Neil Young song draft

[johnnya24]

Too Far Gone is a staple on any of my NY playlists.

[Erik]

55. Natural Beauty (Harvest Moon, 1992)
This one stood out to me the first time I put on Harvest Moon, and still does. With sweeping yet subtle grandeur, Neil chronicles environmental devastation without coming off as hectoring (this would become a problem in his later work). And he even throws in a few musical nods to Cortez the Killer.

[Erik]

The musical connection between Natural Beauty and Cortez the Killer is even more apparent on the one known electric version of Natural Beauty:

[Erik]

54. Unknown Legend (Harvest Moon, 1992)
Here, Neil combines his considerable storytelling abilities with his love of motorcycles to craft a memorable narrative and breezy melody. It was a fitting way to kick off his much-anticipated-at-the-time return to the acoustic singer-songwriter thing.

[Erik]

53. Comes a Time (Comes a Time, 1978)
The title track of Neil's first attempt to return to the Harvest sound, this is one of his more enduring songs and has been a staple of his setlists since its debut with the Ducks in 1977. It's basically his take on the "to everything, there is a season" theme. For those put off by the fiddles on the studio version, the sparser acoustic version on Live Rust is the go-to.

[Erik]

Because we were in lockdown and I was bored and had a lot of time on my hands, I made a list of my top 100 Neil Young songs. I'll be posting one a day on Facebook (when I remember) and when I do, I'll add it to this thread because why not.

52. Broken Arrow (Buffalo Springfield Again, 1967)
Until 1967, pop and rock musicians did NOT make records like this. Every bit as experimental as what the Beatles were doing with Sgt Pepper, this multi-part epic covers everything from LSD use to massacres of Indians and is equally diverse musically. It announced Neil as a major talent to be reckoned with, even by the high standards that Springfield had already set. And unlike many experiments of the time, this one still holds up today.
I have no idea why he used this title again for a 1996 album (the song does not appear there).

[Erik]

51. No Hidden Path (Chrome Dreams II, 2007)
This is Neil's best guitar blowout of this millenium and his second-best since the Ragged Glory sessions. It's not just the fireworks from Old Black, there is groove and purpose throughout. It's an absolutely thrilling ride live, and the version I caught in December 2007 was jaw-dropping.

[Erik]

Gregg is going to be shocked!

50. Heart of Gold (Harvest, 1972)
We're halfway through the countdown and it's time for THAT song. Heart of Gold is probably Neil's most famous song, and it was his only No. 1 single.
So why is it ranked all the way down here? I love it and it's an excellent example of the strengths of the country rock style that was dominating the charts at the time. But as good as it is, Neil has songs that are more compelling, including one from the same album done in a similar style that ranks MUCH higher on this list. That's a testament to his amazing skill.

[Erik]

Update on my rankings vs. Rolling Stone's. Needless to say they diverge quite a bit from me on Heart of Gold.

100. Lookout Joe (RS unranked)
99. Ramada Inn (RS #47)
98. Look Out for My Love (RS #55)
97. Get Back to the Country (RS unranked)
96. Homefires (RS unranked)
95. This Old Guitar (RS unranked)
94. Slip Away (RS #86)
93. This Note's for You (RS #42)
92. Mansion on the Hill (RS unranked)
91. Grey Riders (RS unranked)
90. Motion Pictures (for Carrie) (RS unranked)
89. Downtown (RS unranked)
88. White Line (RS unranked)
87. Ride My Llama (RS unranked)
86. Windward Passage (RS unranked)
85. Albuquerque (RS #39)
84. Everybody's Alone (RS unranked)
83. I've Been Waiting for You (RS unranked)
82. Winterlong (RS #45)
81. Sail Away (RS unranked)
80. When You Dance I Can Really Love (RS #83)
79. Lotta Love (RS unranked)
78. I Believe in You (RS unranked)
77. Through My Sails (RS unranked)
76. LA (RS #74)
75. Goin' Back (RS unranked)
74. Crime in the City (Sixty to Zero) (RS #82)
73. From Hank to Hendrix (RS #20)
72. Drive Back (RS #76)
71. World on a String (RS #65)
70. Sea of Madness (RS unranked)
69. Razor Love (RS #60)
68. On the Way Home (RS #46)
67. Long May You Run (RS #32)
66. Like an Inca (RS unranked)
65. Interstate (RS unranked)
64. Days That Used to Be (RS unranked)
63. New Mama (RS unranked)
62. Wrecking Ball (RS unranked)
61. Shots (RS unranked)
60. Scenery (RS unranked)
59. Live to Ride (RS unranked)
58. Prisoners of Rock 'N' Roll (RS #87)
57. Come on Baby Let's Go Downtown (RS unranked)
56. Too Far Gone (RS #48)
55. Natural Beauty (RS unranked)
54. Unknown Legend (RS unranked)
53. Comes a Time (RS #51)
52. Broken Arrow (RS #23)
51. No Hidden Path (RS unranked)
50. Heart of Gold (RS #2)

[chancellor]

Ah, we find agreement on Heart of Gold. Nice, tight, commercial single, but never understood the appeal as one of Neil's greatest songs given his catalog.

[Erik]

Ah, we find agreement on Heart of Gold. Nice, tight, commercial single, but never understood the appeal as one of Neil's greatest songs given his catalog.

Given your hatred of Long May You Run, I figured you might be with me on this one.

[chancellor]

Given your hatred of Long May You Run, I figured you might be with me on this one.

True, although there is a key difference - it's clear he cared about Heart of Gold. It's well-crafted and tight. It's a very good song. It's like it was designed to be a great radio-play single and drive sales, and that it did. I just don't think it's excellent or extraordinary, and Neil has a lot of music that falls into that category. I think you have Heart of Gold rated very fairly.

[DMT]

True, although there is a key difference - it's clear he cared about Heart of Gold. It's well-crafted and tight. It's a very good song. It's like it was designed to be a great radio-play single and drive sales, and that it did. I just don't think it's excellent or extraordinary, and Neil has a lot of music that falls into that category. I think you have Heart of Gold rated very fairly.

I disagree.

[Erik]

I disagree.

I figured the guy who took Heart of Gold first overall in our draft would probably not share my take on it.

[Erik]

49. Roll Another Number (for the Road) (Tonight's the Night, 1975; written and first performed in 1973)
This is great drinking music. And not just for the listener. The Tonight's the Night sessions were notoriously conducted with everyone blasted on tequila. And the song itself is about being in an altered state -- with Neil throwing in some sentiments about wanting to ditch the hippie scene ("I'm not goin' back to Woodstock for a while"). It's basically the closest Neil ever got to composing an Irish shanty.
As you might imagine, this is a lot of fun live, and sometimes serves as a closer after everyone is spent (this occurred at my second Neil show in 1996).