundtrack, 1972) (Pip rank: #196)
15.08. Lucky - Angry World (Le Noise, 2010) (Pip rank: not in top 204)
Highest-ranking song on Pip list that went undrafted: Roll Another Number (for the Road) (#49)
Highest-drafted song eligible for Pip list that is not in the top 204: Hawks & Doves (5.02)
Of note, Long May You Run, whose placement was debated when I posted it on the site where I did the draft, was undrafted. Its biggest defender did not participate in this draft.
This went pretty well for me given that I got 3 of my top 4 with my first 3 picks. I didn't have a formal list at the time, but my general preferences weren't much different then than they are now. Sedan Delivery was a scarcity thing -- I had to have something from side 2 of Rust Never Sleeps and that was all that was left. Tonight's the Night was still on the board and I would have taken it if there was no RNSs2 variable in play. All of my picks from this draft are no lower (Binky: higher) than 59 on my top 101 list of today. Of the 120 songs selected, 45 were not on my top 101 list, including two (Four Strong Winds and Oh, Lonesome Me) ineligible for my list because they are covers; we'll get to them in the covers post. 15, including the two covers, did not make my top 204.
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lardonastick
Footballguy
A Man Needs A Maid is … a bit of a reach in the 1st round. IMO, of course.
I guess I like Mansion on the Hill much more than most. Probably a top 40-50 song for me.
I guess I like Mansion on the Hill much more than most. Probably a top 40-50 song for me.
Pip's Invitation
Footballguy
Obviously a huge reach by my standards since it barely cracks my top 200. But people's Neil tastes vary widely.
Most people I've encountered during this endeavor seem to rate Mansion about where I have it. It's very good, but it doesn't have exceptional music/jamming like half the songs on Ragged Glory or exceptional lyrics like Days That Used to Be.
Man of Constant Sorrow
Footballguy
I been out on family biz fer a while and missed much.
Gonna catch up this weekend. I need the relaxing biggly.
Gonna catch up this weekend. I need the relaxing biggly.
Pip's Invitation
Footballguy
I'll be available to answer any questions and queries...I been out on family biz fer a while and missed much.
Gonna catch up this weekend. I need the relaxing biggly.
Man of Constant Sorrow
Footballguy
Pip's Invitation
Footballguy
Man of Constant Sorrow
Footballguy
Pip's Invitation
Footballguy
Notable cover songs Neil has performed
Neil doesn't perform many covers. Except for genre exercises like Everybody's Rockin' (about half covers), Americana (all covers) and A Letter Home (all covers), he rarely puts them on his own studio albums. But these and others do surface in his live act from time to time, and one has become a highlight that fans anticipate almost as much as the epic originals.
This is not complete list, nor is it in a strict order of preference, though the first five are the ones he has performed live the most often and the ones that Neil die-hards are most likely to talk about. If something would have made my top 204 had it not been a cover, I will mention that. Neil's lone performance of Sweet Home Alabama is covered in the Alabama tangent.
All Along the Watchtower (written by Bob Dylan; first released on Bob Dylan: The 30th Anniversary Concert Celebration, recorded October 1992 and released 1993)
"Bobfest," as Neil called it, had an incredible array of talent performing Bob Dylan's songs in honor of the 30th anniversary of the release of his debut album, but IMO Neil's rendition of All Along the Watchtower was the best performance of the night. It was ballsy of Neil to take this one on because a definitive cover, by Jimi Hendrix, already existed, but he rose to the occasion and more (he had performed it twice previously at Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremonies). The starting point was obviously Hendrix' electric arrangement as opposed to Dylan's acoustic one, but Neil, backed by the house band, Booker T. and the MGs, made it all his own, giving it a stomping rhythm and squalling solos that recalled his most majestic Crazy Horse concert warhorses. I was a senior in college when this concert aired, and it was broadcast over the radio. I was elsewhere for most of the night but came back to my room to catch the tail end of the show, including the all-star finale songs. Immediately after the finale was over, the DJ said, we're going to replay Neil Young's version of All Along the Watchtower because you have to hear it if you missed it. That was my first listen, and my jaw was on the floor. (This also meant that the surprise final solo number from Dylan, Girl from the North Country, did not air live on the broadcast. After the AATW replay was over, the DJ said that Dylan had come out to do one more song and played it.*)
Reaction of the Neil fandom, and likely Neil himself, was swift and joyous. Neil was so happy with the chemistry he developed with Booker T. and the MGs that night that he recruited them to be his backing band on his 1993 summer tour, with Soundgarden and Blind Melon opening. (Which I desperately wanted to see, but it didn't come to Philly and I wasn't yet adventurous enough to travel for shows.) As you might expect, All Along the Watchtower was played every show that tour. It was revived for the 2000 Friends and Relatives tour, which included MGs bassist Duck Dunn in the backing band, alternating with Like a Hurricane and Cowgirl in the Sand as the big encore song, and occasionally resurfaced between then and 2009. Its 107 known live performances are the most for any cover Neil has performed.
This would have been in my top 50 had my list included covers.
* - On the liner notes to the Bobfest album, it says Bob's first solo performance, Song to Woody, was not included because of "technical difficulties." The "technical difficulties" were that Bob's performance was terrible.
"Bobfest" version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrs62vSaQw4
Road Rock Vol. 1 version, with Chrissie Hynde: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K639Wxn7F9E
Four Strong Winds (written by Ian Tyson; released on Comes a Time, 1978)
Neil does justice to this iconic Canadian folk song. Spotted a great melody and evocative lyrics, Neil and Nicolette Larson turn in fine vocal performances and the arrangement lets things breathe, which was not the case for a lot of the Comes a Time material. Given its history, it's not surprising that Neil chose to perform this, along with Helpless, at The Last Waltz, the farewell show of The Band, who were 4/5 Canadian. That version wasn't in the film or on the original version of the album, but appeared on a later deluxe version.
This would probably have been somewhere in the 70s had my list included covers.
Studio version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85haYlPbPmA
Last Waltz version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYWt3UUN2k4
Oh, Lonesome Me (written by Don Gibson; released on After the Gold Rush, 1970)
Neil's plaintive cover of this country standard just drips with heartbreak. Even the harmonica sounds sad. The slow tempo, quavering vocal and keening bursts of guitar very much put his own stamp on it. I never appreciated it as much as I should have until I heard Loggins and Messina's cover, which is awful. It was an appropriate choice for AGTR, which was filled with sad songs, some also about breakups. It's one of the few holdovers from the early ATGR sessions and features all of Crazy Horse. (After a while, Neil decided he didn't want to deal with Danny Whitten and Billy Talbot, and brought in Stephen Stills and Nils Lofgren.)
This would have been on the border of the cut for the top 101 had my list included covers.
Studio version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3p_yH5ItSgU
Live version from 2008; I saw it performed twice around this time: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-INEio2LtI
Blowin' in the Wind (written by Bob Dylan; released on Weld, 1991)
I'm not going to say anything about the song itself because you all have heard it countless times. Neil employed it as the third song in his sets for the Weld tour, which occurred during the first Gulf War. The idea was to convey the sounds of war throughout the show. Neil's arrangement for this tour began with the sound of an air raid siren, followed by him playing the melody on electric guitar with the sounds of machine guns and bombs in the background. After about 2 minutes, Neil sings a drawn-out vocal accompanied just by Old Black. The members of Crazy Horse provide harmonies on the chorus. Message successfully delivered. This was quite the sonic and visual experience at the time.
Aside from Bridge School Benefit 2001, which occurred around the time we started bombing Afghanistan in retaliation for 9/11, the song wasn't performed again until 2013, and appeared several times between then and 2016. It now has the second-most known live Neil performances of a cover song.
This would have been around 150-ish had my list included covers.
Weld version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjaZTJkwLRs
A Day in the Life (written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney; performed live in 2008 and 2009)
I mentioned this earlier in the thread when I found a clip of a very stoned Neil and Paul performing this together in 2009 in London. This ended most (all?) shows Neil performed with The Electric Band in 2008 and 2009, including the one I saw at MSG in December 2008. (Neil also sat in on a Paul set to perform this in 2016.) As I said in that other post, it's an odd choice for Neil, because it's the grand achievement of John and Paul's approach to songwriting and recording, and Neil's own approach is pretty much the opposite of that. But, when he's not stoned beyond belief, it works better than you'd think. He strips away most of the accoutrements and lets the piano drive the first part of the song, contributing a heartfelt vocal in which he reins in the Neil-isms. He does not rein in the buildup to the Paul section or the end, producing the kind of glorious noise often heard with Crazy Horse.
This would probably have been in the lower (Binky: higher) reaches of my top 204.
TV broadcast from Rock in Rio Madrid, 2008: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAF1FIy8PVQ
Farmer John (written by Don "Sugarcane" Harris and Dewey Terry; released on Ragged Glory, 1990)
Neil wrote a bunch of garage-rock songs for Ragged Glory, why not also include an actual 1960s garage rock song too? Written and first performed by blues-rock duo Don and Dewey, this was a top 20 hit for The Premiers in 1964. Neil and Crazy Horse made it sound just like almost everything else on Ragged Glory does: loud and pounding.
This would probably have been in the lower (Binky: higher) reaches of my top 204.
Studio version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXOeNLs0EBY
Weld version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MePoFP-HAJY
On Broadway (written by Barry Mann, Cynthia Weill, Jerry Lieber and Mike Stoller; released on the Eldorado EP and Freedom, 1989)
That lovely, soulful version by the Drifters? That nimble, funky version by George Benson? Get those out of your mind, this sounds absolutely nothing like them at all. It's loud and creaky, with tons of distorted guitar and Neil delivering a howling vocal (and, for some reason, yelling "Gimme that crack! Gimme some of that crack!"). This approach was in tune with the sociopolitical stuff he was writing at the time like Crime in the City, so he included it on Freedom and the Eldorado EP, which came out earlier that year. It's amusing but not a favorite, especially when surrounded by the sublime material that is the rest of Freedom.
Studio version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lxnd-p0QWfU
Live version from 1989: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnSb35bfR4w
(Sittin' on the) Dock of the Bay (written by Otis Redding and Steve Cropper; performed live in 1993)
Neil ended all of the shows on his tour with Booker T. and the MGs in 1993 with this and All Along the Watchtower. It's a nice nod to the history of the MGs, and they do their thing with it. As you might expect, Neil's vocal is not even in the same stratosphere as Otis Redding's. He performs the whistling part on harmonica.
Live version from 1993: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPlhlVOA_Bw
Baby What You Want Me to Do? (written by Jimmy Reed; released on Broken Arrow, 1996)
Neil performed this, a hit for Jimmy Reed in 1960, at club shows with Crazy Horse in early 1996. One of those versions closes Broken Arrow. The recording is extremely low-fi and, for someone whose ears are as shot as mine are, hard to hear at times. I'm not quite sure what the point of including it was.
Broken Arrow version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_ohTSntxIE
It Might Have Been (written by "Ronnie Green and Harriet Kane"; first released on Archives Vol. 1, 2009)
Neil first played this on his 1970 tour with Crazy Horse. In the intro to the version from that tour on Archives Vol. 1, he says he learned it at a church dance and doesn't know who wrote it. "You might not like it but it used to be my favorite. It's kind of hokey." He alludes to future plans to record it, at which point they would learn the author, as "you always find out when money is involved." Its first lines, "The saddest words from tongue or pen/Are these four words: 'It might have been'" are derived from Maud Miller, a poem by John Greenleaf Whittier. The song is credited to Ronnie Green and Harriet Kane and the original version is credited to Joe London. A thread on 45cat.com claims Ronnie Green and Harriet Kane are psuedonyms for Brill Building writers Cy Crane and Herb Weiner, respectively, and Joe London, who was managed by Weiner, was the stage name of someone named Joel Ulan.
Anyway, as you might have guessed from Neil's description, it's a country song, and appropriately, Neil revived it for some of his 1984-85 shows with the International Harvesters, one of which appears on A Treasure. My initial encounter was with another IH version which appeared on the bootleg CD my high school buddy had, which was also my first exposure to Pushed It Over the End, Traces, Bad Fog of Loneliness and Love/Art Blues. (More on that here.) It's pleasant but not essential. That was a lot of words just to come to that conclusion.
Archives Vol. 1 version with Crazy Horse: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukIQaa4TaIk
A Treasure version with the International Harvesters: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFnRxiugTlg
Changes (writen by Phil Ochs; released on A Letter Home, 2014)
For A Letter Home, Neil collaborated with Jack White and recorded everything -- all covers -- in a tiny 1947 vinyl recording booth. And it produced a scratchy sound like that from a record from 1947. A whole album of this is a bit much on the ears. But there are some highlights, including this one by folksinger Phil Ochs. In structure it's not that much different from Neil's own folkier tracks. It is also the song from this album with the most live performances, so presumably Neil was happy with the results.
ALH version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUwYaHXxIkg
Live version from Farm Aid 2013 (preceded by a long intro about Phil Ochs): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9gyHnWegb4
Needle of Death (written by Bert Jansch; released on A Letter Home, 2014)
This is IMO the most successful track from A Letter Home, which shouldn't be surprising given that it was the musical inspiration for #24 entry Ambulance Blues. More info can be found in that entry. Lyrically, it would have fit right in on Tonight's the Night.
ALH version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6H47jI6xanA
Live version from 2014 (as you would imagine, the crowd thinks he's about to play Ambulance Blues): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AW5gX-fZpIg
If You Could Read My Mind (written by Gordon Lightfoot; released on A Letter Home, 2014)
Another good track on A Letter Home, this was first done by fellow Canadian Gordon Lightfoot. It's well-suited to Neil's vocal and guitar styles. It has the second-most live performances among the ALH tracks.
ALH version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzY2VdE_NXo
Live version from 2014: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_EMQJ47NVM
Mystery Train (written by Junior Parker and Sam Phillips; released on Everybody's Rockin', 1983)
I've heard a lot of versions of this song, and I'm convinced that it is impossible to screw up. So it's no surprise I think it's the best cover (and second best overall) song on Everybody's Rockin'. First done by bluesman Junior Parker, most people know the version by Elvis and/or performance by The Band and Paul Butterfield on The Last Waltz. Neil's version has a propulsiveness that the rest of the album lacks. Unfathomably, Neil played a bunch of shows with the Shocking Pinks in 1983 but only one live performance of this song (which is not on YouTube) has been documented.
Studio version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHXIo77Oh4A
Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues (written by Bob Dylan; released on Bob Dylan: The 30th Anniversary Concert Celebration, recorded October 1992 and released 1993)
This was Neil's other song from his Bobfest set. Obviously it was overshadowed by All Along the Watchtower, but it's a fine performance as well. The "they really make a mess out of yoooooou" line was just made for Neil to sing. The instrumental passages are well-suited to Neil's guitar style. I first encountered this a few years before on a bootleg CD, from a 1976 sit-in with Firefall.
Bobfest version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3maDpn0TI4Q
The version with Firefall isn't on YouTube. If you ever come across a Neil cover of this with a sax on it, that's it.
My Back Pages (written by Bob Dylan; with Bob Dylan, Roger McGuinn, Tom Petty, Eric Clapton and George Harrison; released on Bob Dylan: The 30th Anniversary Concert Celebration, recorded October 1992 and released 1993)
Neil took one of the six verses and played the second guitar solo on this performance from the Bobfest finale. More about this can be found in @krista4's solo Beatles countdown thread.
Bobfest version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_PAEPEiy6o
Greensleeves (traditional; performed live in 1974 and 1991)
The much-circulated Bottom Line 1974 bootleg is of a surprise opening set for Leon Redbone in which Neil played all new originals except Dance, Dance, Dance, Helpless and this traditional song, whose melody was the basis for the Christmas song What Child Is This? It's an odd choice and Neil's singing of the title phrase might be a bit extra for some. He played it once after that, an instrumental version at Bridge School Benefit 1991.
1974 version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfVbRS8XsKw
1991 version, in which Neil mentions this was the walkout music at every show Bill Graham promoted: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5-qVvndyIs
I Shall Be Released (written by Bob Dylan; performed five times between 1976 and 2008)
Neil was one of the many people who came out to sing along to this at the Last Waltz finale, but his contribution there is barely detectable. More interesting are the versions he performed at Bridge School Benefits 1998, 1999 and 2008, collaborating with Phish and Sarah McLachlan on the first, Eddie Vedder, Emmylou Harris and Sheryl Crow on the second and Wilco on the third.
Live version from 1998 (sharing lead vocals with Phish's Page McConnell and Trey Anastasio): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVX4BYRgFwk
Live version from 1999 (sharing lead vocals with Eddie Vedder): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=huEZCDA83uE
Live version from 2008 (sharing lead vocals with Wilco's Jeff Tweedy): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQZbXfwFMfw
This Land Is Your Land (written by Woody Guthrie; released on Americana, 2012)
Americana, Neil's album of covers of traditional and other folk songs performed electric with Crazy Horse, has been more or less forgotten because it was overshadowed by the release of Psychedelic Pill a few months later and because none of its songs were performed live except this one, the Woody Guthrie classic, usually at Farm Aids. The arrangement suits Neil well, and the song boasts the only guest vocal appearances on the album, from his wife Pegi and Stephen Stills.
Studio version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCEBz8TL-fg
Live version from 2014 with Willie Nelson and Lukas Nelson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1v7mTSJCCJQ
I Saw Her Standing There (written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney; performed live in 2012)
Neil and Crazy Horse worked up this in their style for the 2012 MusiCares benefit concert in honor of Paul. Notice he changed the lyric to "She was just seventeen/And she wasn't a beauty queen".
Live version from 2012: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gAZq46Yr8k
And stretching the definition of "notable":
Home on the Range (traditional; released on the Where the Buffalo Roam soundtrack, 1980)
@jwb, this was my pick for weirdest Neil song until you mentioned that Carnival thing. For the obscure (and allegedly terrible) Bill Murray movie Where the Buffalo Roam, in which the still-on-SNL Bill played Hunter S. Thompson, Neil worked up two bizarre versions of Home on the Range. The first, which I encountered in the late '80s on the same bootleg as It Might Have Been, begins with orchestral nonsense and then shifts to Neil singing a capella, with a harmonica coming in briefly at the end. The second begins with unaccompanied electric guitar blasts, then juts into Neil singing a capella. The guitar blasts return toward the end of the singing. Then at the end a harmonica pops up out of nowhere for a few seconds, and it's over.
First version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDV6rD7UCg8
Second version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lz5g3EJeEkk
Next: Other notable Neil performances that don't qualify as covers. Basically, other people wrote them and he doesn't sing them, but contributes in some way, usually on guitar.
Neil doesn't perform many covers. Except for genre exercises like Everybody's Rockin' (about half covers), Americana (all covers) and A Letter Home (all covers), he rarely puts them on his own studio albums. But these and others do surface in his live act from time to time, and one has become a highlight that fans anticipate almost as much as the epic originals.
This is not complete list, nor is it in a strict order of preference, though the first five are the ones he has performed live the most often and the ones that Neil die-hards are most likely to talk about. If something would have made my top 204 had it not been a cover, I will mention that. Neil's lone performance of Sweet Home Alabama is covered in the Alabama tangent.
All Along the Watchtower (written by Bob Dylan; first released on Bob Dylan: The 30th Anniversary Concert Celebration, recorded October 1992 and released 1993)
"Bobfest," as Neil called it, had an incredible array of talent performing Bob Dylan's songs in honor of the 30th anniversary of the release of his debut album, but IMO Neil's rendition of All Along the Watchtower was the best performance of the night. It was ballsy of Neil to take this one on because a definitive cover, by Jimi Hendrix, already existed, but he rose to the occasion and more (he had performed it twice previously at Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremonies). The starting point was obviously Hendrix' electric arrangement as opposed to Dylan's acoustic one, but Neil, backed by the house band, Booker T. and the MGs, made it all his own, giving it a stomping rhythm and squalling solos that recalled his most majestic Crazy Horse concert warhorses. I was a senior in college when this concert aired, and it was broadcast over the radio. I was elsewhere for most of the night but came back to my room to catch the tail end of the show, including the all-star finale songs. Immediately after the finale was over, the DJ said, we're going to replay Neil Young's version of All Along the Watchtower because you have to hear it if you missed it. That was my first listen, and my jaw was on the floor. (This also meant that the surprise final solo number from Dylan, Girl from the North Country, did not air live on the broadcast. After the AATW replay was over, the DJ said that Dylan had come out to do one more song and played it.*)
Reaction of the Neil fandom, and likely Neil himself, was swift and joyous. Neil was so happy with the chemistry he developed with Booker T. and the MGs that night that he recruited them to be his backing band on his 1993 summer tour, with Soundgarden and Blind Melon opening. (Which I desperately wanted to see, but it didn't come to Philly and I wasn't yet adventurous enough to travel for shows.) As you might expect, All Along the Watchtower was played every show that tour. It was revived for the 2000 Friends and Relatives tour, which included MGs bassist Duck Dunn in the backing band, alternating with Like a Hurricane and Cowgirl in the Sand as the big encore song, and occasionally resurfaced between then and 2009. Its 107 known live performances are the most for any cover Neil has performed.
This would have been in my top 50 had my list included covers.
* - On the liner notes to the Bobfest album, it says Bob's first solo performance, Song to Woody, was not included because of "technical difficulties." The "technical difficulties" were that Bob's performance was terrible.
"Bobfest" version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrs62vSaQw4
Road Rock Vol. 1 version, with Chrissie Hynde: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K639Wxn7F9E
Four Strong Winds (written by Ian Tyson; released on Comes a Time, 1978)
Neil does justice to this iconic Canadian folk song. Spotted a great melody and evocative lyrics, Neil and Nicolette Larson turn in fine vocal performances and the arrangement lets things breathe, which was not the case for a lot of the Comes a Time material. Given its history, it's not surprising that Neil chose to perform this, along with Helpless, at The Last Waltz, the farewell show of The Band, who were 4/5 Canadian. That version wasn't in the film or on the original version of the album, but appeared on a later deluxe version.
This would probably have been somewhere in the 70s had my list included covers.
Studio version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85haYlPbPmA
Last Waltz version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYWt3UUN2k4
Oh, Lonesome Me (written by Don Gibson; released on After the Gold Rush, 1970)
Neil's plaintive cover of this country standard just drips with heartbreak. Even the harmonica sounds sad. The slow tempo, quavering vocal and keening bursts of guitar very much put his own stamp on it. I never appreciated it as much as I should have until I heard Loggins and Messina's cover, which is awful. It was an appropriate choice for AGTR, which was filled with sad songs, some also about breakups. It's one of the few holdovers from the early ATGR sessions and features all of Crazy Horse. (After a while, Neil decided he didn't want to deal with Danny Whitten and Billy Talbot, and brought in Stephen Stills and Nils Lofgren.)
This would have been on the border of the cut for the top 101 had my list included covers.
Studio version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3p_yH5ItSgU
Live version from 2008; I saw it performed twice around this time: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-INEio2LtI
Blowin' in the Wind (written by Bob Dylan; released on Weld, 1991)
I'm not going to say anything about the song itself because you all have heard it countless times. Neil employed it as the third song in his sets for the Weld tour, which occurred during the first Gulf War. The idea was to convey the sounds of war throughout the show. Neil's arrangement for this tour began with the sound of an air raid siren, followed by him playing the melody on electric guitar with the sounds of machine guns and bombs in the background. After about 2 minutes, Neil sings a drawn-out vocal accompanied just by Old Black. The members of Crazy Horse provide harmonies on the chorus. Message successfully delivered. This was quite the sonic and visual experience at the time.
Aside from Bridge School Benefit 2001, which occurred around the time we started bombing Afghanistan in retaliation for 9/11, the song wasn't performed again until 2013, and appeared several times between then and 2016. It now has the second-most known live Neil performances of a cover song.
This would have been around 150-ish had my list included covers.
Weld version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjaZTJkwLRs
A Day in the Life (written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney; performed live in 2008 and 2009)
I mentioned this earlier in the thread when I found a clip of a very stoned Neil and Paul performing this together in 2009 in London. This ended most (all?) shows Neil performed with The Electric Band in 2008 and 2009, including the one I saw at MSG in December 2008. (Neil also sat in on a Paul set to perform this in 2016.) As I said in that other post, it's an odd choice for Neil, because it's the grand achievement of John and Paul's approach to songwriting and recording, and Neil's own approach is pretty much the opposite of that. But, when he's not stoned beyond belief, it works better than you'd think. He strips away most of the accoutrements and lets the piano drive the first part of the song, contributing a heartfelt vocal in which he reins in the Neil-isms. He does not rein in the buildup to the Paul section or the end, producing the kind of glorious noise often heard with Crazy Horse.
This would probably have been in the lower (Binky: higher) reaches of my top 204.
TV broadcast from Rock in Rio Madrid, 2008: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAF1FIy8PVQ
Farmer John (written by Don "Sugarcane" Harris and Dewey Terry; released on Ragged Glory, 1990)
Neil wrote a bunch of garage-rock songs for Ragged Glory, why not also include an actual 1960s garage rock song too? Written and first performed by blues-rock duo Don and Dewey, this was a top 20 hit for The Premiers in 1964. Neil and Crazy Horse made it sound just like almost everything else on Ragged Glory does: loud and pounding.
This would probably have been in the lower (Binky: higher) reaches of my top 204.
Studio version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXOeNLs0EBY
Weld version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MePoFP-HAJY
On Broadway (written by Barry Mann, Cynthia Weill, Jerry Lieber and Mike Stoller; released on the Eldorado EP and Freedom, 1989)
That lovely, soulful version by the Drifters? That nimble, funky version by George Benson? Get those out of your mind, this sounds absolutely nothing like them at all. It's loud and creaky, with tons of distorted guitar and Neil delivering a howling vocal (and, for some reason, yelling "Gimme that crack! Gimme some of that crack!"). This approach was in tune with the sociopolitical stuff he was writing at the time like Crime in the City, so he included it on Freedom and the Eldorado EP, which came out earlier that year. It's amusing but not a favorite, especially when surrounded by the sublime material that is the rest of Freedom.
Studio version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lxnd-p0QWfU
Live version from 1989: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnSb35bfR4w
(Sittin' on the) Dock of the Bay (written by Otis Redding and Steve Cropper; performed live in 1993)
Neil ended all of the shows on his tour with Booker T. and the MGs in 1993 with this and All Along the Watchtower. It's a nice nod to the history of the MGs, and they do their thing with it. As you might expect, Neil's vocal is not even in the same stratosphere as Otis Redding's. He performs the whistling part on harmonica.
Live version from 1993: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPlhlVOA_Bw
Baby What You Want Me to Do? (written by Jimmy Reed; released on Broken Arrow, 1996)
Neil performed this, a hit for Jimmy Reed in 1960, at club shows with Crazy Horse in early 1996. One of those versions closes Broken Arrow. The recording is extremely low-fi and, for someone whose ears are as shot as mine are, hard to hear at times. I'm not quite sure what the point of including it was.
Broken Arrow version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_ohTSntxIE
It Might Have Been (written by "Ronnie Green and Harriet Kane"; first released on Archives Vol. 1, 2009)
Neil first played this on his 1970 tour with Crazy Horse. In the intro to the version from that tour on Archives Vol. 1, he says he learned it at a church dance and doesn't know who wrote it. "You might not like it but it used to be my favorite. It's kind of hokey." He alludes to future plans to record it, at which point they would learn the author, as "you always find out when money is involved." Its first lines, "The saddest words from tongue or pen/Are these four words: 'It might have been'" are derived from Maud Miller, a poem by John Greenleaf Whittier. The song is credited to Ronnie Green and Harriet Kane and the original version is credited to Joe London. A thread on 45cat.com claims Ronnie Green and Harriet Kane are psuedonyms for Brill Building writers Cy Crane and Herb Weiner, respectively, and Joe London, who was managed by Weiner, was the stage name of someone named Joel Ulan.
Anyway, as you might have guessed from Neil's description, it's a country song, and appropriately, Neil revived it for some of his 1984-85 shows with the International Harvesters, one of which appears on A Treasure. My initial encounter was with another IH version which appeared on the bootleg CD my high school buddy had, which was also my first exposure to Pushed It Over the End, Traces, Bad Fog of Loneliness and Love/Art Blues. (More on that here.) It's pleasant but not essential. That was a lot of words just to come to that conclusion.
Archives Vol. 1 version with Crazy Horse: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukIQaa4TaIk
A Treasure version with the International Harvesters: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFnRxiugTlg
Changes (writen by Phil Ochs; released on A Letter Home, 2014)
For A Letter Home, Neil collaborated with Jack White and recorded everything -- all covers -- in a tiny 1947 vinyl recording booth. And it produced a scratchy sound like that from a record from 1947. A whole album of this is a bit much on the ears. But there are some highlights, including this one by folksinger Phil Ochs. In structure it's not that much different from Neil's own folkier tracks. It is also the song from this album with the most live performances, so presumably Neil was happy with the results.
ALH version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUwYaHXxIkg
Live version from Farm Aid 2013 (preceded by a long intro about Phil Ochs): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9gyHnWegb4
Needle of Death (written by Bert Jansch; released on A Letter Home, 2014)
This is IMO the most successful track from A Letter Home, which shouldn't be surprising given that it was the musical inspiration for #24 entry Ambulance Blues. More info can be found in that entry. Lyrically, it would have fit right in on Tonight's the Night.
ALH version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6H47jI6xanA
Live version from 2014 (as you would imagine, the crowd thinks he's about to play Ambulance Blues): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AW5gX-fZpIg
If You Could Read My Mind (written by Gordon Lightfoot; released on A Letter Home, 2014)
Another good track on A Letter Home, this was first done by fellow Canadian Gordon Lightfoot. It's well-suited to Neil's vocal and guitar styles. It has the second-most live performances among the ALH tracks.
ALH version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzY2VdE_NXo
Live version from 2014: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_EMQJ47NVM
Mystery Train (written by Junior Parker and Sam Phillips; released on Everybody's Rockin', 1983)
I've heard a lot of versions of this song, and I'm convinced that it is impossible to screw up. So it's no surprise I think it's the best cover (and second best overall) song on Everybody's Rockin'. First done by bluesman Junior Parker, most people know the version by Elvis and/or performance by The Band and Paul Butterfield on The Last Waltz. Neil's version has a propulsiveness that the rest of the album lacks. Unfathomably, Neil played a bunch of shows with the Shocking Pinks in 1983 but only one live performance of this song (which is not on YouTube) has been documented.
Studio version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHXIo77Oh4A
Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues (written by Bob Dylan; released on Bob Dylan: The 30th Anniversary Concert Celebration, recorded October 1992 and released 1993)
This was Neil's other song from his Bobfest set. Obviously it was overshadowed by All Along the Watchtower, but it's a fine performance as well. The "they really make a mess out of yoooooou" line was just made for Neil to sing. The instrumental passages are well-suited to Neil's guitar style. I first encountered this a few years before on a bootleg CD, from a 1976 sit-in with Firefall.
Bobfest version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3maDpn0TI4Q
The version with Firefall isn't on YouTube. If you ever come across a Neil cover of this with a sax on it, that's it.
My Back Pages (written by Bob Dylan; with Bob Dylan, Roger McGuinn, Tom Petty, Eric Clapton and George Harrison; released on Bob Dylan: The 30th Anniversary Concert Celebration, recorded October 1992 and released 1993)
Neil took one of the six verses and played the second guitar solo on this performance from the Bobfest finale. More about this can be found in @krista4's solo Beatles countdown thread.
Bobfest version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_PAEPEiy6o
Greensleeves (traditional; performed live in 1974 and 1991)
The much-circulated Bottom Line 1974 bootleg is of a surprise opening set for Leon Redbone in which Neil played all new originals except Dance, Dance, Dance, Helpless and this traditional song, whose melody was the basis for the Christmas song What Child Is This? It's an odd choice and Neil's singing of the title phrase might be a bit extra for some. He played it once after that, an instrumental version at Bridge School Benefit 1991.
1974 version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfVbRS8XsKw
1991 version, in which Neil mentions this was the walkout music at every show Bill Graham promoted: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5-qVvndyIs
I Shall Be Released (written by Bob Dylan; performed five times between 1976 and 2008)
Neil was one of the many people who came out to sing along to this at the Last Waltz finale, but his contribution there is barely detectable. More interesting are the versions he performed at Bridge School Benefits 1998, 1999 and 2008, collaborating with Phish and Sarah McLachlan on the first, Eddie Vedder, Emmylou Harris and Sheryl Crow on the second and Wilco on the third.
Live version from 1998 (sharing lead vocals with Phish's Page McConnell and Trey Anastasio): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVX4BYRgFwk
Live version from 1999 (sharing lead vocals with Eddie Vedder): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=huEZCDA83uE
Live version from 2008 (sharing lead vocals with Wilco's Jeff Tweedy): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQZbXfwFMfw
This Land Is Your Land (written by Woody Guthrie; released on Americana, 2012)
Americana, Neil's album of covers of traditional and other folk songs performed electric with Crazy Horse, has been more or less forgotten because it was overshadowed by the release of Psychedelic Pill a few months later and because none of its songs were performed live except this one, the Woody Guthrie classic, usually at Farm Aids. The arrangement suits Neil well, and the song boasts the only guest vocal appearances on the album, from his wife Pegi and Stephen Stills.
Studio version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCEBz8TL-fg
Live version from 2014 with Willie Nelson and Lukas Nelson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1v7mTSJCCJQ
I Saw Her Standing There (written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney; performed live in 2012)
Neil and Crazy Horse worked up this in their style for the 2012 MusiCares benefit concert in honor of Paul. Notice he changed the lyric to "She was just seventeen/And she wasn't a beauty queen".
Live version from 2012: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gAZq46Yr8k
And stretching the definition of "notable":
Home on the Range (traditional; released on the Where the Buffalo Roam soundtrack, 1980)
@jwb, this was my pick for weirdest Neil song until you mentioned that Carnival thing. For the obscure (and allegedly terrible) Bill Murray movie Where the Buffalo Roam, in which the still-on-SNL Bill played Hunter S. Thompson, Neil worked up two bizarre versions of Home on the Range. The first, which I encountered in the late '80s on the same bootleg as It Might Have Been, begins with orchestral nonsense and then shifts to Neil singing a capella, with a harmonica coming in briefly at the end. The second begins with unaccompanied electric guitar blasts, then juts into Neil singing a capella. The guitar blasts return toward the end of the singing. Then at the end a harmonica pops up out of nowhere for a few seconds, and it's over.
First version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDV6rD7UCg8
Second version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lz5g3EJeEkk
Next: Other notable Neil performances that don't qualify as covers. Basically, other people wrote them and he doesn't sing them, but contributes in some way, usually on guitar.
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simey
Footballguy
The last time I saw Neil was in 2016 in Virginia at a Farm Aid. He didn't get on his soap box then, but two years prior to that he did at the Farm Aid in North Carolina. During his set he started saying unfavorable things about Senator Richard Burr, and he got some boos from the crowd. He told them to take their boos to the the voting booth. I didn't vote to re-elect him in 2016 or before or after that.
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Pip's Invitation
Footballguy
You never know what you're going to get with Neil at Farm Aid. His most infamous soap box Farm Aid was 1997; he was drunk.
simey
Footballguy
I agreed with him about Burr, but the usual four (Willie, Mellencamp, Neil, and Matthews) have this sit down prior to the concert to talk about the farming in that state and everything. Neil was the only one to start talking about stuff again during his set. I laughed when he got all the boos. He didn't care. It just fired him up more.
Man of Constant Sorrow
Footballguy
I saw Neil at a Louisville Farm Aid - 90s - I can't remember a word he said.
That was prolly my fault tho.
That was prolly my fault tho.
Pip's Invitation
Footballguy
jwb
Footballguy
I saw the one you linked to for Changes (2013). It was good, but I would have preferred a Crazy Horse set.
jwb
Footballguy
Pip's Invitation
Footballguy
Pip's Invitation
Footballguy
Speaking of Farm Aid: @cap'n grunge, the Farm Aid 2019 version of Throw Your Hatred Down was incredible: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hfn15K7nnRg
skol asylum
Footballguy
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