RADIO HANNIBAL

The Neil Young discography - Shakey II, part 33

This discography analysis is written by contributor JT of Perth, Australia.

Disc 06 - Topanga 3 (1970)

TRACKS:

1) 'Tell Me Why' - I'd love to tell you all that my opinions of the songs from After the Gold Rush had changed, that I no longer thought of the album as one that was very good yet still overrated by many. But I can't. Really can't. I wish I could tell you that I no longer thought on songs such as 'Tell Me Why' that Neil was maybe straining a little too much, and that although filled with moments of melodic greatness, there's some areas which aren't great. But I can't. 'Tell Me Why' is an alright song I guess. Maybe it's even very good. But I honestly don't really enjoy listening to it that much. As I said in my original review, it "feels like the intro to a song that never arrived." 7.0

2) 'After the Gold Rush' - If anything, my opinion of this song has only decreased over time. And that's a shame, because I was once ready to crown this as the greatest song ever. Boy was I off the mark. Don't get me wrong - there's still parts of me which rate it quite highly, but there's others that just wish Neil would shut the hell up and start playing 'Wrecking Ball' or something. For the first time in this thread, I'm docking points from a song, instead of bumping it up. Now I know this is akin to pissing on some of your loved ones graves, but that's something I'm just going to have to live with. 7.0

3) 'Only Love Can Break Your Heart' - I'm really not too sure where my indifference to some of these songs comes from. I actually don't really think it's an indifference, I just think that I'm rating these songs just a little lower than everyone else is. 'Only Love Can Break Your Heart' is a song which on record, just clunks along a bit. Live, it gets better - Crazy Horse did some decent versions of the song on their 2001 European Tour, and those kicked ass in comparison. The thing that gets me about this song? It's the communal singalong in the chorus. I hate it. When singing of a broken heart (or singing of a heart which hasn't broken yet), what's communal about it? Your heart breaks... you're on your own, no matter how many people you have around you. Having said all that, the "Someone should call him..." and the "I was always thinking of games..." parts before each chorus are the little things which get me going. So it's not all bad. It's actually quite good for the main part (with a couple of exceptions). 7.5

4) 'Wonderin' (Unreleased Version)' - I guess I just miss Danny Whitten that little bit. You see, we were spoiled. The live version of 'Wonderin' from the Fillmore gig had Danny's great vocals to help the song chug along. But by the time Neil went to record this, he was gone. Not forever, but he was out of the picture at this stage - with Neil fed up with his heroin use. So he recorded it with his After the Gold Rush band of Ralph Molina, Greg Reeves and Nils Lofgren... and it's really freakin' good. It doesn't have the raggedy goodness of Crazy Horse, but the song is far too good to have just been the song we got on Everybody's Rockin'. Hands down the best part of the song is towards the end and the high "knowin' that I need you to save me!" vocals which follow the song to the end. I just wish it were recorded with the Horse, that's all. 8.5

5) 'Don't Let it Bring You Down' - I probably copped more grief over my lack of love for this song than I did for anything else throughout this thread. And guess what? I still really don't think it's that great. It's good, it's pleasant... but I wouldn't worry trying to think of any other compliments. I haven't lost any sleep over it though. It's just one of those things. I'd much rather listen to a hundred other songs before I listen to 'Don't Let it Bring You Down'. 6.5

6) 'Cripple Creek Ferry' - I think I was being a tad harsh on this earlier. Gave it a 5.5 when in reality it's a good point higher. Sorry, song. Didn't mean to disappoint. This review has taken me the length of 'Cripple Creek Ferry' to type. Good job. 6.5

7) 'Southern Man' - Montana's right, you know. I was marking this one down a little bit. But not too much. Where Monty rings true is the whole "I heard screamin' and bullwhips cracking, how long how long?" part. Fuck that's good. The band definitely gets into an unreal groove, however my opinions of the song as a whole are less than what I'd expect for a song with such a lofty reputation. But that doesn't matter. Focus on the stuff you enjoy and everything else becomes enjoyable eventually. I'm more than a few years in, and it's getting there. 7.5

8) 'Till the Morning Comes' - Honestly, how could you not love this song? He's going to love you "til the morning comes... 'til the morning comes! Whoah-oh-oh". It's the "Whoah-oh-oh" part that tips it over the edge, pushes it towards something resembling greatness. And if anyone makes mention of the fact that it's a filler song that only goes for about 14 seconds, then I'll respectfully disagree. It may be slight, it may have the same lyrics repeated over and over again, but who cares? 'T-Bone' has the same lyrics repeated over and over for 9 minutes and the extra length didn't help that song, so maybe Neil was onto a winner from the start. Besides, if you like it but think it's too short, then all you need to do is just hit the repeat button, it makes the song as long as you want. 8.0

9) 'When You Dance I Can Really Love' - Don't feel like writing much about this song. Great groove. The Horse in fine (but not fantastic) form. Still prefer the Year of the Horse version. That's all, move along. 7.5

10) 'Ohio' - The reason 'Ohio' works so well is because it's the most un-CSNY song that CSNY ever did. Their 'protest' songs are shit. There was that one on Looking Forward about some Chinese dude standing in front of the tank and the song literally makes you want to vomit so much that your small intestine comes out of your mouth. But 'Ohio' is different. There's the mystique behind the song about Crosby and Neil seeing the photos of Kent State and writing the song and recording it so quickly that they didn't have time for their collective holier-than-thouness to get it the way of the song. Key to the song? The rocking groove that Barbata and Samuels lay down behind the track. There's the acoustic versions CSNY did around the time and they just turn it into this lovey-dovey singalong and it just blows. This is much better and pretty much the only way you need to hear it. 8.0

11) 'Only Love Can Break Your Heart (Unreleased Live Version)' - Yeah - so although this is a pretty decent song, CSNY just fucking ruin it. Well, Nash mainly. Sure, he was the one who had the 'best' voice of CSN, but that doesn't mean he has to do his best to sing right over the fucking top of everybody, does it now! Don't get me wrong, I actually don't mind the guy and his first solo album was actually halfway to a very good album, but wow dude... tone down the vocals a tad. He's working on a live CSNY box at the moment, and I've got this feeling it's going to be a massive Nashathon, even on the songs where he was out the back banging Joni Mitchell while Stills took the stage rambling on and on about fucking nothing. But anyway, back to 'Only Love Can Break Your Heart'... I have no idea why this is on this disc. No idea at all. Won't say no to it though - if nothing else, it gives me the chance to rant about Graham Nash - and that can never hurt. 6.0

12) 'Tell Me Why (Unreleased Live Version)' - Oh shit - another CSNY live track. And by that I mean you have to put up with the utterly interminable stage banter. My god, it's horrendous. It's the live music equivalent of 'I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry', with the canned laughter of an episode of 'According to Jim'. It's painful. Which is a shame, because the rendition isn't actually too bad. There's too much Nash in the higher parts, but you can live with it. I may even say that there was a chance I could have liked this better than the After the Gold Rush version, but with all that 'witty banter', it makes it worse. Not by much, but by a little. 6.0

13) 'Music is Love' - Before I talk about the track itself, can I just mention how much of a surprise to see this on the tracklisting when it was first announced? Chuffed, to say the least. Anyway, back to the song at hand - and it's a keeper. There's this laid back vibe going on that I'm sure Neil remembered when recording later on, especially when he cut 'Will to Love'. Not really a Neil Young song (only a co-write), but a worthy addition to the set. 8.0

14) 'See the Sky About to Rain (Unreleased Live Version)' - Damn, the guy's got some skills on the piano! This version misses Rick Danko and Levon Helm, but then again, any song without those guys is a pity. Well, that's not true, but I'll let the comment stand. Helm's drumming on the studio cut from On The Beach is sublime, plus it's got that wurlizter through it (instead of the piano) which takes a great song and makes it a masterpiece. If nothing else, this shows that Neil's an enigma. I mean, for fuck's sake, he had this song sitting there and didn't do anything with it for four-five years? The dude's insane. But we like it that way. 9.0

DISC RATING: 8.0

MINI VERDICT: You probably wouldn't believe me, but it's actually hard sometimes not loving something as much as you think you should. Or better yet, not loving something as much as you think you're supposed to. It probably sounds as though I hate the songs on After the Gold Rush, but it's not true. I think the album's fantastic and as I said before, it's an album where the whole is greater than the sum of its individual parts. The songs here would be hung on the mantelpiece of other artists, but to Neil Young, they're just one stop along the way. Too much time could be spent dwelling on what I could do to enjoy these songs just that little bit more, but there's another disc to get to.

  

    

Disc 08 - North Country (1971-72)

TRACKS:

1) 'Heart of Gold (Unreleased Live Version)' - I've always preferred the live version of 'Heart of Gold' where it's just Neil and himself, strumming and playing the harmonica. It gives the song more punch, gains a bit of soul, and is just a better product. This version here is just about one of the better versions I've heard. Although, honestly, any versions from around this time are bound to sound somewhat similar. Don't count me in the group of those who prefer the 'A Man Needs a Maid/Heart of Gold' version either. Separate the songs, let them breathe on their own. They're better as separate entities, which is why I'm glad this is here. Not that I've always felt that way. If you had told me three years ago that there'd be a live version of 'Heart of Gold' on the Archives, I'd have said something about it being completely unnecessary, just like 'Crocodile Dundee in L.A'. Thankfully, I was wrong (about the song, not the movie). 7.5

2) 'The Needle and the Damage Done' - "I sing the song because I love the man. I know that some of you don't understand".

I think in my original review I said something along the lines of Neil plays this song so much not because he wants to, but because he almost has to. I still think that's the case. And that line tells us why. He's singing for the fallen and those who nearly went the way of others. Quite admirable really. 8.5

3) 'Bad Fog of Loneliness (Unreleased Version)' - How the fuck did this not get on Harvest and 'There's a World' did? That there is some seriously wacky shit. This would have been an awesome Crazy Horse song with Danny Whitten doubling Neil's vocals. Shit out of luck though, 'cos it never happened, so I won't worry about wasting time on something that didn't happen nearly forty years ago. So... does anyone else think that the reason this wasn't on Harvest was because it's a bit too much like 'The Needle and the Damage Done' in a musical sense. I mean, I'm no guitar player, but those opening notes sound familiar. And if that was the reason, then it was good that Neil decided against it being a bad idea in the later years, because then we wouldn't have been given 'Tonight's the Night' (I & II), 'My My, Hey Hey' and 'Hey Hey, My My'... the acoustic and electric 'Rockin' in the Free World'... 'Love to Burn' and 'Love and Only Love' as well as 'Western Hero' and 'Train of Love'. You get what I mean. 1972 Neil maybe thought that two similar songs would ruin an album, later Neil probably thought "fuck it, let's use them both". He should have found that out earlier. 9.0

4) 'Old Man' - I like this song a whole lot more than I think I should. I mean, it's too much of a 'traditional' song. It goes little bit of chorus, verse, chorus, verse. That's too normal, too non-Neil. His best songs are ones where you listen to them and you know that there's only one person who could actually pull that song off, and that's the guy who writes it. Plus, there's the quaint little banjo which should make me scream, there's the backing band which are doing nothing really except plod along to say they're there. But what makes this the song is the voice. Probably one of the more impassioned vocals to this stage of Neil Young's career. However, there is a however. Like 'Heart of Gold', I prefer the solo Neil versions. But apart from that it's actually a fine song. 8.0

5) 'Heart of Gold' - Unlike 'Old Man', there isn't enough here on the studio take to make me groove. It's all a bit vanilla for my liking. I'm not going to stand up and say that I hate the song because it's too commercial, because I can't. I've enjoyed this song immensely over the years, and it's still an easy entry to the guy's career for people you're trying to impress. But it's got too much. Too much restraint on the vocal... to much Linda Ronstadt and James Taylor... too much of a backing band that's seemingly disinterested in the song. And that's too bad. 6.5

6) 'Dance Dance Dance (Unreleased Version)' - I've ragged on Graham Nash quite a bit in this thread. He's an easy target - what with him being the twee British dude from CSN, but the truth of the matter is that I actually kinda like the guy. Some of his music is a bit insufferable ('Marrakesh Express' for example), and he bought into that whole "music can save the world" scene so much that he named one of his songs 'Chicago (We Can Change the World)'. And that kinda irks me. But on the other hand, he always seems up for whatever Neil Young throws at him, and he doesn't seem as though he's one of those guys who feels compelled to say "yes" to him every time. In the interviews I've read, or seen, he's always the one guy who will call Neil Young out for the bullshit artist that he sometimes is. So the guy gets a pass from me on that. Also, I like some of his songs, even the ones that are a bundle of sissyness like 'Simple Man'. Here, it's just him and Neil doing 'Dance Dance Dance', and it's damn fine. It's not as good as the Crazy Horse version (either the one here or on theCrazy Horse album), but was never going to be. Unlike 'Heart of Gold' and 'Old Man', this is one song that benefited from a band. And Nash keeps his vocals to the back. So there's another tick. 7.5

7) 'A Man Needs a Maid (Unreleased Mix)' - I never understood it when people would say this was one of the worst songs on Harvest. Maybe it's just being paired with 'There's a World' because of the strings. And if so, how stupid of someone to be that short-sighted. I just can't ever buy into this being anything less than one of the more remarkable songs Neil Young has written and performed. The lyrics, the melody, the aching strings. This song is perfection, through and through. I've mentioned it before, but when the song goes through the "A while ago somewhere I don't know when, I was watching a movie with a friend" part, it's though a musical Buddha had written the melody himself and passed it on to Neil Young. Feel free to tell me I'm wrong, but you're going to have a hell of a hard time convincing me that I'm wrong. 10.0

8) 'Harvest' - Another song where I'll admit that I was wrong. Well, maybe I wasn't wrong when I wrote my original, maybe my opinions have solidified that little bit more. This song is fantastic, and one of the best two on the album that bears the same name as this track. Not sure why I marked it down before, but it's the complete song. I dig the aching in Neil's voice throughout the track, and I even think the Stray Gators have got it right on the track. This track needs help from a band, but that band can't be too much, too in your face. They sit behind, and just float along with the song. Great stuff. Special props to the steel guitar work of the late, great Ben Keith. He's hardly audible for parts of the track and then he just floats in with these perfect little flourishes that you keep your ears pricked for. Great stuff, and sorry I doubted you slightly last time. 10.0

9) 'Journey Through the Past (Unreleased Version)' - This was completely unexpected. Every version I'd ever heard of this song had been Neil, alone at the piano, playing this song. That's how it was even on Time Fades Away when he had a band at his disposal. It's a great song, but I actually find myself listening to the solo versions more often than this. The Nashville swing that's on the track is interesting, but not essential. Besides, the track loses a bit of its longing with the band behind it. Nothing better than when Neil's behind the piano, almost playing this song just to himself, regardless of whether there's an audience or not. The BBC version of this is my ultimate favourite - not just because of the performance, but the sound quality is spot on. Thankfully, it's been captured for all to enjoy. This is a 9.0, that below is a 10.0.

10) 'Are You Ready For the Country?' - I was a bit snarky with this song before. It's not a favourite and when I saw the title, I thought I was one of those clever movie reviews who use the title of a movie to base their review around. I'm so clever. Anyway. Back to normal. My reasons for disliking this song are few-fold. For starters, it's not a very good song. Secondly, it's banged out and tossed off in a way that Neil Young has never done (or would really ever do). Even the Everybody's Rockin' album, as inessential as it is, was a planned way of moving forward (by looking back). This is just a throwaway song that should have been used as a way to get the band warmed up. It shouldn't have been on the Harvest album. At best, it should've been here, on The Archives, only as what also went on when they were making the album proper. Anyway. There's that. And also - we know there's this band and all - and that Tim Drummond was one of the only white dudes to be in James Brown's band, but he's so under-used here that he might as well have been a cardboard cut-out of Tim Drummond playing the bass. 4.0

11) 'Alabama' - The best thing about this song is the guitar. It's grand. The song itself has always been a bit hit-and-miss with me. The verses are so dull in their first half that by the time the second half of the verse and the chorus come in (and kick ass), you're left to wonder why the first half of each verse is so grossly underwhelming. I know it's a little thing, but when you're invested in the man's music so much, there's certain songs that you just wish with all your might were better than they actually are. There's a masterpiece of a song somewhere here, but for the me, the flaws overwhelm the positives so much that I can't help but be extremely over-critical to the song. Believe me, I know how little my criticisms make sense. I'm complaining and marking down greatly a song where its flaws run for probably 45 seconds out of a four minute song. I know it's crazy. Sometimes opinions don't make sense, like people who think 'Two and a Half men' is (or ever has been) funny. But you stick with your opinions because they're yours and hopefully no one else's. To me, this song could've been so much more. But in the end, it's just another song on an album that I rarely listen to. Harvest has great songs, but it never surprises any more (short of a couple of songs) and never makes me as alive as listening to Rust Never Sleeps, Ragged Glory or Everybody Knows This is Nowhere do. Am I glad that it's Neil's most successful album? Kinda. I'm glad he enjoyed this level of success for what seems like a fleeting moment (especially when compared to the size and longevity of his career), but I'm bummed that it had to be this album which got him to the top. By being his most 'popular' album (or perhaps I should have just said "commercially successful"), it allowed the minor fans and wannabes the chance to dictate to Neil what path the rest of his career should follow. Thank fuck he didn't listen to him, but part of me bristles knowing that at every Neil Young concert, there's going to be that one guy who expects to hear 'Heart of Gold'. Not that this song is 'Heart of Gold'. But I marked it the same so I'm going to run with it. 6.5

12) 'Words (Between the Lines of Age)' - Another song which gets its fair share of abuse, and another song I've constantly defended. Half the time, I'll sit and say that although the Harvest version is good, the Journey Through the Past version is better. But it's not really. The Harvest version gets to the chase, whereas the JTTP version just stops. Don't know why that makes a difference, but I prefer the Harvest version. Kudos for Neil including the other version here. Just his perverse way, I guess. 7.5

13) 'Soldier (Unreleased Mix)' - Fuckin' amazing. Makes me wish some of Tonight's the Night were just Neil crying into his piano. That shit would be out of this world. But this here is what we're talking about and it's close to perfection. Not quite there, but it definitely ranks as one of the more lost Neil Young songs. And that's a shame, as it's daunting, haunting and brilliant. Go listen to it. Go now. 9.0

14) 'War Song' - Consider this a melodic and mildly interesting misfire. Not only in the clunkiness of the song, but also in the person they were supporting. Not saying McGovern was the wrong candidate to back, but by backing him in song like this and then see him fail so miserably in the election must have been a bit of a face palm moment for Young and Nash. Not sure I buy the way the guys put their total faith in the guy, but hey... whatever floats that boat of yours is ok with me. Bit of a letdown to end the box like this, but since it's all chronological, my complaints will have to fall on deaf ears. 6.5

DISC RATING: 8.5

MINI VERDICT: I listen to the songs and I'm a fan. I listen to the songs and I can't understand the public. I mean, why were these songs his most successful while other (greater) albums sold nowhere near as much? I guess if you knew how to predict what the public would buy you'd be outcasts for being a sell-out. So Neil goes and does his own thing and good on him, it pays off for him. I won't pretend to be the world's biggest fan of these songs, but I know how good they are (even if my expectations on them are far too high). I listen to the songs and sometimes that's more than enough.

PACKAGE RATING: 9.0

OVERALL VERDICT: So that's the box. That's what we've been waiting for all these years. It's a remarkable project, however with such a big buildup there's going to be the inevitable letdown. People wanted more unreleased songs, they wanted all the songs from each of his albums. They wanted things that may not have even been recorded. They complained that it included two live albums that they'd already bought. They complained without even hearing the finished product, without even hearing how well the Crazy Horse stuff fit together, without hearing another path Harvest could have taken, without hearing Neil before he knew what kind of singer he wanted to be. They complained, complained and then complained more as though Neil were a dick for not providing what we wanted... all the while not realising he didn't owe us a single fucking thing. This man has given us albums galore over the past forty or so years, each one of them a little different to the previous one, and we ask for more? How fuckin' dare they/we?

Sure, there are things I'd like answered about the set, but I honestly don't think they ever will. And I'm OK with that. There still needs to be a little mystery in all this thing, even though we have here a major artist laying bare his life's work for all of us to enjoy, for all of us to judge him upon. And in that sense he succeeds beyond anyone's wildest dreams. All I'm doing is focusing on the music. I haven't gone into the packaging and the book which came along with it. I haven't gone into the fact that he's the first major artist to embrace Blu-Ray technology and the capabilities that enables. I haven't gone into the multimedia portion of the set, and I haven't reviewed the 'Journey Through the Past' film. And that's where the set's detractors let themselves down. They were focusing on the music, whereas if they'd followed Neil's comments about the box over the years, they'd know that it was never just about the music. It was about a life. And here we have the first part of Neil Young's musical life and I, for one, consider myself fuckin' lucky to be able to be invited into the man's life in such a way.

The Archives Vol. I is a labour of love if ever I saw one. Decades in planning, one day to release. Hardly seems fair does it? But anyway, we've got at least four more Volumes of this to come. Volumes II & III were always going to be my favourites, but for an entree, Volume I is knock-your-socks off good. Let's just hope we don't have to wait another twenty years for the next volume. My mouth waters just at the very thought of it.

                                                          

The Neil Young discography - Shakey II, part 32

This discography analysis is written by contributor JT of Perth, Australia. 

Disc 02 - Topanga 1 (1968-1969)

TRACKS:

1) 'Everybody Knows This is Nowhere (45rpm Single)' - So this is a different road taken by Neil. Coming to that junction, he could go left and take this path. One which the songs are (presumably) there, but the outcome is one of a different Neil. Or he could turn right, and even though he'd eventually get there, it'd be a bumpier ride and the same songs would have a whole different sound. We know which way he took, but it's still fascinating to hear what might have been. Save for the breakdown straight out of an imaginary 'County Fair Deleted Scene' from The Wicker Man, it's still the same song... just in a different light. Can't say that I don't dig it. You could have Neil singing as though he were both Kermit the Frog AND Miss Piggy and the song would still be there. 7.5

2) 'The Loner' - Unlike 'Everybody Knows This is Nowhere', I think 'The Loner' is a song that Neil got just right on his debut. Sure, a little Crazy Horse crunch might help, but the strings help the song, the buzzing electric guitars work. Still the best song on his debut. 8.0

3) 'Birds (Unreleased Version)' - We get three different versions of this song across Volume 1 of the Archives. When I first looked at the tracklisting I couldn't see a reason why anyone would honestly want that. But you know what? Listening to the three side-by-side and I come away with the distinct impression that the version which has been in the public consciousness since 1970 is the least of the three. I'm unsure as to which I prefer out of this and the Crazy Horse version, but there's a sound here that Neil would never really try and reach for ever again, but the slightly quicker tempo gives the song just that little extra push. It's songs and takes like this which Neil promised for years, and with 'Birds', he delivers on that promise. 8.0

4) 'What Did You Do in My Life? (Unreleased Mix)' - More than two years ago (!), I mentioned in my original review of his debut that the lead vocals on this song were a bit half-assed, but the backing vocals on the chorus were awesome. Time has passed, and my opinion of the latter hasn't changed, but maybe I was a tad harsh on the lead vocals. Restrained, but not half-assed. 7.5

5) 'The Last Trip to Tulsa' - I orginally gave this a 9.0/4.5 (Depending on the day) back in the day. Can't really decide, so I might (semi) split the difference and give this a median score. What can I say about 'The Last Trip to Tulsa' that I haven't already said? How about this... while I don't like the song too much, I can appreciate it somewhat. And maybe, for today's purposes, that's all I need. I sure as hell wouldn't wish that the song was never released. 6.0

6) 'Here We Are in the Years' - Never really liked this song too much. Too many attempts at time changes. Too twee (even for his first album). Not enough balls. Not enough of a Neil Young song. 4.5

7) 'I've Been Waiting For You (Unreleased Mix)' - Yeah. More like it. But I've already spoken about this in the two lines I gave it back in 'the day'. Still 7.0

8) 'The Old Laughing Lady' - Some people didn't like the fact that in my original review of this song I proclaimed that I didn't actually think it was that good. Even being the Neil fan that I am, I never actually knew that this song had some lofty place in the pantheon of Neil Young. Maybe it doesn't and it just exists in the pantheon of individuals, but I've listened and listened to this song in the hope that my opinion had changed. And you know what? Nope. No change. That backing vocal breakdown still is about as necessary as 'Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo'. 5.5

9) 'I've Loved Her So Long' - My opinions of this song have only risen since I first gave it a 7.5 a couple of years ago. It's that bit where he goes "ohhh, I've loved her so long" (aka 'The Chorus') that gets me. It's not the backing singers (which are kinda unnecessary, but I won't tell them to fuck off)... it's the way he sings "ohhh". Best damn singing of "ohhh" I've heard. Prove me wrong! 8.0

10) 'Sugar Mountain (Stereo Mix)' - Ugh. Again with this fucking song. This song that has been on so many releases, this song that is played countlessly by Neil. I really can't muster much enthusiasm to talk about the song again, only to say I really don't look forward to talking about it again when I revie the Live at the Riverboat disc. 6.0

11) 'Nowadays Clancy Can't Even Sing (Live)' - A great take, originally found on the Sugar Mountain: Live at the Canterbury House release from not so long ago. This take is spoken of in glowing terms in Jimmy McDonough's Shakey, and if it isn't actually as good as he says it is, it's his fault, not the song's. Obviously, 'Clancy...' isn't my favourite Neil track, but this live take will do just nicely. Actually... scratch that. This is way better than I'm making it out to be... but still not brilliant. If that makes sense (I rarely do that these days). 8.5

12) 'Down By the River' 
13) 'Cowgirl in the Sand' - Even though they're originally separated by a few tracks on Everybody Knows This is Nowhere, there really isn't any place for 'Cowgirl in the Sand' to be placed except next to 'Down By the River'. The two songs will always be quoted when talking about Neil Young's extended guitar workouts (whatever that means). Written on the same day in the same fever-like state, they're the two monoliths within his catalogue of music. Not that they're his best songs (to me anyway), they're top five stuff any day of the week and they deserve to be spoken of in the same breath. The way the guitars wind throughout each song is hypnotic. The lyrics exist but don't take centre stage, no matter how fine they are. And over forty years since their release, they're still two of the songs that every fan will probably want to hear when they see Neil in concert. What else can I say about them that hasn't already been said by people other than me? Not much at all except to say that each and every time I listen to these songs they continue to be great. Never dull... these two songs stand head and shoulders above nearly all else. But then again, I don't think I'm telling anyone anything that they didn't already know. 10.0

14) 'Everybody Knows This is Nowhere' - And again, we end where we once began. I don't doubt for a single second that Neil intended to bookend this disc with separate takes of 'Everybody Knows This is Nowhere'. It's that path I spoke about before. That was the left turn, this is the right and by placing it at the end of the disc, he's bluntly letting us know that this is the direction he chose to take, not just for this song, but for his life as well. 8.5

DISC RATING: 9.0

MINI VERDICT: And he just keeps getting better. The scary thing is that this was 1968-69 and you can pretty much say that the guy would get better at honing his craft each of the next... what, six years? The peaks would get higher, the valleys fewer and further apart. The legend of the man would form, and then grow throughout the good times and the bad. This disc represents a Neil Young standing on the edge of the next level. Of course, there's a few tracks here in which he leaps further than anyone else had done before. But it's that progression from the first to second albums which he's showing here. From consistently good, to consistently unbelievable.

 

Disc 03 - Live at the Riverboat 1968

TRACKS:

1) Emcee Intro/Sugar Mountain Intro

2) 'Sugar Mountain' - I'm not going to do it. I'm not going to sit here and whinge that there's yet another version of 'Sugar Mountain' for me to talk about. But I will say this; the one thing about the Archives that I never really thought about was the repitition. See, I first heard about this project in some Mojo Magazine back in 1998, I think. There it talked about the scope of the project and how it was going to include a show from The Riverboat, a show from Massey Hall, and a Crazy Horse gig from the Fillmore - all of which we got. But I never entertained the thought that within the discs would be repitition that I couldn't handle. We've had the demo of 'Sugar Mountain', the stereo mix and this version. Now, if we were talking about 'Down By the River' or something, it wouldn't be a problem, but when it comes to 'Sugar Mountain', my eyes glass over and my ears close up. Again, it's not because I hate the song, it's just that repititious listening has maybe jaded this listener. But anyway - it's still a 6.0

3) Incredible Doctor Rap

4) 'The Old Laughing Lady' - There's an interesting ying/yang situation with this show. There's the "oh my god" factor that we're getting to hear a show where Neil's probably playing in front of 100 people and he's being as relaxed and effortless as you've ever heard... joking with an audience who grow in their appreciation of the guy up on stage by his own. The other side of things is that with performances such as 'The Old Laughing Lady', Neil's just a bit meh. Not that I'm a fan of the song, it's just that Neil seems to be too restrained. Maybe it's just me, but this is definitely the sound of a man who's yet to find his feet and is armed only with a guitar and some pretty darn good songs. But you know what? I still like it better than the version on his debut album, so 6.0.

5) Audience Observation/Dope Song/Band Names Rap

6) 'Flying on the Ground is Wrong' - Yeah - so this is not too bad. None too shabby, as some would say. Obviously, I love the whole Neil/Piano combo, but the late 60s, early 70s Neil and his acoustic guitar is top-notch as well. Put it side-by-side with Neil/Acoustic guitar of later years and I'll take the early days any day. My favourite part of this song has always been the "well I'm sorry" part. Just thought I'd throw that in for you there. 7.5

7) On the Way Home Intro

8) 'On the Way Home' - Love the acoustic versions of 'On the Way Home'. Love this version, just a little bit less though. The guy's so afraid to let his voice rip - which is the problem. The best versions of this are when Neil's alone and letting rip. But it's such a fucking good song that there's a lot of forgiveness to be dished out on my behalf. 8.0

9) Set Break/Emcee Intro

10) 'I've Loved Her So Long' - Unforgotten gem. That's what should be written on the headstone of this song. Man, I'm just talking shit here. Everything that I could've said that needed to be said was probably already said, but it's great typing this shit out while the song's playing in my ears. This is the good "Sappy Neil". The 90s "Sappy neil" where he was singing about his wife and shit? That doesn't interest me. Early "Sappy Neil" is awesome, singing about someone he probably hasn't even met yet. And you know what, the dreams and fantasies are better than the realities on most occasions, so that's probably what makes this song as thumbs-up as it is. 8.0

11) Allen A-Dale Rap

12) 'I Am a Child' - Don't even want to talk about this song any more. Hopefully there's no more reviews where I mention it. If it were terrible, I'd have fun, if it were great I'd go on and on and on and on and on (and on). But these mid-level songs just make me zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. 5.0

13) '1956 Bubblegum Disaster' - A throwaway and about 40 seconds long, it's better than half the songs on Everybody's Rockin', which means it's not that fantastic, but it could be worse. 3.5

14) 'The Last Trip to Tulsa' - With my opinions firmly set in the "I don't really like this song enough to be able to justify how long it goes for" camp, can I take time to say how Bruce Palmer gets introduced for this song and then proceeds to apparently do nothing at all? That guy was always loco (R.I.P). Neil actually gives a bit more balls to the song here, and as such, it's not my least favourite performance of the song. 6.0

15) Words Rap

16) 'Broken Arrow' - Better than the studio version? I think it could be. Strip away the wank and waste and you're left with the shell of the song... demo-esque and not horrible in the slightest. So... I'll ask again. Is it better than the studio? No, not really. But it more than holds its own. As a solo performance, it makes you wonder why it hasn't been played more often. Surely 'Sugar Mountain' can get subbed off for this once in a while?7.5

17) Turn Down the Lights Rap

18) 'Whiskey Boot Hill' - Pretty cool that this is here. Not the best performance (I actually love the CSNY bells & whistles), but cool that the song had been hanging around in Neil's head for that long before he got it on tape. Shows 1 of 2 things. 1) That he had so many good songs that this was one which was just left behind or, 2) He really didn't give a shit during the making of Deja Vu, so he just reached back for one of the songs he deemed to be not good enough. Either way, 6.0

19) Expecting to Fly Intro

20) 'Expecting to Fly' - How could I hate this song? Never - couldn't happen. Any Neil performance of this is an automatic 8 out of 10. This here is better than an 8, not good as the BS version (which, let's face it, not much really is). This here is still a thing of great awesomeness. 9.0

DISC RATING: 7.5

MINI VERDICT: I suppose I'm marking this lower than I originally thought simply because there's a level of "heard it already" thanks to the Canterbury House show. But that's not the fault of this show. It's actually an intruiging listen - but I'm more likely to reach for the Massey Hall show, or the BBC performance from 1971. All up though - we'd been promised this show for years, and once we listened to it, I doubt any one was actually disappointed. How could they be?

         

Disc 04 - Topanga 2 (1969-1970)

TRACKS:

1) 'Cinnamon Girl' - I realise how harsh I was on 'Cinnamon Girl' when I started this thread. 9.0?? What the holy fuck was I thinking? This song is obviously better than that. Not a 10.0, and I'm not sure I can explain why it isn't, but it's still way better than I originally said it was. At the moment, I've got it marked as a song equal to Greendale's 'Bandit', and as fine as that song is... I think we can all agree that it's no 'Cinnamon Girl'. So - I apologise. It wasn't my fault - I think the blame lies squarely at the feet of someone other than me. 9.5

2) 'Running Dry (Requiem for the Rockets)' - I was in a record store about 5 or 6 years ago - and like others of its lik - it no longer exists. It was the first time I'd been in this record store and the first song they were playing was Matthews Southern Comfort cover of 'I Believe in You'. Great Stuff. The second song I heard was a cover of this, 'Running Dry'. It opened my ears up to a song they'd been closed off to for far too long. Thing is, I wanted to buy the CD right there and then, but the guy wouldn't sell it to me because he was playing it in store and was enjoying it too much. Now, since that day I've tried to find the disc that both versions were on and my research has lead me to believe that it doesn't exist. I can't even find evidence that the cover of this song exists. How the fuck can that be? Anyway, since that day I've been a fan of this song, Young's version moreso than the version I heard on that day (if it was indeed what I heard - which I'm 99% sure it was). Still looking, by the way. 7.5

3) 'Round and Round (It Won't Be Long)' - OK - so you've got three voices. You've got Neil (obviously) in the middle, you've got Robin Lane on the left and it's probably Danny Whitten on the right. Notice how at the start of the song Neil's the least prominent voice? He just hangs back there, letting the other voices carry the song. Then the verses start and Neil steps up and by the time the chorus comes around again, Neil's ready to banish Danny to something that's barely there. Then Danny comes back a bit, almost like a prize fight which Danny knows that Neil's got to win, but since the fight's got to go a certain number of rounds, he doesn't come back enough to drown Neil out and knock him to the canvas. I was probably a bit harsh on this to begin with when I was figuring out my ranking scale, so again... here's a bump. 8.0

4) 'Oh Lonesome Me' - Yeah - I think I'm ready to call it. No, scratch that - I'm not just ready, I'm actually calling it. I was way underrating this song earlier in the thread. It needs to be bumped up, and I'm going to do just that. I can't honestly talk about loving this song when I originally gave it a 9.0. If this is just a 9.0, then There's A World should be a -3.5. This is getting the bump, and I apologise for not doing it sooner. Even though I've lived with the song for way more years, the two years since I first wrote about it here have convinced me that it's a masterpiece. 10.0

5) 'Birds (Crazy Horse Version)' - Again - this is what The Archives are for. Versions like this. Obviously, Neil either had a prejudice against the second verse (or he just hadn't written it yet), but this is sweeeeet. Maybe it was designed to be a snippet of a song, ala 'Cripple Creek Ferry' or 'Til the Morning Comes'? Call me crazy, call me Gerald, but this almost sounds like a cross between 1970-era Neil and early era Buffalo Springfield. In the spirit of the era, all I'll say is "groovy". 8.0

6) 'Everybody's Alone (Unreleased Song)' - Have raved about this song since I first heard the widely circulated acoustic version. Knew there was a Crazy Horse version, but I didn't never really thought about what it would actually sound like. There's no doubt that it's great, but I didn't think it would be like this. The lead guitar working its way through the track is some fine playing (if a bit reminiscent of the guitar tone on his debut - something I thought he'd passed by this stage), and Neil surprises me with his vocals. The version I'd known for so long had a typical, 1970-esque NY vocal on it, but this one here kinda pre-dates his Time Fades Away-era vocals. I fuckin' dig this song a lot, so much that even with it being unreleased, it was still a favourite of mine. Not perfect, but perfectly awesome. 9.0

7) 'I Believe in You' - Still one of the most flawless songs that anyone has ever done. While I've been prone to understatement throughout other sections of this thread, and overstatement in others, calling this flawless is somehow right on the money. I think it's great that although Neil is well-known and revered, he's well-known and revered by people in the know. No, this isn't some hipster bullshit, but honestly... how much more brilliant would The Beatles be if they didn't have ever Tom, Dick and Dickless covering their songs? Same for Bob Dylan. You hardly ever hear covers of Neil Young songs, and if you do it's of the songs that no one really gives enough of a shit about to complain. And by saying this I realise that five songs previous to this, I mention a cover of this song that I dig. It still makes perfect sense to me, and that's a start at least. 10.0

8) 'Sea of Madness' - I'm torn. I'm glad Neil Young joined Crosby, Stills and Nash because it allowed the other three to stop being so up their own asses and just to rock out a little bit. But on the other hand, I don't like it at all, because when Neil's with CSN he loses just a little bit of his soul. But that's OK, because he's got a lot to go around and he stocks up on it big time when he does stuff that doesn't involve the initials. 'Sea of Madness' is the kind of song that Graham Nash would have recorded and then not used, so it's interesting that Neil thought it wise to perform and release. It's slight, it's got them screaming, not singing, and it's got Nash on the organ, and when you put all that together you should get something that's quite terrible. This isn't that terrible, but it sure as hell isn't a classic or anything. Much would have preferred it to be dragged out and performed on the Time Fades Away tour, or even the Tonight's the Night tour. Slow it down, pour some tequila over it and see what turns out. Never happened though, so we're left with this. 5.5

9) 'Dance Dance Dance (Unreleased Version)' - Yeah. You go Neil. True story: I used to think I knew how to play this on the guitar, even though I have no idea how to play the guitar. Anyway, knowing all the words, knowing how to play it on the guitar = me ready to ascend to God status. One night, many beers, friends around and a video camera handy (this could go a whole different way right about now) and I decided to perform my rendition of the song. I have no idea how to play the guitar and now I know that in addition to that lack of skill, my guitar playing's even worse when I'm trying to sing (I can't sing). Mix the two together and you've got something that is akin to torture. Seriously, dudes would rather a rat gnawed on their right testicle than to sit through Campaigner's version of 'Dance, Dance, Dance'. Trust me on that - and since the video has been well-and-truly destroyed, no one will ever have to be submitted to the horrors of it again. But back to the song. Neil Young knows how to play guitar. He also knows how to sing. More importantly, he knows how to do the both simultaneously (he's incredibly talented). And this song is one of his minor gems. I'm glad it's on The Archives. We're so lucky, we get it twice. 8.0

10) 'Country Girl' - My opinions of this song have risen about 100 points since I first heard it. When I first played the Deja Vu album, it just didn't fit (and I still don't think it does at all). Neil Young was supposed to loosen the guys up, and then he goes and brings this bombastic track to the album? I didn't get it at all. But hearing the track alone, apart from the rest of the songs and your ears open right up to just how good this actually is. It's a fine line. You go the bombastic route with this and you do alright. You go the same route with 'There's a World' and you get what could be the worst song the man's ever done. On the other hand, 'A Man Needs a Maid' is as bombastic as they come and it's a drop-dead stunner. So this isn't bad (is borderline great actually), but it's not going to be hung on the walls of the Louvre. If you know what I mean. 7.0

11) 'Helpless (Unreleased Mix)' - I know my opinion of this song should be higher than it actually is, but I still think it's relatively great. I actually think that the song would have best been served by someone other than CSN. Sure, their harmonies are dainty... but I think this song is far too depressing for them. This was crying out for a Crazy Horse version, but since it didn't get caught on tape - we get it here. I know Neil performed it with The Band on The Last Waltz, but the studio version could've used their help. Ditch the 'pretty', bring in the 'gritty' and you'd have something a couple of points higher than it actually is. 8.0

12) 'It Might Have Been (Unreleased Live Version)' - Never really been a fan of this song. I thought that it was probably because of the shitty quality bootleg versions that had been floating around. I thought that maybe my ears were prejudiced because the song was sounding shit. Maybe, I thought, that if there were a crisp sounding version my opinion would change. Well, my hope for change was the release of The Archives. Turns out it still sounds shitty (although not as shitty as it was) and that I still don't really like the thing (although Jack Nitzsche's honky tonk piano is very redeemable). Probably the worst thing Neil and Crazy Horse would do in the 1970s. But then again, when you're comparing it to what they actually did... the song was really on a hiding to nothing. 5.0

DISC RATING: 9.0

MINI VERDICT: So he's in this groove at the moment and he won't really let up until the end of the decade. It's fuckin' mind boggling the quality of work he put out in the seventies. Sure, some of it wasn't fantastic - but my god, the best of the stuff is the best that's ever been done by one man. And this is just the start of it! That's what gets me, as good as this disc is, this is just 1970. We haven't even begun to touch 1971 through 1979 yet. Unbelievable.

                                                      

The Neil Young discography - Shakey II, part 31

 

This discography analysis is written by contributor JT of Perth, Australia.  Follow him at @thesonofnoone on Twitter.

Neil Young
Neil Young Archives, Vol. 1: 1963-1972 (2009) Spotify

OK, so here we are. Not the end of all things. Rather, it's the beginning. But it's an ending in a way as it's going back to the beginning. And if you don't follow then I'm sure you eventually will. I've been on a Neil-less trip for a while. Even fanatics like me need to step back every now and then and just chill for bit… I need to listen to other stuff even though I know it isn't as good as the stuff I'm not listening to.

The Archives project has always held a special interest to me. The size and sheer balls of the project have amazed me since I first heard about it. The thought of someone offering up their own personal musical history isn't a new idea. People have been putting out Greatest Hits-type compilations for a while now, and consumers have been buying them up for as long as they've been getting a release. But this, through my "Neil Young is a motherfuckin' God" coloured glasses, is different. This isn't as much a man presenting his songs, it's a man showing the world (through his music) who he actually is and what he did to get where he was going.

The songs on the first Archives volume run the full gamut from boring to brilliant. There's perfection here and there's songs that are bad, plain bad. But you need both sides of the story. What use is someone telling us about their life when all they do is tell you all the good things that happened to them?

How to approach this review is the problem which has held up my review… which, when you think about it is kind of apt. This project was delayed and delayed ad nauseum because Neil (apparently) was searching for the perfect sound*. Well, I'm trying to figure out the best way to present it myself.

It'll be a beast, so let's get started, shall we?


*I don't actually buy it. Sure, the guy's uppity about sound quality, and that's admirable. But the real reason this took decades to release? Neil didn't want to let go. Here he was saying goodbye to his past… and even though he was never an artist to rest on his laurels, he has to know that the work he did in his 20s and 30s was some of the best work he's ever done. I reckon it's some of the best work anyone's ever done, but I doubt Neil's that… I don't know. I just don't reckon he gives enough of a shit to be so mindful of his own legacy. Or maybe he is (going by how much he charges for concert tickets)… I never claimed to understood the man.

Disc 00 - Early Years (1963-1965)

TRACKS:

1. 'Aurora' - Like so much on this opening disk, 'Aurora' really isn't anything groundbreaking. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that it's completely inessential. But that's not the point of The Archives. The inessential sit side-by-side with the monumental as a document to how much one man can grow musically. Listening to 'Aurora', it's easily apparent that The Squires weren't destined for greatness. It's not that everything in this song is meritless... quite the contrary. Neil's guitar has a melodicism that shows that even at a young age he's got a handle on how to handle his axe. But still... you can't really expect anyone to sit down and listen over and over to a song which really could be played by any number of early-to-mid 60s bands to just as much (or as little) effect. But since Neil was young (pun most definitely not intended), it's easy to give him a pass for not reaching the stars on his first attempt. 4.5

2. 'The Sultan' - I actually like this better than 'Aurora'. Kind of the kind of music that Neil would've written if he was asked to score a Spaghetti Western. This would be the song playing in the chase across the dusty red plains, as the hero was chasing after the carriage which has got his girl, or his kid, in there. Or that's how I imagine it, at least. Still the same score as 'Aurora', but it's a little better. 4.5

3. 'I Wonder' - Shit it's fun listening to this track. The first vocals of our man, and boy doesn't he want everyone to not know how he actually sounds. He's lowered his voice down and buried it beneath the heavy backing vocals - or is that a twin lead vocal? Anyway... I can't ever dislike this song, especially since I love 'Don't Cry No Tears' so much. And if you don't know the link between the two, you should... but I'll tell you anyway. 'I Wonder' has some of the same lyrics, and the same melody as 'Don't Cry No Tears'. It doesn't have even 1/100th of the awesome Crazy Horse crunch, but since that band didn't exist, I'm willing to forgive Neil. 5.5

4. 'Mustang' - Another instrumental, and not as good (to these ears) as the first two. 3.5

5. 'I'll Love You Forever' - This is more like it. Give this a bit of polish (and conversely, a bit more edge) and this would've sat nicely along Neil's Buffalo Springfield-era tunes (well, the lesser ones here) or even on his debut album. It's fucking better than'String Quartet From Whiskey Boot Hill', that's for sure. So what do we have here? Neil's apprehensive, early-career vocals... strong, yet awkward melody... surf guitar. Yep, it's early Neil alright. But you know what? It's a pretty dang good song. 5.5

6. '(I'm a Man And) I Can't Cry' - Anyone else out there think that this song could have been resurrected in 1983 and turned into one of the better songs on Everybody's Rockin'. It's got the sad-sack lament lyrics which make any great pop song exactly that, but it rollicks along as if Neil's not that upset at losing his girl. You can't really sit down, listen to each of these songs intently and say (at this stage) that Neil was drastically improving from song to song... but it's cool to listen to. I think we're all damn lucky that an artist feels as though his embryonic recordings are worthy of such presentation. 5.0

7. 'Hello Lonely Woman' - Yeah, it's good and all... but it's nothing that you could call original, or say that there's no one else in the world who could've sung the song. Neil resurrected this tune for his 1988 tour with the Bluenotes... but I think I prefer this version. It's like a stationary road song... if that makes sense. Like two mates parked by the side of the road with a campfire and nothing better to do than to come up with the first song which comes into their heads. Sometimes this spontaneous creation is lightning in a bottle. 'Hello Lonely Woman' is definitely not up to that level, but it gets a pass mark considering the age and experience of the guy who's singing it. 5.0

8. 'Casting Me Away From You' - Yeah... write this song two years later and it's on a Buffalo Springfield album with Richie Furay singing lead. I actually dig this song a bit. The whole duelling acoustics thing that Neil and Comrie Smith have got going is infectuous. Can't really start a thesis about the meaning of the song, but it's still... help me out here. I think what I'm trying to say is that it doesn't suck. And sometimes that's more than enough. 5.0

9. 'There Goes My Babe' - Before I go into this song. Does anyone else, when they go to type Buffalo Springfield, end up starting to type Buffalo Springsteen before they realise the errors of their ways? No? Maybe it's just me then. Anyway, a demo of this was on the Buffalo Springfield Box Set and I wrote this; "Simply put though, this isn't really up to the standard of songs he would write only a few years later. But damn, this is promising." Yep, couldn't agree with me more... not much has changed. I still don't think it's great, but it's not horrible. 5.0

10. 'Sugar Mountain (Demo)' - According to the website of the same name - 'Sugar Mountain' has been played live by Neil 416 times. And these are just the times we know about. In contrast, a song so awesome as 'I've Loved Her So Long' has been played 4 times. If using simple maths, it would seem that Neil likes 'Sugar Mountain' 104 times more than he does 'I've Loved Her So Long'. 'Soldier' (brilliant song that it is) has been played live only 3 times. So, 'Sugar Mountain' would seem to be 138.667 times better than 'Soldier' in Neil's eyes. Or maybe that it's 138.667 times easier to play. I'm sure you're sure where I'm going (or not going) with this. So what about this demo version? I honestly can't tell the difference to this and a version 4 minutes longer. I guess it's just so much a part of the man that he has to sing it. 5.5

11. 'Nowadays Clancy Can't Even Sing (Demo)' - This has always been an indifferent song to me. I love the nostalgia that the first Neil Young song on a Buffalo Springfield album was this song (even though it was sung by Richie Furay), but honestly... nothing in it makes me that excitable. I don't turn it off, mind you, I just don't really shake with anticipation every time it nearly comes on (actually I don't really do that with any song, but hopefully you get my point). This demo is Neil firmly square in the 'not trying to be the next Dylan, but still sounding like you listen to him religiously' phase. What can I say at this stage except I think the song is inoffensive and somewhat interesting. I'm also highly surprised that it was chosen to be a song which was deemed to be better than a song Neil just demoed and then never used or sang ever again. 5.0

12. 'Runaround Babe' - Again with the 'sounding like Dylan even though he's not necessarily trying to'. All these demos, probably from the exact same recording session, sound fantastic. Better than 40 year old demos really should. The fascinating part of this bunch of demos is that they were all just cranked out, and even though the songs themselves aren't remarkable (in any way), they show remarkable growth as a songwriter. As a singer, not so much (except to say Neil is at last not trying to drown his voice out with other singers). But we'll get there. 5.0

13. 'The Ballad of Peggy Grover' - Same melody as 'I Wonder'. Neil's never been afraid to recycle melodies or songs. I just find it interesting to see that there's two songs from the same timeframe which share the same melody, yet it took ten years for him to actually utilise it in a released song. I'm glad he did though, because the song he chose ('Don't Cry No Tears') is fucking brilliant. This song, not so much... but that's just nitpicking.5.5

14. 'The Rent is Always Due' - Sounds like it could sit along side the Dylan pisstake than John C. Reilly did in Walk Hard. I have to admit (and you've probably already realised this), but I'm not completely enamoured with these songs. I don't mind... you can't score 50 points every game, or hit a home run with every at-bat (bit of ol' U.S Sports analogies there for you like-minded folks). But at least there's signs that the guy is getting better. 5.5

15. 'Extra, Extra' - I've actually listened to this song for the past 10 minutes. Each time it finishes I forget that I even started listening to it, so I keep going back to the start to listen to it... but all to no avail. It's actually a second-cousin (maybe) to 'Sugar Mountain'. I hear the same melody in parts that he sings, and we all know my feelings on that song. No? Just look up a few. But anyway. This song is pure vanilla. I don't hate vanilla, but I'd prefer something a bit better. And then it's over and I've forgotten most of the song. Should I go listen to it again, or should I just realise that the song is a bit boring and move on? 3.5

DISC RATING: 5.5

MINI VERDICT: Yeah, so this disc was never going to get a 10.0. As a collection of a songs, it's lacking... but as a part of a whole package which completely blows my mind, it more than serves its purpose. I can't think of another artist who's laid his/her early years as bare as this without it seeming like an exercise in blatant cash grabbing. Onward and upward, I say... and never fear, the best is yet to come.

Disc 01 - Early Years (1966-1968)

TRACKS:

1. 'Flying on the Ground is Wrong (Demo)' - Same as on the BS Box Set (as is pretty much all of this disc). I can't remember what I said about this demo, but it was probably something along the lines of "I like this better than the version on the first Buffalo Springfield Album". Not much has changed since I thought and wrote that originally. I'd listen to this anyday. Great demo. 7.5

2. 'Burned' - Not sure why this was never a Crazy Horse staple. They could've taken this, added a bit of crunch, and people would have been shaking their asses for years. But, unbeknownst to all but Neil, it's been shelved for eternity. Oh well, damn fun song here. 7.5

3. 'Out of My Mind' - Called it a masterpiece originally and I wasn't wrong. Honestly - my opinions of these songs hasn't changed at all. I've listened to them so much over quite a few years that any opinion I had of them was formed pretty early on. Getting my thoughts down on page has changed that, it's just an avenue for me to clear a few thoughts out of my head so I can get to other ones. Kinda like that bowl of festy water that the old guy with the beard who looks like that other old guy with the beard from that other movie uses in those movies about that kid with the scar on his head. 10.0

4. 'Down Down Down' - So what do you reckon... Neil records the demo for this, goes home and smokes one, puts Abbey Road on (even though it hasn't been recorded yet) and decides that "hey! how about I take the melody of this, little bits of something else, 'Take Me Out to the Ballgame', Dewey Martin screaming, crowd noises and presto!" he gets himself a whole little mini amalgamation of something that although good, isn't equal to the sum of its parts? No? OK, worth a shot. 6.5

5. 'Kahuna Sunset' - What I said before: "Well, it doesn't lie does it. 'Kahuna Sunset' sounds exactly like a song called 'Kahuna Sunset' should sound like. Not sure I will ever listen to this on repeat, but it's not boring at least." This song is living proof that Neil once dreamed of creating theme tunes to Sherwood Schwartz television shows. 5.0

6. 'Mr Soul' - Did you know that I must've listened to the Unplugged and Year of the Horse versions of this song about 100 times before I actually heard the Buffalo Springfield version? Or that it wasn't until I heard a live version from 1986 when the whole "this is Neil's version of 'Satisfaction'" revelation kicked in. Better late than never I suppose. One thing that always bugged me about this song though - and that's Neil's enunciation. Have a listen to the t's on "but don't change, and I let her". Yeah, Neil - hammer those t's because we sure as hell weren't sure what you were saying otherwise. Gave it a 6.5 before, probably a bit harsh - upping this a bit.7.5

7. 'Sell Out' - OK - here we go! Something I haven't written about before! So, what have we here. Apart from the fact that you could take this song, give to Susannah Hoffs and Matthew Sweet and it would be something they'll perform for the fourth Austin Powers film, it's not bad at all. Short (1:44), but packs enough into that time to simultaneously not be too short and not overstay its welcome. The whole "fire chief, car thief, mislead Skinhead" opening line sounds like it belongs far away from Neil, but I'll pay it. It's a previously unreleased song, after all. Some nice little melodies floating through the song as well. I like melody. 7.0

8. 'Down to the Wire' - I'm a contradiction sometimes. In my Decade review I said this was better than the Stills-sung version on the BS Box Set, but when I reviewed that I said the Stills version was better. What the fuck do I know... I'm just a fan of the song (either version). Turn it up loud, bop around the room a bit and I bet you'll be playing it a few times over, guaranteed. 9.0

9. 'Expecting to Fly' - Yeah, I hate this song. Well, not really (not at all actually). It's still pretty much the most 'beautiful' thing Neil's ever done. And sometimes 'beautiful' is OK. With 'Expecting to Fly' it definitely is. This song sounds like a dream, and not one of the good dreams (not a nightmare either), but one of the ones where you wake up and you can't remember what the fuck happened, you know you've just got this feeling in your bones but you aren't sure what it's there for and when you talk to someone, you say something like "I had this bizarre dream last night" and they say "what was it about?" and you say "I haven't got a clue". This song is exactly like that. 10.0

10. 'Slowly Burning' - It always feels like a waste when I spend time commenting on instrumentals. Not sure why, but it does. This here's got some great guitar through it, and it's obviously from a time when Neil still thought he (with the help of Jack Nitzsche) could be something like a new Brian Wilson. Except he's not Brian Wilson... one of him was enough (and when he was fat, he was big enough for two of his former self). Anyway, 'Slowly Burning' gets the Siskel & Ebert 'Two Thumbs Up!' sign from me. 7.0

11. 'One More Sign' - Still love this little demo. Can understand why it wasn't on a Buffalo Springfield album - Neil probably had one shot at the whole over-the-top, melodramatic thing, and he went (wisely) with 'Expecting to Fly'. That song's better than this one, but this song's better than a lot of others and it's remarkable to think it wasn't released until 2001. 9.0

12. 'Broken Arrow' - Call it an interestingly successful mis-step. A mess, for sure... but a listenable one. It's a song that I like, but one I don't really ever sit all the way through any more. There's too many parts to it, too many parts which don't really blend together. For instance, if Robert Altman's Nashville wasn't all set in Nashville, but everywhere else and none of the characters actually had anything in common with each other... the film would be good, but it wouldn't be as good as it actually was. Make sense? Basically, this song's like an Altman film where the characters are part of the same film but have nothing to do with each other. 7.5

13. 'I Am a Child' - Yeah - still not a huge fan of this. No real melodic highs to speak of. No spark. Nothing. But he's done worse. 5.0

DISC RATING: 8.0

MINI VERDICT: The Buffalo Springfield era is always a bit fascinating. It's not overly brilliant, that's for sure... even though there's plenty here to show that the guy doing the writing and the guy doing the singing was going to be the guy who'll eventually knock you left, right, up and down with the majority of his songs. Of course, 'Expecting to Fly' is here and that always means that I'm going to be more favourable to it than I normally would. But the gist of this disc is that he's getting better, and in a couple of instances, it's scary how much better he's got since the first disc.

The Neil Young discography - Shakey II, part 30

This discography analysis is written by contributor JT of Perth, Australia.  Follow him at @thesonofnoone on Twitter.

Neil Young
Sugar Mountain: Live at Canterbury House 1968 (2008) Spotify

TRACKS:

1) 'Emcee Intro'- I have no idea what the Canterbury House looks/looked like, but all I'm picturing a small basement-style place and about 100 people there, which sounds like 50 too many to the whacked-out Emcee. Let's get's this mellow party cracking.

2) 'On the Way Home'- God, I've heard this song so many times and I've never got tired of it. I doubt I ever will. It's a great concert opener, one of Neil's most melodic songs and the perfect way for Neil to warm his voice up. This version, although admittedly great, isn't as great as say, the Massey Hall version simply because Neil seems so restrained when singing. Even when Richie Furay had the mike for the Buffalo Springfield version, he gave it his all - which is why the Massey Hall version gets my nod over this, Neil just doesn't seem to give it as much here. But I don't blame him - after all he was just starting out his solo career and was seemingly a bit apprehensive. Anyway, enough about me. 8.5

3) 'Songwriting Rap'

4) 'Mr Soul'- There's an electric version of this song that Neil did with Crazy Horse in 1986. At the lowest point of his career (as some would say), when he was coming off his country phase and Landing With Water, still stuck in his Geffen years... he cranked out a remarkable version that has all the bite and growl that this song should have. This isn't that version, rather it's another acoustic take (how many's that now? We got theUnplugged version, the Year of the Horse version, probably others - can't think right now). I think I like this the best out of any of the acoustic versions. I think. 6.5

5) 'Recording Rap' 

6) 'Expecting to Fly' - My oh my. I have never heard Neil sing this song and not make it completely brilliant. Perhaps would prefer it to be played on the piano, but I'm just nitpicking, especially because there wasn't a piano on the stage that night (I assume so anyway). No-one has even written another song like this, and no-one ever will. It's completely mesmerising. And fantastic, to boot. 9.0

7) 'The Last Trip to Tulsa'- This works better here than on the record. I've listened to it about 6 times this past week and am convinced that it's nothing more than Neil thinking that he should try and be a little bit like Dylan (but still himself). Obviously he hadn't learned yet that he would never need to be the next Dylan because he was the only Neil Young. And if it sounds like I'm avoiding talking about the song, then you're right because it honestly confuses me. I get lost when I listen to it, picking up the "oh my god, I can't believe he rhymed 'ride/pride', 'bed/dead'" moments that I forget where I'm at and I can't be assed going back to hear it. Still, it must mean something that I've listened to it six times this week, so 6.0

8) 'Bookstore Rap'- Yeah, you got fired... whatever. Play 'Heart of Gold' dammit!!

9) 'The Loner' - Such an unfuckwithable song. Great electric, great acoustic. Great tune. Nothing else to say. 7.5

10) 'I Used to Be... Rap'

11) 'Birds'- Weird hearing this with guitar. I guess I'm so used to it being played on the piano that anything opposed to the norm would shock. It's also interesting to know that this song had been kicking around for so long. He recorded it for his first album (but we'll get to that later), recorded a snippet with Crazy Horse (but we'll get to that later), and then finally got the take he wanted when making After the Gold Rush (but we got to that earlier). Never does it fail to be beautiful. Neil's somewhat restrained vocals really suit the rendition, but you can still almost tell that he doesn't exactly know what he wants to do with the song yet. 7.5

12) 'Winterlong (Excerpt)/Out of My Mind (Intro)' - Well, we know 'Winterlong' was written much earlier than it was released (as evidenced by its appearance on the Live at the Fillmore East release), but this takes it back even further. You probably already know that it's my favourite NY song, so even this little snippet is enough for me to go and find my fave versions to listen to. As for the request part, love the idea of a gig so casual. There is no way that could ever fucking happen again, not with Neil Young anyway.

13) 'Out of My Mind' - Such a great freakin' tune. Perfectly suited to this show and his performance. Not a patch on the original, studio version, but not much is. Still awesome enough for a good score though. 8.5

14) 'If I Could Have Her Tonight' - You know back when I reviewed his first album (It's on the first page of the thread, dummies), I said that to my knowledge Neil Young had never performed it live? Well, I was wrong. So that's gone and ruined that part. Fuck you Neil. 6.5

15) 'Classical Gas Rap'
16) 'Sugar Mountain Intro'

17) 'Sugar Mountain' - I gave this a 6.0 back when I reviewed Decade and I see nothing to change that review. After all, the Decade version was a live recording from 1968 and this concert presents a live version from, you guessed it, 1968... so the 6.0 stands. Especially considering it's the exact same rendition. Don't try and tempt me into changing it because the song doesn't need the attention. 6.0

18) 'I've Been Waiting For You' - What's with the Prince-like concert of just snippets?!? Alright, so maybe it's not that bad, but he's definitely picking and choosing the songs which he wants to see through to their destination. Anyway, so much for thinking that this song was debuted on the 2001 European Crazy Horse tour. Again, Neil's making me look bad. 7.0

19) 'Songs Rap'

20) 'Nowadays Clancy Can't Even Sing' - Back when we all read Shakey, Jimmy McDonough talked about a version of 'Nowadays Clancy Can't Even Sing' that was so good that Neil might be perverse enough to not include it in The Archives? Well, this is the version and Jimmy was right and wrong. Wrong in the sense that it was included when Vol. I of The Archives came out, but right when he said how good it was. This is spellbinding shit right here. Unbelievable in that my original score for the Buffalo Springfield version was a 6.0. This shits all over that. A very brown 8.5.

21) 'Tuning Rap/The Old Laughing Lady Intro' 

22) 'The Old Laughing Lady' - Still not too much of a fan. At least it doesn't have the soul diva breakdown in the middle like the album version does. Again, it's another "Let's do Dylan" song. Keep it simple stupid. Keep it simple. 5.5

23) 'Broken Arrow' - Way better than the version on Buffalo Springfield Again. I always knew that the song was there, it just got buried beneath unnecessary gimmicks that distracted you from the great melody. 8.0

ALBUM RATING: 8.5

VERDICT: Not as good as Massey Hall, but that's OK because Neil was in better voice and was singing better songs. It's getting a great score because even though some of the versions lag behind others, there's a great flow to be found here. It's almost the unknown Neil Young here, dipping his toes in the waters of the solo career which has produced so many highs. But back then? Who would've known what would happen. Until the next surprise, this counts as one of the most unexpected Neil Young releases. I'm just grateful we got this to listen to (and in such great sound).

Neil Young
Fork in the Road (2009) Spotify

TRACKS:

1) 'When Worlds Collide' - In a recurring theme throughout the album, ol' Neil'er chants along about cars while recalling songs and stylings from albums gone past. Considering the guy has made some fan-fucking-tastic albums in his career, I'm loathed to say that this is a bad thing. But he's been a bit off in the past few years, delivering album after album of tunes that are almost all the way to being good, but ultimately which fall short of success. We kick off Fork in the Road with a song which immediately had me thinking that it was the long lost Are You Passionate? track (yeah, like we've all been waiting for that!), such is its groove. But it's better than the description would have it, and that's because there's parts in the song that you're sure Neil's voice has come back to full life. But don't get ready to blow your load yet, because the song also has copious amounts of the album's failing... Neil's over-reliance in female backing singers (obviously wife Pegi and Neil's half-sister Astrid). They clog the chorus (which wasn't good enough anyway) and distract you from the fact that Neil's guitar work is probably his most fun in ages. Oh well, there's enough here to keep you intruiged in the next track. 5.0

2) 'Fuel Line' - Everyone's seen The Muppet Movie right? Well, this song would be the perfect road trip song for that movie. I listen to it and picture Kermit, Piggy, Fozzie, Gonzo and Beaker (fuck Dr Honeydew) chugging along to this, singing along. Don't know why I shared that with you, but I have... deal with it. Amazingly, the backing vocals work in this song, subdued and with the right part to sing. Neil's voice has definitely improved from the Chrome Dreams II songs and all of sudden, Neil's bought the fun back. Where's it been?!? 6.5

3) 'Just Singing a Song' - I hate this song's chorus, but the verses work much better. It's like a Greendale song, but better and Neil's guitar solo is filled with that unmistakeable tone of his. Other than that, I struggle to be OK with what he's trying to sing about. If singing a song won't change the world, don't sing a song about how singing a song won't change the world. That's how I see it. Maybe I'm looking about it all wrong. 5.0

4) 'Johnny Magic' - If you're like me, then you'll listen to this song and come out with a few things. First thing is the whole 'Johnny Magic' throwback to the "Johnny Rotten" parts of 'Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black)' would have been best left as a thought, not an execution. Another is that Neil has had some bad lyrics every now and then, but this is like he's just tossed these off without a second thought. Thirdly, the song sounds like an electric cousin to the entire Harvest Moon album. Can't say I love the song, but I've heard way worse. 6.0

5) 'Cough Up the Bucks' - Um... yeah. This is, how would I term it? Unremarkable? Perhaps. Crap? I might go that far. It's got a riff that Neil could write (and probably did) in his sleep and has nothing whatsoever remarkable about it. It's not horrible, but it's not good. 3.0

6) 'Get Behind the Wheel' - While 'Get Behind the Wheel' gets points for its awesome, plodding rhythm, it loses points because;

a - there's not enough NY vocals and,
b - It recalls the days of the Shocking Pinks, and that's just not cool.

Neil's guitar work gets an honorable mention too, but that's about it. 4.5

7) 'Off the Road' - I'm such a geek for this thread, I've resorted to writing from notes for these latter-day albums (the reviews of other albums were simply from memory, due to me having listened to them so many freakin' times). My notes for 'Off the Road' looks something like this;

"Holy shit, I almost thought I was listening to 'Lightning Crashes' when the song started"
"Thank fuck it's not!!"
"Sleeps With Angels-esque?"
"This is a great song!!"
"Doesn't do much except exist as part of a dreamlike lullaby"
"Best on the album so far"

Yep. Couldn't agree with myself more. 8.0

8) 'Hit the Road' - Ultimately, the 'failing' (if you can call it that) of Fork in the Road is that there are too many filler-like songs around the 5.0 mark and not enough peaks. 'Hit the Road' is another middle of the pack song, but at least Neil seems to be having fun. Again, the backing vocals here are jarring to the point of distraction. 4.5

9) 'Light a Candle' - I'm going to hit you again with the comparisons, only because they're the first things that enter my mind. Call me crazy, call me a kook, call me Larry... I don't mind. But listen to this and tell me Neil hadn't been listening to 'Eyes on the Prize' from Springsteen's The Seeger Sessions album, crossed with 'Bandit' from Greendale. I almost as much of a Bruce nut as I am a Neil nut, so this doesn't cause any problems with me. If anything, it's a bit preachy, but it's not as vomit inducing as 'Mother Earth', so there's always that to make me smile. 7.5

10) 'Fork in the Road' - The last of the road trip songs. It's like Neil's on a cross-country journey with just himself as company, maniacally muttering out loud the first things which come in his head. As great as that is, the song's greatness lies in the slide guitar hidden throughout the song. I've listened to this song dozens of times now, and most the time I zone the words and the beat out just to hear the slide guitar a woozy organ work. Great fun. 7.0

ALBUM RATING: 6.5

VERDICT: I'm torn a bit. I don't love this album, but I love that Neil obviously enjoyed himself. It won't rank among his greatest and it won't be among his worse, and I hope it doesn't end up in the completely forgettable pile. Nearly every song on this album reminds me on a separate album, whether it's Are You Passionate? in some places, Harvest Moon or Greendale in other parts. What we do know is that Neil's voice here is stronger than it had been for years. I know the guy has got the brilliantly biting album still left in him where all he does is sneer and snarl while Old Black squeals. It's not this album, but Fork in the Road gives me hope that I'm going to bring out ratings higher than an 8.0 for songs in the future. My true dilemma is that Neil tossed off this album while prepping the first Archives box for release. Do I accept that most of his time is spent securing his legacy, instead of expanding on it, meaning that it's all Fork in the Road's from now on or do I want the guy to put the box down, keep Homegrown unreleased just that little bit longer while he preps a master disc that will once again show the kids who's the king? I don't know the answer to that, but I keep thinking about it. And the more time spent thinking about Neil Young and listening to his music is time very well spent.

NEXT: We open up the filing cabinet.

 

The Neil Young discography - Shakey II, part 29

This discography analysis is written by contributor JT of Perth, Australia.  Follow him at @thesonofnoone on Twitter.

Neil Young
Live at Massey Hall (2007) Spotify

TRACKS:

1) 'On the Way Home' - Masterpiece #41. As much as the original Buffalo Springfield tune is great, what with Richie Furay singing and all that (along with it just being some bouncy fun - something Neil's not particularly known for), this kicks its ass all the way back to California. No offense to Richie at all, but Neil was born to sing this song, not you. Acoustic is where it's at also. The way he sings "I held my breath with my eyes closed" is about as good as the guy's ever sung. I don't know if he was smiling with eyes slammed shut when he sung that line that night, but to me - it's the only way it can be sung. Completely brilliant start. 10.0

2) 'Tell Me Why' - I know, I was pissing on sacred cows and all that when I said that, of the studio version, "[it] feels like the intro to a song that never arrived". But you see, I saw potential that hadn't been realised. That was Neil with a little too much sheen, this is Neil with not too much of anything and as a result, he delivers a much more inspiring reading of a song that I know I should love to death, but never have been able to. This reading goes a long way to changing my opinion. 8.0

3) 'Old Man' - "Screw the Nashville band, ditch the country star aspirations and just play the fuckin' song." That's what should've been said to Neil back in the day. Because, as good as the original was - Neil with just his guitar on a stage while singing this song is awesome. Listen to him practically plead as he sings the chorus! Brilliant shit. 9.0

4) 'Journey Through the Past' - Another gem. As much as I love Time Fades Away, this song doesn't need a weary Neil, it needs this Neil - at full voice and a little bit of care about how he's playing. Pondering, yet at the same time happy to be beyond the place he's singing about. There's a masterpiece version of this song out there, but this isn't it. Not quite anyway (I'm partial to the version he recorded live for the BBC in Feb '71). 9.5

5) 'Helpless' - Contrary to 'Tell Me Why' and 'Old Man', I think this needs CSN. You see, I see this as a pretty sad song - and I don't ever think Neil was happy while in the studio with CSN, and the melancholy with which it was sung on Deja Vu is vital to understanding its greatness. Fuck, he wrote some brilliant songs back then, didn't he? 7.0

6) 'Love in Mind' - Still as good as when I first heard it. There's a very similar cut on Time Fades Away, taken from the same tour, so go there if you want my feelings on the song as a whole... but needless to say, still fuckin' great. 8.5

7) 'A Man Needs a Maid/Heart of Gold' - As much as I love 'A Man Needs a Maid' - I did after all call the Harvest cut a masterpiece - I'm not going to be so kind to it here. It's embryonic and I'm not sure I like the "a man feels afraid" line. Neil's never at his best when he's to the point, he's always better when you have to get your mind around things. Adding it to 'Heart of Gold' also may have seemed like a good idea, but an embryonic 'Heart of Gold' on the piano? Gimme Ronstadt and Taylor any day. 7.0

8) 'Cowgirl in the Sand' - A completely different cut than the one on the Fillmore East release, but no less vital. In the electric take, the lyrics are almost incidental - here, they drive the song and they drive it to different heights. Am I ever going to be able to give a version of this song anything less than a 10.0?

9) 'Don't Let it Bring You Down' - Better than the studio cut found on After the Gold Rush, but sorry guys, I still can't love it too much. There's something there though, something that stops me from skipping to the next track every time it comes on. That's gotta stand for something right? 7.0

10) 'There's a World' - Should there be kudos for trying? I don't know, Neil must've known that it wasn't a very good song. But then again, he played it live and still saw fit to record it with the LSO. Maybe he thought that the strings would add something, and that once he'd paid for them to be on there, he might as well better to release the song. Unfortunately, it's still shit. 1.0

11) 'Bad Fog of Loneliness' - This needs Ben Keith doubling Neil's vocals. Not saying the song's bad (not at all - it's fuckin' great), but Keith's vocals on one of the readily available studio versions elevates the song to greater heights. As I said though, this is no slouch and easily better than a lot of the songs released around this time, and I dare say it's better than a lot of the so-called 'classics' from the time. 8.0

12) 'The Needle & the Damage Done' - Is it wrong to be bored of this song by now? Sure, it's a vital message (even more so at the timeframe of this concert), but surely after hearing so many versions of what is pretty much the same performance, the message starts to blue. Obviously I'm not going to pick up a needle anytime soon, but after a while it seems Neil's no longer cautioning, but preaching. And I really don't like preachers. But if I give the Harvest version an 8.5, there's no reason why I shouldn't do the same here. 8.5

13) 'Ohio' - Again, and like 'Helpless', this needs CSN. This needs the urgency of the studio cut, this needs a bit more. 7.0

14) 'See the Sky About to Rain' - Whereas 'Helpless' and 'Ohio' needed CSN, this here needs the Wurlitzer, this needs Levon Helm. Not a masterpiece like the On the Beach cut, it still is a great and powerful song. And how can I hate a Neil/Piano combo song? Not possible... not at all. 8.5

15) 'Down By the River' - I dunno. The song's still a masterpiece (it really could be nothing but), however Neil's sounding a bit tired by this point, and whereas the song's Everybody Knows This is Nowhere brother, 'Cowgirl in the Sand' reveals more layers as a stripped-down and acoustic tale, this loses a bit without the electric guitars behind it. 8.0

16) 'Dance Dance Dance' - Trashy fun. The acoustic equivalent of 'Prisoners of Rock and Roll' and just as good. Should be a mandatory encore at any of Neil's acoustic concerts, complete with stomping feet. Or maybe that's just me? 7.5

17) 'I Am a Child' - Yeah, still not a fan. Why doesn't he just play 'Out of My Mind' instead? I gave this a 5.0 when I originally reviewed Last Time Around, and I can't see any reason to change my view now. 5.0

ALBUM RATING: 9.5

VERDICT: Neil believes David Briggs was right and that he should've released this instead of Harvest. I'm not so sure. I like this better than Harvest, but I'm one who doesn't believe in regrets. Release this instead ofHarvest and maybe Neil never goes to #1. If that never happens then maybe he doesn't want a massive tour. Maybe he doesn't invite Danny Whitten on the tour and the guy somehow gets clean. Neil would never have released the 'Doom Trilogy' and things would be very different to how they are now. Of course, maybe they'd be better, but that's not a risk that I'm willing to take. Maybe this should've stayed in the can until it did. Maybe I'm talking bullshit, I don't know...

Neil Young
Chrome Dreams II (2007) (not available on Spotify)

TRACKS:

1) 'Beautiful Bluebird' - It's beside the point that this is a very good song. It's beside the point that it would've been one of the best songs on Old Ways if it were released. It's beside the point that it's a great way to start an uneven album. I suppose the point to all this is "what's the point?" I don't get the idea behind this album, I don't get the idea behind it's title and I don't get what possessed Neil to do what he did here. But I guess that's the point. 6.5

2) 'Boxcar' - Now this is a great fuckin' song. Banjo and dirty electric guitar? Works for me. Not the world's greatest train song, but I sure as hell dig the "whoah-oh" backing vocals, and Neil shows here that his voice ain't what it used to be (compare his vocals here to just two songs later and it's quite startling). But yeah - I dig this and I get that it doesn't really fit on anything that he released around the timeframe that this was record (1988/89). Might as well get thrown on here. 8.0

3) 'Ordinary People' - I started another thread some time back, praising Pete Townshend's Lifehouse Chronicles. It wasn't viewed as much as this thread, nor was it replied to as often, but I talked about the importance of 'scope'. I wrote that "scope shows that in the beginning, at least, there was an idea. A notion that says "from a spark something great may grow". And if, in the end, something refuses to grow - then at least you can say that there was at least the spark, the daring to be different and lay it all on the line not for the sake of the fans, or because you want good reviews, but because you know in your heart that you're capable of something so powerful it would knock the false teeth off a lady standing a mile away if you could just get that spark to grow." Well, you could say that about 'Ordinary People'. I'm not sure that it entirely works, but then again I don't for a second think that it isn't one of the most daringly brilliant things Neil has ever done. An 18-minute song with a horn section, recorded with some of the best guitar playing of the man's career - right at the time when his career was at one of its lowest ebbs? That's scope right there, bitches (with a healthy side-dish of balls). Or stupidity, depending on your perspective. I've grown up for so long with the live version from Jones Beach in 1988 that it was a bit odd to hear anything different to what I was used to. The verses are mixed up and some are added, but the song is still there. I'm not prepared to give it a 10.0, or call it a masterpiece. Just call it a brilliant song if you like - I do. 9.5

4) 'Shining Light' - Ahh - here's where the problems start. There's such a difference to this track, both in quality of sound, in the quality of the actual song, that it makes you think that Neil didn't have enough for a proper album so he just threw on some older stuff to pad it out. This isn't the worst song at all - it actually feels like it wouldn't have been out of place had it been recorded and placed on Life. But as it is, it can't honestly expect to follow 'Ordinary People' and be memorable in any way, shape or form. It's probably worth noting that for the soulful feel Neil gets here is probably equal or greater than anything on Are You Passionate? 6.5

5) 'The Believer' - Yeah, this isn't very good. Like an Are You Passionate? outtake. This is a tired Neil, and it's a shame. 3.0

6) 'Spirit Road' - Well, Old Black's out and unleashed again - that's the positive. The negative is that it's not something that makes you really get out of your chair to freak out to. It could just be an unnecessary gripe. Anyone else think this would've been one of the better songs on Greendale? 5.5

7) 'Dirty Old Man' - Makes 'Piece of Crap' just that little bit more masterful. "I'm a dirty old man, I do what I can, I'm gonna get a hammer and do it again". Wow - it's no "there you stood on the edge of your feather, expecting to fly" is it? Mindless trash, and for that - it's forgivable, but there's something in me that thinks Neil can do 'crap' or 'mindless trash' these days, with nothing else. Prove me wrong Neil - tell me to mind my own fuckin' business and leave the songs to you. Get worked up and smash someone's guitar over my head. I'll be a willing participant, but as long as you get some songs out of it that make me fuckin' weep, not because they're shit, but because they're the greatest thing ever written. Prove to me you've still got it. 5.0

8) 'Ever After' - 5 seconds in and you feel the dread... it gets slightly better, but not much. "The world is full of questions, some are answered, some are not". I think I might go cry now. 2.0

9) 'No Hidden Path' - NOW THAT'S FUCKING MORE LIKE IT! This isn't a masterpiece - but it's dirty, loose and it makes you move your head, tap your feet and much more. This has turned into a monster live - but I'm not reviewing that. This is still really good, and that's not just in comparison with the other songs on the album - this is good no matter what or where it is. 7.5

10) 'The Way' - Really - could there be anything else but a headfuck to finish this album? But you know what? I actually kinda dig this song. A brother (or sister) to 'A Dream That Can Last' from Sleeps With Angels. I'm almost tempted to say that this is the best 'new' song on the album... but I won't go that far. Don't ask me why I like it - because I'm not sure myself, but all I know is that it's endearing, and has been endearing itself to me since the first time I ever heard it. Would never have thought a Neil Young song with a children's choir would be good, but here you go. 7.0

ALBUM RATING: 6.0

VERDICT: A lot of these songs either were originally recorded for other albums, or sound like they belong on other albums - and that's pretty much this 'album' in a nutshell. It's not terrible, but there's no cohesive thread or quality throughout the album that would make me think it was worth a regular spin. Sure, it's better than Are You Passionate?, Greendale and Living With War, but then again - what isn't? Not too disappointing and there's a few signs towards the end of the disc that make you think there's some glorious light at the end of the tunnel.

NEXT: The long walk home.

 

The Neil Young discography - Shakey II, part 27

This discography analysis is written by contributor JT of Perth, Australia.  Follow him at @thesonofnoone on Twitter.

Neil Young
Prairie Wind (2005) Spotify

TRACKS:

1) 'The Painter' - I should probably just give up now. Neil's never going to sound like he did before. His vocals are just too weak now. But having said that - this song has got something going for it. There's some little middle melodic passages that make me crack a smile and think that the guy hasn't completely lost it. But then again, a Neil Young that's completely lost it is still better than 50% of anyone else at the top of their game, so I'm not one to argue. Good on' Neil for getting back after the aneurysm and getting back so soon after. This isn't earth-shattering but it's pleasant enough. 6.5

2) 'No Wonder' - Unexpected song, especially with an album that's got such a shit cover. This definitely sounds like something Neil would've written in the mid-to-late 70s and would've just cut sitting on a rug somewhere. I don't get the insistence with the choir-like backing vocals though. Why polish a turd? People can still see it's a turd. The turd being Neil's voice obviously. And by turd I mean something that will never approach Sam Cooke's levels (or something like that). Oh, and I owe $20 to the dude who bet me that Chris Rock would get a mention in a Neil Young song. Anyway, I digress. Neil should've recorded this by himself in the 70s. 6.0

3) 'Falling Off the Face of the Earth' - Sounds like it belongs on Silver & Gold. Not sure if that's a good thing or not. Do I think it should be there because it'll blend in with the blandness, or do I want it there because it will make that album just that little bit better? Who the fuck knows... 5.0

4) 'Far From Home' - 

Me: "I'll take latter-day Neil Young albums for $200 please Alex."

Alex Trebek: "The horn section on Prairie Wind's 'Far From Home'. Campaigner?

Me: "What are the most unnecessary instruments on a song, ever?"

Alex Trebek: "Correct." 

P.S Not that bad a song. Horn section blows chunks though. 6.0

5) 'It's a Dream' - Wow - this is awkward. Neil really strains to get this song doesn't he? Those verses are kinda painful. The chorus is gorgeous though. Definitely angling for the Jack Nitzsche influence with the string section. Neil really is holding back on the vocals though - and that still disappoints. 5.0

6) 'Prairie Wind' - OK - this is getting better. Neil puts some balls into his vocals and the horn section doesn't stick out nearly so much on this one. This album is at least much better than I remember it being, I'll give it that. The backing vocals are even tolerable. Maybe I've misjudged the bloke - I don't think I give his new stuff the time it deserves. You know what? This is actually a really fuckin' good song, all things considered. 7.0

7) 'Here For You' - Or maybe I haven't misjudged him, 'cos this pretty much sucks. Sounds like the worst Harvest Moon outtake. If you ever managed to get a chick to sleep with you by singing or playing 'Harvest Moon' for her, singing or playing this would guarantee your dick will grow old and wither away, companion-less like the kid at school no-one wanted to be friends with. 3.5

8) 'This Old Guitar' - Not too bad, but I would've much preferred just Neil's voice and his guitar. Everything else in the song is a waste. 5.0

9) 'He Was the King' - So bad. So, so bad. Nothing much more needs to be said, because this is horrendous. 1.5

10) 'When God Made Me' - 'Long Walk Home', Take 2. And that's not a bad thing - it kinda fits here. Although, after the monstrosity that was 'He Was the King', I suppose even a Graham Nash song would've been OK in my books. 6.0

ALBUM RATING: 5.5

VERDICT: Honestly, I'd never made it all the way through this album from start to finish prior to reviewing it for this thread. Maybe it's a little bit of ADD slipping in, but if it doesn't grab me from the get-go, then it's going to be a struggle. After all, haven't we learned that Neil's best albums kick off with a bang... a brilliant song that announces the album's greatness for you? Prairie Wind doesn't do that. It finds Neil, post brain aneurysm, seemingly praising the virtues of life. Pardon me for being rude, but that's never been Neil's forte. He can speak about the lives of others ('Transformer Man' for example), but not so much about himself. Glad he's alive though because holy shit, what the fuck would we do in a world without Neil Young?

Neil Young & Crazy Horse
Live at the Fillmore East (2006) Spotify

TRACKS:

1) 'Everybody Knows This is Nowhere' - I'm fuckin' drunk and Neil's such a fucking God. For years he talked about his Archives series and when it arrives, it's not with one of the box sets, it's with a six-song CD. What the fuck? I haven't waited years for six fucking songs. But fuckin' hell - they are great aren't they? Kicking off with one of his underrated gems (and probably his best ever title track), Neil and Crazy Horse show that in the live setting they kick everybody's asses. They may not be completely tight, but holy hell are they good. Thought Danny Whitten was an unsung hero on the studio album? Listen to him here. He's as much a part of this album as Neil is. These aren't backing vocals - he's a co-lead singer on this track. Oh to have been at these shows. This is history folks. 9.0

2) 'Winterlong' - How could I give my favourite Neil Young song anything less than a ten? Especially with Whitten providing the extra layer of vocals on top? I can't call this a masterpiece because it isn't as much of a ten as the version released on Decade, but I don't mean that as a slight. This is grand... majestic... regal. This will kick your ass into next Wednesday if you're not careful. One of the greatest songs ever written, I kid you not.10.0

3) 'Down By the River' - Masterpiece #39. It takes someone special to take what you thought was one of the greatest things you've ever heard and turn it into something so much more. This is so good that I can't find the words to express how much this knocks me out. 'Masterpiece' dopes not justice to it. Not a bit. This isn't to say the original studio cut isn't great, it's just that this is a masterpiece elevated to mythic levels. Neil's vocals. his guitar playing. Danny's vocals and his somewhat random guitar playing, Billy & Ralphie's rhythm section... all unreal. Sympathies for those who don't enjoy. 10.0

4) 'Wonderin'' - What the Everybody's Knockin' cut could've been, should've been and would've been if Neil's head were on straight. Look, this isn't an earth-shattering song and no-one's gonna confuse it for some of the tems on this album, but for what it is, it does it better than most others. If that makes sense... 7.5

5) 'Come on Baby Let's Go Downtown' - What might've been. Danny was so good that it breaks your heart to know what happened to him. It's a goddamn shame. You don't have to mourn, but know that there could've been so much more. 8.0 (yeah, my thoughts have changed on this, although it fits better here...)

6) 'Cowgirl in the Sand' - Masterpiece #40. I didn't think it could get better than the studio cut of this and boy was I wrong! This is otherworldly shit right here. It's impossible to listen to this just once because it sends you into a trance, floating you along. Neil's guitar playing, needless to say, has hardly ever been better. He's in the zone that very few (if any) have ever entered before. Even if you're not a Neil Young fan, or you are but you prefer another side of him... you have to listen to this song. This shit'll make you weep. One year into his solo career and he's already set a watermark for eveyone else to live up to. Unbelievably great. 10.0

ALBUM RATING: 10.0

VERDICT: About time!! But so worth the wait. This is over a decade of promises distilled into six tracks. I can't say much more than I've already said in this review. This is as legendary as the legend itself and about as important a live document as there's ever been. Who the fuck cares if 'Cinnamon Girl' isn't here? Love what's here and don't worry about what's not.

NEXT: Shrink-wrapped, for your protection.

The Neil Young discography - Shakey II, part 26

This discography analysis is written by contributor JT of Perth, Australia.  Follow him at @thesonofnoone on Twitter.

Neil Young
Are You Passionate? (2002) Spotify

TRACKS:

1) 'You're My Girl' - OK, so heaps of people will point out that it's basically an updated version of 'I Can't Turn You Loose', well at least musically it could be. Well that's where the comparisons should stop, because any other comparisons between that classic and this largely forgotten lukewarm opening to a less-than-lukewarm album just aren't fair. Sorry Wilcoinator, I don't dig this song at all. Neil's vocals are done, and all that's left for him to do to sound like the Neil Young of old is to adopt this half-wheeze. Other problems arise, but they don't really matter too much when the song never really gets off the ground. It sounds good though... it's just not good to listen to - you get my drift. 4.0

2) 'Mr. Disappointment' - Well, I will say this - Neil hasn't lost the touch on Old Black. His tone here, outside of his work with Crazy Horse, is some of the best I've heard from him. Again, the problem here isn't the sound of the song, isn't the guitar playing - it's the song itself. This sounds like a rejected Greendale demo. Plus, it gets a little creepy when you keep thinking to yourself that Neil's singing "I'd like to shave your head", instead of "I;d like to shake your hand". A little better, but not much. 5.0

3) 'Differently' - Disappointing. Neil kicks it off with a great guitar riff and then mixes it with a wussy love song. Keep the riff going you old bastard! I wanna rock out! I don't want Booker T. Jones wasting himself with minimal fills that are about 1/1000th as cool as the ones he did with Stax! Bring back your balls and make me wanna get up and do something. Oh yeah, the backing vocals here are awful too. 4.0

4) 'Quit (Don't Say You Love Me)' - This is getting a bit better. Neil's voice isn't exactly as wussified, and the song swings along nicely. The problem is that I don't think Neil's that great at writing love songs. I don't think he's at his best when trying to write to some formula, and that's where this album is so far failing. But here's hoping it gets better. 5.5

5) 'Let's Roll' - Anyone else think this sounds musically like an outtake from The Wall? No? Just me then? OK. This song gets a lot of crap, and people seem to think that in the "Neil writes in the immediate aftermath of a tragedy" the score stands currently at 1-1. But I don't think it's too bad at all. Many artists were going to pen songs in the aftermath of 9/11, and of the many horrible 'songs' that were vomited onto the public, this is far from the worst. In fact, I'm prepared to say I like this song. So there you go. 7.0

6) 'Are You Passionate?' - This works. Neil's voice is still a bit whiny for my liking, but he's getting back to that classic sound we know. This starts out a little slow and doesn't seem as though it'll ever pick up, but when it does it works and it works crazy well. Sure, this doesn't sizzle like some of the classics, but sue me - I like it. 7.5

7) 'Goin' Home' - Fuck, I was so disappointed when I heard this. You see, Neil had played this every night of his 2001 European Tour with Crazy Horse and sometimes even played it twice a show, almost as though he was touting it as the next big Neil Young classic tune. It fuckin' rocked and would wind up so much you expected it to just explode in a mess (but never did). To listen to this version, recorded before the tour at Toast studios with the Horse, sucks the life out of you. This is embyonic in every way. The live versions in 2001 were fully-blown freak outs that deserve to reach the wider public. This is a great song, one of the best he's written in the last 10 years, but this take isn't the one to convince you of that. 7.5

8) 'When I Hold You In My Arms' - Another good song that never threatens to be great. But these days, you take these songs whenever you get them. Simple, minimal and all Neil. Can't ask for too much more sometimes. Shocking backing vocals though. 13 random cats could've done better. 6.5

9) 'Be With You' - This could be a good song. Instead it's a partial re-write of 'You're My Girl', except with a bit more zeal. I'll say it now (as if you didn't really know already), I don't like 'Neil the soulful tunesmith'. It really is boring. I like Neil the 'what the fuck is he going to do next to break my balls' way. This is about as far from that as possible. Whoever told Neil that a song that sounds like The Supremes would be a good idea? 4.5

10) 'Two Old Friends' - I just woke up after being sent to sleep by this song. I'll be blunt - this song sucks. It really is shit and I don't think I can ever listen to it again. Songs like this make you wish the Hall of Fame could take back awards sometimes. 2.0

11) 'She's a Healer' - At least he finishes it off well. Even though I keep expecting this song to rise to a level it never reaches, I still enjoy listening to it lope along. "All I got is a broken heart, and I don't try to hide it when I play my guitar". Great fuckin' line and a massively positive note to end the album on. Best song on the album. 7.5

ALBUM RATING: 5.0

VERDICT: This is a long album, and despite the presence of a few very good songs, it just drains the life out of you, and not in the good way. I really can't be enthused to write about something so ordinary, something that makes you feel like you've aged two years by the end of it. The songs aren't as horrible as others, but the collective result is just plain bad.

Neil Young & Crazy Horse
Greendale (2003) Spotify

TRACKS:

1) 'Falling From Above' - Kicking off with something which sounds like an electrified version of a Harvest Moon track, Greendale perplexes. Its scope is daunting however only rarely do the songs ring home. 'Falling From Above' is not one of those songs. Sounding more like an idea than a fully-fledged song and with an uninspired version of Crazy Horse, it could've used a little more... I don't know. A little more of something perhaps... 4.0

2) 'Double E' - Better. Sounding like the bar band they are at heart, Neil rings some great notes out of Old Black, but such is the case with most of the songs on this album, it's probably a bit too long. I don't know how long it goes for, and I don't care because a song can be twenty minutes and not be long enough, but this song just goes too long. OK, I checked, it goes for 5:19 and that doesn't seem long, but by the end I was checking my watch. Great little sing-along at the end there. 6.0

3) 'Devil's Sidewalk' - This sounds like a left-over from the American Stars 'n Bars era. One that would've been recorded but never would have been considered for the album, not in a million years. There's a difference between simple and simplistic, and here Neil strays towards the latter, resulting in - how can I say this - an extremely uninteresting song. I just mustn't get this album at all. 3.5

4) 'Leave the Driving' - People can try all they want - this is just the same song as 'Devil's Sidewalk' and it shits me. Neil's completely lost the ability to come up with a memorable hook, melody or even an interesting story. This is terrible, and don't try to tell me the Greendale story is memorable. Nothing's memorable when it's this boring. 3.0

5) 'Carmichael' - This is getting really easy to write about. Although this has a slight little twist. Musically, this isn't bad at all (it lopes, to be sure, but Neil lopes better than most), but lyrically and melodically it's a trainwreck. Hopefully I'm not the only person disillusioned by all this. 10 minutes of this is far too much, btw. 5.5

6) 'Bandit' - Again, this shi... Hang on. This is not only good, this is great. Where the hell did this come from? The only song so far that I can actually be interested in. Love the guitar sound, love the gruffness in Neil's voice, love Ralph's playing and Billy's completely disinterested bass playing. Take this song away from the album and it still stands up. Easily the best song on the album. Nothing even gets close. 9.0

7) 'Grandpa's Interview' - Again, this lopes along. For just under thirteen minutes. Not all of those minutes were necessary or called for, but I suppose we have to take them. Again, there's not much melody in the lyrics, but at least there's a litte bit and Neil seems to give a shit. Is it me or does this whole fuckin' album sound like demos that you would scrap? 6.0

8) 'Bringin' Down Dinner' - 

"Dear Neil, 

1) I HATE THAT FUCKING PUMP ORGAN AND WISH IT WOULD DIE A HORRIBLE DEATH. 

2) PLUG YOUR GUITAR IN AND ROCK THE FUCK OUT SO MUCH THAT YOU GIVE YOURSELF EPILEPTIC SEIZURES. 

3) ENOUGH WITH THE MENTIONS OF MOTHER FUCKING EARTH. 

Cheers, Me. 

Oh... 3.0

9) 'Sun Green' - Sounds like someone I'd break up with. If this is her anthem then I guess she's just annoying and boring, taking 12 minutes to say what I could say in four words - "I don't like you". 3.5

10) 'Be the Rain' - Hokey. Cheesy. Annoying. Pretty damn good. This one rocks at least, as opposed to the majority of the album, so I'm more inclined to listen with a more open pair of ears. Sure the megaphone vocals are more annoying than nearly anything else in the history of mankind - but they don't ruin the song at least. 7.0

ALBUM RATING: 4.5

VERDICT: Guilty on all counts. This album's a trainwreck. But only here. Live it took on another life. I never saw the stage shows, but I heard quite a few of them and for the best representation of the album, you needed to get the version of Greendale which came with a bonus DVD with the Dublin performance of Neil's 2003 acoustic tour of Europe. Neil explains the album in between songs, telling stories and expanding on the characters. I still don't care about it, but it's better than the album - which is just terrible and uninspired (except for 'Bandit' of course).

NEXT: 'Get Back to the Country'

The Neil Young discography - Shakey II, part 25

This discography analysis is written by contributor JT of Perth, Australia.  Follow him at @thesonofnoone on Twitter.

Neil Young Friends & Relatives
Road Rock, Vol. I (2000)  Spotify

TRACKS:

1) 'Cowgirl in the Sand' - Does this feel wrong to anyone? Not sure if it feels wrong to me, but I can't picture this song as anything other than a Crazy Horse marathon, or something Neil plays acoustic by himself. It's not supposed to be good, that's what makes the song so brilliant to begin with. It's not supposed to have Duck Dunn on bass, Spooner Oldham on keys or Jim Keltner on drums. Ben Keith gets a pass because he is never great (which makes him so good). The backing singers (Neil's wife and sister) are terrible, so I suppose they can stay. But you what? Having said all that - the song is still one of the more brilliantly glorious things that anyone's ever done and talking smack about the song for too long will surely do bad things for my health. Not the best version ever, but it still doesn't deserve anything less than the score it'll get... because Neil is the fucking king and he drives this song through the rainstorm that was pouring on them as it was played. 9.0

2) 'Walk On' - A great song for this band to do. They sound like the world's most professional bar band, and this sounds like their anthem. Maybe it's a little too well played though. But I won't harp on about that. I'll just enjoy this tune. (I'm one of the ones who gets strange, btw). 8.0

3) 'Fool For Your Love' - Previously unreleased? Wow, could never tell! (Sarcasm btw). Really, this should've stayed with the Blue Notes, and even then it wasn't that great a song. Oh well, at least it's out there for those who like it. I'll just skip ahead thanks. 4.0

4) 'Peace of Mind' - Great. But am I supposed to dock points or keep them the same if it sounds just like the album version? Nitpicking, I know. One of Neil's most underrated tunes. 8.0

5) 'Words (Between the Lines of Age)' - People talk a lot of shit about this song, and they can go burn. This is fuckin' marvellous and they just kill it here. Better than the album version from Harvest (and then some). This is Neil in his element - there's some great guitar playing here if you let it sink in and wind its way through you. 9.0

6) 'Motorcycle Mama' - Still shit. I hope she crashes. 1.5

7) 'Tonight's the Night' - As brutal and vital as the take from Weld is/was, this is severely lacking in anything approaching brutality. And it's easy to point the finger of blame. Neil's not playing his guitar. Old Black, the shredder of so many notes, the killer of so many ear drums... is nowhere to be found on the song which makes him/her cry every time Neil plucks the strings in memory of Bruce Berry. So that's my problem with this rendition - it's not brutal enough. It should serve as a wake, a notice against the dangers of drugs. This just makes you sing along - and that's not the point at all. 6.0

8) 'All Along the Watchtower' - Neil's really taken this song under his wing since he performed it at Bobfest. Not only as a tribute to Bob, he also makes it a Hendrix tribute without channeling either of them really. Not sure how I feel having Chrissie Hynde on the song. Don't get me wrong (pardon the unintentional pun), I love The Pretenders, but this would be better if she weren't here. 7.0

ALBUM RATING: 7.5

VERDICT: Not sure if this was an entirely necessary album, but one I'll take anyhow. Really, if you've got the Live at Red Rocks DVD, you don't need this. But... there's been many days where I've enjoyed the majority of this album. 'Motorcycle Mama' really does need to fuck off though.

Buffalo Springfield
Box Set (2001) (not available on Spotify)

TRACKS (only including tracks of Neil's not reviewed earlier):

Disc One:

1) 'There Goes My Babe (Remix)' - This really is a fascinating and frustrating box set. But more on that later. We kick it off with the kind of song that Neil would flood his first solo album with, and that's not to say this is a bad song. It's always great to hear stuff from this time frame that you haven't heard before. Simply put though, this isn't really up to the standard of songs he would write only a few years later. But damn, this is promising. 6.5

4) 'Out of My Mind (Demo)' - I called this a masterpiece back in my first post in this thread and I stand by that claim. This is a truly brilliant song. Here, in its demo form it loses none of it's greatness, but offers a view of how naturally talented the Springfield boys were. We get Neil playing and singing lead with the other band members (presumably Stills and Furay) laying down some great campfire backing vocals. Embryonic in the sense that Neil obviously hasn't found how to populate the second half of the song yet, but still brilliant. This gets the highest mark, but for different reasons than the version on their debut. 10.0

5) 'Flying on the Ground is Wrong (Demo)' - I actually like this better than the album version. Both are great songs (and I think I've been harsh on the album version in my original rating), but I think this has a greater effect with just Neil and his guitar. 7.5

6) 'I'm Your Kind of Guy (Demo)' - Wow. With one little demo that goes barely a minute, Neil manages to capture an old-school rock and roll vibe that he failed to capture on the whole of his Everybody's Rockin' album. Still not brilliant, but a more-than-interesting curio. 6.0

22) 'Down Down Down (Demo)' - Kind of a 'Broken Arrow' demo. Very nice indeed. Not as good as what it would morph into, but listening to this is definitely interesting considering the finished product. 6.5

Disc Two:

1) 'Down Down Down (Remix)' - Damn, that engineer/producer sounds pissed. Not sure why, capturing this would've been golden. Not sure whether I like this more than the demo. SUre, it's more polished and has been given a treatment that intrigues, but there's not enough Neil... and like the demo, it isn't as good as what it would end up as. If this were on Buffalo Springfield Again, it would've been one of the album's weaker tracks.6.0

2) 'Kahuna Sunset' - Well, it doesn't lie does it. 'Kahuna Sunset' sounds exactly like a song called 'Kahuna Sunset' should sound like. Not sure I will ever listen to this on repeat, but it's not boring at least. 5.0

3) 'Buffalo Stomp (Raga)' - Awesome instrumental. Completely fuckin' weird and 'unreleasable' in the sense that it would never kick a more 'normal' song of one of the albums, but great nonetheless. Would've made for a great Stills/Young live guitar freakout. 7.5

16) 'Down to the Wire' - Is it wrong to say I like this version, with Still on vocals, better than the version on Decade? I don't know the exact reason why, but something about the song being a great rocking song and Neil not having yet found the voice ready to handle such a song. Neil would later run rings around Stills, but here he gets shown how it's really done. 9.0

Disc Three:

3) 'One More Sign (Demo)' - Wow. This could've been 'Expecting to Fly' #2. Just imagine the strings on this and the double-tracked vocals. I can hear it in my head now. Not sure what iFuckin' awesome song. Where has this song been???? 9.0

4) 'The Rent is Always Due (Demo)' - I should probably like this more than I do. Nothing here grabs me and pulls me in the way it probably should. Melodically bland, I can see what it was never really expanded upon. 5.0

5) 'Round and Round and Round (Demo)' - Obviously an early version of 'Round and Round (It Won't Be Long)' from Everybody Knows This is Nowhere, this is both a version that suffers from the alck of that wacky Crazy Horse vibe that was on the version we've known for so long, but at that same time being great on its own. Neil is quite haunting here, actually. 7.5

6) 'The Old Laughing Lady (Demo)' - I prefer this way more to either the Neil Young or Unplugged versions. The 'Less is More' theory works here, and Neil delivers the song with far greater effect. Well, at least I think that anyway... and that's all that matters for the moment! 6.5

9) 'One the Way Home (Previously Unreleased Mix)' - Similar to the review I wrote of this song originally... this is great, but not as great and masterful as the solo versions Neil would crank out in 1970/71. Just a different mix, just as good (no better or worse). Furay's voice is actually quite underrated (by me at least). 8.0

10) 'Whatever Happened to Saturday Night? (Remix)' - This here is the great lost Neil Young track so far. Of all the songs he dug up (demos and otherwise), this here is my favourite. Obviously, whent he Archives finally see the light of day, there'll be other great un-buried treasures, but for now this reigns supreme. So many great things here, so many great melodies winding their way through. Furay kills on vocals, probably doing a better job than Neil could've. It's also one of those typically brilliant Neil Young songs where you can't ever really think anyone could ever cover this (despite the fact that Richie Furay sings it). It's unreal. But maybe that's just me. 9.5

12) 'Falcon Lake (Ash on the Floor) (Remix)' - Fantastic instrumental. Would love a version with vocals tohear what Neil would've done with the song melodically. But that's griping. Enjoy what's here, not what isn't. 7.0

Disc Four is just the first two albums back-to-back. Grrr.

VERDICT: As I said, fascinating and frustrating. Fascinating for the unreleased demos and songs, frustrating for the repetition. But that's probably too much to argue about. Neil's songs here show that he could at this time be completely awkward, yet turn around and kill us with a classic in just his next song. It's actually interesting going back to the Springfield stuff after making my way through his discography, forces you to hear songs in a different light. 

NEXT: Neil asks a question he doesn't really want us to answer.

The Neil Young discography - Shakey II, part 24

This discography analysis is written by contributor JT of Perth, Australia.  Follow him at @thesonofnoone on Twitter.

Neil Young & Crazy Horse
Year of the Horse (1997) Spotify

TRACKS:

Disc One

1) 'When You Dance I Can Really Love' - "It's all one song!" Great kick-off. Neil really is at his best when he's loose... and this is very loose. There are times I listen to this when I think it goes for far too long and just meanders, and there are the majority of times when I listen to it and just want to bitch-slap that other version of me, because this kicks a lotta ass. Today? I'm in the latter's camp. 8.5

2) 'Barstool Blues' - Boom! 9 minutes of 'Barstool Blues'? Will never say no to that! Will stop writing about it now - got listening to do. 8.5

3) 'When Your Lonely Heart Breaks' - I can see it now. "Buy Neil Young's new live album. It's got 12 songs, three off his latest album, three from Zuma and two from Life!!!!. This song still makes me just a tiny bit sad, and I'm not complaining. Brilliant. 9.0

4) 'Mr. Soul' - Not sure we really needed another acoustic version onf this song, but having said that - I prefer this to the Unplugged take. Not sure why, but maybe Neil was feeling it just a little bit more that day. 6.5

5) 'Big Time' - Still great, still a masterpiece. I actually think I may prefer this take to the album version. You can tell by listening to various tapes from the 1996 tours that Neil was really feeling this song, as though it were the anthem of the year, the one song, that no matter how much he was or wasn't in the groove, was played and was able to lift him higher than he thought. Such a pity that it doesn't get played these days, but maybe the environment for such greatness only existed in 1996. Who knows. 10.0

6) 'Pocahontas' - I've got this thing (as I may have said before), where I can hear a song and picture what it should be like before I've actually heard it. Honest-to-god, I've got the most amazing electric version of 'Ambulance Blues' in my head that involves a Television-esque twin guitar assault the likes of which hasn't been seen or heard ever, but the problem is that only in my head does it seem as though this is the way things should be. So in my head, this electric version of 'Pocahontas' is more than it is. This should take a classic song and not improve on it (because that would be impossible), but provide another look at one of the man's finest songs. Unfortunately it doesn't. Not to say that this electrified 'Pocahontas' is bad, because it's far from it, but I don't think Neil runs with this as much as he can. But maybe that's just me and the crazy thoughts in my head. 8.0

7) 'Human Highway' - Never a love of mine, this song. Not sure what made Neil pick this song over the others that he played in his brief acoustic sets that year, but good on him. Goes about reminding me of a song I usually forget about. This song is just not offensive or awesome enough for me to get excited. 6.0

Disc Two

1) 'Slip Away' - Better than the album. Even at 8 minutes, the album version never did much for me. This here's 12 minutes and it's allowed to breathe and expand upon itself. Sonically, it's better and Neil gets lost in the song. And that's never a bad thing. Still not my favourite song, but there's something here that makes me love it that little bit more. Brutal beauty. 7.5

2) 'Scattered (Let's Think About Livin')' - Stoked that this gets another guernsey. Still as great as the album, not really any better or worse. 8.5

3) 'Danger Bird' - Anyone who doesn't have their face melted by this song like that Nazi dude from 'Raiders of the Lost Ark' is seriously missing out. How can you not love this? When rock and roll finally does die, they're gonna sift through the ashes and find this recording, be blown away and put it on some pedestal for some kid two hundred years from now to find. That kid will find it and kickstart a new revolution. This here is top five stuff... top five all-time Neil Young great moments (and therefore, by extension top five all time by anyone ever). 10.0

4) 'Prisoners of Rock and Roll' - First time I heard this song it was this version. Loved it then and have loved it ever since. Sure it's stupi, but then again - stupid is good sometimes. And at this time, stupid's an essential ingredient. Stupid didn't really fit on Weld, but it's not ouf place here, especially after 'Danger Bird' repeatedly kicked you in the nuts for 14 minutes! 9.0

5) 'Sedan Delivery' - Part of me thinks that this song has progressively lost impact with every occasion that it's been played. Not sure exactly what makes me think this, but all I know is that there's nothing like the original,Rust Never Sleeps version. 8.0

ALBUM RATING: 9.0

VERDICT: Some days, this is my favourite Neil Young live album. It's definitely (to my ears anyway) better than Live Rust and the highest point here matches the highest point from Weld ('Danger Bird' vs 'Cortez the Killer'). Why this gets a bad rap is unknown to me. A live album of songs that (for the most part) aren't to be found on any normal Neil Young setlist, taken from one of his greatest tours? Sign me up any day of the week. There's shit on here that will make you think you've been deaf for a century and are only hearing music for the first time, wondering what these amazing, yet sometimes confronting sounds are. So, you know what? I don't care if you don't like the album as much as I do. I think it's fuckin' brilliant. Who's with me?

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
Looking Forward (1999) Spotify

TRACKS (Neil or co-write only):

2) 'Looking Forward' - A re-do of 'Through My Sails', 24 years later. Except not as good. Neil sounds semi-there, and CSN are surprisingly impotent when it comes to their backing vocals - something which is normally their forte - even when the songs suck hard. This one doesn't suck hard, it's just not good. 4.5

6) 'Slowpoke' - A re-do of 'Heart of Gold', 27 years later (do I hear an echo??). Again, Neil retreads familiar territory... this time choosing to update his most widely-known song. This is a little better though (better than 'Looking Forward', not 'Heart of Gold'). CSN sound something like their former selves and the song, though completely inoffensive, seems to have more than one charm hidden amongst its 4:34. 6.0

9) 'Out of Control' - The best song on the album. But that isn't saying much. Bonus half a point for the return of the Neil/Piano combo. 6.5

11) 'Queen of Them All' - Man, this is bad. This is so bad that it would've been the worst song on American Dream. This is indeed a disturbing turn of events... 1.5

VERDICT: So, this is how it went down. Neil was doing a solo album and stopped in to hear some CSN work. He liked what he heard (?) and wanted a piece of the album. He offered the guys four songs from his solo album to use. And they chose these four. If these were the best, then heaven help the solo album. These are quite the uninspiring quartet of songs.

Neil Young
Silver & Gold (2000) Spotify

TRACKS:

1) 'Good to See You' - You know how I've rattled on endlessly about opening songs on Neil Young's albums and how they set the tone for the rest of the disc? Well, unfortunately, this song set sthe tone perfectly. It's just plain uninspiring. Even if it's terrible, at least give me a reason to tell people why it's so bad. I can't even do this with most of the album. This (and most of the others) just leave me emotionally neutral. Wind me up! Make me spit in anger! Do something!! 5.0

2) 'Daddy Went Walkin' - See? This is a song I can hate. This is a song I can whinge about. This is terrible. I'm sure Neil was trying to say something with the song, but musically and melodically... this is horrid. That "hey now, hey now" bit which rears its ugly head every fuckin' verse? Yeah, a little bit of me dies every time I hear it. 2.0

3) 'Silver & Gold' - For a song that Neil had apparently spent years trying to record the version he was happy with, why the hell did he settle for this? Or maybe he got the take he was after, I don't know. It could just be that it's not a very good song at all. Or it could be that it is a good song that lives on a bad album and the song isn't good enough to rise above the dreck. Either way, not much love for it... nothing that makes me think Neil had a good reason to try and get the perfect version of the song. 5.5

4) 'Buffalo Springfield Again' - Hey Neil, don't write a crappy song and sing about getting the Springfield back together... go out and get the Springfield back together. This song is just bad, and most of all - it's actually pretty insulting. Neil sang this song 50 times live, yet hasn't really listened to the guy he was when he wrote it. Melodically this is ordinary, and musically, Neil seems to be stuck in the middle of the road. 3.0

5) 'The Great Divide' - Jesus, sometimes I really don't like Jim Keltner. For someone who's supposed to be so good, he sure does know how to fuck some songs up. This is one of them. But to be fair - the song's not a classic by any stretch of the imagination. But Keltner's very ordinary drumming is far too high in the mix for me to care about listening to this song ever again. Oh yeah, the rest of the song's shit too. 3.0

6) 'Horseshoe Man' - Man, I just can't get over the start of this song. From the same guy who came up with "hello cowgirl in the sand, is this place at your command?", now comes "in the land of the..... zzzzzzzzzzzz". There's some major slippage on this album and it's not good. Not good at all. Wake me when the song's over. 2.5

7) 'Red Sun' - Stop! Hey, what's that sound? It's the sound of Jim Keltner fucking off!! This is better. Much better in fact. But then again, Emmylou Harris makes anything seem better. God she's good. This would've been a great song for Harvest Moon, would've made the album much better than it turned out to be. 6.5

8) 'Distant Camera' - This is a frustrating song. Frustrating not because it's shit, but frustrating because it's almost a brilliant song. But as it is it sounds like Neil is striving for something he doesn't quite reach. But then again, he gives a pretty good effort. Easily the second best song on the album. 7.5

9) 'Razor Love' - Masterpiece #38. Brilliant song and the only tune on the album which I think works. It's only disappointment is that it's an older song, and that in order for the album to have a standout tune, it had to be one that was first played over a decade earlier than it was released. It's rare that you have a song so grand, yet I can't really describe what exactly makes me think that it's so special. Sometimes you just have to go with gut instincts, and all I know is that whenever I hear this song my heartbeat kinda slows down and I just drift along for the duration and whenever Neil sings "silhouettes on the window" (with that high "win...dow") I think that things really couldn't ever get any better than that. 10.0

10) 'Without Rings' - Again, Neil tries for something he doesn't quite reach. But I'll always give the guy points for effort. This song, however, was done much better when it was called 'Music Arcade'. Not a bad way to finish the album though, in spite of the all-time 'classic' line "my software's not compatible with you". 6.5

ALBUM RATING: 5.0

VERDICT: Neil seems to be searching for a sound here, a sound that he no longer knows how to reach. 'Razor Love' is the ultimate highlight here. On no other Neil Young album have there been so many ordinary songs surrounding one extraordinary song. What Neil has against making a truly 'solo' album, i.e one where it's just him, a guitar and a piano, I'll never know. He seems intent on padding his songs with the insignificant (but overbearing) music of his friends and it distracts you from what should be much better than it is. I know some people who love this album, however I'm definitely not one of them.

NEXT: Neil's fourth live album in a decade.

The Neil Young discography - Shakey II, part 23

This discograpjhy analysis is written by contributor JT of Perth, Australia.  Follow him at @thesonofnoone on Twitter.

Neil Young
Dead Man (1996) Spotify

TRACKS:

1) 'Guitar Solo #1'
2) 'The Round Stones Beneath the Earth'
3) 'Guitar Solo #2'
4) 'Why Does Thou Hide Thyself, Clouds...'
5) 'Organ Solo'
6) 'Do You Know How to Use This Weapon?'
7) 'Guitar Solo #3'
8) 'Nobody's Story'
9) 'Guitar Solo #4'
10) 'Stupid White Men'
11) 'Guitar Solo #5'
12) 'Time For You to Leave, William Blake'
13) 'Guitar Solo #6'

ALBUM RATING: 7.0

VERDICT: OK, so this is a different kind of review. I'm not going to do a track-by-track rundown because, as Neil would say in a live album to be released a year from then, "It's all one song". Some people I know seem to think this is slight in some way, some seem to think that it is only a curio and others think it's just useless.

I'm not one of those people.

Here's where I might get controversial. Neil's most adventurous playing, somewhat unlike the Neil Young we've gotten to know, is found here on this soundtrack. One of these days I might go as so far as to say that this album contains the best guitar playing of Neil's career. It certainly contains one of his best guitar passages, and that's the main riff which winds its way through the album. One can only think and wonder how awesome this could've been for Neil to take the inspiration he had here and put it on a 'normal' Neil Young album (if such a thing has ever existed).

As it is, it's great, but not something I reach for very often. But that doesn't mean I don't cherish the listens when I let it ring out from my speakers.

Neil Young & Crazy Horse
Broken Arrow (1996) Spotify

TRACKS:

1) 'Big Time' - Masterpiece #37. I love this song for the groove, for the melody, for the fact that Neil's back with the Horse. I love it for the sentiment, for the great guitar playing and for the line "dancing in the sunset hues". I love the chorus and I love the fact that hardly anyone rates this album at all. Fine, you go ahead and think that. The lucky few of us who think this is criminally underrated can sit here and drive along the coast, windows down with this song blaring forth. "I'm still living the dream we had, for me it's not over". How can you not love this song? 10.0

2) 'Loose Change' - Crazy Horse turned up to the max, with Neil blowin' on the ol' harmonica? Fantastic. This lumbering song never fails to make smile. The second of three epics that open the album, this is the least known of the three. Hardly played live, and that's a shame. I can picture it as a show opener - completely different to the way 'Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black)' has been used (which is like a powerful punch to the stomach)... this one could've been the loose opener used to get everyone (band, audience) in their groove. Pity, because Neil will never play this again live. 8.0

3) 'Slip Away' - The last of the three lengthy tracks that open us up, and my least favourite. Not sure why, but this has never gelled with me the way 'Bit Time' and 'Loose Change' have. Kudos for Neil trying something different (it's unlike any other Crazy Horse song), but to me it just doesn't get where it wants to go. Neil obviously thought so, because he played it throughout his 1996 tours with Crazy Horse. 6.5

4) 'Changing Highways' - Neil puttin' on his train conductor's hat again! Seriously, Ralph's insistent beat is as high in the mix as anything Jack Irons did on Mirror Ball, but such is the song - it works. At only two minutes (and change), this is short but fun. 6.0

5) 'Scattered (Let's Think About Livin')' - The true forgotten song from this album. At least it would appear onYear of the Horse. Neil reaches out and grabs the tone from Dead Man, taking on us on a pretty cool trip. "I'm a little bit high, I'm a little bit low... hear your name wherever I go". If I were in a Neil Young cover band, I'd insist this were on the setlist each and every night. Not because I think it can compete with 'Revolution Blues' (another must-play) or anything like that, but mainly because I'd want as many people as possible to hear it and think it was as cool as I do. 8.5

6) 'This Town' - Not the best song on the album. Sounds like the fragment of what could become a very good song, but Neil really doesn't go too far with it. Interesting guitar solo (read: different for Crazy Horse, but good), but not much else to write home about. 5.0

7) 'Music Arcade' - Wow. In four minutes and one second, Neil manages to capture everything that he would fail to capture in Silver & Gold, and that's the quiet, hushed acoustic sound. Sounding as though he's almost not trying, Neil proves to us that the true inspiration comes when you're not trying to write your greatest song, not trying to capture a particular sound. All you need is to sit down alone at the end of the day and sing what comes from your heart. Neil's great, lost acoustic track. 9.0

8) 'Baby, What You Want Me to Do?' - Any song where Poncho gets to take a solo is OK in my book. Sounds worse than some of the bootlegs I have, but that's not too bad, considering the noisy bar atmosphere suits the song and the performance (which isn't going to win awards). Not sure what Neil was trying to do by putting this here, especially as the album closer, but no one ever said the man was routine. 5.5

ALBUM RATING: 7.5

VERDICT: Neil's last very good studio album. There are a couple of slight things here, and the Jimmy Reed cover is bizarre, but the album works. Feels like more of a cohesive album than some of his more lauded works. Also, shows that Neil's production skills with the Horse were up to the challenge after Briggs' death. Pity he hasn't chased this sound since. One of Neil's last masterpieces opens the album, and there's some sorely missed gems throughout as well. No idea how this got the bad reputation that it's gotten. But then again, that just makes me think that people haven't 'gotten' the album yet and it's only a matter of time.

NEXT: And the winner is... Favorite Trick!!