Neil Young

What's the fascination with his mediocre work?

Comrade of the People's Exhibit #1:

[orange]State of Love and Trust [/orange] wrote: neil young - cortez the killer

Comrade of the People's Exhibit #2:

Digi Mike Binoche wrote: You are like a hurricane

Comrade of the People's Exhibit #3:

DiscoShed wrote: Keep on rockin' in the free world.

Mind you, Neil's brilliant, and I'm just about now almost-- almost-- getting over his endorsement of Reagan, but he's done so many brilliant songs, I can't understand why these plodding ballads {Well, Keep on Rockin' ain't a ballad....) are favorites.

Cortez the Killer? Arguably the most plodding, never-ending piece on Zuma, an otherwise thoroughly enjoyable album.

Like a Hurricane? Blown away, alright. By Rust Never Sleeps.

Er, rant over.

can i just say, i love cortez, and couldn't care less what you think about it!

and also, like a hurricane is MINT. as is free world.

edit to say: cortez and hurricane off the WELD album >>>>>>>>>>>> all other versions IMO

[orange]State of Love and Trust [/orange] wrote: can i just say...

No!

Well, there was a time when I liked them too, I must confess. But over time, I've grown to appreciate his other songs more. Having seen him in concert many times, they always seem to be crowd favorites, but not for me. Now the first time I saw him do "Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black), that was magic. And take a lesser-known song off the same CD, Welfare Mothers, and it just kicks ass on his better-known ballads. Same with Danger Bird, or Drive Back, or Stupid Girl, or Don't Cry No Tears, all off Zuma-- the CD Cortez the Killer is on.

How about a top ten Neil Young in this thread, Jack? I'll list mine in a bit, soon as I figure it out.

I have to second Jack on that one. The Cortez version on Weld should restore your faith in the song, just plain outstanding that one!

Well, I have to admit that I haven't heard Weld, although I really should get it. Two CD's, innit? Weld and Arc, or something like that?

Comrade's top twenty:

Sugar Mountain Ohio Cinnamon Girl Cowgirl in the Sand When You Dance I Can Really Love Heart of Gold Old Man Are You Ready for The Country? The Needle and the Damage Done World on a String Come on baby Let’s Go Downtown See the Sky About To Rain Don’t Cry No Tears Danger Bird Drive Back My My Hey Hey/Hey Hey My My Welfare Mothers Southern Pacific This Note’s For You Shock and Awe

Comrade, look for a band called "The Replacants". they covered cinnamon girl back in the late 90s. Interesting version, the band is made up of guys from Tool and Failure. Not what you'd think. Their version of Wings' "Silly Love Songs" is fantastic.

And I still haven't heard the guy's work... I only heard of the guy through the unbearable song, "Sweet Home Alabama". I can't stand the goddamn song. I'm more of a relocated Yankee than a Southerner.

The song that inspired Sweet Home Alabama:

Alabama

Oh alabama The devil fools with the best laid plan. Swing low alabama You got spare change You got to feel strange And now the moment is all that it meant.

Alabama, you got the weight on your shoulders Thats breaking your back. Your cadillac has got a wheel in the ditch And a wheel on the track

Oh alabama Banjos playing through the broken glass Windows down in alabama. See the old folks tied in white ropes Hear the banjo. Dont it take you down home?

Alabama, you got the weight on your shoulders Thats breaking your back. Your cadillac has got a wheel in the ditch And a wheel on the track

Oh alabama. Can I see you and shake your hand. Make friends down in alabama. Im from a new land I come to you and see all this ruin What are you doing alabama? You got the rest of the union to help you along Whats going wrong?

[magenta]shedmonite61[/magenta] wrote: And I still haven't heard the guy's work...

We'll have to remedy that at my place sometime.

Er, right after I replace the collection I sold off when I needed gas money to find a job....

Oh, how I love it when he makes the Southerners mad.

Lynyrd Skynyrd's response: "You're a $()*@#$*#( Canadian. We'll show you!"

My response to LS: "In high school, I spoke out against your Rebel flag in the school paper!"

But that was all so long ago..... Right?

So is the Civil War, which so many Southerners still can't through their heads.

I guess the civil war was a long time ago, too.

But I meant high school.

Oh, I'm sorry for mentioning the words "high school..."

Um, I was very impassioned about bashing LS.

[magenta]shedmonite61[/magenta] wrote: I was very impassioned

I'm not surprised.

sorry to interrupt but yeah comrade you should defo hear WELD because it's really fckin good and will defo make you think differently about cortez and like a hurricane, my fave versions of those tracks are on it

also has a classic version of hey hey my my and fuckin up

top ten is hard to select but i would say (in no order):

cortez the killer like a hurricane fuckin up rockin in the free world hey hey my my/my my hey hey harvest moon heart of gold ambulance blues bandit (and all the other tracks on GREENDALE ) needle and the damage done (gotta be unplugged version for me though)

Unknown Legend is my favourite. Smashing song with a really strange structure. I tried to learn it on guitar once, but something about the timing just baffled me.

It could be due to the fact that I'm absolutely shit on the guitar, of course, but I like to think that it's a really difficult song.

Edit: Like a Hurricane is great as well

[magenta]shedmonite61[/magenta] wrote: And I still haven't heard the guy's work... I only heard of the guy through the unbearable song, "Sweet Home Alabama". I can't stand the goddamn song. I'm more of a relocated Yankee than a Southerner.

Oh, I forgot, there's one other Neil Young song that isnpired Sweet Home Alabama....

Southern Man

Southern man better keep your head Don't forget what your good book said Southern change gonna come at last Now your crosses are burning fast Southern man

I saw cotton and I saw black Tall white mansions and little shacks. Southern man when will you pay them back? I heard screamin' and bullwhips cracking How long? How long?

Southern man better keep your head Don't forget what your good book said Southern change gonna come at last Now your crosses are burning fast Southern man

Lily Belle, your hair is golden brown I've seen your black man comin' round Swear by God I'm gonna cut him down! I heard screamin' and bullwhips cracking How long? How long?

[orange]State of Love and Trust [/orange] wrote: top ten is hard to select but i would say (in no order):

It's almost impossible to select a top ten (notice mine was a top twenty), with a career spanning 5 decades and an output as prolific and diverse as he's had...

I know lists are just a matter of taste Comrade, but Welfare Mothers is the one track on Rust that I tend to skip, and When You Dance isn't one I'm fond of either Way too many songs to choose from a top ten, so I won't get into that.

Have to say that Pixies cover of Winterlong is absolutely brilliant, better than the original I'd say.

bah, heathen!

[darkgreen]Green[/darkgreen] wrote:

Have to say that Pixies cover of Winterlong is absolutely brilliant, better than the original I'd say.

[orange]State of Love and Trust [/orange] wrote:

top ten is hard to select but i would say (in no order):

cortez the killer like a hurricane fuckin up rockin in the free world hey hey my my/my my hey hey harvest moon heart of gold ambulance blues bandit (and all the other tracks on GREENDALE ) needle and the damage done (gotta be unplugged version for me though)

awww no i forgot CRIME IN THE CITY i fuckin love that especially the WELD version, COMRADE GO OUT AND BUY WELD!!!

i'm not dissing him, but i just never got him.

[darkgreen]Green[/darkgreen] wrote: ...Welfare Mothers is the one track on Rust that I tend to skip...

People pick up on what I'm puttin' down now...

WELFARE MOTHERS MAKE BETTER LOVERS!

[orange]State of Love and Trust [/orange] wrote:

awww no i forgot CRIME IN THE CITY i fuckin love that especially the WELD version, COMRADE GO OUT AND BUY WELD!!!

One day. One day...

top 20 by neil....hard to say, but here's some of my faves:

cinnamon girl rockin' in the free world downtown after the gold rush like a hurricane hey hey my my (or my my hey hey...either one) expecting to fly fuckin' up piece of crap don't let it bring you down sample and hold computer world living with war let's impeach the president ...and throw in some of the other generic "hits"