Neil Young song draft

[johnnya24]

You're definitely not going to get an argument on that one. It was far and away his most commercially successful single.

It was also the "first dance" song at my first wedding. I hope to grab at some point the "first dance" song from my second wedding.

I'm sure Fu*kin' Up will still be around








... only kidding ... it was just hanging there over the middle of the plate ... I'm too weak ... I couldn't resist

[DMT]

Nice opener.

Thanks...pretty easy choice for me.

What are some bootlegs y'all would recommend from Dimeadozen?

[Erik]

Thanks...pretty easy choice for me.

What are some bootlegs y'all would recommend from Dimeadozen?

Anything from the fall 1976 tour.

[ManCalledFoot]

1.1 Heart of Gold

Might as well start with his one and only #1 single, the first song of his that most people my age ever heard. What song knocked it out of the top spot? America's "Horse With No Name", which was widely regarded as a Neil rip at the time.

[johnnya24]

Just made a play list with everything from Neil Young 1968 to Comes a Time 1978

... haven't done this in a while

[johnnya24]

1.1 Heart of Gold

Just to tie things together ... I always loved this quote from Dylan regarding Neil Young and Heart of Gold when it was a smash hit back in 72.

The only time it bothered me that someone sounded like me was when I was living in Phoenix, Arizona, in about '72 and the big song at the time was "Heart of Gold." I used to hate it when it came on the radio. I always liked Neil Young, but it bothered me every time I listened to "Heart of Gold." I think it was up at number one for a long time, and I'd say, "****, that's me. If it sounds like me, it should as well be me." I used to hate it when it came on the radio. I always liked Neil Young but it bothered me every time I listened to "Heart Of Gold". I'd say, `****, that's me. If it sounds like me, it should as well be me.'

I needed to lay back for awhile, forget about things, myself included, and I'd get so far away and turn on the radio and there I am. But it's not me. It seemed to me somebody else had taken my thing and had run away with it and, you know, I never got over it.

Bob Dylan

A fitting first pick.

[Mithrandir]

1.02: Powderfinger, Rust Never Sleeps, 1979

From the first time i heard this song 30+ years ago it has always been my favorite song from Young. And it's definitely in my top 25 songs of all-time from all artists. And the lyrics make for great debate when discussing what the song is all about.

[johnnya24]

So many songs won't make it back. But for me, this is his best song. In 20 years I have never got tired of listening to it.

1.03 Old Man, Harvest, 1972

It's one of the 4/5 songs I always play when I pick up my guitar.

[johnnya24]

Is there any chance we can format our picks like mine ... so everyone knows which record and the year of the recording ... this would really have helped me during the Dylan draft for those 80's, 90's and obscure picks.

[Erik]

Is there any chance we can format our picks like mine ... so everyone knows which record and the year of the recording ... this would really have helped me during the Dylan draft for those 80's, 90's and obscure picks.

I will list them that way on the Page 1 master list.

[overkill94]

1.02: Powderfinger, Rust Never Sleeps, 1979

From the first time i heard this song 30+ years ago it has always been my favorite song from Young. And it's definitely in my top 25 songs of all-time from all artists. And the lyrics make for great debate when discussing what the song is all about.

Nice choice, definitely one I was considering with my first pick. It's rare for songs to put you so in the moment that you actually feel a bit anxious. "Red means run, son / numbers add up to nothin'"

While "Heart of Gold" and "Old Man" are great picks and obvious classics, they weren't really on my radar since I've heard them so much on the radio. Oh well, that'll make it easier for my limited knowledge to last until the end and fill out a full roster

[Lucky]

Nice choice, definitely one I was considering with my first pick. It's rare for songs to put you so in the moment that you actually feel a bit anxious. "Red means run, son / numbers add up to nothin'"

While "Heart of Gold" and "Old Man" are great picks and obvious classics, they weren't really on my radar since I've heard them so much on the radio. Oh well, that'll make it easier for my limited knowledge to last until the end and fill out a full roster

Powderfinger was part of the killer set list at the 3.14.91 show in Dallas.

[johnnya24]

Nice choice, definitely one I was considering with my first pick. It's rare for songs to put you so in the moment that you actually feel a bit anxious. "Red means run, son / numbers add up to nothin'"

While "Heart of Gold" and "Old Man" are great picks and obvious classics, they weren't really on my radar since I've heard them so much on the radio. Oh well, that'll make it easier for my limited knowledge to last until the end and fill out a full roster

Aren't you supposed to get your big guns up front and keep the sleepers' til later

That said ... I agree with on Powderfinger ... it's a really disconcerting song ... Love it ... great pick ... better of course if it fell to me @ 2.06 or 3.03

[Erik]

So many to pick from, it's ridiculous. I have always been drawn to Neil's long, wild guitar epics, so I will take what has become my favorite from those.

1.04 Cortez the Killer (Zuma, 1975)

Arguably, this song defines Neil's electric sound more than any other. The kind of guitar playing that got him dubbed "The Godfather of Grunge." I can think of countless bands who have at least one song that sounds like it.

There are so many electric epics that I could pick here, but I chose this one because:

1. I never get tired of it, especially because every live version has something different going on.

2. It continued his lyrical obsession with Native Americans, a common theme throughout his career that should be acknowledged here.

3. It comes from one of his best albums, arguably the one that set the template for the grunge sound.

4. It is the launching point for the story I wanted to tell about the 1991 tour. My first Neil show was on Feb. 5, 1991, at the Philadelphia Civic Center. The setting was as "grungy" as you could get -- an old dirty hall that was falling apart and had terrible sound, a bunch of aging bikers in the crowd who booed openers Sonic Youth and Social Distortion*, and some of the LOUDEST playing I have ever heard. The version of Cortez he played that night was the greatest moment I have EVER seen at a live concert. When he got to the final solo, he unleashed some of the most raw, passionate, beautiful sounds that one could ever produce from a guitar. 20 years later, I get choked up just thinking about it. This version (which is not on YouTube, of course) presumably was not included on Weld because the sound system at the venue was so bad, but it blows that version away, which is not easy to do. The only means I have to listen to it is on a crappy third-generation cassette tape, but that's better than nothing. It was one of the most important steps on the path to Neil Young fanaticism.

* - Sonic Youth DID suck that night, they were obviously not into it.

[Erik]

Interesting note about Powderfinger: It was written in 1969 and was originally called "Big Waves." It was under consideration for After the Goldrush but didn't make the cut. Then Neil forgot about it for a few years. Then he recorded an acoustic version in 1976 for the aborted Chrome Dreams album. Then he offered it to Lynyrd Skynyrd just before their plane crash. It finally found a home on Rust Never Sleeps.