Neil Young

[Nick Reg]

Here's a challenge: Given a maximum playing time of 90 minutes, what tracks (from which albums as some tracks are repeated many times) would you include on a "Best Of" Neil Young (including Crazy Horse but no variants of CSNY)?

1. Old Man (from Harvest, recorded 1971)
2. Heart of Gold (as above)
3. Albuquerque (from Tonight's the Night, recorded 1973)
4. Ambulance Blues (from On the Beach, recorded 1974)
5. Try (from Homegrown, recorded 1974)
6. Cortez the Killer (from Zuma, recorded 1975)
7. Like a Hurricane (from American Stars 'n Bars, recorded 1975)
8. Long May You Run (from Long May You Run, recorded 1976) - features Stephen Stills, but I don't care
9. Comes a Time (from Comes a Time, recorded 1977)
10. Thrasher (from Rust Never Sleeps, recorded 1978)
11. Powderfinger (as above)
12. Eldorado (from the Eldorado EP, and Freedom, recorded 1988/9)
13. Over and Over (from Ragged Glory, recorded 1990)
14. Unknown Legend (from Harvest Moon, recorded 1991/2)
15. Prime of Life (from Sleeps with Angels, recorded 1993/4)
16. Big Time (from Broken Arrow, recorded 1996)
17. The Great Divide (from Silver & Gold, recorded 1999)

This might be just over 90 minutes, but it's amazing what a little bit of unobtrusive pruning can do.

Jules

Last night saw Alex Hart finish her set at Beardy with Old Man and excellent it was too

[Jules Gray]

I was tempted to include a solo performance of Helpless, maybe from Unplugged as I love that song but then, what to leave out?

You could always just break Andy's rules!  

Helpless is one of those that I just find a bit flat and dull. Needle is another one. Maybe it's overfamiliarity, but then I still dig Heart of Gold, so...

Jules

[Shane (Skirky)]

Here's a challenge: Given a maximum playing time of 90 minutes, what tracks (from which albums as some tracks are repeated many times) would you include on a "Best Of" Neil Young (including Crazy Horse but no variants of CSNY)?

Someone's already done it. https://www.discogs.com/release/2148578-Neil-Young-For-The-Turntables  

[ColinB]

Here are my selections. I'm tempted to to add something from the Noise and Flowers album but have probably run over the 80 minutes. You can add up the timings if you've nothing better to do.  

01 - Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere (from Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere) 2:26
02 - Southern Man (from After The Gold Rush) 5:33
03 - Heart of Gold (from Harvest) 3:07
04 - Old Man (from Harvest) 3:24
05 - Tonight's The Night (from Tonight's The Night) 4:42
06 - Through My Sails (from Zuma) 2:39
07 - Like A Hurricane (from American Stars 'n Bars) 8:20
08 - Already One (from Comes A Time) 4:53
09 - My My, Hey Hey (Out of the Blue) (from Rust Never Sleeps) 3:47
10 - Get Back to the Country (from Old Ways) 2:50
11 - The Ways of Love (from Freedom) 4:29
12 - Over and Over (from Ragged Glory) 8:28
13 - Harvest Moon (from Harvest Moon) 5:05
14 - Downtown (Mirror Ball) 5:10
15 - When I Hold You In My Arms (from Are You Passionate?)
16 - This Old Guitar (from Prairie Wind) 5:32
17 - Let's Impeach The President (from Living With War) 5:10  

 

[GubGub (Al)]

Here are my selections. I'm tempted to to add something from the Noise and Flowers album but have probably run over the 80 minutes. You can add up the timings if you've nothing better to do.  

01 - Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere (from Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere) 2:26
02 - Southern Man (from After The Gold Rush) 5:33
03 - Heart of Gold (from Harvest) 3:07
04 - Old Man (from Harvest) 3:24
05 - Tonight's The Night (from Tonight's The Night) 4:42
06 - Through My Sails (from Zuma) 2:39
07 - Like A Hurricane (from American Stars 'n Bars) 8:20
08 - Already One (from Comes A Time) 4:53
09 - My My, Hey Hey (Out of the Blue) (from Rust Never Sleeps) 3:47
10 - Get Back to the Country (from Old Ways) 2:50
11 - The Ways of Love (from Freedom) 4:29
12 - Over and Over (from Ragged Glory) 8:28
13 - Harvest Moon (from Harvest Moon) 5:05
14 - Downtown (Mirror Ball) 5:10
15 - When I Hold You In My Arms (from Are You Passionate?)
16 - This Old Guitar (from Prairie Wind) 5:32
17 - Let's Impeach The President (from Living With War) 5:10  

 

The criteria was 90 minutes I think so you should be ok.

[ColinB]

The criteria was 90 minutes I think so you should be ok.

Oh good. That means I can include something from Landing on Water.  

[GubGub (Al)]

The criteria was 90 minutes I think so you should be ok.

Oh good. That means I can include something from Landing on Water.  

I almost did! I love Touch The Night but I chickened out.

[davidmjs]

The criteria was 90 minutes I think so you should be ok.

Oh good. That means I can include something from Landing on Water.  

I almost did! I love Touch The Night but I chickened out.

It's the only thing resembling a decent song on the album (unlike, say, Trans where there are a number of excellent songs) imho but you'd have to really hate Neil to get that - or tbh I'd argue anything from the last 30 years - onto a C90s worth studio Best Of...

[Jules Gray]

It's the only thing resembling a decent song on the album (unlike, say, Trans where there are a number of excellent songs) imho but you'd have to really hate Neil to get that - or tbh I'd argue anything from the last 30 years - onto a C90s worth studio Best Of...

I would agree with you, except for the 30 year thing. 23 years for me, as I consider Silver & Gold to be one his finest.

Jules

[ColinB]

It's the only thing resembling a decent song on the album (unlike, say, Trans where there are a number of excellent songs) imho but you'd have to really hate Neil to get that - or tbh I'd argue anything from the last 30 years - onto a C90s worth studio Best Of...

I would agree with you, except for the 30 year thing. 23 years for me, as I consider Silver & Gold to be one his finest.

Jules

That's one of the many albums of his I've never listened to... until today! On first listen it gets the thumbs up. It's on his YouTube channel where there are many hours of listening awaiting you. TBH I don't think I've heard any of the albums he's done since Fork in the Road.

https://www.youtube.com/@neilyoungchannel/releases

[GubGub (Al)]

Hmmm, I'm not sure I can define a cut off point. There are albums I like from the last 30 years, notably Psychedelic Pill and Storytone. Toast is terrific, albeit an archive release.

The last three Crazy Horse albums have all been patchy but have all had moments. And there are individual tracks scattered throughout the period that I would place in the upper third of Neil's output. Certainly I would have included No Hidden Path had it not been for length and Andy's stipulated time restrictions.

[Jules Gray]

I would have included No Hidden Path had it not been for length and Andy's stipulated time restrictions.

Really liked that one, but wish they'd fixed the snare drum disaster which occurred midway through.

Jules

[davidmjs]

It's the only thing resembling a decent song on the album (unlike, say, Trans where there are a number of excellent songs) imho but you'd have to really hate Neil to get that - or tbh I'd argue anything from the last 30 years - onto a C90s worth studio Best Of...

I would agree with you, except for the 30 year thing. 23 years for me, as I consider Silver & Gold to be one his finest.

Jules

I've not tried in c22.75 years...will have another go.

[Chris from Fieldtown]

It isn't perfect and I may make other choices on a different day but here is my best shot.

It's pretty good. Winterlong is out of its proper time zone, and you're much more disposed towards ATGR than I was. I reckon that between the two of us, we've got it licked... somewhere.

Jules

Yes, Winterlong is showing the Decade release date. I must go through my library and correct those dates in the metadata but it is a bit of a faff! Funnily enough I didn't realise I had picked so many from ATGR until I had finished. I just went through all the tracks in alphabetical order, chose favourites and whittled down (I only had to remove one song). I'm not too surprised though as ATGR was probably the first NY album I heard in full (either that or Comes A Time) so was pretty influential for me. I was tempted to include a solo performance of Helpless, maybe from Unplugged as I love that song but then, what to leave out?

ATGR was the first album I bought back in my teenage years. Heard it played at my cousin's house on a tiny portable player and was just drawn in by the raw emotion of the album. With Harvest following it was a formative time for my musical awareness and taste and those albums were played and played. Choosing 90mins of tracks from my collection is just too tricky.

[John From Austin]

...has cancelled the remaining dates on his current tour, citing unspecified illnesses within the band.

 

[davidmjs]

...has cancelled the remaining dates on his current tour, citing unspecified illnesses within the band.

 

Not unexpected.  Time for the Horse to go back in the barn to live out its days?  I think I've read (might even have been here) that it's Billy that's struggling?  Both Billy and Ralph are into their 9th decades...Neil's only get 17 months left before he joins them there.  To everything, there is a season...etc.etc.

[hendo (Dave)]

...has cancelled the remaining dates on his current tour, citing unspecified illnesses within the band.

 

Not unexpected.  Time for the Horse to go back in the barn to live out its days?  I think I've read (might even have been here) that it's Billy that's struggling?  Both Billy and Ralph are into their 9th decades...Neil's only get 17 months left before he joins them there.  To everything, there is a season...etc.etc.

 Bloody sad though isn’t it…..
We’ve lived through exceptional musical times,,,,

[PaulT]

In a charity shop today, I picked up a mint copy of "Weld" for £3.

10 minutes later, across the road in another "pre-loved" emporium... "Arc" for 99p (cue "you've been ripped off"!)